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karajaynetoday · 4 years

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ours, for the rest of forever | ashton irwin

Hello friends! Here is a godparent!Ash one shot, based on this blurb about being godparents with Ashton and also inspired in part by that scene in Season 5 of One Tree Hill when Brooke is randomly looking after a baby but has to also finish fashion sketches so Lucas comes to her rescue with babysitting and it is overall very soft and cute. You know the one! Lol.

A very big thank you to Jex @sadistmichael , Anna @cheekysos , Jae @jae-writes-fanfiction and Hailey @talkfastromance4 for proof-reading and providing feedback on this when it was in its draft stages. You’re all absolute gems!

Anyway, enjoy the softness and as always, please let me know what you think! I’ve got some thoughts for a potential part 2, so we’ll wait and see how part 1 goes :)

(This is a fem reader insert)

Word count: 3.3k words

Warnings: none

More writing here | send feedback/thoughts/suggestions here

When your best friend Alice told you she was having a baby, you were over the moon. She was honestly one of the most kind-hearted people you knew, and the amount of love in her heart for others would only bloom more for a little baby to hold and cherish. Her partner James had been by Alice’s side since your university days, and their relationship was one that was literally #goals. They’d moved over to Los Angeles because James had an opportunity to work at an indie creative agency working with music artists, and when you followed a year or so later to pursue a consulting job, they’d welcomed you with open arms into the little community they’d formed of Australian ex-pats, LA creatives and generally good quality, salt of the earth people.

In the early days, there were lots of late nights (that became early mornings) running amok in West Hollywood, going from one house party to the next, but as you grew older, it became more likely to be a quiet Sunday sesh in someone’s backyard, with a barbeque cooking and someone playing their favourite tunes on a portable speaker while you floated in the swimming pool or lounged about on the grass with everyone’s various pets in attendance. When you met Ashton, he was drumming shirtless at his own house party, and then doing shots with James and their friend Calum. You were more than a little intimidated, although he had a kind face and welcoming nature, Ashton was forthcoming his opinions. On the other hand, you were always more reserved, and it took you time to feel like you belonged with their crazy crew of friends. One night, you and Ashton ended up alone in the kitchen sharing some chicken nuggets and potato gems tater tots after a wild night on the house part dancefloor, and from there you could feel a solid friendship starting to take hold.

A few months after Alice and James told you they were expecting, they’d invited you and Ashton out to brunch at one of your favourite spots. It was a little hole-in-the-wall café in Studio City that you’d first come to after Ashton wouldn’t stop raving about how good their iced coffees were. You all ordered your favourites (avocado smash with a side of smoked salmon and a hash brown for you, raspberry hotcakes for Alice, a breakfast burger for James, and pulled pork eggs benedict with a side of halloumi for Ashton) and were chatting away about your weeks at work when Alice reached down and pulled two envelopes out of her tote bag and handed on to you and one to Ashton. You took them, looking confusedly at Alice and James, who had big goofy smiles on their faces.

“Well, go on! Open them!” Alice half-shouted excitedly, squeezing James’ hand on top of the table. You and Ashton glanced at each other, perplexed, before tearing open the envelopes and finding a card inside. Yours read, “Will you be my godmother?” in gold writing on the front, and inside was an ultrasound photo with a handwritten note from Alice that made you tear up when you started reading it. You could see in your peripheral vision that Ash had a corresponding card in his envelope too, and he was standing up to give James and Alice a hug with an enthusiastic “Fuck YES! Of course I will!” that garnered some disapproving looks from the middle-aged women sitting near you. You held it together just enough to stand up and exchange hugs and choke out a “Y-y-yes” to Alice and James, before basically bursting into full blown tears of happiness and apologising profusely as your brunch was delivered to the table. As you wiped away your tears and managed to begin eating your avocado smash, you felt Ashton squeeze your hand reassuringly under the table, and when you glanced towards him he was grinning at you with a smile that was as bright as a thousand suns.

It was a normal June day at the office a few months later when your phone pinged with a text from Alice in your group chat with her, James and Ashton that

read “It’s go-time. We’ll keep you updated!”. You replied with lots of exclamation points and crying emojis, and for Alice and James to let you know if they needed anything, and a few minutes later Ashton had penned a full paragraph about the beauty of the creation of life, how he knew that Alice and James would be incredible parents, and that he couldn’t wait to meet the little one once they made their way into the world. Ashton was frustratingly eloquent sometimes. Later that night, you received a photo message of a small, pink baby snuggled up on Alice’s chest, with James’ arm thrown around her shoulders, and the caption “Charlie Rose, ten fingers, ten toes. Come visit tomorrow, she can’t wait to meet you x” and you could barely sleep from the anticipation of meeting your darling goddaughter for the first time.

Ashton insisted on meeting you at the hospital so you could visit Alice, James and Charlie together (“Dude, we’re a godparent team here! A package deal! A dynamic duo! Can’t have you getting in there as the favourite from day one!”) and you’d never seen him more gentle or smitten than when the small, wriggly bundle of blankets that was Charlie Rose was placed in his arms. Ashton rocked her gently, kissing her head, and whispering to her about how incredible she was and how excited he was to see her grow. James was snapping away with his camera, and he asked you and Ash to stand together for a photo holding Charlie, which would later be stuck on your fridge for years to come (and possibly be your phone lockscreen, but no need to mention that to Ashton).

Charlie was a tricky baby at first, resisting sleep and struggling with colic, but Alice and James were incredible and persistent and by the time she was 6 months old, they basically had the hang of this parenting thing. They didn’t want to christen Charlie in a church, but instead decided to hold one of your cherished backyard barbeques as a naming celebration for her. All of your nearest and dearest were there, and Alice’s mum had even flown in from Australia to meet her newest granddaughter. Despite it being an incredibly informal affair, Ashton insisted on making a speech about how he felt to be in Charlie’s life, to love and support her through every milestone and challenge she might encounter along the way. Charlie was happily gurgling in Ashton’s arms as he spoke, and she reached up to grab at his cheeks when he told her he loved her. Alice’s mum insisted on getting photos of everyone, including you and Ashton holding Charlie, and you tried to ignore the butterflies you felt when Ash slid his arm around your waist and pulled you into his side for a cosy photo pose. Were you actually starting to fall for him, or was it just the baby fever talking? Because damn, that man looked good with a baby in his arms.

When Charlie was almost 12 months old, Alice decided that she wanted to go back to work a few days a week. Charlie would be in childcare for most of the days, but you’d recently adopted a flexible working arrangement with your own office, and you insisted that you would love to look after Charlie for one day a week. The older Charlie got, the more adventurous she became, so what you’d originally envisioned as nice, quiet days of baking and craft activities and napping soon became full of visits to the playground and the beach and the zoo. Once Ashton heard about your regular babysitting day, he insisted on clearing his schedule as best he could, and joined the outings you and Charlie went on. It’s so much easier to cope with her boundless energy (and occasional temper tantrums) when you and Ash are together, and you have to admit it’s just as nice on the quieter days as well, when you snuggle in on your couch to watch a Disney movie, or do some puzzles with Charlie on the lounge room floor.

When Ashton was back out on tour, he’d insist on FaceTiming with you and Charlie on your babysitting day so he didn’t miss out on all the fun. Sometimes he’d read her a story or sing her a lullaby before naptime, and sometimes the timezones wouldn’t work out and he’d end up calling during naptime, so the two of you just spent a little time catching up on each other’s lives from your opposite sides of the country or the planet. Ashton also loved collecting little souvenirs for Charlie on his touring travels, and your group chat with Alice and James was regularly filled with photos of snow globes or little soft mascot toys he’d found in one city or the next. It was so cute how excited Ashton got when he found a new souvenir for Charlie, and you couldn’t help but imagine how adorable he’d be when he had his own children and carried on little traditions like this for them too.

One particular weekend, Alice and James were going away overnight to attend a friend’s wedding nearby, and despite their anxiety and nerves (and admittedly, your own), they decided to leave Charlie with you for the night as your house is the main one besides their own that she spends time in. They dropped Charlie off just after lunchtime, and after a teary goodbye, she’s soon happily playing with her toy cars and trains on the lounge room carpet (including making broom-broom noises, what a cutie) when you get an unexpected call from your boss. They’re rambling about a client needing an urgent rewrite on something that you’d submitted the previous day, a pretty sizeable project, and you could feel yourself starting to fill with dread at the idea of having to rework the entire thing while also keeping Charlie happy and entertained. After managing to jot down the gist of the rewrite on the back of a colouring in page you found on your coffee table and ending the call with your boss, you took a deep, calming breath before looking over to where Charlie was still playing on the floor. Sure, she looked content and adorable now, but nap time was fast approaching, and then dinner, and then eventually bedtime, and there was nothing Charlie liked more than stomping her feet and putting up a fight where sleep was involved. It was time to call for help, and your fingers found Ashton’s contact in your phone and hit “call” before you realised what you were doing.

“Hey, how’s it going with my favourite girl?” Ashton answered cheerily, and your heart stopped beating for a moment before you mentally face-palmed when you realised that he was talking about Charlie, not you, being his favourite girl.

“Hey Ash! All good so far, but um… I think I’m going to need some help. My boss is having a crisis, so I need to smash out some edits and new content in the next three hours, but Charlie’s due to go for a nap and you know that she -” You could feel yourself starting to sound more panicked with each word that you spoke, but Ashton quickly cut you off with his soothing voice.

“That she likes to pick a fight at nap time, yes. A truly assertive future world leader on our hands, I reckon. I’m just finishing up a demo, but I’ll be there in 20 minutes. I’ll sort dinner as well, spaghetti sound okay?” He mused, sounding as calm as ever.

“That… would be amazing. Thank you. You’re actually the best human to exist, you know that?” You gushed, feeling some of your anxiety immediately begin to disappear.

Within half an hour, Ash was in your lounge room handling Charlie’s nap time negotiations while you were furiously typing away at your laptop at the kitchen counter and fielding more frantic phone calls from your boss. Another 20 minutes passed before Ash proclaimed victory as Charlie lost her battle against sleep, and he came to see you in the kitchen and make a start on dinner. You were so lost in your task that you didn’t hear him come in, and you jumped a mile out of your seat in fright when he gently touched your shoulder in greeting.

“Jesus christ, Ash! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” You huffed, taking your glasses off and rubbing your eyes in exhaustion.

Ashton leaned on the counter opposite you and raised his eyebrows in concern. “Sorry love, didn’t realise you didn’t hear me come in. You good?”

Damn it, why was he always so nice to you these days? Remember the days when you were scared of him because he used to argue with you about politics and the state of the world? Why did those seem somehow easier because fear was more natural to you than whatever this other feeling was that you were starting to have whenever Ashton was around you.

You sighed and put your glasses back on, frowning briefly at the screen before hitting save one more time (just in case your bad luck took a turn and fucked you over with lost documents).

“Yep. Sorry. It’s just been a bit of a day. Did Charlie go down okay?” You forced a smile as you glanced up at Ashton over the top of your laptop screen.

“Yeah, she gave in once I offered another bedtime singalong. And maybe, juuuust maybe, I might have mentioned something about some sweets after dinner…” Ash looked at you guiltily, licking his lips nervously. You rolled your eyes and shook your head at him, but you couldn’t keep the small smile off your face.

Ashton got started on making spaghetti while you tapped away at your computer, and soon enough you heard Charlie calling out for Ashton in her little sing-song voice on the baby monitor you had set up on the kitchen counter (“Asht-aaaaa! Where are youuuuu! Asht-aaaaa!”). The spaghetti smelled incredible, and when Ashton brought Charlie into the kitchen from her nap and she’d had a little while to play a bit more, you settled at the kitchen table to tuck into some dinner. Well, Charlie was more interested in playing with her food than actually eating it, but yours was delicious and for the third or fourth time that day, you thanked Ash profusely for being such a gem (to which he just gave you one of those dazzling smiles in response).

After dinner, Ashton took Charlie for a bath and read her a bedtime story while you powered through the final part of the project edits you needed to finish before your boss burst a blood vessel. You could hear Ashton reading to Charlie on the baby monitor, doing all of the different character voices, and her little giggles in response were both breaking and warming your heart. Warming it with the cuteness and how much you loved that little girl and her cheeky soul, and breaking it with the guilt about how it was supposed to be you snuggled up reading to her, but instead you were frantically typing about key messages, marketing strategies and budget lines. You were doing your last section of re-writes when Ash came back into the kitchen, and this time you didn’t jump when he gently placed his hands on your shoulders. In fact, you leaned into his touch, and moaned quietly in relief as his thumbs began to work into the tension in your muscles.

“How’s it going?” Ashton asked quietly, continuing to press his hands into your back and shoulders.

“Almost there. Mostly just proof-reading now, and then I can send it and not fucking think about it for another second until at least Monday. Ash, I’m so sorry again, I know this isn’t what you had in mind for your Friday night and I should’ve been more organised but I just didn’t think that -” You began to ramble, feeling the guilt wash over you.

“Hey, hey. Stop. It’s fine. We’re a team, remember? The dynamic duo? Gotta stick together. We’ve got a whole lifetime of dealing with Charlie meltdowns and milestones ahead of us, love. It’s our job and our blessing, for the rest of forever. Don’t feel guilty over one night.” Ashton said softly, squeezing your shoulders and pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. There were those butterflies again, and your skin was almost burning from where his hands had touched you. You simply nodded at his words, before returning to your laptop and the task at hand. Ashton stepped away and quietly began washing the dishes (honestly, is there anything this man didn’t do?) as you began typing again.

Finally, about twenty minutes later, you hit send on the email to your boss with the completed rewrites, and shut your laptop with a deep sense satisfaction, letting out a triumphant whisper-yell, mindful of the sleeping child down the hallway from you. Ash looked up from where he was sat on the couch, scrolling on his phone, and rushed over to high-five you when he realised that you’d shut your laptop.

“Right. You go shower and I’ll put the kettle on, then it’s one episode of Sons of Anarchy and then off to bed with you.” Ash began, tugging you out of your seat and pushing you towards your bedroom before you could protest.

“Wait… how did you know I was watching Sons of Anarchy?!” You turned and asked, with one hand on the door to your bedroom.

“I was stalking through your Netflix earlier when you were lost in editing land. Plus, I know you can’t resist a charming male lead who has a killer smile and looks damn good in a leather jacket.” Ash chuckled, shooting you a wink and one of those goddamn smiles.

You hated to admit it, but you felt so much better after your shower, and having Ash pull your feet up over his lap and absentmindedly run his hands softly across your legs from time to time wasn’t exactly bad either. You stuck to your promise of only one episode of Sons of Anarchy, and after pulling your groaning self up off the couch and jokingly half-carrying you to your bedroom door, Ashton bid you goodnight with a hug and a kiss to the forehead before disappearing into your guest room.

As you settled into your own bed, alone, and pulled the blankets up over you, you couldn’t help but think how nice it was to have Ash so present with you and with Charlie, and how sweet it would be in the morning to wake up together in the same house and go for breakfast at your favourite little brunch spot down the street, before waiting for James and Alice to return in the early afternoon. It was all your own little family unit, and as you felt yourself being lulled into sleep, you also felt a deep sense of content in your heart about the loved ones in your life. And then also there were those butterflies, just slowly but surely making their presence known, and getting a little bigger every time you thought of Ashton, and how much he loved Charlie, and how much she loved him and you, and how much you loved them both.

Shit. Did you actually love him? Were you falling in love with Ashton Irwin? Before you could panic too much, the need for sleep won out, and you slept peacefully knowing two of your favourite people were also sleeping calmly in the rooms either side of you.

More writing here | send feedback/thoughts/suggestions here

#my writing #ashton irwin #ashton irwin one shot #ashton irwin imagine #ashton irwin blurb #ashton irwin fanfiction #5sos imagine #5sos writing #there's going to be a part two #charlie rose ten fingers ten toes #soft AF up in here on a saturday morning #also i fucking miss going to brunch with my pals that I based alice and james on

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non-sequitura · 3 years

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Non-sequitura Disney in-depth analysis (after making a tier list)

Warning: SUPER longform. If you don’t know a movie well, you should skip the summary. I tried to be light on spoilers, but they’re there.

I went chronologically from favorite to least favorite. So S tier is, in order from fave to least fave, The Incredibles, WALL-E, then Zootopia.

S tier (Something I consider high quality AND a movie I greatly enjoy. I would love more Disney movies be like this.)

The Incredibles - one of my favorite movies of all time, possibly THE favorite. Rockin social commentary, epic action scenes, memorable characters, not a minute of screentime wasted, great take on the Fantastic Four, hilarious parts for both adults and children, an interesting villain, etc.

WALL-E - I love how social commentary was done here. Also skies above, what a beautiful love story. Really blazed a trail in non-verbal storytelling (especially given it was an animated kids film!) Robot animations are particularly delightful.

Zootopia - another social message delivered excellently and entertainingly. I love Judy and her persistence, I love the expressiveness of the faces and the epic city setting. I love Judy and Nick's banter. This movie deserves to be remembered longer than it has been so far. Admittedly, not one of my fave villains, which makes it my least favorite of the Ss.

A tier (either super high quality or something I greatly enjoy and deem of at least reasonably good quality)

Mulan - this movie did everything right. Truly feminist protagonist, an icon for strong Asian women, fairly culturally accurate (tho Mushu confuses me), GORGEOUS and iconic music. Lets a relatively natural romance develop. I frickin love the action scenes, I love the emporer. Sadly, this movie just didn't lodge its way in my heart as well as Pixar did. Pixar just has some magic, yo.

Cinderella - my gosh what an underrated protagonist. Her family straight-up abuses her and she never loses sight of her goals for a better life. Iconic visuals helped bring Disney out of bankruptcy. A gorgeous alto singing voice.

Wreck-it Ralph - alright alright ppl don’t crucify me for this. I honestly can’t think of much wrong with this movie. Vanellope and Ralph’s vitriolic best buds relationship is adorable, her forgiveness of him is heartwarming and (relatively) deserved, rockin’ Owl City song, epic visuals that mix together bc of all the different games. ALSO ONE OF THE BEST DISNEY VILLAINS NO CAP. One of the only twist villains I like. And we stan the romantic pairing.

