#S TIER MOVIE FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS

[canmom]

Ping-Pong The Animation: eps 1-3

So Masaaki Yuasa [AN12, AN28, AN150] can do no wrong, right? OK, well, I'll admit Ride Your Wave was kinda mid, and Devilman Crybaby goes hard as hell at the beginning and end but sorta treads water in the middle, but... generally speaking! No-one does it like Yuasa.

For reasons I don't really remember, I didn't get very far watching Ping-Pong The Animation some years ago. It should be entirely my shit: Yuasa pulling in a gang of wildly creative animators to put their unique spin on something. However, the first episode didn't entirely hook me, and I never got round to trying the second before something else punted 'watching Ping Pong' out of my brain. ADHD, y'know.

This is a shame because even the very next episode seriously goes, as does the one after that. But also this anime isn't entirely what I was expecting (crazy sakugafest full of Yuasa weirdness). Not to say it doesn't do a lot of really unique stuff with its cinematography and animation, but these first episodes at least are more about like... dissociation! ennui!

But more on that in a mo. First I wanna continue the thread of 'how do you animate sports'.

So, ping-pong, or table tennis. Not a sport I know much about, I'll be honest. (To be fair I don't know a lot about sports in general outside of some very specific niches. The sports I've pursued so far are rather eclectic: swimming, fencing, tai chi chuan, and roller derby; I never got particularly far in any and it's been years since I've done them.)

I'll inevitably be drawing a lot of comparisons to The First Slam Dunk, the other sports anime I've watched recently. I do think it's a productive comparison though! Both of them bring something of the visual language of manga into their presentation in unique ways. I have not yet read the Ping Pong manga, but it's by Taiyō Matsumoto, otherwise known for scifi manga like Tekkonkinkreet (god tier movie, still need to read the manga) and Number Five. So that's a pretty impressive track record!

If you go take a look at some scans of Ping Pong, what will immediately jump out is the shaky, rough line style and unusual camera angles and compositions.

The stylisation is also very different from a lot of manga. Noses are fully drawn, eyes are realistically small, and in contrast, lips and mouths tend to get the emphasis - as well as hands.

Knowing this makes a lot of the creative choices in the anime make sense! It also adopts a shaky lineart style, and makes use of heavy line weights and spotting blacks to add definition. It also has a lot of crazy closeups and layouts, and it loves a visual metaphor. But most of all, the most striking element of this anime is how often it loves to split the picture up into little panels...

...which [eli]'s subs do a really good job of typesetting, incidentally, moving the dialogue to fit naturally into the split composition. And while this shot with 7 smaller shots is perhaps on the extreme end, splits of three or more are pretty frequent. It's a really interesting way to evoke the effect of seeing a whole page of manga

So, as you proooobably know, ping-pong is a game of bouncing balls off a little table and directing them into places the opponent will find it hard to hit them back. From watching this anime I picked up that there are a number of styles of holding the racket (e.g. 'penhold grip' and 'shakehand') and approaches to hitting the ball (e.g. 'chopping'). A lot of this pretty much went over my head, but honestly it didn't matter, since the narrative significance was pretty much always evident.

Compared to basketball, though, ping-pong is a pretty tricky sport to make visually interesting! Sure, you have the players running to and fro, and that can lead to some interesting poses, but how do you get the drama and tension into this?

Ping-pong additionally is all 2D, it doesn't have the sort of resources that Toei could throw at making the best looking 3DCG basketball game ever. It is limited to a TV-feasible drawing count. So it has to make use of clever limited-animation tricks to get the most impact out of fewest drawings.

Let's take an example sequence from episode 3. A minor character is about to get his ass kicked by Tsukimoto. Tsukimoto is something of a pingpong prodigy, and yet he is very emotionally closed-off and even standoffish; he doesn't particularly seem to like the game very much, and doesn't particularly feel inclined to flex on other players and get into the status games. But other players, like Wenge, have heard about him and want to see what he's got.

First we have the setup. Other characters are observing and discussing the game. Since ping-pong tends to involve very rapid exchanges, it can follow the classic shōnen model where there's a lot of talking, flashy fight sequence, more talking...

The cut happens in two steps, maintaining the vertical dividing line. This approach to cutting is used a lot in Ping-Pong, and it's quite a creative way to keep visual interest when it's using a lot of largely static shots. The panel on the right is more animated than the panel on the left, a naturalistic depiction of bouncing the ball off the table.

Things start moving faster here. A rapid pan on the image on the left disguises the fact that this anticipation pose is actually not moving at all. This then goes into a rapid, explosive moment as this guy serves.

The final pose is held for a couple of seconds while the voiceover line discussing his intended move finishes. This sort of elasticity of time is a very Osamu Dezaki type of move - it's something that Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata actually really disliked.

A sound effect hits as Tsukimoto appears on the right in silhouette, anticipating his reaction, and setting up the next shot which leaves the split picture and hides the background for just a moment, as if to put us in Tsukimoto's shoes: he only sees the ball.

Tsukimoto follows through and holds this pose - the ball is the only thing moving here. The ball moves mainly on 2s while Tsukimoto moves on 3s and 2s, and he and the ball move on alternating frames. He holds the pose as the ball zips off to the right (bouncing off the corner of the table), with a speed lines-like effect. At the end of the shot, the ball freezes in the air for the moment while the sound echoes.

The actual table-tennis round lasts just seconds, and the drawing count involved is pretty minimal, but it does a lot with those drawings.

We go back to voiceovers and reactions in the next few shots, returning to the split video as Tsukimoto's opponent thinks about how he'd really rather be at the beach...

Often, these comic-like compositions will change one panel at a time, and while one panel is animated another panel will be still, naturally moving your eyes across the screen. It is an approach similar to some experiments I've seen in 'animated comics' viewed in a web browser, where the panels do not appear all at once, but enter with some animation.

So this is the sort of animation technique that Ping Pong uses. It's effective! Elsewhere the cuts are used in a less direct, continuity-editing way and more in a juxtaposition/montage way. For example, Wenge's desire to return to China is symbolised by match cutting/fading to shots of an aeroplane.

And there is a recurring image, which I'm sure will be expanded on, of Tsukimoto hiding in a cupboard and wishing for a tokusatsu hero to come save him from his isolation. As Tsukimoto's feelings about himself change, the toku hero is replaced by a robot. At this points it starts to feel like an outright Ikuhara anime.

There is occasionally a little bit of CG, mainly when Tsukimoto uses a different type of racket surface, and the way the ball and racket make contact is the crucial thing that the shot is trying to convey...

It gets the job done, but I'm glad they stuck with 2D for most of it.

So I went in the first time expecting like, crazy elaborate sakuga - and to be fair, the OP, animated by none other than Shinya Ohira, delivers on that front - but if anything what I've seen so far in Ping-Pong is actually a triumph of storyboarding and limited animation techniques. I think back then I didn't have the eyes to appreciate it in the same way.

OK, that's the film nerd stuff, but what about the story? Ping Pong follows two school friends, Makoto Tsukimoto aka "Smile" (right), and Yutaka Hoshino aka "Peco" (left). Smile is defined by a flat affect and a standoffish persona. He's just going through the motions. He's very good at ping-pong, but to him it's just a way to pass time, and he's scornful about the idea of caring all that much about it. Much like Shinji with his casette player, Tsukimoto is pretty much always staring at a handheld games console rather than make eye contact with anyone.

Peco on the other hand is the more childish one - playful, kinda arrogant, very much an 'emotions on his sleeve' kinda guy. He sulks when he loses and gloats when he wins, and is constantly seen with bubblegum or other kinds of candy. He provides a lot of our commentary when he chats with the other players.

日本語上手 readers probably noticed the tsuki (moon) vs hoshi (star) symbolism thing they've got going on here!

High-school table tennis in this story seems to be a rather 'tough love' kinda world. Most of these players tend to look down on those who can't meet their level. Going easy on someone is seen as weakness, or cultivating bad habits, by almost everyone. Tsukimoto doesn't play at his full potential because he isn't as invested in winning as all these weirdos, but it seems that might be starting to change...

The coach is interesting. He's an old man and fairly disdainful of the club at large, and prone to speaking English randomly with a heavy accent. But he gets excited at the prospect of getting Tsukimoto to unleash his full potential, in terms that are repeatedly metaphorically compared to romance/marriage.

And when Tsukimoto gets sick of it, he challenges him to a game, with the stakes as...

Cue Makima/Beatrice images here I guess.

Tsukimoto de facto wins when the coach collapses, but this episode marks a change of heart. He starts to think of himself as a robot - the affect of a robot replacing the affect of the toku hero in his fantasy. And in this way he does what people seem to want and plays ping pong with mechanical precision, expressed once again in visual metaphor (shot here from a cool transformation sequence)...

What if I just dissociate harder? This is gonna end well.

So it really is one of those kind of like 'ennui of being a teenager' kind of stories - c.f. say FLCL. 'Boy with complicated emotional landscape' is Yuasa bread and butter, but the particular variant here seems a little unusual for him - they tend to be a little more earnest. I'm curious to see how Tsukimoto develops.

I am definitely enjoying the arrogant Chinese player Kong Wenge. Dude's got a lot of screen presence, and while I'm sure he'll get shown up sooner or later, he makes for a very fun antagonist of sorts.

In comparison to Slam Dunk... one thing that's significantly different about table tennis is that it's an individual rather than a team sport, which means it's harder to have an ensemble cast all contributing to the protagonists' eventual victory - instead it's about a lot of individual arcs interweaving with each other, individual duels. Besides that, it does seem like it will be following a similar arc of a character in an emotional hole (grief for Ryota, depression for Tsukimoto) finding new meaning and purpose through sports - though I can't be sure how things are gonna go for Tsukimoto here!

The tone however is quite different. Even when it's silly, I feel like Slam Dunk is a very sincere story. There's little detachment or irony, or false consciousness - with perhaps the major exception of Ryota's mother, who lets her own grief and trauma get in the way of understanding her son. But ultimately 'why would you care this much about basketball' is not a question that anyone would ask in Slam Dunk. Even the judo guy in the manga who's trying to recruit Sakuragi is just as hot-blooded about his own sport of choice.

There's a difference in like, general affect about the players as well, which has something to do with the sport itself. Yeah, Sakuragi's superpower is his 'genius' ability to predict rebounds, and there is plenty of strategising in Slam Dunk - but basketball is still a sport that very much emphasises physical power, and as much as Slam Dunk will work hard to sell you on a clever trick pass, the visuals are also emphasising the speed that players are dashing, the height they're jumping, their physique. Table tennis by contrast seems to be a sport that's more about prediction and mind games.

That said it is equally just like Matsumoto's style being different from Inoue's. Now I know it's by the guy who wrote Tekkonkinkreet, a lot about this series falls into place! There's a sense of tension here, of being fundamentally at odds with the world. The autismfeels. This is reflected also in the drawings - the characters don't entirely seem comfortable in their embodiment.

So if that's what I'm getting from just three eps, I'm very excited to see what the remaining 8 have to offer. This series is probably too long to cram into Animation Night format, but we'll see...