Tangled - I’ve talked about this a lot, but Rapunzel deserved the whole world after what she’s gone through. That being said, Gothel is not some shallow monster she needs to escape from, but an intelligent, well-defined monster with backstory. I could totally see this story happening if the world of Tangled existed. Epic love story, hilarious dialogue. Music is… good but much of it is less memorable to me. Visuals are good but not quite at the level/creativity of many other disney films.

The Lion King - they really put Hamlet in Africa and pulled it off lol. But in all seriousness, no one took the premise of this film seriously at the time and it became sooo iconic. I love Scar and his eventual downfall, I love how Simba grows emotionally, I love the sad moments that don’t overpower the overall feeling of light goofiness. And music so memorable it was one of the first Disney musicals.

Coco - not a super unique story premise. But an incredible culture to explore with such creativity and sensitivity. I love the themes of death not being the worst and music being so central to the story. Twist/twist villain was memorable and not expected. And yeah, it did make me cry, so props there.

Ratatouille - the most recently watched of these films for me. This movie is soooo unique! Back when Pixar was truly super out there with their concepts. Super Parisian visuals and soundtrack. It somehow starts goofy (THE OLD LADY TRIES TO KILL REMY WITH A SHOTGUN WHILE WEARING A GAS MASK) but really drives home the message that you can truly do what you want regardless of who you are. Colette can get it. And the monologue by Ego at the end is one of my favorites in film.

Frozen - Anna is one of my favorite Disney protagonists. She’s so resilient and loyal. Elsa ain’t bad either but she experiences… less character development. The film is a tad too pleased with its own self-awareness for my taste, but there’s no denying how iconic the music and visuals were.

Inside Out - Alright, this movie hits home for me bc I tried to run away after moving. A super thoughtful, heartfelt depiction of (potentially depression? imo) with great moments of humor. Riley’s inner world is so creative and lovely. Also realistic depictions of Minnesota/California culture.

Tarzan - Jane! is! smart! and! adorable! Her scientific curiosity makes her very endearing. it’s so cute to see her and Tarzan learn from each other. Also Tarzan’s “found mother” is epic. Solid score. Solid film all around. To quote Lily Orchard, “This film is what Pocahontas tried to be.”

B tier (one of my favorites but has a few significant flaws that bring it down (or not quite as memorable to me, but consider good quality))

Peter Pan - Haven’t seen it in a hot sec, but I remember being super charmed by this as a kid. Just going out, having incredible adventures, and returning to a warm home at the end of the day. Tinker Bell is hilarious and beautifully drawn. Gets major negative points for the depiction of Native Americans tho.

Big Hero 6 - I was super charmed by the protagonist, his family/friends, and the setting. The plot/villain’s motivations are a bit of a mess, though.

Princess and the Frog - This movie has so much flavor to it! The visuals/music are lovely and unique. Tiana is incredible but it’s kinda annoying how EVERYONE keeps trying to shoehorn her into romance. The thing is, her goals are entirely reasonable. Focus on her restaurant, then look to settle down. But they’re like “nooo you’re ignoring the important things in life” smh. Also, epic villain, woohoo! The movie dragged significantly for me when they were in the bayou. Charlotte is delightful.

Winnie the Pooh - don’t remember it super well, but I think it was charming and occasionally dark, which is an addictive concoction.

The Little Mermaid - MAN ppl roast Ariel way more than she deserves. Visually, it was… fine. idk. This movie is good. I don’t have much else to say about it.

Snow White - the one that started it all. Visually, super impressive. Musically, lovely. I find the romance a bit… off. Well, more than a bit. What is it with Disney and kissing sleeping people?

Alice in Wonderland - a nerdy acid trip. Right up my alley! I also like films where ppl go on incredible adventures and return to the status quo, but THEY changed bc of it. Epic. SUUUUPER creative visual interpretation of Carroll’s book. Brave - gosh I loooove films where a parent and child learn to understand each other. Never got why ppl hated this movie so much. The Scottish flavor is present and fun. Merida made one mistake and made it up. The arrow scene is iconic.

Cars - a fun ride! (hahaha puns.) We love seeing Paul Newman as a car.

B-minus tier? (same as B, but problematic, or weaker story-wise.)

Hunchback - man… settings-wise, this film might be my favorite. I also love Esmeralda and Quasimodo as characters and as a duo (though the sexualized depiction of Romani ppl is not epic.) I also don’t find the discrimination against Esmeralda/Quasimodo jarring bc it matches the time period. Frollo is super interesting as a villain. The gargoyles are… def not necessary. Basically, this film doesn’t know what it’s doing with tone.

Sleeping Beauty - Aurora was my favorite when I was younger because I thought she was the prettiest, and that still defines how i feel about this, basically. Visually lovely - everything is kind of elongated and gothic. Maleficent is spiteful and epic. I have no issue with the fluffier parts of the movie, like the music or the fairies. RIP for lack of consent being a plot point, though.

Hercules - Megara is incredible. one of the only Disney “princesses” who acts like an adult and has cynicism as a major part of her personality. I love her and Herc’s progression where she learns to trust him (yes, he is genuinely that sincere, it’s not a front.) Muses are unique, whoever came up with them was high on something and I’m living for it. I just think the plot itself was somewhat unrealistic/ weirdly-paced. There are some memorable songs, some less-than-memorable songs. Art style is cool but I’m personally not a fan. EXTREMELY inaccurate depictions of the original Greek gods.

C tier (entertaining, but I don't consider it a great movie)

Bolt - I watched this like 11 years ago. It was fun! A cool concept about those put on a pedestal learning their worth even without celebrity boosting them up. Animation was… fine I think. not super memorable to me.

Frozen 2 - They really took any scrap of character development Elsa had in the first movie, threw it in the garbage and set it on fire. Anna deserved so much better. Songs are bombastic and impressive, have the occasional interesting lyric, but are really weirdly placed and none are quite as iconic as the first movie’s (except Aurora, she does great work here. Also the song Anna sings after she thinks Elsa died.)

Not a big fan of the vaguely homeopathic theme. Not a big fan of Olaf’s WEIRD character development. Not a big fan of the suuuuuper awkward dialogue and the animations that imply not only that Kristoff is into his reindeer but that Elsa and Anna are into each other (if you’re questioning if they did that, yes, they did, I can find screenshots of some really weird expressions/moments. THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO PANDER TO YOUR WEIRD FANS, DISNEY.)

The voice actors did great work, the animators did great work (look at the details on their clothes! Look at how Elsa’s posture changes to be more confident! look at how they're animated while they're singing!) Some weird costume/makeup choices that make Elsa look like an aging starlet, but she also has some gorgeous moments so eh. It’s a wash for me.

They really did not know what to do with Kristoff this movie, huh. The only thing that happened to him was singing a cheesy 90s ballad and marrying Anna, both of which were admittedly epic. Also, the trolls got 0 appearances despite being literally psychic. Probably could have helped with a lot. I'm not a huge fan of lore/worldbuilding, and thee was a lot of it here. Overall neutral on it.

Also a big theme in this movie I don’t love - **** TANGIBLE CONSEQUENCES TO OUR ACTIONS!!! The danger is Elsa’s death, the elements, colonialism, and Arendelle literally being destroyed. None of those end up playing out, so I was left at the end going “this film had literally no stakes.”

Monsters U - same as above - entertaining at the time! Not super memorable. The ppl we were supposed to dislike kept switching. Doesn’t really match the canon of Monsters Inc (I thought they were supposed to have known each other since childhood so why did they meet in college?)

Cars 3 - so apparently, everyone HATED this movie! Fun! I never watched Cars 2 (yes watched Cars 1 if you haven’t been paying attention to this list), but I didn’t think this movie was bad at all. Well-acted, some fun chase scenes, the scene where Lightning fails at driving in the simulation is genuinely hilarious, and some interesting perspectives on teachers getting the spotlight for their skills for once.

Incredibles 2 - I liked this film at first, but then it was… just okay in retrospect. I love me some good family dynamics. The plot here makes not a lot of sense. THEY BUILT UP THE UNDERMINER FOR NOTHING AND THEN FORGOT ABOUT HIM. I was surprised by the villain swap, but it happened so last minute I never really understood their motivations even after they explained them. Tried to tackle waaaay too many messages.

D tier (I didn't enjoy these or consider them mediocre)

Finding Dory - Maybe I should have put this higher? Like C tier at least. Ah well. Wasn’t a huge fan of the body/physical comedy (not my thing), but it was entertaining and awww finding family is heartwarming.

Finding Nemo - I remember nothing about this movie.

E tier (this film has significant problems)

Beauty and the Beast - *sigh*… I want to love this movie. The score is gorgeous. Visually, they could have made it more distinctly Rococo-era France but didn’t (why?) The voice actors did good work and I think Paige O’Hara is SUPER underrated here.

The Beast is emotionally manipulative with an awful temper that (for MOST of the movie. He doesn’t change.) That’s the main reason this is in E tier. This movie shaped so many generations of people thinking they can change the behavior of someone who treats them badly through the power of love. But you can’t. She learns to “love” the beast under coercion. It’s not Stockholm syndrome - it’s a trashy romance novel. Big fan of Gaston as a villain. He’s an archetype ppl can recognize and it’s so satisfying to hate him.

F tier (I think this film actively harms the industry and would rather it not have been made. Both the one in E tier could be considered harmful to the industry, but I think they had significant enough artistic accomplishments to scrape above that. I'm also generally a fan of "lack of censorship bc it's better to teach what not to do.")

Pocahontas - this movie took real historical events and romanticized them AND sexualized one of the only Native princesses they’ve had. Boo. Nothing wrong with animation!Pocahontas as a character, it’s just people put her in a story that doesn’t represent history well at all (and these historical events, unlike those in say, 14th-century Germany, had super relevant effects on people alive today.) And they portrayed the Native Americans and colonial settlers as equally in the wrong. (though I like Governor Radcliffe as a potential villain and love the line “see how I glitter.” I can’t NOT laugh when I hear it.) Lovely music, though. Nice animation, but the colors are weirdly… muted?

Bad Garbage (I don't wish this film had never been made, but I wish I never had to see it.)

Planes - this movie was ridiculous. I remember not much about it except that I kinda hated it and that it was super cheesy with tension one could see right through that immediately resolved itself via one twist or another.

Haven’t seen tier: Recess, A Bug’s Life, A Goofy Movie, DuckTakes Movie, Lilo and Stitch, Pinocchio (actually i have seen this but I remember nothing about it), The Nightmare before Christmas, Toy Stories 1, 2, and 3, Up, 101 Dalmatians, The Great Mouse Detective, Cars 2, Moana, The Good Dinosaur, Pete’s Dragon, Fantasia, Peter Pan Return to Neverland, Fantasia 2000, The Black Cauldron (read the book, though!), Bambi (or I did and remember nothing about it), The Rescuersm, The Rescuers Down Under, Planes Fire and Rescue, Bambi 2, The Fox & the Found, Oliver and Company, Atlantis, Treasure Planet (I want to, though), Piglet’s Big Movie, The Jungle Book, the Emporer’s New Groove, The Jungle Book 2, Chicken Little, Brother Bear, The Three Caballeros, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, Dumbo, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Aladdin (seen parts but never the whole thing), Strange Magic, The Sword in the Stone, James and the Giant Peach, Frankenweenie, Lady and the Tramp, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Doug’s 1st Movie, Monsters Inc. (want to, though), Meet the Robinsons, Dinosaur, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Tigger Movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, that pooh movie at the end without the title on it

-11/21/20

#blog #non-sequitura-blog #11/21/20 #november #2020 #longform #analysis #disney

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maddox026 · 4 years

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"Good day. My name is Michael and I'll be your attendant today. Here is our menu and I'll be back after five minutes to get your order ma'am. We'll be serving your water in a while."

"Got it. Thank you Michael."

"You're welcome ma'am and thank you too."

Your eyes started scanning the menu card handed over to you by the waiter. This is the new Italian restaurant the two women at the washroom were talking about a while ago. Not really intending to eavesdrop, you overheard their conversation when you dropped by for a bladder break before the movie started. Both seemed to be on their early 30's reminding you of your own set of girl friends. The taller one of the two was telling the other one about her experience on the restaurant in that building which just opened two weeks ago.

"Imagine how shocked I was after seeing them there. I haven't had my usual coffee dose yet but my heart was palpitating already. Good thing I was done eating by the time they arrived or else I wouldn't have probably finished my meal. Awkward."

"How was it? Did you guys had a little chitchat or did you just nod at each other? Did his partner smiled at you???" The shorter woman asked curiously while lathering her hands with the cucumber scented soap.

"I think he saw my eyes widen but I manage to do a quick smile both to him and to his, girlfriend or wife maybe before I went out. Sis, don't get me wrong. I've moved on and all but I think there will always be that slight feeling of awkwardness whenever you ran to your long time ex-boyfriend." As if wanting to put extra emphasis on her last statement, the woman responded while rolling her eyeballs.

“Ex-fiancee, sis. Hahaha! How was the food? I hope it was worth the run-in encounter with your past flame somehow.”

“Well in fairness the food was great. I read a review about it on Metro Story’s Foodtrip column and my expectations were met. You should visit it with Andrew one of these days.”

“I see. I’ll tell him about it. Sis, I just realized. Your ex-pectations were met indeed.Hahaha!”

“Sira.Let’s go.” The two women eventually left the washroom. You checked your seat number in the movie stub for the last time and headed out as well.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Exactly after five minutes, the waiter got back to your table to take your order. As he walks away you close your eyes and tried to absorb the classical music being played on the background. You tried to remember the grocery list you mentally did last night. Funny how just a while ago, you were watching the full movie version of a 90′s cartoon series you loved as a kid. Now here you are, back being an adult thinking about the household items you need to buy and whether you’ll be doing your laundry tonight or delay it tomorrow.

“So what are the chances?”

Startled at the voice which was coming from your back, you turned around and saw an old face with a goofy smile. What is it with this place making people cross paths with their past? Is this included in their specialty or something? Muling Ibalik with a side of Multo ng Nakaraan pasta?

“Oi.Hi!” Although still a little off guard, you were able to somehow respond with a small smile.

“I knew it was you the moment I saw your hair and your back. Kumusta?“

You wanted to say you were doing just okay right before he came in but you knew it would be best not to. Knowing him, that would make his goofy smile wider. “I’m good. Ikaw? What’s up?”

His lips moved as he answers your question but you can’t catch on to what he’s saying. You told yourself you’re going to bring up to your close friend who majored in Social Science how and who started the social norm to automatically ask the other person how they are doing as well after being asked “Kumusta?”

“...also, I’m not sure but did you watch Dragon Gang before coming here? I think you were seated a few rows in front of me.”

“Really? Yeah I was at Cinema 3 a while ago.” Okay. Maybe you should have just lied to cut this conversation already.

“Small world.Hahaha!”

Small world. Two words usually said to show surprise when an unexpected encounter or connection between people happens. Yet, the very same people who tells you this can also make the world seem vast, big and empty when their presence is no longer felt.

“Hi sir and ma’am. Sorry for the interruption but I would just like to check if you will be sharing this table together? If not, I’ll be happy to assist you to a vacant table sir.” Michael politely asked, perhaps noticing how the newly arrived guest was not yet seated somewhere.

“Oh wait. I’ll ask her first if we can share this spot. Maya, okay lang?”

If you say no, will the people nearby including the kind waiter judge you? Will they give you the wrong impression if you decline?

“Yeah sure. No big deal.” You swallowed the lump in your throat which started forming the moment you saw this guy who’s clad in denim jacket. Making a mental note, you remind yourself to control your voice and expression now that your conversation is obviously nowhere its ending yet.

“So did you liked the movie?” He asked while showing you the yellow movie stub he have as well.

Three years ago and you would have immediately given a lengthy reply to his question. You would have talked about all the highs and lows of the film perhaps even enough to impress Mrs. Tagle, your favorite English teacher back in college.

College, where you two first met as classmates in one of your minor subjects. You went out together one time but things didn’t took a romantic turn after that as there were other incidents that occurred.

Three years after your graduation, your paths met again unexpectedly while you were looking for this popular bookshop. The two of you went out for two or three dates but just liked before, things fizzled out afterwards. Back then the term, “ghosting” wasn’t as known as it is now but it’s kind of how it ended. Or how he, ended. It’s okay though as you both moved on afterwards.

The years after that, you stayed connected through social media although mostly just sending each other simple birthday greetings whenever one is celebrating.

Three years ago though, your simple greeting turned into more casual chats and there were times when you would talk about deep issues about life. Bucket lists, goals and aspirations, lessons on past relationships etc., these were some of the topics you used to talk about. Random conversations you started looking forward to especially during weekends and eventually became the source of your heart ache when they no longer started happening. A phase worthy enough to earn you a live performance of this new hip band who’s debut song is entitled, “You foolish girl.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Yeah. I liked the movie. It was not disappointing.”

“Haha! I have to agree. It wasn’t disappointing indeed. Although there were just some scenes which I think were confusing for some fans who haven’t read the entire manga series.”

You stared at him just politely smiling, not really in the mood to be your usual chatty self. Slowly, people at the restaurant started coming in and you wished Michael would be back already with both of your food.

“They did not show in the movie what happened to Brutly’s parents and also how all of a sudden Gozu became well after that serious illness he had. Those were just my two cents though.Hahaha! They did however still managed to bring justice to Teriyene’s masterpiece.”

“Batang 90′s. Hehehe...” That was all the response you were able to think of at that moment. You weren’t really nervous being there with him and all but there’s a cloud of hesitation in your head and you wonder if he can feel it.

“Yeah...By the way, I’m sorry if you felt obliged to accept my table request in front of the waiter earlier. I guess I was just really happy seeing an old acquaintance after a long time.”

“What? It’s okay. Long time indeed.”

That’s it? That’s all this guy is saying sorry for, you asked yourself. What about those times in the past when -

“Here’s your food sir and ma’am.” Michael proceeded to enumerate the order he took a while ago and asked if there is anything else he can assist you with. You both shake your head as you said no and he left you two alone again afterwards.

“By the way, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but I think most of the moviegoers were around their 30′s to 40′s.”

“Really? I didn’t notice it. Based from the occasional cheer the audience were giving though, I think it’s safe to assume there were a lot of dads or titos who were watching.” Maybe you can make the conversation going but just avoid eye contact as much as possible?

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“You know your eyes are very pretty. The color suits your complexion and your hair as well.”

The 1st semester is about to end and he sent a text message after your class inviting you for a movie and dinner to unwind. Funny because for some reason your ex boyfriend and another male friend sent an invitation to hang out too that same day.

Maybe because you’ve been sharing a room together for more than three years already, your roommate Kris was able to read your bubble thoughts.

“Maya? Go. Accept it.”

“Huh?”

“Go out with him. Not your ex and si other kuya. Your crushmate, I mean your “classmate”. I’ll wait for your post-date kwento.”

“But...I’m not really sure if...”

“Why are you hesitating? Come on. Don’t you like him??”

“Hey! I admit he’s cute but - . Wait, why weren’t you this eager when I told you about the other two invites?”

“You know why? Because your facial reaction yesterday when you were telling me about it was your normal facial expression. But today, when you were reading his text message, your cheeks turned pink like this shirt I’m wearing.”

She’s right. You felt a thump in your heart after reading the text message. You’re hesitating though as you can’t get rid of the player vibes you’re sensing. The way he walks, the way he talks, his overall confident attitude gives off a feeling that he’s used to talking to or wooing girls that comes near him.

“They’re light brown, right?” Perhaps it’s because you were facing each

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ckret2 · 5 years

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What are your thoughts on mothra?

I've seen...... nnnine (?) Godzilla movies, four (?) of which feature Mothra, and I am wholly convinced that she is the only motherfucker amongst the kaiju that has ANY sort of moral compass at all.

It's kind of precious/hilarious, imagining this responsible protector goddess trying corral these big bunches of unruly obnoxious monsters into either leaving the humans alone, or helping her protect the humans from even more unruly monsters. Especially when she's doing it as a larva! Picture a toddler strapping on boxing gloves and squaring off against a bear. That's Mothra constantly.

Favorite Mothra scene thus far is when poor little larva Mothra is trying to rally Godzilla and Rodan to go kick Ghidorah's ass, and they're like "but the humans bully us!" and "I'm not going until Rodan/Godzilla apologizes to me!" and she's just like "GET OVER IT and COME ON!" Like guys. She's like, one year old. She should not have to act like y'all's mom.

Honorable mention to any time she kicks ass with silly string, because 1) lol, and 2) it really fits her character as a "protector" that her most effective and versatile fighting technique is basically a non-damaging crowd control move. It can very effectively slow down or even completely take out enemies, but it's harmless to them. It suits her.

I think her like, overall life cycle is neat, the "switches back and forth between larva and moth" + "dies and reincarnates via egg" thing she's got going. It's unique and leaves a lot of room for interesting questions. Like, is it a soul reincarnation, meaning she remembers each time she died? Or is it indeed "genetic memory" like the KOTM director said—meaning she only remembers her past life up until the point when she laid the next egg, and thus even though she might remember hundreds/thousands/millions(?) of lives, when she dies she will always be facing death for the first time? Are the eggs capable of hatching while imago Mothra lives, or do they only hatch once she's died—either of which would bring up more questions of the mechanics of her reincarnation? What happens if the latest imago dies without laying an egg—are their fallbacks and failsafes, spare eggs? When does she lay an egg—when she's getting old, or before going into battle, or as soon as she comes out of her cocoon, or once every few years as imago, or?? If it's soul-based reincarnation, what does that mean when there are twins—is only one of the twins the "true" Mothra, or is the soul split between them, and if it is do they get a telepathic bond or something? Regardless of whether reincarnation is soul-based or gene-based, in twin larvae is one ALWAYS doomed to die? Or is it possible for both to make it to adulthood and both be Mothra together? Do they have a psychic bond then? What would it be like to grow up from larvae with someone who is literally the exact same person as you with all your memories shared until the past couple of years? Do surviving adult twins get quadruplet fairies?

I'm a fan of her fairies too. I didn't think I would be when I first heard about them—I was like, "Okay, I know I've gotta be ready for goofy stuff in Godzilla movies, but that sounds TOO goofy to not throw me out of the movie when I see it"—but I actually do like them. They're cute, and they're SO earnest, and it's nice every time these giant humans treat them as very serious and respectable Mothra representatives/ambassadors. And any actresses that can say the exact same lines at the exact same time with the exact same intonation while ALSO emoting in the exact same way are talented as hell.

It's too bad about the uh, racist "native" caricatures of her worshippers. The only two movies I've seen featuring Infant Island were from the 60s though, I hope that later movies improved the portrayal of the island? IDK though, I haven't looked into it. It'd be cool to see Infant Island developed into a, like, realistic and respectful culture, beyond "feather-wearing brownface 'natives' that apparently have nothing better to do with their time than constantly bow to their goddess and/or follow around visitors grumpily."

I think MonsterVerse tried to get around that by going "oh no, Mosura specimens were ALL OVER the place, we only just happened to find one in China," but tbh I prefer the idea that Mothra has a permanent designated "home base" where she lives cooperatively with a specific human society. It was an interesting thing that set her apart from other kaiju that just roam around, and she loses a unique and compelling aspect of her character if she's changed to a wandering kaiju whose reincarnations can pop up randomly in any culture. I just. Want her island to be portrayed better, that's all.

I DID like KOTM's suggestion that Mothra's "fairies" are successive generations of human twin girls that dedicate their lives to Mothra in some way or another. It seems appropriate that Mothra and her human(oid?) representatives all go through a reincarnation cycle together.

Not sure if ship Godzilla and Mothra. I saw a post that briefly outlined their earliest rivalries and gradual cooperation up through their crowning as king/queen in KOTM and concluded with "Mothzilla is a 35-movie enemies-to-lovers slowburn" and that idea delights/amuses the HELL out of me—and all the fanart is, 100%, without question, precious as hell—but I think I'd prefer them to be characterized as extremely close platonic friends rather than romantically and/or sexually involved? There's room to enjoy multiple spins tho and I'm not going to stop going "awww ♡" at art of chibi Godzilla and Mothra in a wedding tux and dress. Variety is the spice of life.

In the same way, I like KOTM's "they're intrinsically linked together as symbiotic species" for one continuity—but I'd rather it not become the default/only interpretation in fandom or for all future movies, because I like the idea that they didn't know a THING about each other but gradually got to know each other & get along over time. ... Plus throw in the occasional movie where they're enemies again. As soft continuity reboots and whatnot allow for.

Out of the kaiju I know so far, Mothra's probably my #3, after #1 Ghidorah and #2 Godzilla. But Godzilla's working real hard trying to keep ahead of Mothra.

#mothra #godzilla

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elle-christine · 4 years

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Lovey Dovey Questions:

Reverting to my happy little Tumblr days; blogging away with my 16 year-old wistful intentions but now I’m married and all kinds of in lurrrrv. How did you meet?  My roommate and I got invited to a Young Adults Potluck/game night at our Church. We only knew one person there, but before we got there my roommate kept telling me “you’re about to meet your husband. I can’t believe we’re going to go to this tonight and you’re going to meet your husband.” But the majority of the night we sat in the corner with our one friend a bunch of girls and were planning on leaving to go to get food. I thought “I’m not meeting my husband here...”. But then we played a group game and I noticed him from across the room, and he noticed me. And the rest is history. How did he ask you to be his?   We met up at the union on campus to talk, we had just told each other the night before that we had feelings for one another. We walked to the parking garage together and he kept making comments about “us”. So I asked him in the garage--what exactly is “us”. And then we made a logical and rational decision to date. Your first memory with them: Going to a restaurant after the game night, thinking he was cute but so serious and probably too cool for me. And thinking that he would make a good husband to someone someday. Why is your relationship different from others you have had? I was ready, he was ready. We had both taken a few years off from dating to determine what we should be looking for in a partner and to grow as humans on our own. We have a strong dedication to communication and intentionality. Ten things you like about them.  1. His passionate pursuit of Jesus. 2. His intentional pursuit of our marriage. 3. His ability to be goofy, relaxed, and silly with me but be mature, serious, and polished in public. 4. He’s a great listener and a strong conversationalist. 5. His depth and intelligence. 6. His love of black coffee, the sun and water, minimalism, sustainability. 7. His gentleness and emotional availability. 8. His tender heart and natural kindness. 9. His respect for me. 10. His ability to lead well. How often do you see each other?  In the morning when we wake up and at night before we go to bed. No matter how crazy and busy our lives get, getting to do that is such a blessing.

1: Do you have a crush at the moment? on someone who can’t ghost me; 10/10 recommend. 2: Have you ever been deeply in love? currently a deeply in love lady. 3: Longest relationship you’ve ever been in? 23 months tomorrow. 4: Have you ever changed for someone? Ironically, I changed more for the ones I didn’t actually date; tried to change to get them and clearly it didn’t work. 0/10 not recommended. 5: How is your relationship with your ex? One is friendly and two are non-existent. 6: Have you ever been cheated on? I don’t have proof but I believe there was a little somethin somethin going down behind my back. 7: Have you ever cheated? No. 8: Would you date someone who’s well known for cheating? no longer an option, but I think I would really struggle with that. 9: What’s the most important parts of a relationship? An ability to communicate, to be partners and to balance one another out, to complement each others strengths and weaknesses. 10: Do you like to be in serious relationships or just flings? I like being married. 11: When you are dating someone do you believe in going on “breaks”? Nahhhhhhhh 13: What’s one thing you regret saying/doing in a previous relationship? Being in relationships before I was confident/comfortable with who I was, and having relationships that were not Christ-centered and wondering why they weren’t working. 14: What age do you think is appropriate for kids to start having sex? I think the fact that this says “kids” is clear that the answer is never. 15: Do you believe in the phrase “age is just a number”? In some sense, yes. But cultural/generational things will play an impact. 16: Do you believe in “love at first sight”? No; I think love is a choice and something to work at. 17: Do you believe it’s possible to fall in love on the internet? In some situations, sure; however again I think it takes communication and work. 18: What do you consider a deal breaker? Not knowing and following the Lord. Unequally yoked is a thing. 19: How do you know it’s time to end a relationship? If there are clear signs that a future is not going to happen, it’s likely that it will be more painful later on. 20: Are you currently in a relationship? Indeed. 21: Do you think people who have dated can stay friends? Honestly, no. I think you can remain cordial and friendly, but I don’t think it’s healthy or fair to continue a close friendship. 22: Do you think people should date their friends? Yes; I think friendship can have a solid foundation for a strong relationship. 23: How many relationships have you had? truthfully one that matters. 24: Do you think love can last forever? yes 25: Do you believe love can conquer all things? love and the Lord. 26: Would you break up with someone your parents didn’t approve of? It would depend on the basis for disapproval. If there were genuine concern for safety, red flags I wasn’t seeing, if I was in danger, than yes. Thankfully, my mom more than approves of Alex. 27: If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice about dating what would it be? Wait wait wait; be patient and focus more on yourself, guard your heart more. 28: Do you think long distance relationships can work? They can, but they take a LOT of intentionality and work; and need to have a resolution in sight. 29: What do you notice first about another person? Probably height, and overall demeanor (calm, loud, etc.) 30: Are you straight, bi, gay or pansexual? straight. 31: Would it bother you if your partner suffered from any mental illness? no, but I am thankful that he doesn’t because I do, and I appreciate the balance. 32: Have you ever been in an abusive relationship? in some sense. 33: Do you want to get married one day? I am! 34: What do you think about getting your partner’s name tattooed? That’s a no from me dawg. 35: Could you be in a relationship without sex? I’m thankful that I’m not, but till death do us part and if sex was no longer an option for us--we would be just fine. 36: Are you still a virgin? I am a married lady. 37: What’s more important: Looks or personality? looks will not last forever. Personality and a desire to be a good steward of your body. 38: Do you enjoy love films? I’m not a big movie person tbh 39: Have you ever given anyone/received roses? Alex occasionally surprises me with them which is rad. 40: Have you ever had a valentine? Only one that counts! 41: What’s your imagination of a “perfect date”? Going to the beach, eating sushi, watching the sunset (or rise; but switch the sushi for coffee), worship music and reading together. 43: What’s more important: Your partner or your friends? Husband is first. 44: Would you consider yourself “romantic”? I like ironic romance; cute gestures that purposely meant to be cheesy. 45: Could you imagine to date one of your current friends? I am married to my favorite friend. 46: Have you ever been “friendzoned”? honestly...no. 48: What’s your favorite love song? oh gosh, want me to make a whole damn list About Him.

Name? Alex Age? 31 When did you two begin dating? March 2018

What do you think of him? He’s okay...I guess. What does he think of you? Probably that I’m weird and kind of smell. Who asked who out first? I believe he did after some strong hinting from me. Did you like him before he asked you? I was intrigued but also guarded. How old were you two? 25 and 29 What did you think of it at first? After about 5 minutes I was concerned he was “like, actually weird”. But by the end of the night I felt like I had just met a future best friend. Has it been a good relationship so far? Indeed. Cutest thing he’s ever done? Goodness; surprising me with the cheesiest gift set-up when I woke up on Valentines Day morning. Bringing me a rose with the medicine he picked up for me when I was sick. Making me a handmade birthday card. Setting up a table with our pictures and couples Christmas gifts for when I came back from the holidays. Do you have a “song”? “God Be” By Chris Renzema What was your most memorable experience? Getting married. And all that went into that decision, proces, etc. When is your actual anniversary? Well...3/24/18, but also 7/14/19, and 11/12/19, and maybe 8/8/2020. Do you guys tell each other everything? every.thing. Probably too much. Marriage. What’s your favorite thing to do together? read and pray. drink coffee. go for hikes/walks. Find tiny cabins in the middle of nowhere and hole up for a weekend doing married people things. Most fun date you two have been on? This past valentines we ate too much sushi and had a movie night with wine and donuts. Last summer we went to a leadership conference, the zoo, walked around Royal Oak, and got dinner with my family. Or our mini-honeymoon; the beach, staying at a B&B, sushi for dinner, wine and exchanging vows alone. How did ya’ll first kiss? We had planned on not kissing for a month but we were eating hummus and watching Miracle and decided to make it happen. What does he call you? We’re pretty exclusively on “babe” Has anyone ever seriously proposed to you? And it worked.

#personal #me #love #relationship

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lovelyirony · 6 years

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Stars

@burena358

Jane remembers her father reading her Robert Frost. She remembers going to bed at sunset, the night sky a dusky purplish-blue. Her father would lean into the rocking hair in her room, hair gleaming in the low light. Jane had wanted to stay up with her mother, looking at stars. Her father loved stories, loved telling Jane about all the constellations and their stories. Jane was never quite as imaginative as she thought he probably liked. She liked facts.

But he read Robert Frost. And he always made sure to read his favorite--Nothing Gold Can Stay--but he read her favorite--Stars--at the end, right before she turned her head to sleep.

...and yet with neither love nor hate, those stars like some snow-white Minerva’s snow-white marbel eyes without the gift of sight

Jane had liked that. Stars didn’t care, particularly. They didn’t want to take you away from them, like dad did. They also didn’t tease you, like the girls at school did when she did her show-and-tell on her Hubble telescope. Their eyes don’t glaze over. They stay, unblinking.

She remembers going to stay with mom’s Aunt Karen (that both dad and her don’t like) when mom and dad went to a conference for dad’s writing.

The stars were a comfort, even if they couldn’t say anything. Jane hated watching late night news--it was boring.

It wasn’t boring at 8:43 when it was a breaking news story, and Flight 618 was in the ocean, no survivors.

But that was it. That was the story, and the stars knew. They stayed, didn’t give her pitying looks. Didn’t talk to her out of pity at school. Didn’t hush over the phone about how strange she was.

They are there when Jane is in high school, staring out at the night sky in a park, and there’s a realization that guys and girls are equally nice to stare at, and Kim looked really good in overalls.

Regrettably, they are there when she graduates and her principal asks her if she really wants to be a “science lady, er, what was it again?” She can’t see them, but she knows they are there when she takes a deep breath, smiles, and retorts:

“Well, you’re just a high school principal, so I wouldn’t expect you to know the full term...I’m going to be an astrophysicist.”

They are there when money runs tight and her grant might be revoked.

They are there when Darcy comes into her life, loud and obnoxious and too skilled in margarita mixing.

There’s a god of thunder who shows her stars and love and everything--

and there is the realization that as much as she loves him, he was not made for someone like her. She is headstrong and loves him so damn much, but he...he needs someone to care for. And Jane can care for herself pretty efficiently.

There are a lot of scenarios in between, a case of food poisoning because she’s not careful where she eats at points, and...Her.

Dr. Helen Cho is never interested in stars, only occasionally reads astrology charts. (Which Jane only sometimes studies, because she thinks they’re kind of stupid, but interesting--and Darcy follows Instagram accounts religiously.) Dr. Helen Cho is Kind of a Big Deal.

Not even Kind Of.

She’s a Fucking Huge Deal. She’s at the forefront of research into biology, reforming skin, organs, everything. Potentially, life expands beyond what everyone knows.

They live in the same building. Tony likes making scientific friends more than he wants to admit, and he promised Jane a panini press.

Helen has pristine lab coats, perfectly tailored dresses, and is Generally More Put Together than Jane Has Ever Been.

(”You just need to try!” Darcy says, trying to uplift Jane’s spirit. She was caught wearing her favorite Goofy Movie t-shirt (she has more than one, which is kind of sad? Maybe?) and Helen saw it and she was wearing custom designer things.)

But despite all this, they talk. Helen thinks interdimensional space travel is out of this world (shit, sorry) and wants to know what Jane is like.