#anime #manga #ping pong the animation #masaaki yuasa #animation

[sgiandubh]

Waypoints, Take 2: POV Shipper

It's been touted and mentioned at length. It has been awaited with immoderate, naïve anticipation. It has been read highlighter in hand, in the hope to discern its true meaning and purpose. It also was the last straw for some people, pushing them out of the fandom when above anticipation and expectations proved somewhat hollow.

To the dismayed and the heartbroken, I say: I hope you do realize this is a) heavily edited and b) published with the substantial contribution of a ghostwriter, handsomely paid to neatly round off the edges and fit this travelogue-cum-memoir in a pre-shaped pitch.

This bloke:

The dilligent Matt Whyman, novelist. Agony uncle for several UK press and online outlets, specialized in teenage love and relationships' counselling. British Council executive, with several stints abroad under his belt. Part and parcel of a number of public health awareness campaigns sponsored by the UK Government, with a special interest for above teenage love, sexuality and relationships. And established, top-tier ghostwriter.

Among others, on behalf of Billy Connoly, the "Big Yin" himself, proof that the Scottish mafia is discreet, but by no means inexistent (an excellent thing). Ah, Sir Billy Connoly and his New-Zealander wife, Lady Pamela Stephenson, whom he met in 1979, while filming together a sketch for BBC2's Not the Nine O'Clock News. Chemistry took care of itself, because she ditched her recently married husband and moved in with Connoly in 1981. Both (at least nominally: Connoly considers himself an atheist, nowadays) Roman-Catholic and married at the time of getting together, Stephenson divorced in 1984 and Connoly in 1985 from their respective partners and live in marital bliss since 1989. For some reason, I think these tidbits are important, go figure.

Sidenote: if you haven't already, watch (if still available on Netflix, otherwise I implore you to look for it on other platforms) an exceptional French series, Call My Agent. You will not only love the humor, you will educate yourself with the basic ropes of celeb PR.

At face value, I couldn't think of a more appropriate consigliere to deal with the brief that (spare the failed Everest movie project) prompted this book. It is not that difficult to figure out:

Evoke at length the past to offer a modicum of explanation of the present. Mention traumatic relationship with father to explain fear of commitment in a solid, steady relationship.

In the process, pay lip service to the Narrative, but take substantial liberty and a daring stand when discussing the horrific Wentworth episode-that-nobody-could-watch. Express controlled discontent towards TPTB, to have the upper hand while negotiating a possible season 8 (fun fact, it worked)

Conveniently send into oblivion Flukenzie Floozy, Quarantein Hooter's Madonna and any other two letter combo born from the hyperactive imagination of the Queen of Nothing, while respecting ToS of bachelorhood - it's still good for the Sales Department.

Camouflage reality of S&C entity, under a London Blitz-worthy blanket of smoke & mirrors, but allow leaks that could easily pass for creative license or babble. Shippers will get it. Dots will connect, coins will drop. We shall overcome.

Simultaneously, offer a plausible explanation for the above UFO co-star/bro-sis/Ginger Jesus- Mother Mary relationship, primarily to comfort and control Mordor, that Troll Nursery. Say what the hell you want, including something along the lines of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, but say it LOUDER FOR THOSE SHIPPER PEOPLE IN THE BACK OF THE COACH. They are used to this one step forward/one slap backward tango and by now, few (if any) will budge elsewhere on the fandom spectrum.

Discreetly crush homosexuality rumors, because they are borderline calumny, at this point in time. However, the Data Lounge crowd could make Mordor look like Bora Bora, so the sooner they get bored and move to the next babyface, the better.

Substantially promote MPC and Great Glen Company, consolidating the image of the giving, thoughtful individual, with a creative mind and savvy enough to branch out in lucrative business projects. Extend fan/consumer/client base to a younger demographic.

Pave the way for exit plan. This report will not discuss it, but hints may have been detected. :)

Wow. This is a mouthful. And I have to say Mr. Whyman did a more than decent job of it, even if for a trained eye the seams are showing, at times.

Like this:

Frazer. You can't make this shit up. This is SRH.

As compared to this (excuse the repetition: the blogger is not lazy - the blogger tries to make a point):

This is Whyman. This has been probably paid extra for. This is painful to read. This failed.

As for leaks, I've found a good handful. Adding all of them here higgledy-piggledy would be tedious, boring and I am not Miss Marple. But I've noticed that feelings hide in plain sight, usually disguised in a song you whistle or some verse you remember, just to keep you company on the road, a propos of nothing (my foot):

I don't know what this woman is talking about, you might say. Whatevs. How about this:

To keep myself sane, I usually rip off a Twix bar or light up a Benson. Others resort to Shakespeare, in lieu of granola bars. The world is a wonderfully diverse place. LOL, don't mind me. I am a dillusional woman, for whom all hope is lost.

Sometimes, this whole pastoral reverie has a Lewis Carroll charm to it (you might want to open this in another tab):

Who is your queen, Sir? Surely not the cheerful woman in leggings, flats and a Playboy T-shirt, huh?

Maybe the key is this childish botanical pun, tucked away at the end of the book:

Knowing that the P in Psillyosam is silent, as in *urv the Psychologist, we read and we grin:

[P]sillyosam Mushroom. Silly O'Sam. Silly, oh Sam.

Hashtag silly. An apt response to lemon and hugs.

To sum it up on a cheerful note, Waypoints is the 4 S book:

Struggles - Success - (fake) Solitude - (with a clear optic to avoid at all costs) Scandal

I thank you for your time while reading this. I hope it was worth it and yes, I confidently rest my case. Until the next memoir, which I reasonably hope would be vastly different.

[miraculouslycool]

My Review of Miraculous Awakening: The Movie:

Spoiler alert: yeah I'm more disappointed than pleased. Zag really should consider making something original with his own deviations of the original show instead of contaminating what was already good on its own.

More under the cut, because spoilers:

The Things I did like:

The animation and visuals were stunning. The transformation sequences, Marinette's dreams being visualised, Ladynoir's duet were all very beautiful to look at. I liked how the powers and power-ups glowed, even the background and setting was tastefully done. This movie is very cinematic to look at and watch. The character models were definitely better looking than the prototypes they showed us in 2021.

(Sadly it seems like all the 100M budget went into this alone)

The Ladynoir was so cute y'all. I'm sorry, I know there are several people who would disagree but I liked their dynamic, their bickering and all was funny, and their duet and dance took my breath away. Was it as earth-shattering and groundbreaking as the show's Ladynoir dynamic? Absolutely not. It definitely felt like I was watching two different characters who had to learn to not dislike each other (compared to how they got along so well and clicked since the day they met in Origins), and I did like that they made Marinette acknowledge her feelings for Chat as well as Adrien, but if I compartmentalise it from the show, I think it's fine enough. I'm not really conflicted about it if I look at it that way.

The things I'm conflicted about:

Marinette's arc was....generic. It reminded me of several coming-of-age arcs where the protagonist had to learn to face their fears and believe in themselves, yada yada yada. But it felt like the soul of the Marinette we all know was gone from movie!Marinette. What made Marinette Ladybug in the first place was that quiet but powerful moment in Origins where she transformed to save Chat Noir and Alya even though she was terrified. Marinette was shy and reserved in the beginning of Origins, but it seemed like that was all Zag ever comprehended. What makes Marinette a hero is that she didn't "just face her fears", it's that her love for the world is bigger than that fear. She's scared of disappointing and failing the world than failing herself. That little nuance was deeply missed in the movie. Oh and her mega-intelligent genius brain too. What happened to the girl who can build a box that bites that hand that tries to steal from her? Where are her zany, over complicated plans?

However the reason why I didn't put her completely in the dislike tier is because this girl is genuinely the only one in the movie carrying the combat on her back. She's the one saving people, she's the one actually using her powers, she's the one at least acting like a hero.

Marinette's singing voice was not suitable at all. Lou is technically a very good singer but she's unable to bring the life Christina Vee does to her voice. Idk why they needed a singing voice actor for Marinette, Christina Vee has a beautiful voice already. Three guesses as to why she wasn't used. (/s)

The musical numbers were, like I said earlier, nice and lovely to look at. But after them making Marinette sing for the third time about believing in herself and having no way out of "facing her destiny" it starts to get grating. In all that time, they could have used it to flesh out Adrien's character much more, or even work on the rules for the miraculous. I did like Hawkmoth's number, Chat's song about falling for Ladybug and Ladynoir's duet, but that's it.

The thing Germy Zag and his money hungry company fails to understand is that Miraculous Ladybug, or any version of it will fail as a musical is because the show is too plot and action-driven. There is always something that has to be shown visually or explained verbally, and unless they're willing to show that in song, instead of filling it up with pretty sequences, ML as a musical is never going to work.

Things I dislike:

The "Chosen One" trope is 100% the worst part of this movie. (The use of Careless Whisper is a close second)

The miraculouses in the show were jewels that were meant to be given to people who proved they good at heart, and had potential to be heroic. The earrings and the ring flying away to magically bond with their owners was just plain lazy writing. What makes Ladybug (well, to a certain extent, she is the Guardian now) and Chat heroes is that they can choose to give up their powers at any point, they can choose to give up, but they get up and fight anyway because they want to become good people, not because they were destined to.

Why was the butterfly miraculous described as "evil"? It was common sense to show it as a jewel that can be misused by bad people, not something that was essentially made to be misused. Why were the Ladybug and the Cat shown as rivals, and not two halves of a whole that complement each other?

And most importantly, WHERE THE FUCK IS THE LUCKY CHARM???

And on that note, what, may I ask, did Adrien to earn the ring? How did he meet Plagg? How was he convinced to put on the suit? Movie!Adrien is a complete disappointment, and he didn't even have any nice redeeming moments like Marinette did for me to tolerate his portrayal. One of the important (if not THE most important aspects) of Adrien is his kindness. What kind, selfless things do we see Adrien do? What brave things do we see him do, other than taking shots at the villains?

Chat Noir in the show was much more reckless and direct than Ladybug but we also always see him saving civilians, putting Ladybug first, putting the fight first even when he is not doing good emotionally (which is always). It just felt like a fan's surface-level understanding of who Chat Noir is: a few snarky lines put together and a huge ego.

And don't even get me started on how shallow the Love Square was portrayed. Or in other words, the two sides of it that Zag thinks is the most marketable. I really really hate how rushed Adrienette was, compared to Ladynoir. This is insane, because I never thought I'd have any opinion like that about any canon portrayal of the Love Square, but it's true. Why did Marinette fall for Adrien? Because he awkwardly helped her up? Why did Adrien find Marinette's quirks weird when he's never ever done that in the show? Like where's the depth that Origins put into this ship?? And every single episode after??

I do think this could've been fixable though, if they didn't reduce Adrienette to a montage (like him telling her about his mom) and added at least 1 Marichat and Ladrien interaction each. That's what the other two sides are meant for!! For both of them to see a different side of their partner when their partner is seeing them differently!

In other words, this movie is showcasing the "true selves" syndrome several parts of the fandom were accusing the show of. Zag simply did not understand the ins and outs of what makes the Love Square so compelling and I really think if this was fixed, the movie wouldn't be as disappointing as it is.