Their first dinner is Not a Date, it is too a really fucking sketchy sushi place because Jane never learns culinary advice until it’s too late, and Helen didn’t suggest a place. They talk about science.

The second, they talk about how hot Sigourney Weaver is.

The third, well....

It’s outside, so Jane can show Helen the damn world. It is late at night, they are both sleepy, but Jane has a whole canister of brewed espresso coffee.

Helen kisses Jane underneath stars, and Jane can’t help but remember that the stars can’t really see any of this, but she’s glad they’re there.

#lovelyirony writes #science sisters #helen cho #jane foster #dr. helen cho #dr. jane foster #they both have doctorates they're DOCTORS #jane is a disaster #but luckily that's EXACTLY helen's type

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kathy3112-blog · 6 years

Text

Grow (HankCon)

At first, things just seem to fall into place perfectly.

Connor is overjoyed when reuniting with Hank, his partner and friend pulling him into a hug, telling him he'd seen him on the news, leading all those androids. “I was so fucking proud, I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. I'm pretty sure Jimmy thinks I've lost my goddamn mind.”

Connor laughs at the mental image of Hank sitting at the bar, cheering for the same android he used to hate not even a week ago. There's a warm feeling in his chest, which, Connor tells himself, must be a result of Hank's body temperature. It's the only thing that makes sense.

After a moment, Hank lets go, but he keeps his hands on Connor's shoulders, the smile never completely leaving his face.

“You know, if you have nowhere to go, then uh... I know it's not much, but you could stay at my place, and- you know, Sumo really misses you, and...”

Connor beams. “I would love to stay at your place, Lieutenant.”

Hank lets him borrow some of his old clothes and they're too big, but Connor is glad to be out of his uniform. “I'd burn the fucking thing if I were you”, Hank tells him. He also promises to buy him something to wear when the stores open again. Connor likes the thought – not only getting to choose his own attire, but also going shopping with Hank. Having something to look forward to feels nice, he realizes.

Connor also looks forward to going to work again, but the laws concerning employment and payment of androids have not yet been passed, so Hank has to go back to the DPD without his favorite plastic detective. This at least gives Connor some time to make himself useful around the house. He's glad to be able to repay Hank in another way while he cannot pay rent. Cleaning doesn't exactly come naturally to Connor as he's not a household model, but with a bit of research, he finds helpful protocols for AX400 androids. To make a good start, he collects and throws out the trash, does some laundry as well as the dishes, wipes down the counter-tops and sweeps the floor. Sumo seems to enjoy the unusual activity in the house and follows Connor almost everywhere he goes, watching him curiously. There are several breaks for playing and petting. Lastly, Connor opens the windows, making sure to ventilate the rooms without letting too much cold air inside. The house looks good to go and Sumo takes a nap after having been sufficiently entertained. With nothing left to do, Connor simply waits.

When Hank comes home, he immediately realizes something is off. Connor is a bit proud of himself. “Did- did you clean?”

“Yes, but I'm not completely finished yet. I should be by tomorrow.”

Hank insists that Connor doesn't need to do that for him, but it's not like he has better things to do at the moment. Besides, he wants to be helpful. Cleaning the place a little really isn't a problem for Connor.

Cooking, however, is another story. Frankly, Connor is horrible at it. Hank watches Connor burn almost every food he touches – eggs, pancakes, spaghetti. The only positive thing that can be said about Connor's cooking is that he's very consistent �� no matter what he starts out with, it always ends up as the same unidentifiable black mess.

Hank finds it hysterical. Still, after a week of watching his state-of-the-art android almost set fire to his house over the most basic dishes, he declares the stove as a 'RK800-free zone' and starts cooking for himself again.

Hank used to hate cooking and had only done it for Cole. He was still young enough to love when Hank whipped up some noodles with ketchup and despise the vegetables his mother forced him to eat, so he never looked into more complicated dishes. Apart from that, Hank had mastered the art of flipping pancakes and when he gives that another try for the first time in years, he finds he's still able to pull it off. Connor enthusiastically compliments his skills, doe-eyes wide and full of admiration. Something tugs at Hank's heart, probably the nostalgia. He doesn't give it another thought, but starts to find cooking somewhat enjoyable when Connor is by his side.

Connor quickly realizes that once a house has been thoroughly cleaned, it takes a while for it to get dirty again. He also realizes that boredom is inescapable and horrible. Connor takes Sumo on so many walks that the dog either runs away or plays dead any time he sees the android.

He goes through Hank's horror movie collection and finds he enjoys them despite their mostly terrible plots. Hank is both fascinated and unsettled by how thoroughly unimpressed Connor looks even during the most gory scenes.

In his quest to keep himself entertained, Connor tries out a bunch of hobbies. Since it's December, he knits Hank a scarf, who pretends to be mortified, but never leaves the house without it. Connor also spends time with the people from Jericho, namely North, Simon, Josh and of course Markus, and Hank encourages him to invite them over sometime. He doesn't say it, but he likes having them around. Hank and North immediately get along, teasing each other like they've been friends forever and Connor isn't sure how he feels about it. One evening, Hank casually mentions how North kind of reminds him of his ex-wife, and Connor feels the words in his stomach, which shouldn't even be possible.

Emotions in general are confusing, and Connor doesn't like not being able to identify and neatly categorize every jolt in his chest, every body temperature alteration, every irregularity of his thirium pump; link all the sensations he experiences to specific, clean-cut feelings. He just wants everything to make sense, but it seems that's not how emotions work. Hank tells him humans are no better at figuring out what they want, which is equally reassuring and frustrating.

Despite everything, Connor slowly comes to terms with his newfound... personhood. When Connor complains about having nothing to do (Connor is way too good at complaining, Hank thinks, but then again, he'd already been a pain in the ass even before becoming a deviant), Hank asks Connor why he doesn't try painting, like Markus. Instead of saying 'I wasn't programmed to do creative tasks', he answers with “I'm not a really creative person”. It's the little things, but they count all the same.

Hank chuckles at that. “Knowing you, the first thing you did probably was to put some paint in your mouth.”

“Please, Lieutenant. I'd never do that.” He'd totally done that. Markus had been horrified. Hank laughs, because he knows. Connor can't fool him anymore.

Apart from boring himself to death, Connor spends the winter after the revolution trying to figure out who he is and what he wants to do. It's not an easy process.

Over dinner, he talks about how he hopes he can come back to the DPD soon, and Hank gives him an intense look. “Connor, are you sure that that's what you want?”

Connor tilts his head, LED spinning. Want. He still isn't used to wanting things, or having opinions on topics. Connor re-watches his recordings of past crime scenes, investigating clues, interrogations, working side by side with Hank. “I think...”, he starts. He takes an unnecessary breath. “I think I would like that. It's what I was programmed to do, so- I mean...” He looks for the right words. “I enjoy being a detective and... I think I'm good at it”, he finally says.

Hank smiles at him. “You're a great detective, Connor. Just wanted to make sure you're not doing it because you feel like you have to.”

There is warmth spreading through his entire body. Happiness. With a mix of pride, too. No matter what exactly it's called, it's a nice feeling, Connor decides.

Hank manages to find a thrift store that's still open. The owner is born and raised in Detroit, like himself, and he doesn't seem to be bothered by the evacuation status. He also talks way too much, but the important thing is, he doesn't mind androids. When Hank mentions it while they're having dinner (him eating and Connor insisting on sitting with him even though he doesn't eat), Connor's face immediately lightens up. It's weird to think that his goofy face used to be completely devoid of emotion.

They go the next day.

When Connor walks in, there is a lot to look at. The shop is dominated by warm colors, with an exposed brick wall as well as wooden floor, so unlike the modern stores with their monochromatic color palette and minimalist interior design. The clothing doesn't seem to be limited to a specific style or time period, and there's a lot of it. Honestly speaking, the place is kind of a mess, and Connor is eager to go explore. He looks at Hank. “Can I...?”

Connor is practically vibrating with excitement and Hank can't help but smile. “Knock yourself out, kid. Pick whatever you want, I've got ya.”

He chooses a few basics – dark jeans, a black button-down, a gray sweatshirt, a few plain t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants because Hank insists that one wears comfortable attire at home. Connor possesses a wide range of skills, but distinguishing comfortable from non-comfortable clothing isn't one of them. Still, he doesn't argue.

Hank also finds a few things for himself, occasionally asking for Connor's opinion on certain items.

It's nice, spending time together like this.

While Connor is browsing and Hank is reluctantly conversing with the shop owner, something catches his eye. It's a natural white sweater with an overall navy blue cactus print. It's kind of... weird, in a way? Still, there's something about it that Connor likes. Maybe Hank and his non-existent sense of fashion has started to rub off on him.

“What's wrong, Connor?”, Hank asks after a while. He looks at the offending piece of clothing. It's cute, honestly. “You wanna try it on?”

“According to my measurements, it's one size too big.”

Hank shrugs. “That's cool, though. A lot of people prefer it that way.”

Connor is conflicted. He's made decisions that shaped the future of androids and humanity, but now a sweater is causing him mental distress.

Emotions are weird.

“Come on, Connor, just try it on”, Hank says, putting his hand on the small of Connor's back and leading him towards the changing booth.

When Connor is done changing and pushes the curtain to the side, Hank's eyes widen. “Oh”, he says. “Shit, you, uh- you look really-”

“I'll be damned”, the shop owner chimes in. “That's your android?”, he asks, turning to Hank, who seems a little irritated, all of a sudden. Connor feels a little frustrated as well – he wanted to hear what Hank was going to say.

“Hello. My name is Connor.”

“Oh. Right.” He looks at Connor for a few seconds, eyeing him suspiciously, then immediately back to Hank. “That's a really pretty face. What's his purpose?”

Hank is starting to look seriously irritated, and Connor kind of wants to leave. “I was designed to assist human law enforcement, specifically by investigating cases involving deviant androids”, he says evenly. “Of course, now, things have ch-”

“An android detective, eh? And now, he lives with you? I mean, surely, you guys are-”

“Would you look at the time!”, Hank exclaims. “I'm afraid we have to get going. Pleasure talking with you, though.”

Connor changes back into his old clothes and when he gets out of the booth, Hank has already paid and seems eager to leave. The shop owner tells them he's looking forward to seeing them the next time.

“We're not going back there ever again”, Hank immediately says when they're out the door.

Connor is a bit disappointed. “He was... nice enough.”

“God, the way he asked me questions about you while you were standing right there? I hate that. Like you're some kind of...”, Hank gesticulates angrily, “animal.”

“Some people find it difficult to talk directly to androids and would rather converse with human-”

“Connor, you don't have to take that kind of bullshit. You're a person and you should be treated like one.”

Connor feels his lips curl up into a smile. After a few seconds, he adds, “he said I have a pretty face.”

Hank snorts. “No shit. Bet he's never seen someone this attractive in his shitty store before.”

Connor's thirium pump stutters and heat rushes to his face. Attractive. “Didn't you say I look goofy and have a weird voice?”, he asks, struggling to keep his voice even.

“Connor, for someone who's supposed to be smart, you can be pretty damn stupid.”

“Markus, I'm confused.”

He looks up from the canvas and sets his brush and palette on the table, turning to Connor to give him his full attention. Markus could effortlessly listen and paint at the same time, but Connor appreciates the gesture.

“What's on your mind, Connor?”

It's easy to talk to Markus, even for someone who's awkward when it comes to conversations, like Connor.

“I'm having trouble with identifying my feelings towards Hank. I thought we were friends, but I find myself behaving and reacting differently around him than around the people of Jericho, for example. More... irrational.” He paces around the room while Markus watches patiently, waiting for Connor to continue talking. “I get nervous when I shouldn't be. I seek his attention even when there's no reason to do so, just for the sake of spending time together. When we're physically close, several of my biocomponents start malfunctioning.” He throws his hands up in frustration. It feels like a very human gesture. “It doesn't make any sense! I'm certain I didn't feel like this before.”

“Connor, you're smart. I'm sure you know what all of this implies.” He raises an eyebrow.

Connor crosses his arms, frowning. “You're saying I may be... infatuated.”

Markus shrugs, an amused expression on his face. “I was gonna say you're in love, but you can call it whatever you want.”

Connor looks around, pondering. “I guess I never considered the possibility that he looks at me that way.”

“What way?”, Markus asks, a knowing smile on his face. He's really going to make Connor say it.

He sighs. “As a... potential partner for a relationship. Not like partners at work, but with the involvement of romantic feelings and sexual attraction.”

“I know what a relationship is, Connor”, Markus chuckles. “Question is, is that something you're interested in?”

Connor remains silent, LED spinning yellow. “I'm... not sure”, he admits after a while.

“You're gonna have to find out.”

“I know. I wish I could just run a diagnostic, but that has proven to be useless.”

“Emotions aren't that easy”, Markus says, and Connor nods. “Emotions always screw everything up.”

Connor sighs. He's still confused, but he feels better after having talked about it. “Thank you for listening to me, Markus.”

“Any time, Connor.”

UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF MY FEELINGS TOWARDS HANK

Connor's never had an objective like this and honestly speaking, he's not sure where to begin.

ask Hank directly?

No, surely not.

Gather empirical evidence?

View examples of romantic relationships?

Well, it's a start.

Connor does some research on recommended romance movies and looks through Hank's movie collection. Surprisingly, he does find a fair amount of romantic movies, some with comedic elements, but most of them with sad endings. Apparently, Hank has watched a classic called 'Titanic' a total of 12 times, so Connor starts with that one. It's based off a real event, so it should be interesting.

3 hours and 15 minutes later, Connor is still confused, but for another reason. Taking into consideration the material as well as size of the wooden door and how its buoyancy would be affected by the salt content of the North Atlantic Ocean, Jack should have been able to survive.

But putting all that aside, the movie has given Connor some insight to romantic feelings and relationships. However, now he's unsure what to do with that knowledge, so maybe this had been a dumb idea from the start. Connor leans back against the back of the sofa, looking up at the ceiling, and lets out an agitated groan. Sumo growls compassionately.

Later, when they're outside for their afternoon walk, Connor finds himself pre-constructing scenarios involving Hank. They have no real-world applications and most of them have to do with the movie he'd watched. But in place of the two leading actors, he imagines himself and Hank being there, running away with each other, showing the other what their world is like, falling in love.

“I'm flying, Hank.”

No, that doesn't look right.

“I'm flying, Connor.”

Connor snorts at the mental image, and Sumo throws him a curious gaze.

On a more serious note, he finds that he would very much like to dance with Hank. Kissing looks intriguing, as well, even though the thought causes an unfamiliar queasy feeling in his abdomen. Finally, Connor rewatches the scene in the car – disrobed bodies pressed against each other, hushed whispers, a hand coming up to press against a fogged window...

Connor comes to a sudden halt.

He swallows, but the lump in his throat won't go away. Suddenly, he's very aware of his artificial heartbeat drumming in his ears.

“Oh shit”, he mumbles.

Connor is analytical and detail-oriented, able to reconstruct sequences at crime scenes and capable of adapting to any team, acting as a perfect partner. To put it short, he's good at a lot of things.

Making advances towards someone is not one of them.

His social module doesn't tell him anything about how to convey his romantic feelings to someone. CyberLife probably hadn't anticipated for Connor to be able to fall in love.

He still can't quite believe it, either.

Connor doesn't have any experience in this regard, but somehow, he has a feeling that if he chooses to confess, and his feelings were not reciprocated, it would create a barrier between him and Hank. The idea of being turned down is painful, but losing what they have right now entirely is an unbearable thought. What if he throws me out and never talks to me again?

Connor decides to do what he's good at – look for clues, analyze the situation, assess the probability of success. He has to be patient.

When the evacuation gets lifted, the city slowly, but surely comes back to life. It also becomes a more android-friendly place, with more and more pro-android laws being passed, and Markus having reclaimed CyberLife for their kind, transforming the stores to places for androids to go to in need for repairs or spare parts, updates and modifications. “Android hospital”, Hank had called it.

It will take a lot more for androids to be regarded as rightful citizens, but generally, things are looking brighter for everybody.

At least, that's what should be happening.

Hank has been frustrated lately. He doesn't really talk about it, but Connor knows that there has been an increase in violence against androids since the revolution – the humans feeling hostile towards androids are in the minority, but they make up for it with how ruthless they are.

Hank sees so many plastic-white bodies leaking blue onto the floor, people who thought they were finally free, finally safe, brutally having their life taken from them – and he can't stop imagining Connor soon being one of them. Everyday, he asks himself whether he will come home to find his android on the kitchen floor, his face as lifeless as when they had first met. The closer they get, the more the thought hurts, until it becomes unbearable.

Hank starts coming home later than usual, more often than not so intoxicated that he needs help getting to his bed. Connor hopes it's a phase, that Hank's going through an emotional slump. He tries his best to stay supportive and optimistic, reminding himself of the glimpses of Hank's true personality he's been able to catch during their time together – the Hank he fell in love with.

As the snow melts, it seems like Hank's will to move on vanishes with it. The days get longer, but Hank spends the majority of them unconscious, either asleep or drunk.

Connor feels helpless. Markus tells him to give it time, that setbacks are a normal part of recovery. North tells him to kick his ass.

The days trickle by, and Connor spends them on the couch, curled up with Sumo, constantly worried. He can't remember the last time his LED has been shining in a calm blue. Sometimes, he finds himself wishing he hadn't found out about his feelings. Maybe if they were just friends, it wouldn't hurt this much.

The Saint Bernard in his lap gives a little whine.

“You want to go on a walk, Sumo?”

He shows no intent of moving, but watches Connor curiously, which is as much of an agreement he's going to get.

“Okay, boy, come on”, he says, standing up. Sumo follows, reluctant to get up at first, but happy enough once they're actually outside. Connor desperately needs the distraction as well. For a moment, he allows himself to just observe, take in the nature coming back to life after a long, hard winter around him. Many humans believe that being outdoors can have a soothing, even healing effect. Connor doesn't know if that also applies to androids, but being outside beats sitting on the couch, feeling like the walls are starting to close in around him.

“What do you think, Sumo? An hour to myself surely won't do any harm, right?”

Sumo boofs in what Connor believes to be agreement.

They're wrong.

When they return home, the first thing Connor sees is the gun on the table.

REVOLVER

.357 Magnum

1 bullet remaining

Connor feels like he's been punched in the gut. His synthetic heart thuds in his chest, LED cycling red. Several dialogue boxes pop up, warning him about a detected thirium pump irregularity and rising stress level, but he only pays attention to one.

FIND HANK

“Lieutenant?”, he calls out. His mind is racing, scanning the house for any sign of his partner. There's a bottle of whiskey on the table - blacklambscotchwhiskey40%alcoholcontent – but Hank is neither in the kitchen, nor the living room. Connor runs to the corridor, checking the bedroom, then the bathroom. He finds Hank in front of the mirror, clutching the sink.

Connor lets out an unnecessary breath, feeling most of the tension leave his body. “Lieutenant, I was worried about you.” Hank lifts his head, not really looking at Connor, but rather through him. He sighs and leaves the bathroom without saying a word, lightly shoving Connor out of the way. His relief is quickly overshadowed by frustration.

“Lieutenant!” He walks after Hank to find him in the kitchen, drinking from the whiskey bottle. Connor clenches his fists, barely resisting the urge to slap it out of his hand.

“You should stop drinking, Lieutenant.”

No reaction.

Connor grits his teeth. It's enough. He walks over and grabs the whiskey. “I need you to stop drinking and listen to me.”

Finally, Hank acknowledges him, and he's mad. “What the fuck is your problem?”

Connor can think of quite a few things, but he goes with the most imminent one. “You promised you'd stop playing that stupid game!”

“What do you care?”, Hank sneers.

Connor's stress level is going through the roof. “Do you not understand the gravity of the situation?” He clenches his fists. “You are toying with your life. You could actually die!”

“So what?”, Hank barks. “Stop acting like you give a shit. You wouldn't miss me. Nobody would miss me. Why can't you just fuck off already?” He pushes Connor, not hard enough to actually make him lose his balance, but he's so caught off guard that he takes two steps back anyway. His body feels cold and his breathing simulation program has stopped working. He can't do anything but stare at his partner, breaking apart before his eyes yet again, after all they've been through.

“Just leave! Get the fuck out of here!”, he shouts.

Connor inhales, and the breath burns in his artificial lungs. “Hank, I don't...” His own voice sounds foreign in his ears, and he realizes there's a subtle layer of static to it. Hank looks at him like he's been slapped. Only then does Connor realize that there's something wet on his cheeks.

For the first time in his life, he's crying.

Now it's Hank's turn to be at a loss for words, just staring at Connor.

There's a moment of silence between them before Connor speaks again. “You're so important to me, Hank”, he chokes out. “Seeing you like this, it's... it hurts.” He unconsciously touches his chest, where his thirium pump sits. “It hurts, and I don't know what to do, because I'm so fucking terrified of losing you.”

He doesn't tell Hank he loves him, but he's sure he just revealed his feelings anyway. Hank is a good detective, he must have it all figured out. It's not the confession he wanted, but there's no going back.

Emotions aren't pretty.

“C-Connor, I... I'm not...” Hank starts.

Connor cries quietly, no sobbing or sniffling, just tears running down his slightly scrunched-up, but still perfect face. He's so beautiful, even with sadness clouding his features. Hank feels like there's a fist closing around his heart.

“God, Connor, I...” Hank finds himself unable to speak, and he hates himself for it. Even after Connor pours his fucking heart out to him, he still just can't open his stupid mouth.

And of course, Connor understands, because Connor is too perfect for this world. “We don't have to talk right now, Lieutenant. Just... can we go to bed, please?”

Hank gives up and nods. Connor takes his hand and leads him to the the bedroom. They wordlessly change into their sleepwear and lie down together, bodies facing each other, but both of them looking away. The silence is suffocating. Androids can't get tired, but Connor is emotionally exhausted. He's completely spent but somehow, still restless.

Hank seems to feel the same way. “Connor, I...”, he starts, voice unsteady. “About what you said at the bridge, after the Eden Club...” His eyes flick up to meet Connor's. “I don't want you to adapt to my needs and personality. I want you to be yourself. To choose who you truly want to be.”

Connor's LED spins, shining blue in the dimly lit room. “I already did, and I chose to be with you.”

Hank searches Connor's face, looking for any signs of dishonesty or uncertainty. When he doesn't find any, he exhales sharply through his nose, expression softening. “You know, Connor, sometimes I think you're better at this whole being-human-thing than I'll ever be.”

Connor smiles softly, finding Hank's hand to intertwine their fingers. Hank shows no signs of discomfort at the gesture, aside from his heart rate picking up slightly. “I wouldn't be here without you, Lieutenant. You're the one who showed me I was capable of being empathetic, of feeling human emotions.”

“I didn't do anything. Markus was the one who deviated you.”

Connor shakes his head. “He wouldn't have succeeded if it weren't for you, if we hadn't become friends. I first started having doubts when I saved you on that roof instead of chasing after Rupert. In fact, I suspect I may have started showing signs of deviancy way earlier than I realized.” Connor smiles softly. “I do act irrationally when I'm around you.”

Hank smiles back, and Connor feels a rush of affection wash over him. He's extremely aware of how close they are. Somehow, he wants be even closer, but he's afraid to rush things. They should deal with one problem at a time and right now, Hank needs time and space to heal, and Connor wants to give Hank whatever he needs to be happy.

“Connor?”, Hank asks after 7 minutes of silence, voice low.

“Yes, Lieutenant?”

“You know that I don't actually want you to go, right?” His voice is small, and something in Connor's chest aches.

Connor brings his hand up to gently cup Hank's face, acting purely on instinct. “I'm not going to leave you”, Connor says, his voice unwavering and his eyes full of sincerity.

For a second, Hank forgets how to breathe. Then, he nods, allowing himself to believe.

Hank isn't a man of words. He doesn't make promises, he doesn't apologize.

Instead, the next day, he gets up early, careful not to wake Connor, and takes a hot shower, scrubbing every inch of his body he can reach. Afterwards, he trims his beard and puts his hair in a ponytail. He then proceeds to empty out every single bottle of alcohol in his possession.

When Connor finds him, Hank is in the kitchen, dressed in his nicest suit, sending the last drops of whiskey down the drain. Connor doesn't need words, he understands what Hank wants to say. He puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I'm very proud of you, Lieutenant.”

For the first time in weeks, he looks Connor straight in the eyes when answering. “I should have done this years ago”, he huffs. “Connor, can... can I ask you a favor?”

The way to the graveyard is quiet.

Hank has never been to Cole's grave when it wasn't the anniversary, so it's an unusual scenery, seeing the trees and flowers coming back to life around this place that is full of death and past memories.

They come to a halt in front of the grave. Someone's been taking care of it, probably his ex-wife. She's always been better at dealing with her feelings. Hank tends to run away from everything that reminds him of reality, but having Connor next to him helps, like he's keeping him grounded, in a way. He takes a deep breath and looks at the headstone, allowing himself to think, to remember.

Cole Anderson

Sep. 23 2029

Oct. 11 2035

Forever in our hearts

Connor puts down the bouquet and little toy police car they picked out together. Apparently, Cole had wanted to fight crime when he grew up, like his dad. It's painful to think about – that not all dreams come true. Cautiously, he reaches out to put his hand on the marble surface, letting his artificial skin bleed away so there is no barrier. Connor closes his eyes. I wish we could have met. Nothing in the world can replace you, but I will do anything I can to make Hank find happiness again. I promise I'll take care of him.

Connor stands up to stay next to Hank, giving him as much time as he needs to be alone with his thoughts. He holds Hank when he cries and gently wipes away his tears when he's ready to leave. They don't speak much, but it feels like a huge step in the right direction.

There are still bad days, when Hank's eyes won't really meet Connor's and he refuses to talk. Some days, Hank lets Connor at least hold him through the night, and other days, he sleeps on the couch. Their relationship is far from perfect but Connor wouldn't trade it for anything.

Connor learns about the kind of person he is and in a way, Hank does, too. He rediscovers the person he used to be, but he also uncovers new things about himself. Turns out, his personality isn't set in stone and he isn't just waiting for his life to be over. He's right at the beginning of a new chapter.

“How is your relationship with the Lieutenant evolving?”

Connor looks up from the book he's been reading – Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe – to Markus, who's now standing in front of the piano he'd just been playing. “Well...”, Connor starts, a little embarassed. “Things are going well, but... He hasn't said it back yet. That he loves me, I mean.” Connor has told Hank few times now. He just wants him to know that he does, and that he's proud of all the progress he's making. Lately, however, he's started having doubts. “Maybe I've been misreading the signs. Maybe my feelings aren't reciprocated. I just assumed, after everything we've done together.” Connor looks to the ground. “I hope I'm not making him uncomfortable.”

“I'm sure he just needs time. The Lieutenant seems like a very... straight-forward person. And he cares a lot about you. I'm sure he'd let you know if he did in fact not return your feelings.”

“I guess you're right.” Connor lightly pulls at one of his hoodie strings, sighing. “You're always right.”

Markus chuckles. “It's my thing.”

“Did you know Hank calls you 'android Jesus'?”

“Is... that a compliment?”

“Of course! I think.”

Coming back to the DPD is a nerve-wracking process. Usually, Connor would have to go the academy like everybody else, but considering his abilities and background, Fowler comes forward with a proposal. Connor has to go through an exam and firearm training, after which Fowler will personally decide whether or not he can come back to the team.

The exam is hell, and Connor has to fight the urge to hide whenever he sees Captain Fowler for several weeks afterwards, but when he finally gets his badge, he's deliriously happy.

“I know androids can't dream yet, but... Is this really happening, Lieutenant?”

Hank gives him the softest smile. “It sure is, Connor. You earned it.” He puts an arm around Connor. “I'm really proud of you.”

Most people at the station are welcoming when Connor comes back. Some even apologize for their behavior, explaining how they assumed androids didn't actually feel anything.

“It's fine”, Connor always says patiently. “I used to think the same way. Let's just put all of this behind us and work together.”

Of course, some people never change.

“Look who it is”, Gavin calls from his desk, as he so often does. Even after more than a month, he still doesn't seem to get tired of annoying Connor. He's starting to think it may actually be a poor attempt at making friends. “It's Lieutenant Anderson's personal sex doll.” He's the only one who laughs. Connor resists the urge to roll his eyes. People at the station have started to notice that Hank's mental state has improved since Connor started living with him and Gavin, of course, loves being a dick about it. “You should ask Fowler for a private office, since he loves both of you so much.”

Connor finally looks at Gavin, keeping his facial expression as neutral as possible. “Detective Reed, I'm happy to inform you that CyberLife still has numerous RK800 androids available.”

Gavin knits his brows. “Why the fuck would I-”

“Maybe if you got your own Connor model, you would finally be able to stop fantasizing about my sex life and focus on your work instead.”

Gavin's jaw clenches. There's muffled laughter coming from some people at their desks. Even Officer Chen, who is usually on Gavin's side, is hiding her face behind a hand, trying to cover up her giggles by acting like she's having a cough. Connor turns around, but not before giving Gavin the sweetest, most innocent smile he can muster. He goes to his desk to find Hank, who shamelessly gives him a high-five.

“Did you download some manual on sassing people?”

Connor grins. “No, I just had a great teacher.”

In summer, things are looking... good. They spend most of their time together, and Connor is happy. He discovers his love for gardening, and Hank finds he loves watching Connor work outside, his hair shining golden in the sun, smears of dirt on his face, and Sumo trying to get the android to play with him. It's pure and domestic, and it fills a space in his heart that has been empty for a very long time.

On the rare occasion when Connor isn't with Hank, he's surrounded by other good people. He spends his time with Markus, enjoying the quiet moments he watches him paint just as much as their conversations. The painting he's currently working on is dominated by a blue color palette, with a front view of a face. The person has soft features and is looking upwards. Markus steps away from the canvas, regarding it with a neutral expression.

“So, what's your verdict, Connor?”

Connor always claims he isn't the best person to ask, but Markus insists that he should just listen to his heart, tell him what he feels when looking at the painting. Connor can't put his finger on it, but he especially likes this one. It has a... hopeful feeling to it, and feels familiar, in a way.

“There's something about it, I... I really like it. What inspired you?”

“Actually, it's you.”

It takes Connor a second, but when he processes the meaning behind those words, heat rushes to his face. “Oh”, he says stupidly. “Markus, I don't... I don't deserve this.”

Markus smiles warmly at him. “Connor, you have been a great help to our cause. None of us would be where we are if it weren't for you. But, all that aside...” He puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes reassuringly. “I just like spending time with you. I consider you a great friend.”

Connor is at a loss for words, looking at his feet and smiling ear to ear. Yes, he's very happy.

“No, I'm telling you, Reed is as straight as an arrow.”

“Chris, you're full of shit. That guy is a power bottom if I've ever seen one.”

“Hank, I really didn't need that mental image.”

“Stop bitchin', Ben, and accept the truth.”

Connor chuckles to himself. These are men of the law, protecting the citizens of Detroit. He guesses it's okay since they're in their free time.

This has become a regular thing, going out for drinks together. The first time Ben had invited them, he had included Connor so effortlessly, like it was the most natural thing for the android to hang out with them. Now, it's like he just... belongs. He's no longer the odd one out, he's part of the team. The thought still warms his synthetic heart.

They arrive at Jimmy's bar, and Connor holds the door open for the other three. Ben tips an imaginary hat at him, Chris says “Why, thank you, sir” and Hank stops for a second, then mutters “ass kisser”. Yeah, he really likes those people.

Connor smirks. “Maybe if you ask nicely, Lieutenant.”

Hank snorts and hurries inside, not quite fast enough to hide his reddening face. Connor lets the door close after him, and he catches a glimpse of the fairly new “androids are welcome”-sign. Markus is still working on completely ending the segregation since legally, by householder's right, shop keepers are still allowed to deny androids entrance. Nevertheless, there are more and more safe spaces for their kind. Things are definitely changing, and it's reassuring to say the least.

Jimmy spots their group as they take their regular seat at the bar and nods in greeting. “Same as always?”

“You know it, Jimmy.”

The barkeeper directs his attention to the android. “Connor, my man, I've got something special for you, just you wait.”

Hank laughs as Jimmy pours Connor a glass, back turned to them so that Connor can't see the bottle. 'If you scan it before you drink it, it ruins the surprise', he'd once said. Connor didn't want to argue, especially since the barkeeper went out of his way to do something for him. Jimmy used to hate androids – or at least say that he did – but over time, he appears to have taken a liking to Connor.

Jimmy turns around with a shot glass filled with what appears to be red whine, enough for Connor to occasionally sip throughout the evening, since he doesn't really drink. He just... repeatedly samples, in a way. Still, it makes him feel more included in the activity than just sitting there without any drink at all.

“You're spoiling him, Jimmy.”

“Come on, that's the least I can do.” Jimmy pours some Scotch for the other three. Neat for Hank, straight up for Chris and Ben. “I promise you, as soon as they make alcohol for androids, I'll get my hands on it.”

They laugh. “I'd pay to see Connor drunk.”

“It'd certainly be an interesting experience”, Connor says, a little bashful. He doesn't know if he'd actually want that.

They clink glasses and Connor takes his first sip of the wine. His LED blinks yellow as he processes the liquid. A little dialogue window pops up.

Merlot – Red wine from Bordeaux

13% Alcohol content

Ingredients: Potassium Sorbate, Potassium Metabisulfite, Clacium Carbonate, Sulfur Dioxide, Sugar, Grape Juice Concentrate, Water

122 calories per serving

“Oh”, Connor says. “From Bordeaux?”

Jimmy nods. “You like it?”

Connor looks at his glass and contemplates for a second. “Yes, actually. It's the most interesting wine I've tried yet.”

“Cool”, Jimmy smiles. He's always happy when he finds something Connor likes. Apart from that one time, when they had made Connor try Scotch and his face scrunched up from something similar to disgust and everybody was laughing. Hank didn't understand how Connor could put dried blood in his mouth and keep a straight face but have such a strong reaction when drinking Scotch. Connor didn't understand, either, he just marked whiskey as 'avoid if possible', along with coffee – which meant he liked both less than paint, which he marked as 'indifferent'.

They fall into easy conversation. Connor still struggles with small talk or coming up with topics off the top of his head, so he listens most of the time, occasionally taking a sip from his wine.

“No, you do it more like this.” Connor flicks the coin to the side, effortlessly catching it between the index and middle finger of his other hand.

Chris flicks the coin, but then drops it for the 28th time this evening. “Damnit!”

“It's hopeless”, Hank chimes in. “I've tried countless times, it's impossible with our inferior human hands.”

“Come on”, Ben clasps Chris' shoulder. “Next round is on me.”

“Actually”, Hank says, standing up. “I'm gonna have to tap out, sorry. I've had enough for today.”

“Already?”, Chris asks.

“You're becoming a lightweight, Hank”, Ben teases.

“Yeah, yeah.” Hank puts on his coat, and Connor follows suit. They say their goodbyes and step outside into the crisp September air.

For a moment, they walk in comfortable silence. Hank guides them to a park, where they sit down on a bench. Connor suspects there's something he wants to talk about, so he waits patiently, not saying anything.

“You're wearing your cactus sweater”, Hank comments.

“I am.”

“You, uh-” Hank clears his throat. “You look cute in it. That's what I was gonna say. Back then, at... at the thrift store. Yeah.”

Connor feels a blush creeping up on his face, a smile tugging on his lips. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”

There's more silence.

“Connor, I, uh...”, Hank starts again after 6 more minutes. “There's something I wanted to talk about.”

No shit, Connor's mind sasses. “What is it?”

Hank leans back, taking a shuddering breath, and bracing himself. “Fuck, I really wanted to have this conversation sober, but I guess it's now or never.”

Connor tilts his head, waiting.