Gabriel's arc was pathetic. I know, on one end, it's like, yay, Adrien's gets a grieving, neglectful but well-meaning parent!! He gets to avoid the abuse he goes through in the show!! But I think it also takes away the angst that comes from Adrien essentially being a hero fighting against his father's abuse daily, which is also a core component of the show (who knows how season 6 will deal with that) and it also was a huge asset to Adrien's character - how he turned out good, kind and heroic despite all that.

And Gabriel by himself just isn't as compelling if he wasn't a ruthless villain, in my subjective opinion. Maybe the moment of forgiveness between son and father would have been more touching if we got a few scenes between Gabriel and Adrien. (Can you believe they only interact TWICE in a 90 minute movie??) Maybe Gabriel shutting Adrien out but out of genuine overprotectiveness, maybe Adrien trying to bond with his father but Gabriel misunderstanding it and killing the entire vibe. Just something to show us that Gabriel really does love his son, if that is what the movie wants us to believe.

The ending being a sequel hook was so stupid lmfao. Gabriel wants to stop being a villain for his son's sake but will entrust the peacock miraculous and his refrigerated wife to his assistant? Instead of idk, properly cremating the poor woman? He doesn't want to be a villain but he won't let go of his obsession with his wife?

It makes sense psychologically, I just hate it because I know that in 2 years Germy is gonna waste another 100 million dollars to make another pointless sequel.

Overall I'd give it a 3/10. It's a shame because all of this stunning animation could have been used in the actual show, or the bickering dynamic they wanted for Ladynoir could have been done with different original characters.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous awakening #ml awakening salt #ml movie salt #i wont simply tag this as ml s*lt because i dont want it to end up in the show tags #rae speaks

[loveshotzz]

what are your top 5 movie recommendations? Any genre, just wanna know reasoning like are they just your personal favorite, you think everyone should see, etc

Ooo!! my top five movies?!! I love this question, and honestly my top five has stayed pretty consistent for like 10 plus years.

My number one, always and forever will be Inception by Christopher Nolan. He’s my favorite director of all time. The way he only shoots with film, and hates CGI makes my film bro heart soar. On top of the fact that it’s one of the most innovative movies of it’s time and plot line that I’ve never seen done before. I still love debating on the ending of it with people. Also Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon Leavitt in three piece suits for like three hours?!

Number two is Inglorious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino. I mean the plot alone?!? COME ON. I love the idea of rewriting history, the cast, and the acting are just completely phenomenal and I could watch it every day and feel the same way when it ends.

Number three is No Country For Old Men, I just love the Coen Brothers. The movie is so intense, and the acting is top tier. Javier Bardem plays a psycho with a captive bolt stunner so well that it’s actually terrifying.

Number four is Army of Darkness by Sam Raimi, I grew up watching the Evil Dead trilogy because my step dad loved them and the third one is by far my favorite. It’s campy and it’s funny, Bruce Campbell is hot as hell. And I’m actually secretly a giant baby when it comes to horror 💀 and it’s not scary like the other two. It’s one of my favorites and it’s definitely a comfort movie for me just like Elvira.

Number five is 500 Days of Summer, I just can’t even begin to tell you about how good this movie is. It came out when I was 19, and at the time I related so much to Tom’s character, and now in my 30’s I kinda like want to punch Tom in the face and I understand Summer now, and relate to her character way more. It’s just my go to heartbreak movie, i love it. I have a steve harrington 500 days of summer AU i’ve had in my drafts for forever.

#asks #this was fun! #thank you for asking baby 🥺 #things about me #i used to want to make movies for years 🥹

[salineroses]

yo i feel like i’ve sent you like 5 asks in the past 2 days (idk how accurate that number is) so sry about that, my brain just has random thought and thinks “yo i should ask someone this on tumblr :D”

anyway: idk if it’s just me but i feel like i haven’t really seen much love for Warsaw on tumblr. whats ur thoughts on the songs, and could i possibly get like a tier list of WU&IO?

hi mate i just checked this is the 4th- but compared to my response of 1, i gotta get back to those (as always, love your asks)

I don't think i've talked about warsaw enough on here. if i get an earworm for any wu&io song, it's warsaw. 90% of the time, this is my comfort song from the entire album. does that have anything to do with the fact that my own vocals are imo better than wil's vocals for this one? ...maybe. in it's own right, it's a really good song. also i can connect it to my favourite movie '7 anos', bcos i spotted a smeg fridge on a rewatch and pointed at the tv screen while going "SAT AROUND A NEW SMEG FRIDGE SINGING WE'RE OH SO APATHETIC'. speaking of which, most uses of apathetic in a single song- warsaw wins by a landslide. also, it's the song that matches most with the album cover, very pog.

for the ratings, i've been meaning to get to that for a while, thanks for reminding me!

back in May, this was the order:

Portrait of a Blank Slate (if i could call a song my wife, it would be this one)

Scum (my los camp!-esque paramour)

CMWYL (couldn't put it any lower, this shit consumed me in Feb)

It's Golden Hour Somewhere (brilliant song. very based.)

Consequences (the first two seconds>>>; also relatable)

Warsaw (trust me the only reason it's down there is cos of the vocals; same reason i give sex sells og a hard time)

now, however

1. Call Me What You Like (nope. can't even put it on the list. too much bias. entirely cos of the music video. planes are so freaking cool. did you know that the plane in cmwyl is a boeing 737-600? the boeing is replaced by wu&io, but still. only 69 of these- the actual plane- were ever made. about 24 are still in operation as of 2021, so must be lower now. the model is very similar to the actual plane. the 737-600 was the smallest of the new generation 737's, and was made for short distance flights. didn't work that well economically that's why a lot of the got scrapped. it's curious that the model in the mv is flying over a vast water body, cos that would only happen over coastal domestic flights. most of the current 600's are used in Canadian domestic flights, forgot the name of the airline but-)

(can you tell i have a lot to say about this)

2. Scum (due to my current los camp! obsession)

3. Portrait (i'm sorry my wife)

4. Warsaw (for aforementioned reasons, it's a bop)

5. ighs (sorry, don't think bout it that often, still incredibly based)

6. Consequences (the first two seconds still>>>. still very relatable. too relatable. one of my most popular posts used to be a lame reference to consequences. i'm trying to get my irl friends to listen to lovejoy through this one)

also i've been collecting all the rankings lists for wu&io i could find on tumblr dot com in a tag, #train wrankings. if you'd like to check it out :]

#train wrankings #this was long #i am on a laptop so i can type more #asksks #how to spel wiblur #<- i think this was the tag?? #tumblr's not helping me out here

[cyberdragoninfinity]

judai for the ask game? (if it isn't too late)

NEVER TOO LATE i love chattering about yugioh guys....judaijaden my friend my beloved pal

favorite thing about them: wwaughhh judai/jaden is such a good character and i adore his character arc..... i love that he effectively has to learn how to have fun with dueling again (and thats its the King of Games himself who helps remind him of that!), and that you don't have to sacrifice your passion for what you love as you grow up. Real shit. Also he's just,, so fuckin funny (especially in the dub.))--both his dub and sub VAs do such a great job with him.

least favorite thing about them: man season 3!jaden is........rrrrrouuughhhh. not my favorite, the things that season does to his character. s3 is just. kind of clumsy in its execution dfsfdgdf it drops a lot of jaden's most endearing traits and struggles to make those personality shifts fully worth it. i do think s4 helps bring it back around though.

favorite line: IT'S SO HARD TO PICK JUST ONE HE HAS SO MANY GOOD LINES ESPECIALLY IN THE DUB. "Um, I read the card?" "Alright, Ap :^)" "This is no time to be speaking Australian!!" "I guess bear hugs and old people just don't go together :^(" DUB COMEDIC TIMING HITS DIFFERENT

brOTP: WAHH I LOVE HIM AND SYRUS'S FRIENDSHIP thats his BESTIE!!!!! His dynamic with Zane is so good too....honorary truesdale brother. I'm also a bit in the minority in that I much more enjoy thinking about and playing in the space of his bond with yubel being a sort of platonic soulmates situation. yuub being jaden's cool metalhead older sibling type beat 4 lyf round these parts

OTP: sorry for being a heroshipper it's not my fault i just LIKE THEM. his dynamic with aster is just so funny and kind of sweet and im enamored with them. what if we both liked superheroes and we were both boys and we kissed. 😳 (i like a lot of jaden ships though. rival, spirit, fiance..... i do think he'd be kind of a bad boyfriend for a number of reasons so his relationships might not. last. but. at least he has plenty of friends!!!!)

nOTP: just dont vibe much with jadenyubel as a romantic ship im afraid u__u like its fine but not really my jam.... i've talked about it before but the "ive loved you since you were a child" thing that yubel has just works so much better as a platonic read to me than a,, romantic one. sits weird with me otherwise.

random headcanon: god. so many. gay fat trans guy who's gonna grow up to look like jack black. can and will see every superhero movie that comes out. absolute s-tier smash bros player. has a fondness for pokemon firered. i could go on.

unpopular opinion: the aforementioned preferring his dynamic with yubel to be platonic, also season 1 jaden (and season 1 of gx in general!!) fucking rules. masterclass of just peak silly yugioh.

song i associate with them: One of my favorites for him is Odds Are by Barenaked Ladies.... something so upbeat and hopeful to it. "Sure things go wrong, but I'll take my chances/Odds are long, so why not play"

favorite picture of them:

i love this tag force 3 sprite of him....so cute

#ygo posting #THANK YOUUUU I LOVE JUDAI/JADEN HES SO FUN TO TALK ABOUT #asks #anonymous

[we-arent-married]

Ranking The Songs From Hairspray (2007)

Hairspray is probably one of my favourite movies of all time so I'm going to rank all of the songs from it. The title didn't lie. I'm also not including anything sung during or after the credits or any reprises.

15. It Takes Two: The whole reason this song is in last place is because it's kind of just forgettable. You can't really hear most of it in the film due to it being talked over the whole time so it just became really forgettable for me.

14. (Its) Hairspray: This one is low because it's just really short. While fun, there isn't much time to enjoy the song itself because by time it starts, it's almost over. Serves the purpose well though and has some funny moments in it.

13. (You're) Timeless To Me: Silly little love song. While very sweet, this song is also kind of forgettable for me but is a nice little ditty. It's also very cute to see Wilbur and Edna dancing and singing together.

(Now it gets really hard to rank them)

12. I Can Hear The Bells: While kind of cringey at points, this song is just too silly to hate. This is more personal than anything because I tend to like more upbeat songs in general but this was still a decent song. Lovesick lyrics and all.

11. Run And Tell That: Fun! That's the only word I can use to describe this song. A nice introduction song for Seaweed and Li'l Inez (Who is the best part of this song for sure.) Just a good early song.

10. Big, Blonde, And Beautiful: While yes a bit slower, the tune of this always makes me want to hum along. I also really like food so all of the food lyrics is a nice perk.

9. Good Morning Baltimore: I mean what more could you desire from an opening song. We get a good character introduction, jazzy beat, and perfectly singable lyrics. Good mid tier song

8. The New Girl In Town: Another song that suffers a little from being quite short. The song really picks up in the second half when it gets more energy but he whole song is catchy as fuck.

7. Welcome To The 60's: While I love this song, looking at it now there are just too many I love more. While fun and upbeat, this song feels like it gets constantly interrupted by talking which brings it down a little for me.

6. (The Legend Of) Miss Baltimore Crabs: Villain song! And damn does it do it well. We immediately know that Velma is the villain just from a few lines of this. The visuals are also super fun all throughout the song.

5. Ladies Choice: Another song fits the short but sweet mantra. This one takes the lead over the other shorter songs due to the energy all throughout the song and the fun visuals all throughout.

4. You Can't Stop The Beat: Oh the showstopper finale! This is a great way to end off this musical affair. This song is chaotic in the best way possible with every major character singing in this in an amazing conclusion.

3. I Know Where I've been: The most emotional song in the musical for sure. This song is powerful and memorable with the visuals of the rally only aiding to the title of the most moving song in the soundtrack.

2. The Nicest Kids In Town: It was really hard to choose between this and the number one. This song is just super duper fun and always makes me smile when I hear it, even if I don't condone very message in the song, I still wanna belt out all the words.

Without Love: Silly love song wins! I love this song way way way too much to not put it in the number one spot. I love the two duos singing together in this fun song that also happens to move along the plot. What other films bust someone out of basically house arrest on steroids while singing about love?

So there's my ranking. Feel free to (respectfully) disagree with me and if you've never seen Hairspray, go watch it.

#musicals #ranking #music #hairspray 2007 #movies

[disneyfanboy13]

I make a Walt Disney Animation Studios movies tier list

S tier are my favourite Disney movies and I decided I would just keep it as a top five. Beauty and the Beast is good enough quality wise be S tier as well and can basically be considered number 6.

A tier are great movies that I love and rewatch a lot. A lot of them are pretty interchangeable with each other.

B tier are pretty good moves.

C tier is a mix of movies I think are just okay (ie: Lady and the Tramp, Pinocchio, Saludos Amigos, The Rescuers movies) or movies that are a mixed bag for me (the Frozens, music compilations, The Black Cauldron). And then Pocahontas gives me the ick (for obvious reasons) but I kinda like the music and animation so I wasn't fully sure where to place that one.

D tier are movies I don't really like either because they're boring (Cinderella, Sword in the Stone), problematic (Peter Pan, Raya and the Last Dragon), or sloppy (Ralph Wrecks the Internet, Home on the Range).

F tier are movies I prefer to forget exist.

#disney #walt disney #tier lists #movies

[frontproofmedia]

Dolo Flicks: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Sam Raimi Adds His Touch To The Marvel Cinematic Universe

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By Hector Franco

Follow @MrHector_Franco !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id))(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs'); Follow @Frontproofmedia!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id))(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');

Published: May 21, 2022

The 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), as part of its Phase Four timeline, brings back one of the most prominent filmmakers of the comic book genre to produce one of the top-tier movies of the franchise. 

Making his return after almost a decade out of the director's chair is Sam Raimi, one of the premier filmmakers since the early 1980s. Some of his well-known and highly acclaimed films include the Evil Dead Franchise, the original Spider-Man trilogy, and Dark Man. Raimi last directed 2013s fantasy adventure Oz The Great and Powerful and hasn't been part of the comic-book genre since 2007s Spider-Man 3. 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a sequel to 2016s Doctor Strange, following the Master of the Mystic Arts through the multiverse as he attempts to save newcomer America Chavez from the Scarlet Witch. The latter is trying to steal her powers in order to reunite with her children. 

Initially, the film was to be directed by Scott Derrickson, who directed the original Doctor Strange; however, creative differences led him to leave directorial duties in January 2020. It was surprising when it was first announced that Raimi would be taking over as the film's director. His last entry in the superhero world was met with negativity due to studio interference leaving the film feeling overstuffed. 

Michael Waldron took over writing duties, best known as a television writer, having written for shows like Community, Rick and Morty, and Marvel's Loki. With the number of delays that the film encountered from initially set to be released before 2021s Spider-Man: No Way Home, the number of reshoots and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact that the film works so well speaks highly of Waldron and Raimi. Although, at times, it can be messy or feel off-kilter. 

One of the criticisms of the MCU is that many of the films are more of a collaboration of the studio and writers, with the director becoming secondary. Thus many of the movies feel voiceless. One of the reasons the Guardians of the Galaxy films stand out is because they are written and directed by James Gunn. They do fit within the set Marvel frame but can also stand on their own as singular films without needed connections. 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is at its best when Raimi is allowed to embrace his horror roots and campiness fully. The film's beginning comes off as your standard MCU movie with familiar comedic elements. It isn't until the introduction of the film's villain that Raimi's presence is felt.

As with almost every MCU movie, the acting in the film is well done. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Dr. Stephen Strange and portrays three alternate character variations to significant effect. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Karl Mordo), Benedict Wong (Wong), and Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer) all reprise their roles from Doctor Strange. Playing the newest hero and the film's MacGuffin is Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, who has the ability to travel through different universes. However, the absolute star of the movie is Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff and the Scarlet Witch. 

As the film's villain, most of the emotional weight is carried by Olsen. The movie's horror elements are brought to life through Olsen, who has undoubtedly the best sequences in the entire film, from her first attack on the Kamar-Taj, taking over the body of an alternate universe's Wanda, and her rampage through Earth-838. 

Her performance as the Scarlet Witch puts her right at the top as one of the best villains in the 28-film franchise. The only negative regarding the character, which isn't the film's fault, is that Wanda's motivation to be fully understood, one would have to have seen Disney Plus's Wanda Vision. The film does its best to make her motivations obvious, understandable, and relatable, but Marvel's continued reliance on having its audience view all of its content is detrimental. 

Watching the film leaves you satisfied with what it delivers, but there is a sense that there could have been more to live up to the Multiverse of Madness title. Although there is a scene where Doctor Strange and America Chavez are going through a multitude of different universes, including one made entirely of paint, the vast majority of the movie is spent in three universes. Earlier this year, another film that used the idea of the multiverse, Everything Everywhere All At Once, was able to showcase multiple universes without feeling overly cramped. 

The visual sequences included are stellar and brought to a higher plateau with Raimi's camera work as he is one of the few directors that moves the camera, enhancing aspects of the scene. Finding out that the film's original cut was much longer is disheartening as the film's highlights are when Raimi's influence is felt the most. 

"Well, the first cut was… I actually don't remember the length of it," Sam Raimi stated in an interview with Collider. "It was probably like two hours and 40 minutes, and it slowly came down even though we did the reshoots. We took out material even though the reshoots went in. So, it slowly got down to about two hours and five minutes is the total." 

Longtime Raimi collaborator Bruce Campbell, who has a hilarious cameo in the film, brought to light some of the complications the process of completing reshoots brought to the movie. 

"The Marvel guys, they make eight of these movies at the same time, so they're always updating storylines." Campbell said in an interview with Game Informer. "So, my buddy Sam has had to add scenes that Marvel told him to shoot, and he's removed scenes that no longer apply."

Before the film's release, there were rampant Internet rumors about the number of cameos that would be in the Doctor Strange sequel—ranging from Tom Cruise as Iron Man to Tobey Maguire once again returning as Spider-Man. The movie does have cameos with the group, The Illuminati, which includes Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Captain Carter (Peggy Atwell), Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), Black Bolt (Anson Mount), and Reed Richards (John Krasinski.  The group is utilized more to showcase the threat that is the Scarlet Witch more so than to set up more movies in the future. 

The film's final act features a fight between two versions of Doctor Strange that features music notes. Somewhat of an Evil Dead homage with Strange using the corpse of an alternate version of himself to battle Wanda is Raimi at its best and the closest the MCU will get to have a horror film. 

However, one aspect that is often overlooked within Raimi's films is the emotion shown by the characters. The Scarlet Witch isn't defeated by a new or stronger power learned by a character, but instead, she is shown the error of her ways by having her children see her plan in action. 

The romance between Doctor Strange and Christine Palmer has a satisfying conclusion without being played up for comedy and left to linger on as a love never meant to last in any universe. 

Not to be forgotten is longtime Raimi collaborator Danny Elfman who provides the film's score. After working on various projects together, Elfman once again produces an excellent musical arrangement that is arguably the best of the MCU.

Overall, with Marvel allowing Sam Raimi to put his footprint and voice on large portions of the film, an outstanding performance from Elizabeth Olsen, and striking visuals, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness should be considered one of the most exceptional of all the films in the MCU. 

Hopefully, the next time Raimi gets an opportunity to direct, he is given the wheels of control as the film's downfall is that there isn't more of his influence throughout. 

4/5****

(Featured Image:Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

#HF #Sam Raimi #Doctor Strange #Marvel #Marvel Cinematic Universe #Disney

[nashishishi]

saiouma fic recs (completed fics only)

LIST IS AT 200 AND COUNTING

(fic list and conditions for how i rate them below cut)

R A T I N G S :

                 Five stars at most. Increased number of stars for how memorable it is, how recognizable it is, and overall length and quality of the fanfiction. Originality was especially important when I rated these fics. Don't see your favorite SaiOuma fic here? It's probably because I didn't find it original. In addition, the way the fic ended was also very important to me. Depending on how much effect it had on me, it might have taken a star down.

                 Ratings are not based on placement on the list. The list is numbered purely so that it's more convenient for when I want to count how many there are. (Although I will note that the reason the first four are all 5 stars is because they were the best ones I thought of off the top of my head.)

                I rate these fics as SaiOuma fics, not as fics in general. That means that if the SaiOuma isn’t really important, but it just happens to make the fic cuter, then it’s on the list but it’s not 4 stars.

                 Ratings are in double corner brackets (「」).

 I M P O R T A N T:

                 All fanfictions in this list are of high quality. Some are just better than others, in my opinion. What I am ranking is: out of the best fics out there, which ones are the best of the best?

                 Don't be discouraged by any 1 star ratings. Those fics are still wonderful. Trust me, my tastes aren't garbage.

                 There aren't a lot of smut fics here. Most of, if not all the smut fics here are fics that are either Porn with Feelings or Porn with Plot. (I was hesitant to include smut fics at all, but goddamn, "Shuichi's Love Hotel" by ReturnToZero was just too damn good not to.) If you came here for smut fics (maybe you’re horny rn idk) then this isn’t the right place to look.

                 I didn’t add any of the summaries to these fics. This big block of text would only get bigger if I did that. I also didn’t add any links because I’m lazy. (I might add links later, though.)

 B I A S E S :

                 I don't like Sumb and Oumoron very much. Any fics that have Sumb and/or Oumoron are probably going to have lower ratings by default.

                 I'm always hesitant to read pregame fics. This is usually because the fic has something to do with violence, unhealthy obsessions, and toxic relationships. Because of this, my impression and overall opinion of the fic is bound to be tainted. (The only exception is “Sweetheart” by Hyacinthium, apparently.)