“Connor, you... you helped me out of a really dark place, and, just- I wanted to thank you. I owe you so much, and- shit, I don't tell you enough how much I appreciate having you around.”

“Hank, I-”

Hank puts his hand on top of Connor's, and his mouth snaps shut.

“That's not all”, Hank murmurs softly. “I'm not good at this, so I'm just gonna go ahead and say it.” He brings Connor's hand up to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss against his knuckles. Connor's not simulating breathing or blinking anymore, he just sits there, completely still, staring at Hank's face. A smile plays on his lips, eyes warm and crinkling.

“I love you, Connor.”

Connor finds himself unable to speak. There are several windows popping up, warnings flashing before his eyes, but he can't focus on them as his vision blurs alarmingly.

“Con, are you alright?” He registers Hank's worried voice and gentle hand touching his cheek, wiping away clear, thirium-based lachrymal fluid.

“I'm okay”, he says, voice cracking.

Hank shuffles forward, pulling Connor into a hug that he immediately melts into. “I'm okay”, he repeats, murmuring into Hank's chest. “I thought... I was starting to think you didn't-”

“Fuck, Con, how could I not? You mean everything to me. I know, I should have told you earlier. I was just... It's scary, loving someone this much. Especially after... After everything.”

“I understand”, Connor says, because fuck, he doesn't know what he'd do if he ever lost Hank.

They break apart after a while, but neither of them wants to let go of the other completely.

“May...”, Connor starts. His LED blinks yellow for a second as he remembers something, before going back to blue. “May I kiss you, Lieutenant?”

Hank sputters. “God, Connor, don't ask me like that, with the fucking title and everything-” He averts his gaze, his face and neck turning red.

“Is that a no?”

Hank side-eyes him. “It's a yes, you stupid seductive android.”

Connor smiles. Slowly, he brings his hand up to cup Hank's cheek, using his thumb to sweep across his cheekbone and jaw, feeling the texture of his skin and stubble. He's feeling a bit anxious, all of a sudden, despite wanting this for so long. “I'm not quite sure how to do this, so I apologize if I-”

Hank leans forward, and the soft brush of his lips against Connor's is enough to shut him up immediately. It's over almost as soon as it begins, just a gentle press of Hank's mouth against his own, but Connor still feels dazed.

He stares at Hank's face, at a loss for words. His breathing is labored, his pupils slightly dilated. Connor's hands have apparently traveled to Hank's shoulders, where they are clutching his jacket.

It's suddenly become quite difficult to form coherent sentences. “Can... can we... again?” “Shit, of course”, Hank breathes.

Connor yanks him back into a deeper kiss while one of Hank's hand slides around the back of his head, tangling it in his hair, the other going around Connor's waist, pulling him closer. Their bodies seem to fit together perfectly, lips moving slowly and surely against each other. This is a lot better.

Connor catches Hank's lower lip between his teeth, gently tugging at it, and gets a low, breathy groan in response that sends a rush of heat through his system. So, so much better.

Hank moves back, taking a shuddering breath. “Jesus, Connor, I need to breathe. Shit”, he says, voice wavering.

Connor licks his lips, his system breaking down the traces of human saliva, as well the whiskey and beer Hank had at the bar. His thirium pump is still going a mile a minute.

Hank appears to be in a similar state. “Fuck, Connor”, he says, still breathless, “did you install a program for making out, or something?”

“No, I just... watched some movies.” For a few seconds, they say nothing, just allowing their heartbeats to slow down. “Some of your movies, in fact. I always knew you were a romantic at heart”, Connor teases.

Hank lets out a breathy laugh before saying, “shut up, and let's get going.” He gets up, dragging Connor along with him. “I want to finish this conversation at home.”

Shit, Connor can't wait. They've got a lot to catch up on. “Whatever you say, Lieutenant.”

Hank chuckles softly, and Connor can't help smiling with him.

He's glad to be alive.

connor: what is love

hank: baby don't hurt me

connor: i would never hurt you

hank: oh no it's just an old song-

connor, in partner mode: i would never let anyone hurt you

markus, in the distance: goddammit just kiss already

#detroit become human #dbh #hankcon #hank x connor

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megareviews · 5 years

Text

Spring 2019 First Impressions

The Spring list is late as usual (is it usual if it’s only the second instance?), but at least I’m closer to the beginning than last year. I’ve reached 50% completion on the doing this for an entire year consistently, so nice.

Aikatsu Friends!: Kagayaki no Jewel (Aikatsu Friends!: Jewel of Radiance): Aikatsu is relatively low on my priority list of magical girl megaseries.

Bakugan Battle Planet: This show actually premiered last semester, but in English, and this season is when the Japanese dub started. Either way it’s somewhere deep in the Bakugan series, which is based off of what are probably my least played children’s toys.

BAKUMATSU Crisis: Second season of an otome game adaption that looked okay when I started it, but I still haven’t watched past the first episode.

Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai (Bokuben / We Never Learn): The main show that I know the source material of, and it is just about meeting my expectations. An average guy who has to study rigorously to maintain his average grades is put in charge of tutoring the two smartest people in his school. This might not make sense until it’s explained that he has to tutor them in their worst subjects, because those subjects are the ones they want to major in for college. It’s a nice theme of working hard for what you enjoy situated in a rom-com with some haremy aspects and an unusually high density of goofy faces, so watch it if you like those aspects.

Bungou Stray Dogs 3: I still need to see what they did with HP Lovecraft in season 2

Carole & Tuesday: What happens when a runaway rich girl and a poor orphan girl meet up on Mars? They form a band of course. A tale of two lonely souls finding each other and become a little less lonely in a big world, making music together. It looks great and it sounds amazing, so this is definitely a priority watch.

Chou Kadou Girl 1/6 (Amazing Stranger): Imagine Buzz Lightyear from the original Toy Story except in a 20 -something guy’s house and then failing the don’t move when humans are around rule almost immediately. That’s what this show is.

Cinderella Girls Gekijou CLIMAX SEASON (Cinderella Girls Theater CLIMAX SEASON): For somebody who doesn’t watch idol shows, the theater shorts are pretty fun, though I’m not nearly caught up in this one to say how this season is going.

Diamond no Ace Act II: Oh boy there’s so much baseball this season and a lot of it is sequels.

Fairy Gone: There’s a lot of things going on in this show but I think I can simplify it to military use of fairies to give soldiers super powers. The protagonist has been taking jobs as a mercenary to find her sister who was split from her after their village was burnt down. Then at an auction that she works as a guard, things start going wrong and the thief who appears is none other than that sister. The first episode ends with the end of a three way fight between security and the girls, so I’m not sure where the show’s going at all. Maybe if the show didn’t flash back to the protagonist’s village burning down three times, there would be a little more time to give direction.

Fruits Basket (2019): I never know how to deal with reboots for shows that I can remember, but haven’t seen the original. I know there’s people who turn into animals and a “do the carpets match the drapes” joke, and that’s about it from the 2001 anime.

Gunjou no Magmel (Magmel of the Blue Sea): After a new continent appears in the world, explorers flock to it, not always as prepared as they should be for venturing into the unknown. The main character works at a company to rescue explorers from mishaps along with a few others. The worldbuilding is interesting and the main character’s black lightning is pretty cool looking, but his attitude and decision making abilities kinda put me off for now. That and the comprehensibility of the subtitles I was watching fell off a cliff halfway through the episode.

Hachigatsu no Cinderella Nine (Cinderella Nine in August): So far it looks like a pretty standard club building show based around women’s baseball. It looks nice and we have 4 club members as of the first episode, so they should make it to at least full team of nine pretty quickly. It looks nice outside of an odd montage near the end of the episode when the club plays a game with some local kids, and the character designs are a bit more memorable than the usual baseball cast. I appreciate the fact that they’re playing hardball, but I’m not the type of person to watch anything sports ever.

Hangyaku-sei Million Arthur 2 (Operation Han-Gyaku-Sei Million Arthur): All I know about this show is that there’s a bunch of characters named Arthur and that it’s a sequel.

Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu (Hitori Bocchi's ○○ Lifestyle): When one of the most socially anxious kids in elementary school gets separated by her only friend when they go to different middle schools, her friend gives her a quest: to become friends with everybody in her new class. She’s got a real go-getter attitude, but from feeling physical pain from trying to talk to a stranger to fainting when somebody actually responds to her, she’s got a rough path ahead of her. It’s a really fun show that gets you rooting for the main character in her attempts of communicating with others in a normal manner.

Isekai Quartet: Four of the biggest isekai series in one short mash-up is a recipe for confusion. Especially since they’re all put together in a school setting where no fighting is allowed, even if there are holy gods and undead abominations in the same class. Anything can happen with all these people taken from their original normal lives, tossed into various fantasy worlds, and then slam dunked back into a relatively normal setting.

Jimoto ga Japan (I’m From Japan): I cannot find a trace of the anime anywhere online and I am glad of this having read the manga. It is just a really dumb comedy about Japanese prefectures that I struggled to read a few chapters of before giving up.

Joushikausei: A silent anime, as in there’s no spoken words, about a few high school girls. It’s an interesting concept, but I found it a bit uncomfortable to watch, mostly due to the whimpering and other nonverbal noises the girls were making.

Kedama no Gonjirou (Gonjiro the Yarn Ball): A children’s show that hasn’t been licensed and no group is fansubbing it, how unusual… It actually looks interesting though so I might search for the raws to check it out.

Kenja no Mago (The Magi’s Grandson): A child raised by a powerful wizard in the country reaches an age where he can move out to the city and attend a magical high school. Unfortunately for him, his parental figures only taught him combat and magic, so he doesn’t really know how to sustain himself in the reals world. It is a decent concept but there’s a 50/50 chance of any scene looking nice or looking awful, and the scene transitions all look like they were made in Powerpoint.

Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slaying Blade): A happy family of coal sellers is destroyed in a night when a demon strikes. The eldest son was out due to a combination of work and a blizzard, and when he returns he finds all but one of his family members completely cold and covered in blood. This last member is rushed down the mountainside for medical aid, only to turn into a demon on the way down. A meeting with a demon slayer turns tricky as he tries to protect his demonized sister who’s fighting between killing instincts and her love of her brother. The opening promises some beautiful animations and the overall show isn’t slacking either, so overall it’s a very promising show.

KING OF PRISM -Shiny Seven Stars-: It’s the TV version of a boy band movie tetralogy which is also a sequel I think?

Kiratto Pri☆chan Season 2: A sequel to a idol anime that I reviewed last year. I think this is one of the first times a sequel has shown up that I also reviewed the first season of, though unfortunately it was for a show that I didn’t watch fully.

Kono Oto Tomare! (Stop this Sound!): One more club building show for this season, this one about a Japanese instrument called a koto. After all the upperclassmen of the club graduated in the previous year, only the main character is left in the club, and needs more members before the club gets closed, the usual. The first new member is a seemingly delinquent 1st year who is surprisingly diligent. There wasn’t too much interesting or unique other than the topic of the club, so music fans might find this more watchable than I.

Kono Yo no Hate de Koi wo Utau Shoujo YU-NO (YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World): The first episode for this kind of front-loaded introducing characters and pulled out its premise of parallel dimensions and a device to navigate them towards the end, which means I’d probably have to watch another episode to figure out how I feel about it. It’s nice to not have a giant exposition dump take up the first episode of a show, especially since it will have two cours to tell a story, but I didn’t feel any particular gravitation towards the characters by this point, so I won’t be prioritizing any follow-up on it.

Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin (Midnight Occult Civil Servants): With a job at a place called the Nocturnal Community Relations Division, the first thought of the type of people dealt with is most likely not going to be fairies. Our main character is taken from a world of the ordinary to being able to see and talk to the supernatural creatures that live locally, called Anothers. His co-workers are equipped with magically enchanted police tape and other trinkets to help solve issues that occasionally arise between Anothers. I like the modern fantasy setting, and the fairly low level fights with the supernatural so far, so there’s promise in where the show goes.

Midara na Ao-chan wa Benkyou ga Dekinai (Ao Can’t Study): While the name Ao is usually blue, or sometimes even moth, in this case, it stands for Adult Only, the 18+ rating in Japan. This is due to her father’s profession, an erotic writer, and surprisingly, the main character hates her father for naming her that and spends her entire life studying to get into a college far enough away from him. This is thwarted by a guy confessing to her and filling her mind with romance and lewder thoughts, with the help of her father. I hate this as a concept and don’t watch this.

Mix: A semi-sequel baseball anime. I say semi, because from what I’ve gathered it is recommended but not necessary to watch the original first.

Nande Koko ni Sensei ga!? (Why is my Teacher Here!?): It’s about a male student and his teacher, ending up in awkward situations together, like being trapped together in a men’s bathroom stall. A show of pure fanservice through and through, so there’s not much else to say.

Namu Amida Butsu!: Rendai Utena: What started out as an action about cleansing impurities from the world gives us a quick bait ‘n switch to a slice of life about gods bumbling about in the human world attempting to be competent humans. I found it irritating to watch, and it was very clearly based off of a gacha game, which do not have a good track record of making good shows.

Nobunaga-sensei no Osanazuma (Nobunaga’s Young Bride): A modern age middle school teacher way down the ancestral tree of Oda Nobunaga meets the bride of the man himself, who traveled to the present from the day of the original Nobunaga’s death. She’s no older than when she left her original time, which leaves her at 14 years old, with no knowledge of modern day Japan so she’s stuck with the main character’s family and decides to be the new Nobunaga’s bride anyways, which… is weird.

One Punch Man 2: A big sequel of the season, and one where people have been waiting with wary anticipation due to the change in animation studio and director. It definitely looks a lot stiffer than the first season, for action and non-fight scenes, but the story is a bit more interesting in my opinion, as the show starts working on fleshing out other heroes and why they fight.

RobiHachi: the first episode of this really is a springboard for setting up what the plot and cast will be, just about starting right at the very end. We’ve got an ultra gullible man in debt, a genius teen with no sense of purpose, a robot rabbit helper, and their spaceship that blares its own theme song when it transforms into a mech. They set off to find a legendary planet that grants happiness after a couple of hijinks on their starting planet. It’s a very busy show, both visually and plot wise, but still an enjoyable experience if you can keep up.

Sarazanmai: 50% connecting with other people through oversharing with them, 50% kappas stealing souls from other people’s butts. It’s hard to describe the show but I’m having a good time, and the art is gorgeous, and special care is taken with little details in the show. I’d say watch the first episode definitely, and then decide whether or not to follow up on the rest of the show.

Senryuu Shoujo (Senryuu Girl): The focus of the show is on the Japanese poetry type of Senryuu, mostly because the main character can only communicate with others through writing these poems. Thankfully, she’s got some good friends and is in her school’s Literature Club, so she has plenty of practice and is around people who appreciate her work.

Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san (Meddlesome Fox Senko): The fox gods of the world have a duty to protect humans, and are becoming more proactive in seeking out humans with negative emotions before those emotions go out of control. In comes the male lead of the show, an overworked businessman who has basically just been going through the motions of life by this point. One of the fox gods appears in his house, doing the cooking, cleaning, and other tasks to help relieve the main guy’s stress. It’s comfy and there’s some funny moments, but I feel like the show would be better off as a more episodic show featuring various humans rather than just the one that it looks like the show will focus on. I’m also worried about the romance genre tag that the show has.

Shingeki no Kyojin 3 Part 2 (Attack on Titan 3 Part 2): I’m still on episode 5 of the original series, with no particular motivation to make it any further. More people die in bloody explosions probably.

Shoumetsu Toshi (Lost City): As the title of the show would imply there is a city that has been lost to humanity, as in, it just disappeared one day. The main female character is the only one who survived the city disappearing, and is targeted by a mysterious group due to that, and she tries to return to where the lost city used to be due to a message by her father who went missing with the city. In addition there was a monk with super powers who was standing on a motorcycle’s handlebars facing off against the main girl who could summon her Lost bodyguard with a bunch of guns but that was kinda just thrown in at the end.

Strike Witches 501 Butai Hasshin Shimasu! (Strike Witches 501st Join Fighter Wing Takes Off!): Oh god it’s been so long since I’ve consumed Strike Witches content. This is a slice of life spin off of the original series, so the context is recommended, but not necessary. The animation is also very much on the rough side for a ten minute long short.

Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki (Yatogame’s Observation Diary): After briefly being disappointed in the lack of heavy Nagoya dialects encountered in Nagoya, the main character runs into a classmate who happens to have one. In addition, all of her favorite foods and animals are popular or famous in Nagoya, so he sticks around with her for meeting his ideals of what a Nagoyan should be. They then travel the city as part of the photography club to see all the sights of the city.

Youkai Watch!: Despite what it looks like from the title, this is pretty deep in a line of sequels of Youkai Watch.

#Megareviews #first episodes #anime review #Spring 2019

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wearejapanese · 6 years

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By Emily Yoshida

When the first trailer arrived for Isle of Dogs last fall, I had three immediate, consecutive reactions: One: Oh, no. Two: Wait, I take that back. I’m going to be a good critic and reserve judgement until the week of March 23. Three: This is exhausting.

In the week since Isle of Dogs’ initial limited release, a measured, varied, and nuanced discussion about Wes Anderson’s use of Japanese culture — and other cultures in general — has happened in fits and starts. It’s not a new conversation; it’s been happening over the course of Anderson’s filmography, probably starting in earnest with the India-set The Darjeeling Limited in 2007. What’s louder to me, this time around, is the contingent of people seemingly broadsided by this conversation, and furious it’s even taking place. Justin Chang’s review for the L.A. Times in particular asks more questions than it answers, but thanks to the diligent coverage of everyone from Entertainment Weekly to Fox News (when was the last time Fox News cared about Wes Anderson’s honor? I’m guessing never), it became the central proof that the PC police were out to get America’s most symmetrical auteur.