               I'm a sucker for Hanahaki fics. There's a lot of them here. I know it totally contradicts my earlier statement about originality, but I just love Hanahaki fics way too much. Please take Hanahaki fic ratings with a grain of salt.

                 I probably (read: most definitely) avoided some fics that have the Major Character Death tag. I've tried to steel myself in order to read the fics where Kokichi dies (because it's always Kokichi), but I still end up avoiding most of them. I could be missing out on some S-tier fics here, so make sure to tell me if I am.

                 I (probably, most likely) did not include any fics that were cross-posted on Wattpad, because I didn't bother to read the ones that said "cross-posted on Wattpad" in the summary. I don't like Wattpad fics, and I was only justified further when one of the cross-posted fics I was reading opened with the words "Shuichi's POV:". If there are any SaiOuma fics from Wattpad that are good, please tell me.

                 I, uhh, usually rate my fics based on how emotional they make me. I'm not the type to cry while reading, or even when watching a movie, so if a fic makes me cry, it is a goddamn good fic. Which means, if it's angsty enough (Kokichi dies probably, idk) then it made me cry. Therefore, 5 stars.

                If you don't trust my ratings at all, you should really just go check them out yourself. Really, they're all good.

 ☆ﾟ°˖* ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

25,244 | mediocre_kazoo_player 「☆☆☆☆☆」

In A Heartbeat | papapapuffy 「☆☆☆☆☆」

there's a thin line between comedy and tragedy | unseeliekey 「☆☆☆☆☆」

Hologram | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆☆」

nouveau dèpart | kami (slowburnsunsets) 「☆☆☆☆」

Rubik's cubes a'rolling | Mbirnsings71 「☆☆」

Now you're speaking my language | Jimcloud 「☆☆☆」

Cigarettes & Grief | Scornful_Truth 「☆☆☆☆☆」

It's Lonely at Midnight | AnimeGirlAnn 「☆☆☆☆」

Second Chances | Lethargic_Lilac 「☆☆☆」

Shuichi's Love Hotel | ReturnToZero 「☆☆☆☆☆」

Field Trip | ReturnToZero 「☆☆」

Tells | ReturnToZero 「☆☆☆」

listen, before i go | HopelessTodorokiLover 「☆☆☆☆」

How to express love | Litsu 「☆☆☆」

Hypothetical Situation | Tyingto_NoyFail_InLife 「☆☆☆☆」

cops and robbers | 264feet 「☆☆」

Meta | megastarstrike 「☆☆☆☆」

The Perks of Being Hollywood Spawn | Lenasaurous 「☆☆☆☆」

we can be ghosts together | maddylime 「☆☆☆☆」

you have the right to remain right here | unseeliekey 「☆☆☆☆☆」

built to last | rannas 「☆☆☆☆☆」

starved. | Scornful_Truth 「☆☆☆☆☆」

Unexpected Developments | adylini 「☆☆☆☆」

so YA novels were a fcking lie [series] | sleep_247 「☆☆☆」

welcome home | tougenkyous 「☆☆☆☆」

closet case | clownmaeda_renaissance 「☆☆☆」

Loop [series] | Romhack0101 「☆☆☆」

how to fall in love in three easy steps | chuwuyas 「☆☆☆☆」

sometimes i fantasize about faking my own death, just to see how it would make you feel [series] | hubbletuff 「☆☆☆☆」

Forget-Me-Not [series] | Rhyllow 「☆☆☆☆」

3.38 | Plus_ONE (SfrogPlus) 「☆☆☆☆」

Wishing It Was You | ReturnToZero 「☆☆☆☆」

flower for your thoughts? | DarkColdSummer 「☆☆☆☆」

The Long List of Things that Annoy Kokichi Ouma | FishMum 「☆☆☆☆」

Little Lies | Krokodyll 「☆☆☆☆」

His Mouth | RandomGuineaPig 「☆☆☆☆」

La la love | Tiramisseun 「☆☆」

soulmate's connection. | kiraqi (caticoo) 「☆☆☆☆」

Sectional Rivalry | megastarstrike 「☆☆☆」

The Way to a Man's Heart (is through his stomach) | orphan_account 「☆☆☆」

Month of Hell | megastarstrike 「☆☆」

summer depression | Scornful_Truth 「☆☆☆☆」

a future for you and me | Yukari 「☆」

And All the Things I Don't Talk About | murg 「☆☆☆☆」

Restoring Connections | queenshroom 「☆☆☆」

My Hat, Your Hat | Hittinmiss 「☆☆☆」

looking for what's right in front of me | kathoo 「☆☆☆」

You Don't Need to Say | auralikh 「☆☆」

His True Feelings | begonialily 「☆☆」

Your Sweet Russian Roulette | coeurdargent 「☆☆」

poem weaver | tia37 「☆☆☆」

Shine | taitofan 「☆☆」

(Life) After Death | Rovelae 「☆☆☆」

Things Could Be Worse... No, Really. | thatsrightdollface 「☆☆☆☆」

Monsoon | Scornful_Truth 「☆☆☆」

do not get blackout drunk [series] | unseeliekey 「☆☆☆☆」

And now for something different | Serahne 「☆☆☆」

He Dreams Too | error_in_execution 「☆☆☆」

Flower Language | kckicuma 「☆☆☆」

Poison Mouth | psychiccupid 「☆☆」

After All, I'm (Not) A Liar | BrightStarWrites 「☆☆☆」

Alone | orphan_account 「☆☆☆☆」

Close | echocantspell 「☆☆☆」

Kriegspiel | Azia 「☆☆☆☆☆」

Valentine's Chocolate | shslAO3_fanficWriter 「☆☆」

A Game of Confessions (And Love) | HereComesAComment  「☆☆☆☆」

The Writer | sinfulwonder 「☆☆☆」

Sleepovers and What They Mean to a Surpeme Leader | LavenderMilk 「☆」

Sweetheart | Hyacinthium 「☆☆☆☆☆」

midnight swim | orphan_account 「☆☆☆」

Love in the Mist | winterflakes 「☆☆☆」

Feelings of Ham | lovingdefiance 「☆☆☆」

Pockets Full of Petals | ColorfulVoid  「☆☆☆☆」

Little Bastards (Saiouma) | ySoda (JESTERPH0BIC) 「☆☆☆」

Withdrawal | screaming_speedwell 「☆☆☆☆」

Roommates and Blind Dates | AchiOuma 「☆☆☆」

Googly Eyes and a Heart-Shaped Lollipop | orphan_account 「☆☆☆」

A Flower's Meaning (hanakotoba) | hananocha 「☆☆☆☆」

Close Youre Eyes and Rest | Snowy_Snowflake 「☆☆☆」

Ad-Lib Performance | EvilMuffins 「☆☆」

Comfort In Your Silence | Akiragane 「☆☆☆」

Chocolates for My Beloved | sushihara_shuichi 「☆☆」

Seven Ways to Prove I Love You | EternalFluffy 「☆☆☆☆」

For What It's Worth | screaming_speedwell 「☆☆☆☆」

It's not stealing if I gift it to you freely | twinSky 「☆☆☆☆」

Cold, Warmer, Warmer..Hot! | Notcreativewithnames 「☆☆☆」

Cold Room and Closed Doors | HereComesAComment 「☆☆☆☆」

Guilty Redemption | TheAzureFox 「☆☆☆」

connections in a coffee shop | plaidnutmeg 「☆☆☆」

I Wish It Was A Lie | Browa123 「☆☆☆☆」

Kinder | Sakakura 「☆☆☆」

The Worst Lie and The True Ending | TheAlmightyResonance 「☆☆☆」

Redemption | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」

Like That | sunsets 「☆☆☆☆」

The Moonlit Revel of the Phantom Thief | TheMayBellTree 「☆☆☆」

Whatever It Takes | nanisorero (miriam_lee) 「☆☆☆☆」

feelings long since dead | ninata 「☆☆☆☆」

Rain | sinfulwonder 「☆☆☆☆」

Seven Minutes In Hell | ariiiadne 「☆☆☆☆」

aftermath | shumais 「☆☆☆☆」

pull me close, hold me tight (i guess we just won't sleep tonight) | DarkColdSummer 「☆☆☆☆」

Fledgling | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆☆」

we'll never die (they'll immortalise us in the stars) | DarkColdSummer 「☆☆☆」

all that's left is a ghost of you | DarkColdSummer 「☆☆☆☆」

Overwhelming affection | kckicuma 「☆☆☆☆」

Holds My Heart | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆☆」

Home | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」

Bittersweet | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」

Saccharine | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」

Stay | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」

this song reminded me of you (so i played it on loop and my friends grew concerned for my mental well-being) | DarkColdSummer 「☆☆☆☆」

anywhere whenever (apart but still together) | DarkColdSummer 「☆☆☆☆」

Something Off | megastarstrike 「☆☆☆」 

Surface | ReturnToZero 「☆☆☆」 

The Light of our Hearts | earthseaBorealis 「☆☆☆」 

Pulling at Heartstrings | megastarstrike 「☆☆」 

radio silence | DarkColdSummer 「☆☆☆☆」 

From Me to You | Angelic_Ascent 「☆☆☆☆」 

Vos Autem Lux Inferos | megastarstrike 「☆☆」 

sunlight | orphan_account 「☆☆☆」 

Playing Detective | megastarstrike 「☆☆」 

Mister and Mister Communication | megastarstrike 「☆☆☆」 

Strawberry Sweethearts | megastarstrike 「☆☆」 

Catch and Release | Hanzohara 「☆☆☆☆」 

Always In My Head | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」 

So Much More | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」 

These Nights | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」 

Heaven | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」 

healing takes time. [series] | kiraqi (caticoo) 「☆☆☆☆」 

drop the dagger and lather the blood on your hands, romeo! | unseeliekey 「☆☆☆☆」 

Sick | sinfulwonder 「☆☆」 

Let's Do a Lot More Together | sinfulwonder 「☆☆☆」

Salt in the Wound | kokichiouma 「☆☆☆」

Recluse | sinfulwonder 「☆☆☆」

New and Better | sinfulwonder 「☆☆」

Alone | sinfulwonder 「☆☆」

Something to Live for | sinfulwonder 「☆☆☆」

it's a little more fun when i'm with you | unseeliekey 「☆☆☆☆」

How Many Will There Be By Dawn? | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」