I’m of the belief that the phenomenon commonly known as cultural appropriation can be benign, even illuminating in the right artist’s hands. The thing is, Anderson hasn’t done anything in a while, if ever, to convince me that those are his hands, but I like to think I’m always down for a pleasant surprise. Darjeeling, which somehow managed to turn an entire country and culture into a prop for white enlightenment, and look really chic while doing it, was a bad example of such appropriation. But for those of us who reluctantly still keep a candle burning for Anderson’s early filmography, and love adorable dogs, there was reason to hope that Isle could do better.

Still … those Japanese-people puppets. And the largely non-Asian voice cast (Yoko Ono was one of a few exceptions, and an extremely Andersonian one at that). American cinema, from schlocky action to critical-darling indies, still has a long way to go when it comes to depicting — or not depicting, as the case may be — Asian people and cultures. It had been half a year since we did the Ghost in the Shell outrage shuffle, but the dots were failing to connect to Anderson’s highbrow doggy-puppet movie. That’s where the exhaustion kicked in.

As it turns out, Isle of Dogs is a kind of perfect artifact for our current-day conversation around cultural appropriation, if it can even still be called that. It’s hard to call it offensive, exactly, and yet, it’s not devoid of a kind of opportunism. It’s not a crime, but it’s certainly something to unpack. Anderson self-consciously uses Japanese-ness — a very curated, Showa-era version of Japan — as a kind of costume, and Isle of Dogs depicts a heightened essence of the Japanese culture as filtered through a Western understanding, the sort of thing your grandpa or Neal Stephenson would call “Nipponese.” (Kurosawa! Sumo! Taiko drums!) There’s a creakiness to its appreciation, but it feels self-aware about the limits of its references; at no point do I think that Wes Anderson is suggesting that his 2028 stop-motion version of a fictional city represents anything real or accurate about Japanese culture. It’s a look. You could swap it out for, say, Finland, and not much would change. If I’m playing cultural-appropriation cop (a terrible job, please don’t make me do it), I’d file it under benign. Maybe too benign! (Spoilers Below)

The exception is the film’s use of Japanese language, which felt bizarre to me, even as a nonfluent (seriously, the opposite of fluent) Japanese speaker. Human characters speak Japanese throughout the film, but it is almost never subtitled, just occasionally translated by Frances McDormand’s interpreter character. It’s clearly meant to echo the fact that the dog characters can’t understand the human characters, but I wondered: What is the experience of watching the film like for a person who can speak and understand Japanese? Is the metaphor just not made for you? Is the film not made for you? Is there a hilarious, enlightening parallel movie happening in the Japanese dialogue, or is it, like Anderson’s painstakingly crafted little shoji walls, punchably paper-thin set dressing?

It was hard for me to answer these questions myself, given my pathetic grasp of the language of the country I was born in. (Sorry, extended family.) So I reached out on Twitter to a handful of native and/or fluent speakers of Japanese who saw Isle of Dogs on opening weekend, to get their impression of the film’s use of language. Their observations were fascinating and occasionally conflicting, as were their critical opinions of the film. What I found, even in this small sample size, was a similar dynamic I’ve seen before in debates about Asian culture as reflected by Western culture — perspectives can vary wildly between Asian-Americans and immigrated Asians, and what feels like tribute to some feels like opportunism to others.

Who I spoke to: Anthony, a Japanese-American translator for a Pasadena tech start-up, who was born in L.A. and grew up bilingual in Tokyo. Lisa,* a Japanese woman working in the entertainment industry, who grew up in Japan and has lived in the U.K. and U.S. as an adult. Beam, a Thai culture writer living in San Francisco, who is fluent in Japanese and lived in Tokyo for five years.

*not her real name

(It should be noted that finding people to talk to was a task in and of itself. The film just opened in select cities this week, so the pool was already small. But several people mentioned to me on social media that many of their Japanese friends living in the States didn’t even know about the film, much less have passionate opinions on its treatment of their culture. Just something to take into account.)

The spoken dialogue is fine. If you’ve ever watched a foreign film in which an “American character” makes a cameo, you know it can sometimes be unintentionally jarring. (My favorite, extremely goofy recent example is in Hideaki Anno’s Shin Godzilla, in which Satomi Ishihara plays the half-Japanese daughter of a U.S. senator, who is the singular embodiment of a trope you rarely encounter in English-language film: Sassy American Friend.) All three people I spoke to said this was not a problem for Anderson’s film. “For what it’s worth, the spoken Japanese made complete sense,” Anthony told me. “There was no accent or awkwardness.” Isle of Dogs employed Japanese voice actors for many of its non-starring roles, and Japanese writer and DJ Kun Nomura, who voiced Mayor Kobayashi, has a writing credit, which probably helped Anderson and co-writers Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman avoid such basic faux pas.

But it’s not really meant to be heard. Anthony reported that there was a muffled quality to much of the Japanese dialogue. “It was very hard to hear — it kind of sounded like they had put cotton balls in their mouth,” he says. “It was distracting, because I wanted to hear what they were saying.” Lisa didn’t quite have this problem, but found herself ignoring much of the Japanese dialogue anyway. “I didn’t exactly find it hard to hear,” she says. “But I didn’t care much about it; I knew it didn’t have much meaning.”

Shocker — there’s some stilted dialogue in a Wes Anderson movie. While Lisa agreed that the Japanese writing made perfect sense, some of the performances, including Koyu Rankin’s performance as Atari, struck her as a little unnatural. “The main [Japanese-speaking] characters, or anyone with relatively more dialogue, like Atari or Major-Domo, sounded a bit weird,” she said. Lisa thought that Nomura’s performance as the mayor worked, but she sensed that the dialogue had been written differently for other characters. “They didn’t try to speak Japanese precisely,” she says of Atari and Major-Domo. “But they had a Japanese ‘cultural effect.’ So it was kind of caricatured.”

Beam also observed a kind of “Japanese affect” that he suspected was intentional in its stiltedness. A scene he liked in particular was one in which the scientists working on the Dog Flu serum make their discovery and cheer their victory with a unison “Kampai!” “It’s what you really see Japanese people do in real life — they’d drink, cheer, congratulate, and say thank you to each other,” Beam says. “It’s slightly robotic which is kind of cute and comical at the same time.”

Tracy is definitely a problem. The lack of subtitles for the Japanese characters is one of the more controversial aspects of the film. While Beam enjoyed the film overall, his biggest gripe was with the film’s use (or non-use) of subtitles, and he felt that the treatment of Greta Gerwig’s American character Tracy provided an instructive contrast to the Japanese characters. “I feel like it uses its self-imposed rule to not use subtitles as an excuse to make that character white, because someone needs to speak English in Megasaki City,” he told me. “Without that rule, the character might as well have been a plucky Japanese schoolgirl and it would have made equal or more sense (or like, just cut her character out entirely).”

The written language is a little spotty. Both Lisa and Anthony noted that the written language, as it appears in the art direction and onscreen text, stood out more than the un-subtitled dialogue. “A lot of it was an awkward, kind of choppy phrasing,” Anthony said. “It kind of made me think that someone had thrown these English phrases into Google Translate. The [characters] weren’t the exact characters you would use in that context.” One example he gave was with the drones that appear in the film, which were referred to as mujinki (literally, “machine without a person”). “People today wouldn’t use the literal translation of drone,” he says. “Most people would just say du-ron. It just makes more sense.”

Lisa also says that the written-out “Megasaki City,” a fictional name which doesn’t mean anything in Japanese, contains a fictional nonsense kanji character presumably made up by the art department. Anthony’s sense was that the art department and graphics department perhaps didn’t consult as much with native Japanese speakers as the writers did. “When something was handwritten in the film, it looked perfect. It was just the graphics that were off.”

There are pretty much no Japanese Easter eggs. I was also really curious about any hidden jokes or gags in the script’s Japanese, but all three viewers agreed that the dialogue, for the most part, is purely utilitarian; when it came to playing to the Japanese speakers in the room, Lisa says, “It didn’t seem like they really cared.” She adds, “There were no hidden messages, [the language] just there to make an atmosphere, like ‘It’s Japan!’”

The exception is the title of the film, which in Japanese is Inugashima, which Lisa says will read to Japanese viewers as a direct reference to the folktale Momotaro (“peach boy”). In the story, which every Japanese child (even me) knows from birth, Momotaro travels to the island of demons, or oni, which is called Onigashima. The parallels end there, but the name will lend a mythical feeling to the film for viewers who grew up with the story.

The reviews are mixed to positive. “All in all, despite a few things that are tone-deaf, I think it’s quite a respectful depiction of Japanese culture,” Beam says. Even when some of the language quirks stumbled, the essence of the film felt particularly Japanese to him. “I love that Atari, a Japanese character, is portrayed as an ultimate hero who values friendship more than anything, which is the same concept (‘nakama’) as what most Japanese animes/dramas, old or current, revolve around.” Lisa also really enjoyed the film, and thinks it will go over well with Japanese viewers when it’s released there in May. “It’s not an accurate reflection of Japan, but it’s based on Japanese fables and a Japanese point of view, and Japanese problems. And we love dogs.”

Anthony, meanwhile, has more misgivings. “There’s a kind of disconnect with the Japanese-ness, which made it feel like Japan was just a backdrop to tell this story,” he says. Then there’s the question of intent vs. reception: Watching the film at a theater in Pasadena, as the only Asian person in the audience, couldn’t help but affect his viewing experience. He described inexplicable laughter from the crowd every time a Japanese character reacted to something in Japanese. “It made me think, What are they laughing at? The fact that they speak a foreign language?”

Still, as someone with a foot in both cultures, he’s been tracking the film’s reception on both sides of the Pacific, particularly the hype on Japanese Twitter. Much of the anticipation revolves around the appearance of Yojiro Noda, lead singer of the rock band RADWIMPS, as the voice of a news anchor in the film. But there’s also a general eagerness to see it. “People are like, ‘I know he’s going to respect Japanese culture,” Anthony says. “Japanese people love Wes Anderson.”

#isle of dogs #cultural appropriation #wes anderson #japan #movies #japanese american #emily yoshida #review #spoilers

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maizeofloverp · 6 years

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Full name: Trent Martin

Age: 42

Birth date: April 23, 1976

Gender & pronouns: Cismale, he/him

Affiliation: Civilian

Occupation: Owner of Starlight Cinema

Faceclaim: Jensen Ackles

B i o g r a p h y »

Trent Martin likely would’ve been happier with fewer siblings. He can hardly remember a time when he didn’t have younger siblings, but at first there were just a couple and that wasn’t too bad. He still got to be special because he was the oldest, still got lots of attention and praise. By the time his sister was born, however, he was 12 and had had quite enough of all of this. His parents were tired and busy so it fell to Trent to help take care of the younger ones out of necessity. With so much going on in the Martin household, Trent felt like he got a little lost in the shuffle, looked at as the much needed extra helping hand instead of the oldest boy who was, at the heart of it, still a boy. A seed of resentment against his siblings built up in him because of that. He loved them, it was hard not to when he was around them so much, but he wished there were less of them so he could still enjoy being treated like a kid. Without really meaning or wanting to, as he became a teenager, he became a bit of an authority in the house since their parents were caught up in work. Trent stayed home and babysat instead of going out with his friends a lot (though his parents did recognize this and sometimes insisted he go out, trying to let him be as free as they could) and the resentment only deepened. When his siblings got competitive, Trent would often sort out the arguments or proclaim the winner. He was the strongest, at least for a while anyway, and that earned him some level of respect though he could be drawn into the horseplay. He developed a sort of dry, sarcastic humor because of that and spent a lot of time being concerned with his family and less time figuring out what he wanted to do with his life.

High school graduation came and went and Trent realised he had no real plans. He didn’t necessarily want to stay on at the garage, which there was no pressure to do, but his mom seemed vaguely disappointed that there was no plan and his dad kept trying to find things to engage him in. Trent drifted in Muddy for a few years, still helping with the younger ones and working part time at the garage, before he decided he needed to figure out just what the hell he wanted to do with his life so he left. Trent didn’t just go to Chicago, either. He went to New York because if there was a place to figure yourself out, surely that was it, at least that’s what the movies always seemed to say. One of the things he’d managed to have and keep an interest in was music and he’d had a guitar since he was young and thought he wasn’t half bad at it. Soon enough he’d joined a band and gotten a job as a bartender which went well for a couple of years. They were moderately successful and toured a little. As he got more involved in the music scene, Trent quit bartending and started producing, working at a recording studio. He still got to play his own gigs and make a little more money besides and overall, Trent was happy. At least he was doing what he wanted to do and while he missed his family, it was nice being on his own.

In his later twenties, when he’d worked his way up to assistant manager of the studio, he met and fell in love with Cassandra Beaumont. She worked at a tech company and seemed a bit severe and controlling but liked the fact that he was a musician who also had a steady job. Where he was goofy and sometimes irrational, she was steady and serious but had a more refined sense of humor. They seemed to balance each other out and had a lot of fun together so it didn’t surprise anyone when they got married. Trent was 29 and had only been married for a year when his daughter was born. All those instincts and strategies he’d used to take care of his siblings reawakened when he became a father and it was a role he took to eagerly. Trent wanted to give his daughter, Olivia, the best that he could which included not saddling her with a bunch of other siblings. Cassandra seemed content to just have the one child and, for a while, they were a happy family.

Trent still played when he could but more and more his time was taken up with parenting and moving up in the recording studio. He eventually became a co-owner which made things that much busier. Cassandra’s career, too, was flourishing as she climbed the corporate ladder and it seemed they saw each other less and less. Trent was determined to always make time for Olivia and given his somewhat more flexible hours (it was a modest recording studio) he became Olivia’s primary, and sometimes it felt like only, caregiver. He saw Cassandra less and less and started to feel like a single parent. It was hard to remember how much fun they used to have together and while he still loved her, his frustrations with her continued to grow. Soon enough, every time they saw each other they were arguing and it was hard for Trent to manage that, his job, and full time parenting. He started drinking more than he should, which became another point of contention, and the woman he’d thought he would grow old with started to become someone he couldn’t stand to be around.

Divorce proceedings were inevitable. Cassandra’s severe nature had only gotten worse, more ruthless, and she tried to lash out at him through their lawyers. It took two tense, horrible years to sort everything out, and Trent hit the bottle harder during those years, feeling like he needed the crutch to try and keep things together for Olivia. The one thing they didn’t actually fight over was custody since Cassandra didn’t even seem to want it, though she certainly tried to hit him everywhere else that would hurt and Trent fought back in kind. By the end of it all, Trent had Olivia and not much else and felt like he’d aged ten years. For a while, he tried to go back to business as usual, getting a new, smaller place and trying to go back to work. The drinking was a real problem though and he felt like a husk of himself. The city with all the crazy energy he’d once enjoyed was sapping the life out of him now. Trent decided he needed a change and a big one. There was one place he knew that was quieter, that only had one bar (so as to limit his temptation of the vice he was trying to get rid of), and where he still had some family; Muddy Waters. After having been gone for a long time except for some occasional, brief visits around the holidays, Trent, in an impulsive decision, decided to go home.

Back in Muddy for a handful of months, Trent used the money he got from his partner buying out his half of the recording studio to buy Starlight Cinema. It seemed fitting somehow, let him indulge in his love of old movies, and turned a decent profit. Thirteen-year-old Olivia was not impressed with the move from New York City to some backwater town in Illinois and Trent’s working on trying to get her to forgive him for it as well as get the rest of his life back on track.

P e r s o n a l i t y »

Trent feels like a failure. While he stands by his decision to come back to Muddy, knowing it’s better for him, it also feels like he’s returned with his tail between his legs and that’s a hard pill for him to swallow. His humor was always a bit dry and sarcastic but it’s turned more self-deprecating recently. While he still puts on a good show of being friendly and even charming, he feels like he’s taken an emotional beating and is still recovering from it. He’s not exactly an upbeat or incredibly positive person, in fact he’s a bit of a cynic, but he tries to mask that and put a somewhat better spin on things if only for Olivia’s sake. Trent can be impulsive and irrational, more sensitive than he at first appears, and even a little broody. On the flip side, he’s supportive and loyal, protective of those he cares about, and generally fairly dependable. His temper can flare up quickly but cools just as fast and he’s more than a little stubborn. Trent has trouble asking for help and unfairly blames himself for a lot of things. He does his absolute best to be a good father even if he’s a little at a loss sometimes now that Olivia’s a teenager. Struggling to pull himself out of a bad emotional place, he’s doing his best but, at this point, doesn’t feel like its good enough.

Played by Sam

#trent martin #prodigal son #civilian #taken #male

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baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa · 7 years

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ALRIGHTY it’s review time! I’ve finally finished RTTE Season 4 and MAN was I pleased. A vast improvement from the last two, much closer to the first season in quality and good enough that I think it could edge towards canon. From what I’ve seen from the fandom, there’s still a lot of controversy-- some people loved it and some still hated it. I have SO MUCH I could say about it, especially since a lot of the plot lines are continued from season 3 (which I did not finish, due to extreme annoyance and disappointment), but this will already be a long post with me condensing my thoughts. I tried narrowing it down to some of my favorite parts and some of my least favorite parts, but all in all, it was a fantastic season. If this is what the writing team can do, consider my expectations raised. So without further ado:

Cat’s Top 5 Best and Worst of RTTE S4

Best of the best

5. While the overall quality of the season was amped up, there were a few small shining stars that definitely excited me. The first is Ruffnut... who finally seems to be rounding out as a character! We get a lot of comedy relief from the twins and chicken, and this season was no different. Macey’s viking funeral cracked me up. But what I loved most was the way the twins seemed to grow. Especially Ruffnut. We get to see her trusting her intuition in Gruff Around the Edges, recognizing that her brother had been misplaced before anyone else. We get to learn from her interaction with Gruffnut that she values humility and honesty. And then later, in Twintuition, it’s Ruffnut that urges her twin to prioritize the dragon riders over Macey. It’s Ruffnut that humorously and bravely stands up to Viggo in his interrogation. They’re small steps for the twins, especially Ruff, but I think this season has been more characterization than any season so far.

4. My next favorite part was a little bit of a selfish, fangirlish kind of pleasure. We got to see Hiccup in tight black leather. I almost didn’t include this in my faves because it’s such a ridiculous little thing, but it made my heart do a pitter patter. Why? Because we’ve never seen Hiccup in black leather, but how much have we as a fandom loved to read and write about Hiccup in black leather? I can think of a few fics off the top of my head, including my own Sacrifice AU. There’s just something so dark and mature about putting Hiccup in black-- it takes him from our scrawny noodle cinnamon roll to a mysterious, vigilante sinnamon roll. It allows the imagination to play with ideas that we as a fandom (and, selfishly, me as a writer) never expected to get to see on screen. It’s not something I thought we’d get from our Y-7 show. And it’s not just the leather, it’s his demeanor sometimes. The tension and angst, the occasional ruthlessness, the table flipping, my goodness! Our baby Hiccup is growing from a noodley family-friendly dork to an actual young man with emotions that aren’t watered down by the PG rating. I didn’t think all of his outbursts were 100% in character, but at least for the most part, we’re getting some characterization that fits the tone of the first and second movies.

3. The last three of my five faves were-- I’m sure expectedly-- related to the Hiccstrid. Gods alive, it’s about time, right? For a couple of years now we’ve been impatiently waiting for the romantic development. Not just as squealing shippers who love a good romance, but as fans who respect the timeline of the canon movies. After season three, I’d started to give up hope, but S4 brought it back for me. I could do a whole post alone about the Hiccstrid, but for now I’ll mention my #3. I loved the riders’ reactions to the couple. Was it realistic that Fishlegs caught them kissing and thought-- strategy meeting? No. Was it goofy that the twins thought either Astrid and Hiccup were dying? Of course. And was Snotlout’s gambling theory totally out there? By Thor, yes. But I loved every minute of it. I loved the silliness, the obliviousness. My boyfriend and I died laughing at the twelve-step program line, and at every comment Tuffnut made about Hiccup’s frailness. It was light, it was fun, and I think it was super appropriate for the series. In my headcanon, I’ll probably keep a more mature take on it, but I think using a comedic approach was the best way for the writers to handle it.

4. I loved Blindsided. Which is where, I think, most of the fandom divides. You either adored it or you hated it. I have just one thing I didn’t like about it-- I thought it wrapped up too quickly. Other than that, I thought it was one of the strongest episodes for Astrid’s characterization in the whole series. Like Ruffnut, she kind of gets shafted so far as real plot focus goes. She’s too often shoved in the boiling cauldron in a volcano with Throk, too often the damsel in distress. Always falling off of something, always nearly getting hit by something. This episode was the first time that I didn’t roll my eyes and say, “Here we go again.” Because it didn’t just toss in a knight in shining armor moment for Hiccup. We saw Astrid lose her edge, her confidence, and then spit her self-consciousness in the face. My absolute favorite part of the season, even more than the kisses, was when Astrid jumps into combat with the Triple Strike and Hiccup sighs, “Of course she’s not going to hide. What was I thinking? She’s Astrid.”

The whole episode was just unapologetically her. It had her stubbornness, her wittiness, her relationship with Stormfly. We saw her be vulnerable without being a damsel, saw her take on danger despite a disadvantage. And we got a situation where Hiccup and Astrid were forced into close but casual physical proximity. Not just the “oops I fell on top of you” trope, but Hiccup guiding Astrid, her reaching for him. Why is that important? Because for the RTTE hiccstrid that they wrote, the two are very teenagery. Can’t be close or touching, because omg we’re just friends. But this kind of put them into a situation where I think they could subconsciously recognize how natural and comforting each other’s touch is. We see hand-holding, close contact, Hiccup sitting by her bedside (”until she falls asleep”, wink wink), and Astrid holding tight to him during flight. The biggest complaint I’ve heard is that the hiccstrid was rushed, but I think this episode is the biggest evidence that it isn’t (comparatively speaking). We get a few nods of hiccstrid in the first few episodes, but once Blindsided happens, it’s all bets are off. They realize how easy it is, how heart-pounding and real their relationship has become. That there will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. It’s not just a childhood flirtation anymore, it’s a bond that’s been long forming. And I think her blindness in this episode did a great job of showing her off as a warrior, but it also did a lot to connect the bridge from friends to more-than.

5. The one thing I did have an issue with, hiccstrid wise, was all the random setup the writers did in the last couple of episodes. What they were trying to do was position everything for Viggo to make Hiccup choose between Astrid and his passion for the dragons. But we had Hiccup and Astrid say, “Sorry I got so worked up” and “I just can’t focus when you’re in trouble”, but we never actually saw them getting worked up or losing focus because of the other being in danger. I thought that was weird and a little poorly executed. BUT while I didn’t like how it was set up, and while I thought that it was cheesy that once again Astrid was captured by the villain, I loved the way Viggo mentioned the future. I think his exact words were, “Are you really going to sacrifice your future-- all the wonderful years you have ahead of you-- for that?”

I mean, holy crap! Do you get any better foreshadowing from a group of writers? The villain calls Astrid his future, and Hiccup doesn’t blink twice. He doesn’t amend the statement, or go off on a tangent about protecting the dragons. That said, how did Viggo know what was going on with Hiccup and Astrid when the gang hardly did? But whatever, I thought it was a very poignant way of confirming that this is the same couple from the sequel that are clearly headed for marriage and a forever kind of love. They didn’t pansy dance around it or treat it like the new relationship that it-- at a glance-- is. They knew that hiccstrid saw each other as end game and they treated it as such.

And the worst...

1. Season four wasn’t without its flaws. There were a couple of spots where the writing was a little rushed, a couple where it was a little lazy. But as opposed to the past couple of seasons, which had one or two good episodes in a sea of awful, this season just had a few episodes that fell flat for me. One of those was Notlout. Question: How many times have we seen Spitelout be a jerk to his son? A thousand. How many times have we seen Snotlout react by being bullheaded and reckless? A thousand. I felt like Notlout was just this season’s reiteration of the same typical Snotlout-centric episode that they do almost every go around. Spitelout says something nigh treasonous, Snoutlout gets insecure, the gang and their missions are thrown into shambles because of his need to lead, and in the end he realizes that the team does value him after all. We get it. It wasn’t a bad episode or anything, but it’s so repetitive and unnecessary at this point. Would have much rather seen more of the twins or Berk.

2. Episode two that I really disliked-- The Longest Day. I thought it was silly. Apparently this week or whatever of sunlight is not unusual for Berk, so why was everyone so rattled and unsure of how to behave? Why did everyone just decide to stay up for 24, 48, 96 hours instead of boarding up windows and sleeping? That’s what people who actually live so close to the north pole do. And why on Thor’s flat earth would Hiccup send the riders home to “do something easy” and wash their dragons instead of getting some sleep in the first place? If you’re going to take a cultural event like the sunny and dark seasons of the north as inspiration, actually let your fictional nation utilize realistic means of coping. It was ridiculous and completely blown out of proportion. Frankly just bad. Sleeplessness causes silliness and moodiness and clumsiness, yes, but the extremes they took it to was really a mockery of the characters, in my opinion. It wasn’t funny, it was badly written. Did not enjoy it at all.

3. That was actually not my least favorite episode, though. The one that had me scowling at the screen and rolling my eyes and sighing with exasperation was Out of the Frying Pan. Could there be anything worse than dumbed down plot and terrible resolution? I’ll just make a list of things that were absurd. Hiccup and Fishlegs being stunned that they don’t think exactly the same. An uneccessarily difficult goal-line of a mysterious hatching ground in the middle of a volcano. The Eruptodon not being able to fly the egg to the mysterious hatching ground even though it’s been able to do so for a millennia of generations. HIccup, dragon master, thinking a NIght Fury was better suited for a lava-filled volcano. The fact that once he tried and failed, their first thought wasn’t immediately oh let’s try Fishlegs’ way. The necessity of Hiccup going with Legs and Mala into the volcano. The impatience of Throk and Astrid, which led to the idiotic idea of swinging a GIANT METAL CAULDRON over an active volcano with-- what-- a rope? Mala being so freaking one track minded, instead of humanizing her with some doubt or fear. The giant metal bowl tarzanning across the volcano. The damsel in distress moment where Astrid is fainting from the heat. Have I mentioned the giant cauldron in the lava??? LITERALLY nothing special about the lava in the hatching chamber. They could have chucked the damn egg into the lava pit and it would have been just fine. So many plot holes, so much lazy writing, such poor characterization. I was incredibly worried that the season had just taken a page out of season 3′s book. The only redeeming moment of the episode was where the mama Eruptodon was magically revived by some dank herbs from Throk.

4. The only real failure I found in the over-arcing plot lines (not the individual plot lines of each episode) was just how quickly the whole Viggo and Ryker thing was wrapped up. For such an adversary, they were disposed of a little casually. Ryker I guess was eaten by the whirlpool of lunch. Even though he and his crew have been shipwrecked a dozen times over the series and always seem to magically make it out alive. And then Viggo is expected to be this big mental combatant, but suddenly he’s chucked into a weird basement hole (instead of killed by his supposedly brutal brother?) and we have this back and forth of will he betray us? maybe not? oh yeah, he’s definitely backstabbing us? Nevermind haha he’s chucking a knife into the ocean. If we hadn’t had such a tease with whether or not Viggo was on the dragon riders’ side, it would have had much more of an impact when he actually did take Astrid hostage and demand the dragon eye. They set up the betrayal between the brothers well, with various scathing comments from Viggo in the approaching episodes, but the whole thing was a little confusing and rushed. In the end, Viggo falls into the volcano (at least he didn’t jump into a cast iron fishbowl), and we’re led to assume that he’s doneso. Maybe he lived? Maybe not? I think they were trying to be poetic with him jumping after the dragon eye, but it just came off a little poorly executed.

5. And that brings me to my last point. I needed more episodes! This season took me back to the first. It was exciting and fun, but there was also real emotion from the characters and real peeks into how they operate. We got the group using teamwork, Hiccup becoming a leader, the politics and dangers of dragon poaching, and a few hilarious moments in between. Like I said, there are a few weak points to the season, but it was a much stronger and much more satisfying set of episodes. We got to see a lot more realness from the teens, and finally finally some Hiccstrid that could be considered canon (if you squint at their ages). Even the Dagur and Heather side story didn’t annoy me (Why? Because they weren’t flat mary sues with traumatic backstories blah blah blah), which says a lot. Over all, this season did what it was supposed to-- it amused me, got me invested, and made me hungry for more. It made me impatient for season five, which is such a different emotion than what I was feeling at the end of season three. Now I’m sucked back in and all I can do is wait with bated breath.

#httyd #rtte #rtte spoilers #race to the edge #race to the edge spoilers #cat rants #gosh i miss talking about these doofuses

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anachef · 5 years

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DFB Reader Review: Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Dessert Party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Editor’s Note: During this season’s Flurry of Fun at Walt Disney World’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! nighttime spectacular lights up the skies with festive fireworks set to holiday music and projections. But how does it stand up to Magic Kingdom’s holiday dessert party? Guest author, DFB Reader Mark Roberts, chimes in with a helpful review.

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Dessert Party

First, it is important to know that everything is being evaluated in light of the dessert party at the Tomorrowland Terrace during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party that we attended the night before. The holiday version of Wishes is simply stunning and everything about that dessert party was equal to the fireworks show. We had a fabulous time. Unfortunately, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! doesn’t measure up to its cousin over in the Magic Kingdom.

Dessert Party Atmosphere

For starters, the Bam! dessert party is hurried. We were supposed to check in at 7:30 p.m. for the 8:30 p.m. show. Over in MK you can be a little late and not worry about it because you eat on the Terrace and watch (in a nice chair – remember that – it’s important later) the fireworks from the Terrace. If you are late, that just means less time to grab some food before the show starts.

Not so over in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We arrived about 7:35 p.m. in the front alcove area of Grumman’s Chinese Theater (right where the entrance to the Great Movie Ride was). It was roped off and there were tables and a dessert buffet set up. But as soon as we were checked in and given a credential we were told that at 8:00 p.m. we would have to move because we were in a fireworks landing zone! That gave the evening a rushed feel, because — well — we were rushed!

We quickly filled a plate with some chips and spinach artichoke dip while we reconnoitered the situation. There were two long dessert tables (with identical choices) filled with tiny cheesecake bites, cookies, a Yule log (dark chocolate), and more. Fresh fruit awaited a helping of chocolate fondue and the bread pudding was simmering at the end of the table. That was all great to see and it was all delicious.

One of Two Dessert Tables

More Holiday Sweets

There was an open bar (the wife and I don’t drink so cannot comment), plenty of hot chocolate, coffee and decaf coffee as well as hot water and a Twinings box of tea.

Bar Menu

Beverages

Best of all, there was a station where a cast member took chocolate mousse, scooped it into a ball and dropped it into a big bowl of liquid nitrogen. It froze solid, of course. Then he pulled it out, smacked it firmly with the scoop to break it, and ladled caramel or raspberry sauce over it. For me this was the hit of the evening. It was crazy good

Preparing Frost Bites

Liquid Nitro Bites

Goofy was there in full Santa regalia so we got a picture with him too. Then a cast member came around and snapped a tag off our credential, which he exchanged for a Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! Christmas ornament.

By now they were moving people to the viewing area so we wolfed down our goodies. My wife has a gluten allergy so they brought her a bag of gluten free stuff, including a cupcake and some other treats. Since she had received a huge plate of gluten free desserts the night before a bag with a few cellophane wrapped items didn’t leave her any too impressed.

My wife’s gluten free treat bag contained a gluten free bun in a cellophane bag that she said was passable, a gluten free chocolate muffin (bagged) that was pretty good and two decent chocolate bars. Also there was a gluten free chocolate chip cookie (in a bag as well) but she hasn’t tried it yet. Compare that to the night before in the Magic Kingdom where she had received banana bread (that was delicious), gummy bears, two chocolate chip cookies (fresh), and four mini cupcakes of varying flavors. Plus there was fruit and marshmallows on the dessert bar. It was all more than she could eat and we were there for over an hour. That is a very different experience from having a paper bag with cellophane wrapped treats handed to you!

Gluten Free Treats

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! Show

Then it was time to go. We moved over to a saved space directly in front of the theater only to find THERE WERE NO CHAIRS. Since my wife is a cancer survivor she has neuropathy issues in her feet. Sitting down is very important to her. It is why I booked the party. Now we find ourselves sitting on the ground on cold concrete. As soon as the show started people began to stand to see better and as one row of folks would stand the next would have to stand as well… until it worked back to us and we found ourselves standing (and still not seeing well)

Everything began with a ten minute salute to live action Disney films. This was enjoyable, as clips were projected in stunning color onto Grumman’s theater. However a lot of it we couldn’t see because we were so close the theater! If Disney wants to reserve prime viewing space they would do better to get us something a little further back! Even more frustrating was the standing issue. People started standing almost right away meaning it was stand to see or remain seated on cold concrete and miss a lot. We decided, after a long day theme parking, we could do without a great look at this live action short, and so we stayed seated.

Jingle Bell Jingle Bam!

After a brief pause the Bam! show proper began. It turns out this wasn’t a fireworks show at all. It is a show about two elves rescuing Santa who has been kidnapped (Spoiler alert: Santa is saved. There will be Christmas this year). Occasionally a rocket or two would be shot off to punctuate something happening in the story. Mostly, however, the story line set up musical numbers like Rocking Around the Christmas Tree so the elves could rock out and Disney could shoot a lot of red and green lasers over our heads. There was plenty of music but the fireworks were lacking. All in all, it was kind of fun but mostly the show was a yawner. A few fireworks, some more musical hijinks to save Santa and then finally, the grand finale, complete with soap bubbles being shot over the crowd as it “snowed” and everyone was wished a merry Christmas.

The Show

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam Review Overall

I don’t want this review to be harsh but in truth, the Bam! show is far from spectacular and impressive. The story isn’t that engaging, or funny, or fun. We felt particularly stung to have paid $79 to have a chair to watch the show and then be standing. [Note: I went back and looked at Disney’s website and while they promise “banquet style seating” when describing the dessert party the website only says “reserved viewing area” for the fireworks show so I guess they get off on a technicality!). Even with the chair thing dismissed, we were far too close to really see well and the show is a clunker. It wasn’t “I’m walking out” awful but it certainly wasn’t great.

To finish the evening off, on our way to the parking lot we could see and hear the monster fireworks going off in the distance at EPCOT for the IllumiNations show. That was like salt in the wound. Why weren’t we there seeing a real fireworks show? The short answer is we couldn’t get a reservation but we quit trying once we booked Bam! Now we know why it was fairly easy to book the Bam! Show — it’s not even close to as good as IllumiNations.

It is hard to be critical of anything that happens at Walt Disney World. But the Jingle Bam! party would rate about a 6 out of 10, if even that. The desserts were good but everything was rushed and again, there were no chairs for the actual viewing. I would strongly recommend the Tomorrowland Terrace party but if you want to see Jingle Bam! (and you need to think carefully about seeing it because if you skip it the lines at all the rides will be way down and you could do some serious riding) just bring your own treats and pull up some concrete. You’ll see the same thing the dessert party offers at likely a much better spot to and certainly at a much better price.

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!

Holiday moments from Disney films are interspersed with visits from Wayne and Lanny from the Prep & Landing holiday TV special.

Editor’s Note: DFB reader and guest author Mark Roberts let us know that he shared his disappointment with the quality of the gluten-free food and that there were no seats for the firework show with Disney. He mentioned they sent back a nice email in which they said they were offering a one time refund. “No worries about us repeating that mistake!,” Mark says! Check out information for the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Dessert Party here.

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Dessert Party

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Dessert Party setting

The Flurry of Fun is on our list of Disney World Holiday Must-Dos! See everything else on the list in our DFB YouTube Video!

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How does the Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! Show and/or party measure up for your family? It’s your turn to chime in now!

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Let us know your thoughts on this dessert party!

Review: Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! — Plus ALL THE FOOD — at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

News: FOOD for the Flurry of FUN Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

27 Must-Do Disney World Holiday Events and Eats!

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