Safehouse | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」

Safehouse | Rovelae 「☆☆☆☆」

Flashbulb Memory | EvilMuffins 「☆☆」

I Forgive You | kokihara 「☆☆☆」

A Helping Hand | kckicuma 「☆☆☆☆」

cat scratch [series] | error_in_execution 「☆☆☆☆」

Contents of a Deadman's Pocket | EvilMuffins 「☆☆」

Best By Date on Label | EvilMuffins 「☆☆☆」

Good Mourning | EvilMuffins 「☆☆☆」

Day 7 - Mastermind AU | lake_writes 「☆☆☆」

Repeat Exposure | EvilMuffins 「☆☆☆☆」

Contrived Courtship | EvilMuffins 「☆☆」

Five Steps Backwards Into Love | megastarstrike 「☆」

Our Final Words [series] | ImaginaryFigment 「☆☆☆☆」 

No One Was Ever Supposed To Know | TheTealTea 「☆☆☆☆」  

The truth | Ash_Shade 「☆☆」 

Accidental meetings, or is it fate? | kckicuma 「☆☆☆」 

Conflicting Opinions | kckicuma 「☆」 

sometimes it's hard to convince yourself to stay. | maddylime 「☆☆☆☆」 

The Suicide of Shuichi Saihara. [series] | gay_fire_69 「☆☆」 

moving in | rannas 「☆☆☆☆」 

Put the Past Behind | kckicuma 「☆☆☆☆」 

Ameliorate the Pain | kckicuma 「☆☆☆☆☆」 

How Many Letters to Say I Love You | Hypoxia 「☆☆☆☆☆」 

A Song of Sacrifice | SomeoneSpoopy 「☆☆☆」 

If you're with me | majorinconvenience 「☆☆☆☆☆」 

Romeo's Quest (Saiouma) | ySoda (JESTERPH0BIC) 「☆☆☆☆」 

finding a relationship in the least likely way | kckicuma 「☆☆☆」 

Wilt | fatiguedfern 「☆☆☆☆☆」 

It's a lie! | majorinconvenience 「☆☆☆☆」 

Freshly brewed dreams for a long spoiled talent | majorinconvenience 「☆☆☆☆」 

what happened to the soul that you used to be? | DarkColdSummer 「☆☆☆☆」

waterfalls coming out your mouth | terrortxwer (dekimasen) 「☆☆☆☆」

Waste Paper | EvilMuffins 「☆☆☆」 

Everything was Beautiful | ReturnToZero 「☆☆☆☆」 

Congratulations for not dying yet. | ReturnToZero 「☆☆☆☆」 

Viral | ReturnToZero 「☆☆☆☆」 

smile (the worst is yet to come) | rannas 「☆☆☆☆」 

Attached (by heart and wrist, apparently) | kckicuma 「☆☆☆」 

Get To Reading | paooowa 「☆☆☆☆」 

That Funny Feeling | Loafas_Lawyer 「☆☆☆」 

Melancholia | ImaginaryFigment 「☆☆☆☆☆」 

Sleepless and (almost) alone | GrossShapes 「☆☆☆☆」 

death isn't the answer is it? | maddylime 「☆☆☆」 

birthday wish | maddylime 「☆☆☆☆」 

Truths and Despair | tarochai 「☆☆」 

just know that if you hide (it doesn't go away) | moonlightsunny 「☆☆☆」 

i carry band-aids on me now (for when your soft hands hit the jagged ground) | Anonymous 「☆☆☆☆」 

Every Adventure Needs An Artist | SelenaShuu 「☆☆」 

Inventive Love | Cookiestar16 「☆」 

Missing The Detective | Shyhara 「☆☆☆」 

wash away | rannas 「☆☆☆☆」 

hospital roof | yhighon 「☆☆☆☆」 

Literary Affection | kckicuma 「☆☆☆」 

Chameleon Cat | SomeoneSpoopy 「☆☆」 

For Warmth | sai_ouma_trash 「☆☆☆」 

a special day calls for a special date | kckicuma 「☆☆」 

A Flower from My Beloved | DJBeatz 「☆☆☆」 

A Date with the School Heartthrob (ft. Overprotective Friends) | DJBeatz 「☆☆☆」 

Gentle Hands | DJBeatz 「☆☆」 

Gentleness - Saiou One Write/One Draw | DJCarnation 「☆☆」 

In my arms tonight | catcake 「☆☆」 

Irreplaceable You | DillasStrikesBack 「☆☆☆☆☆」

 ☆ﾟ°˖* ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

this list kinda just updates whenever i feel like it so,,,,, don’t expect consistency. i have other things to do like be a functional human being so sometimes i forget to read any fics that day. (although despite all the important things i’ve made time for i still fail to be a functional human being.)

  if you have any fics that you like but aren’t on this list, be sure to tell me. i’m trying to get to 420 ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

#saiouma #oumasai #saiou #ousai #ao3 #ao3 fics #fic recommendation #fic list #shuichi saihara #kokichi ouma #i think i'm going insane #i've probably already gone insane actually #long post #really long post #unnecessarily long post #n44_txt

[mcustorm]

In Defense of a Black Cyclops

In case my username didn’t make it clear, the single most anticipated visual project for me is the MCU’s interpretation of the X-Men, which hasn’t even been announced yet [officially]. And ladies and gents, I have found your Cyclops:

Good ol’ Alfred Enoch, who we all know from Harry Potter and How to Get Away With Murder. If you’re not familiar with HTGAWM, know that his character goes from the de facto leader of the ragtag (murderers) and most cherished protege of Viola Davis’ Professor X to taking more of a grimdark turn after his girlfriend’s death. Sound at least somewhat familiar?

Enoch also embodies the physicality of the character well, seeing as to how he’s “slim”, 6′4(!!), black, and notoriously lanky. Wait, one of these isn’t like the others.

In general I hate fancasting. Everyone generally picks from the same pool of about 30 actors (Peeps, neither Taron nor Daniel is a good Wolverine choice. Argue with your mother!), and most all of it is based on physicality, except when it absolutely should be (like say, choosing a ~5′10 dark-skinned black woman for Storm).

And I think there’s some malarkey afoot. I think there needs to be some serious consideration on part of fancasters and actual casting agents alike to rethink race when it comes to the [white] X-Men, especially since they’re the X-Men of all teams. So I’ll make the case for a black Cyclops: 

1. There is no quota on Black X-Men: There’s a bug in your ear that’s been whispering lies to you for years, it says something to the effect of “We need a black person on the team for diversity. How bout Storm?” And you’ve gotten complacent. Storm does not have to be the only black person on your X-Men roster.

2. The X-Men represent diversity: Iceman is gay, Cyclops and Prof. X are disabled (sorta), there are plenty of women, oh and everybody except Storm is white. Of the A-List X-Men, there is only *one* POC character. I’d argue that an MCU X-Men needs to champion diversity like never before.

3. The X-Men represent minority struggle while being mostly white: There’s a cognitive dissonance in the metaphor that has always been there, and for the most part, nobody cares. To appeal to the white readers of the 60′s, the X-Men were all initially white. That way, the message of the mutants could be related to the audience with a familiar face. We don’t need to approach the problem that way in 202?

4. Just because that’s the way it’s always been, doesn’t mean that’s the way it should be: The first line of defense. Sorry, that will never be a good justification for literally any idea. It’s time for some more critical thinking.

5. We don’t all want to be Bishop: So say you’re white and you have a kid who for his birthday having a costume party. You’ve bought some X-Men costumes and you want each kid to pick one. 9 white kids and one black kid show up to your house. As the kids deliberate who gets what costume, be it Cyke or Wolvie or whatever, you yell at everybody to “STOP!”, point to the one black kid and tell him “You’re gonna be Bishop. That’s it, end of story!” 

We don’t all want to be Bishop. The black child could have the best Cyclops interpretation within him, but you’ll never know if you don’t let him try. And that’s no different from the Black actors of Hollywood. There’s no reason why all of the black talent should *have* to compete for the role of Bishop or Storm, which I’ve discussed, while Joe Schmo can walk up and audition for literally anybody he wants.          

Jharrel Jerome is 23 and has an Emmy to his name. He needs to be in the MCU in some capacity, period. Stephan James is another. How bout Damson Idris. Ashton Sanders. But no, no, let’s fancast Dacre Montgomery or Ansel or Joe Keery again as [Human Torch, Wolverine, Iceman, Angel, I’ve literally seen it all.]

6. Nobody wants to see the B-team if it comes down to it. The next line of defense from your racebending naysayers after “That’s the way it’s always been!” is “Well, what about Psylocke, Bishop, Forge and Jubilee?” who are otherwise known as B-tier X-Men. The problem is, we’ve got limited time and limited spots.

So since the X-Men is all about wonky metaphors that make half sense, let me give you another: Let’s say somebody approaches you and says “Hey buddy, I got two free concert tickets for ya! You can either see Michael Jackson Sings the Blues, or you can go see Justin Timberlake. Free of charge!”

Now, are you used to MJ singing the blues? No! Do you have a problem with going to see Justin Timberlake? No, he’s fine on a Wednesday! He had that one little diddy we liked that one time. We’d love to see him eventually! But are you gonna say, “fuck that, I’m going to see MJ Sings the Blues” regardless? Hell yes, because that’s still Michael Jackson. He’s gonna give the same amazing performance he always does, it’s just gonna be the blues. And speaking of blues...

7. Black is not Blue, Brown is not Blue: Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard this one: “I don’t care if you’re black, white, purple, or green, I’m going to treat you all the same!” I will not say all have this intention, but some fancasters have noticed that the racial diversity is kinda low within the A-List X-Men, so they oh-so-generously give the following roles to a black or brown person: Iceman, Nightcrawler, Beast. 

Notice the pattern? It’s a microaggression, and it’s bullshit. What these fancasters are implicitly telling you is that, yes the actors will be black or brown, but when the action starts we can ignore that. They’ll be blue by then. In other words, you in fact do care if they’re purple or green. Nobody will cry foul if Dev Patel gets to play Nightcrawler (because that’s a common one I see), but should Anna Diop be Starfire or Michael B. Jordan be Human Torch, I bet there’d be backlash. Oh wait. If that’s you, please stop acting like you actually value diversity. You don’t want to see black or brown skin, period. Unless of course, it’s Storm (refer to point #1).

But wait, there’s more! When brown characters get whitewashed in these movies, it’s crickets! So eventually it’s revealed implicitly that proclaimers of point #4 only care about it one way.

8. Professor X should not be black if you’re not willing to change anyone else: The next line of defense is that some people say the professor should be black, if anybody HAS to be racebent. Something something MLK Jr., Civil Rights or some shit. Number one, I’m not reducing Professor X to being a magical negro for 9 white people (and Storm!) who for all intents and purposes get to have all the action. Number 2, the Professor X/MLK/Magneto/Malcolm X comparison is an oversimplifying disservice to ALL FOUR of those people. I hate that line whenever I see it, please watch a documentary my friends. 

9. The Candidates for Racebending: For me, the A-List X-Men are Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel, Beast, Wolverine, Storm, Gambit, Rogue, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Kitty Pryde. Now, who should be exempt from the racebending? Storm, she’s our designated minority. Gambit, he’s Cajun and they’re white (generally speaking, that’s a fun bit of research). Wolverine, Colossus, and Nightcrawler, because their nationality/ethnicity was the whole point of the Giant-Size premise in the first place. Angel, because his character embodies a privileged white male. Beast and Iceman, I don’t care one way or another (Point #7).

That leaves Cyclops, Rogue, Jean Grey, and Kitty Pryde. Now Jean Grey is a redhead, and we all know that every time a redhead is racebent people sharpen their pitchforks (Mary Jane, Wally West, Iris West), so I will cede the ground on Jean if only so that my ginger friends can get their rep. Kitty Pryde is Jewish, but Jews of color exist. Rogue is from the South. And Cyclops is, well, just Cyclops. That makes those three characters good options for more diversity. But allow me to make the case for Cyclops, specifically.

10. It’s not just diversity for diversity’s sake: If you had to pick who the main character of the X-Men is supposed to be, most would say Cyclops. And so in a series that highlights racial discrimination in society, it makes sense that our main character be black. While changing Cyclops’ skin color should not change who he is as a character, it *should* recontextualize it. Now, as an eventual increasingly radical leader of the X-Men, Cyclops would evoke real life figures such as Colin Kaepernick or, shall I say, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Not that most X-Men fans and writers truly think about what it means to be black anyways. Storm’s minority status is almost always put through the lens of her being a mutant and not her being a black woman. In other words, you can’t argue that making a character black will fundamentally change his or her character when you haven’t even analyzed the racial context of the black character(s) you already have. Another concept that the MCU X-Men should tackle: intersectionality.

11. Representation matters: I have to say it: Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther hit different. And now he is tragically gone. At the end of the day, the MCU moving forward is down its most prominent black male superhero. Which has implications beyond just the movies themselves.

The women are in good hands. Shuri, Okoye, and Nakia are badasses in Wakanda, Valkyrie is ruling Asgard, Storm is almost assuredly on the way, RiRi Williams has already been cast, and Monica Rambeau is here and she’s not even at her most glorious yet. That doesn’t even include variable Δ, or the number of characters who can and will be racebent. And I’ll note again that to me, Gamora doesn’t count, because she’s green (#7 really pisses me off because it’s so blatant. I hate it). Of course from a behind the camera perspective we love black women getting work.

The men are a completely different story. Imma just go out and say it, I can’t stand Falcon and War Machine [in the MCU] because they’re not characters, they’re just two of a slew of MCU minority sidekicks who have essentially been at the beck and call of Captain America and Iron Man, respectively. You cannot tell Falcon’s story without mentioning Cap. The reverse is not true. There’s a whole essay that could be and have been written on “Minorities in the MCU, pre-Black Panther”. Remember, there’s a reason BP made so much noise in the first place.

So excluding those two we have, let’s see, M’Baku, Blade, and Fury who aren’t exactly the most superheroic superheroes, Eli Bradley is proooobably coming, I doubt Miles Morales is coming (because he’s just Peter Parker in the MCU), Luke Cage(?) Bishop(??), Sunspot(???), Blue Marvel(????). Not only are they not A-List, I would not put money on any of them being in the MCU any time soon.

Cyclops is thee Captain America of the X-Men. He’s the frontman. He’s the poster boy. He’s the “boy scout”, which in other words means he’s the hero, if there has to be one. It would mean a lot right now, and specifically *right now*, if he were to be black. The MCU needs it. It NEEDS it.

12. The X-Men is the Summers Story: I’ll even make the case that if just one character needs to racebent, then it should be Cyclops, because that of course implies that other related characters need to be black because half of the X-Men universe is in fact a part of the Summers family. 

So now Cable is black. Corsair is black. Havok is black. And one of the most central stories in the X-Men mythos, the Summers family drama, is now a black family drama set in space or the future or where the fuck ever. The concept is boundary pushing. When white families have drama in the media, it gets to be Game of Thrones or Star Wars, while when black families have drama in the media, it has to be black people arguing in a kitchen or living room about their various earthly traumas (I’m @’ing you, Mr. Perry). I mean, that’s all fine and good often times, but I want my black family drama in space, dammit.

And again, this is the X-Men, the series that’s all about *minorities* and their struggle, so again, why not?

Oh, and I’ll even throw out a Havok fancast for you: How bout Jharrel Jerome?

#cyclops #scott summers #the mutants #monica rambeau #X-men #xmen #marvel #MCU #fancast #jharrel would actually be a better sunspot #but you get the point #my man would have OPTIONS

[percyjacksonfan3]

For the salty asks: numbers one, five, six, and twenty through twenty-three please 😇

I live for the chaos so pls just... go off my dude

Ah Tay, reason #187893467 that I love you is that you indulge me in my rants <3

Salty asks are from this post!

K this got LONG so here's a read more!

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

Honestly even though I don't multi-ship often I DO usually get the appeal behind ships so this is a really short list. This will probably get me some hate but I still to this day can't get behind c/ex@ from the show that will not be named. But then again I do get the appeal of two super attractive women with chemistry and the whole ruler/ girl who makes the ruler change their ways thing. So I guess I get it even if I don't like it?

Also, and this is not to hate on Hinny, but Harry and Ginny from HP are not my cup of tea. I like what fandom has done for them but the actual content we get for them in the books (and movies, but I prefer the books) isn't enough for me to love them. Same with Mal and Alina from S & B/ Grishaverse, they're so bland to me in the books but the show is doing far better with them and actually making Mal ya know. Likeable. Again, I don't ship it, but best friends to lovers is top tier so I get it.

Oh! I also don't really get Dwalin/Ori from The Hobbit, but that is probably in large part because I'm a Dwalin/Nori shipper. Again though, all of the secondary characters' relationships in The Hobbit rely on fans to extrapolate HARD and wear extreme shipper goggles, and ik there's that scene where Dwalin helps Ori out of the river so like.. maybe that's where it's from? I don't hate it or anything but it's always something that's made me go ??? cause I have no idea where the heck it came from.

Apart from that... I can't think of any rn? I feel like I understand where all the PJO ships come from, even if I don't ship them. There are a couple that I don't understand how they can be someone's OTP, just because I find them super boring (no offense to those who ship C@leo or J@siper but I just don't love how Rick handled those relationships). In TSC I think fandom mainly vibes with the same pairings and that's true for most of my book fandoms. With the shows I watch I don't think fans majorly ship anything too out there for me. Maybe I don't interact enough with fandoms to tell. So this is all I got.

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

Oh my god, oh my god, this is a can of worms, my lord. A pairing I'm not so sure about, but characters? Abso-fucking-lutely. I took a break from PJO fandom for exactly that reason and the list of characters is endless honestly, for multiple fandoms.

I won't say fandom ruined Bell@rke for me cause I still ship it, but I definitely lost enthusiasm with how toxic the shows fandom was and then that was made even worse when the show completely destroyed itself with the worst writing and plots ever in the latter seasons.

Also I have a feeling that G@me of Thrones/ @soiaf ruined one for me but I can't remember this very second. Maybe not, and again that's probably cause I don't interact with fandoms en masse, usually just through fic and following a few people I vibe with in each.

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?

Yes, quite a few! I used to dislike Drarry (for obvious reasons I feel) and Romione (as a kid I wanted Hermione to be with Harry and even when I grew out of that I really didn't like she was with Ron) but fandom changed that for sure. And same with Darklina now, I was upset cause I felt like the books really underutilized their relationship and fell short of what could have been a super awesome pairing if better explored, but the show fandom is taking it in so many different ways that I'm starting to really love them despite the reasons I shouldn't.

And I won't say I hated Hayffie in THG, but definitely the only reason I ship them is from reading @ellanainthetardis's fic Have a Drink Sweetheart and then all the others written for them. That portrayal of Hayffie and the characters have become my own headcanons now because I've been reading them for so long and they're so good.

Fandom made me ship Leon and Morgana from Merlin too, though that's very lowkey. I never hated them, I just never thought of them as a pairing until reading fic.

20. What is the purest ship in the fandom?

Percabeth. I don't care which fandom, it's Percabeth. Growing up together, going from enemies to friends to best friends to lovers? The establishment of them being best friends and the way Rick wrote that friendship was so pure, and they are a couple with no internal problems, all external, and you just know they're gonna be together through everything, fighting at each other's side, cause that's the way they are. There's a reason they're my OTP and it's cause they are the most well-established, ride or die couple I can think of. They're just so solid.

21. What are your thoughts on crack ships?

Love em for fandom but personally I very rarely get behind crackships just because I usually need a lot of build up, scenes, good dialogue and chemistry, etc. to ship something, so most of my ships aren't crack ships. The only one I can really think of that I actively root for and ship and would read fic for is Billy/ Owen from 911 Lonestar which is just... something.

Like idk if Barduil from The Hobbit is crack because ik it's quite popular... what makes a ship a crack ship anyway? Lack of canon reference? Is it cause they two characters would be so random together because they barely ever interact? Or because it's SO unrealistic you know for sure it will never happen but want it to anyway? Or is it lack of popularity in fandom? I need someone to define this so I have a better answer :D if it's the second option then I have MANY

I love seeing fandom stuff for crack ships though, cause seriously, it's fiction, ship who you want. If you ship two characters just cause you think they're pretty side by side then that's enough for me. Make all of the fan art and fic you like.

22. Popular character you hate?

Oof. Jason from HOO. And Leo in everything after The Lost Hero. I hated Piper in The Lost Hero and Mark of Athena but like her after those. I don't like any of the book characters from S & B except Nikolai, but I like everyone in the show (except David? Why did they make him so weird? Like he's not even awkward, he's straight up rude imo, but anyway). In @soiaf I don't like Jon Snow, I think he's boring. And I despise Jorah Mormont cause I think he's creepy for having a crush on Dany.

Didn't love Stefan in TVD, too much of a goody-two-shoes. I liked dark Stefan but it felt like a totally different character. Honestly most of the characters I don't like cause they're boring or too by-the-book.

OH! A big one in M@rvel is Captain America. Can't stand him honestly, I like him as a character to have in the story, but I like never agree with him on anything. I like a couple of his one-liners but that's it really. I also don't like Gale in THG, idk if that's controversial. Or Lex@ from the show that will not be named because I think she's manipulative and not good for any of the characters i DO love.

Is Ron popular? I think so. I like fandom Ron but not canon Ron and idk why. I think I'm growing out of it but I read those books when I was like 7 initially so I thought it was awful of Ron to stop being friends with Harry because he was jealous and I never really got over that.

There are so many but I'm gonna stop now.

23. Unpopular character you love?

Again, tons. I love anyone whose got kind of a tortured backstory because it makes them more interesting to me.

I love Movieverse Hawkeye! I think Clint is great and while I wish his deafness was canon in Marvel and I don't love J Remmer, I do love Hawkeye a lot. He was honestly one of the only Marvel characters that felt consistent and in-character throughout the movies.

I like President Snow from THG just cause I think he was a fantastic villain. And Effie and Haymitch aren't unpopular, but they're probably my favourites, again because of the fics mentioned above.

Leon from Merlin!! I don't actually think he's unpopular, but he's like... my fourth favourite character in the show which I know IS considered high for most people.

Sandor Clegane from ASOIAF. Not the show, just the books. His book character is phenomenal and I am so excited for GrrM to finish the goddamn series so I know what happens to him.

The Stolls and Katie Gardner from PJO cause fandom created Tratie and sucked me in at a young age.

Bellatrix Lestrange? Is she unpopular? I don't think so but she's another one I think is a fantastic villain. I'm almost more interested in her than Voldemort tbh.

That's probably it!

Thanks so much for the ask Tay, this was tons of fun! Anyone else who's interested can feel free to fill my inbox!

#taylor tag #ask games #look it's me! #now I'm just thinking of all the ships I hate and want to go off #i won't #but tay maybe you've awakened something in me that you will feel the brunt of later

[twiststreet]

I’ve been in a bit of a hole lately, mentally or whatever-- I didn’t really get anything done in 2021, besides work stuff, and even that was pulling nails with my teeth this year. (Things seem kinda gnarly out there, I don’t know if you noticed).  And it’s weird seeing these people who I think accomplished massive shit in 2021 being like “it’s okay to feel bad” when they were massively productive in 2021-- like, thanks for the permission, assholes!  I didn’t get anything done on big projects, but even little things like stupid Youtube edits or whatever, even dumb cornball shit-- nada from me.  I was just MIA, spiritually.  If even this dumb blog’s been anything worth looking at this year, that’d be a huge surprise.  Those little things mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, but not doing them just do feel a way, I don’t know that I even know why.

I just feel like I’m on empty.  I am on Emp-ty. I’m not sure what I want to be doing exactly, project-wise, which doesn’t help. Maybe I bring back progress charts sometime next year when the world starts up again.  Maybe I do something else.  I don’t know.  Maybe when gyms are safe, just getting to go to a gym again will be good for the overall mental juju-- I’ve been hoping that’d be so, but that seems further away now...

Anyways, estimate that I read 35,401 pages of comics, all Japanese, for a total spend of about $24 thanks to the Shonen Jump app. (A couple of those are scanlations, so shame on me there, I guess, though I don’t think Virgin Extinction Island is being released here or that I’d keep a copy in my home if it were). Top Tier for me was Chainsaw Man, One Piece, Ayashimon and what little I’ve read so far of JoJo’s Big Adventure (which is just damn lovely Dumb Guy comics, as long promised); bottom tier for me was Demon Slayer, Choujin X, Promised Neverland (falls apart after the first act), and I Tell C.  35,401 pages of comics, or as the internet would describe it “that guy’s a hipster who doesn’t actually like comics.” 

I’m probably not going to back to English-language comics mostly next year, but I’m going to make exceptions next year, what with next year being the year of the Battle Chasers revival and all.  I’m not going to sit on the sidelines while battles get chased...

I read six novels, but figure 5 of those I can’t mention either for personal reasons or because they’re “research” for Someday-type projects.  That just leaves a Donald Westlake heist book that I read, Castle in the Air, which was cute, Westlake doing kind of an Italian Job riff, a goofy heist comedy of the 60′s variety, but massively minor, especially considering the other stuff Westlake’s written that a person could read instead.  I enjoyed it because I mean, Westlake can still write the hell out of a cupcake of a book, sentence by sentence he’s a pleasurable writer, but pretty much the definition of skippable. 

And according to Letterboxd, I watched about 80-82 movies this year.  Seems like a reasonable number...?  More than one a week but less than a “I have a problem” number, so I’ll take it.  I haven’t made a Top 10 list and the year’s not over yet, but so far apparently I’ve liked Matrix Resurrections, Unsane, Licorice Pizza, Pig, C’mon C’mon, The Making of Rocky vs Drago by Sylvester Stallone (on Youtube), the French Dispatch, Malignant, Mike Flanagan’s Hush, The Green Knight, Evangelion 3.0, Alan Ruck’s performance specifically in Freaky, Stoker, the Fear Street trilogy, some of the Sparks Brothers (I liked finding out about Sparks but not really the movie itself which has diminished over time in my memory of it), No Sudden Move, Werewolves Within, Run (the suspense movie on Hulu), the Conjuring 2 and 3, Shiva Baby, Moonstruck, Judge Reinhold’s Off Beat, Nobody, 8 Million Ways to Die, Army of the Dead, Seance, Lassiter, Gone Baby Gone, The Five Venoms, Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar, Enough Said, Godzilla vs Kong, the documentary Koshien: Japan’s Field of Dreams, the Canadian SF adventure Freaks, Bad Trip, The Way Back, Night Stalker, a Cry for Help, Capricorn One, Irma Vep, Save Yourselves, and the Kid Detective.  Plus, rewatches of Dressed to Kill, Beverly Hills Cop 2, In the Mood for Love, the Hard Way, Inherent Vice, and the Aviator.  That looks like a pretty good ratio, but I’m not sitting here doing the math... 

Best new movie I guess I’d go with Licorice Pizza cause I’m boring-- PTA makes romance movies about/for broken people and I like all of them cause I’m probably a little broken, too, maybe, who can say, only God can judge me, etc.  (It’s weird he doesn’t get recognized more as a romance filmmaker-- it’s like “PTA’s making a movie about Scientology... oh wait, it’s a weird romance movie.”  Or “PTA’s making a movie about dresses... oh wait, it’s a weird romance movie.”  Or “PTA’s adapting Pynchon... but making it more about what it feels like to hang out with an ex-girlfriend, it’s kind of a romance movie now.”  He’s this great romance auteur but that just doesn’t get talked about alongside, you know, Danielle Steele or Talia Hibbert or somebody else in that genre... our relationship with that genre is still just very gendered, I guess...).  But I still have a few movies to circle back to-- Spencer or whatever....

Worst movie of the year... there was Black Widow, which was excrement, but I really did strongly dislike the new James Bond movie No Time to Die.  I love James Bond while I could give a shit about ScarJo’s "what if emma peel were utterly sexless” riffs. Black Widow was a more dreary and artless experience certainly and didn’t have anything redeeming about it (while No Time to Die did kind of delight for the few minutes Ana de Armas was on screen), but No Time to Die took something I really enjoyed and a genre I’m an easy mark for, and just ate complete shit.  (Though I don’t agree with the David Mitchell argument that they’ve ruined the franchise because “fucking terrible ideas” are a well-established part of franchise history, already, so).  So I guess I go with the Bond...

Anyways, 

#year in review

[percedurza]

I HAVE ALREADY SPOKE ON LENGTH ABOUT THE PRINCE OF EGYPT BUT NOT THE WHOLE THING ONLY THE PLAGUES AND MOSTLY PASSOVER. I JUST WATCHED THE FULL MOVIE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE I WAS A KID IM GONNA TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN BECAUSE IT WAS SO GOOD. OKAY.

okay let me first say that i was in tears within the first ten minutes of the movie. deliver us was so powerful and heartbreaking i cried BEFORE THE TEN MINUTE MARK. yeah.

when moses' mother sang her final lullaby to her son and pushed him downstream in that (blessed and very fortunate) basket my heart hurt. i cried with her. that was the last time she would ever see her baby.

when his sister sang her prayer for her baby brother, wishing for him to come back to deliver them as well, that just drove the nail in harder.

in a later scene before the banquet you can hear moses humming that last lullaby and since deliver us was just maybe ten minutes prior you remember it and realize he really did keep that final song.

and the banquet oh yeah ramesses gets appointed this big title? and he names moses as the grand architect

and theres this captured hebrew lady brought in for ramesses but shes fierce (i would be too, she was captured and brought to the people she hates the most) and so ramesses orders her to be brought to moses' chambers instead

moses goes to his chambers and suprise! she escaped! moses chases after and sees her sneaking out with her camel and distracts some guards so she wont get caught and once the guards are gone he goes after her again aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand

miriam (moses' sister) meeting him in the city streets and recognizing him, telling him he's her family and him shutting her down and calling her a slave.... it hurt. when she hums that lullaby and he RECOGNIZES and then rushes back home to have a dream about that day he was sent away (in beautiful animation designed to look like the hieroglyphs on his wall) its all so painful to watch him be forced out of nowhere to realize his life is a LIE because hes not a true prince of egypt, he's born of the slaves, and then his father the pharaoh justifies the order to slaughter innocent babies by saying "they were just slaves" and OUGH

moses kills a man. unintentional but he killed a man while trying to stop him from beating a slave. oops.

he cant live with this so he runs away into the desert. theres this scene where he collapses to the ground and sheds all of the jewelry and adornments from his life as royalty but as he takes off the ring ramesses gives him, he looks at it. and slowly puts it back on. because no matter what, he still loves his brother, and he always will.

moses falls into a well. yeah. chases off some ruffians and then basically faints and falls in. these girls the ruffians were harassing started pulling him out and SURPRISE SURPRISE the captured lady from the banquet is there and she drops him back in when she recognizes him and walks away all smug and her name is tzipporah! just an fyi (very pretty name love it)

moses basically gets adopted into the group of hebrews and moses says something about not ever having done anything of worth and so tzipporah's father jethro sings a little tune to him!

through heavens eyes is a masterpiece. i really dont know what else to say also i want jethro to be my dad hes so nice

aaanyway moses and tzipporah get married during the through heavens eyes montage! i just think thats nice

OKAY now juicy stuff the BURNING BUSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the scene in which moses encounter the burning bush and god.

god claims that he has seen his people (the hebrew slaves) suffering and cannot stand for it any longer, so he wishes to send moses as a sort of ambassador of god

and moses doesnt think hes worthy of being god's messenger, which god quickly shuts up by pointing out how he's kind of, like, GOD

and he teaches moses those big old words, "LET MY PEOPLE GO" wahoo!!!!!!

he rushes home to tell tzipporah, and shes like "but ur just one dude" and hes like "well i kinda have to also the hebrews are suffering in slavery so :////"

tzipporah and moses head on over to meet ramesses and theyre all excited to see each other and then moses is like "behold the power of god!!!!!!" and his staff becomes a snake. pretty gnarly if i do say so myself

and then the high priests are like "ok" and start basically performing and rapping the names of the egyptian gods at moses in response i really dont know how to describe it but its basically a whole lotta smoke and mirrors. not actual miracles

moses talks to ramesses and asks him to let his people go, and instead doubles the slave's workload. the slaves basically hate moses now because yeah he technically is the reason theyre getting pushed harder and even his own brother aaron seems to loathe him. miriam talks to moses and he sees ramesses' ship gliding down the nile nearby

he calls out to ramesses and he just sends his guards after him. and so moses brings the staff down and turns the river to blood.

THEN THE REST OF THE PLAGUES ENSUE!!!

theres this specific part of the plagues scene in which ramesses stands between two statues of egyptian gods and glances at them as if to ask why the fuck arent they doing anything about the LITERAL hellfire and general havoc being brought down on the city. just thought that was a really cool detail.

AND OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH passover. i really shouldnt get excited about talking about an event that killed a whole heck ton of kids but its like fnaf at this point who cares ANYWAY THE DEAD KIDS

i already talked about the passover scene but what i didnt include (i think) is how when god's spirit or whatever idk enters the palace, it passes over a statue of ramesses and you just think, oh fuck wait RAMESSES HAD A SON.

and sure enough, that son is dead. moses walks in as ramesses pulls a sheet over his sons dead body and ramesses finally, after all of the plagues, tells moses he can take the hebrews and leave.

as moses walks away you can see ramesses glare at moses because he may have said he was done but. hes not. of course.

moses and the hebrews are leaving with yet another beautiful musical sequence (when you believe) and you can see the hordes of former slaves walking to the sea.

AAND just like i said RAMESSES WASNT FINISHED! he brings a whole bunch of soldiers on horseback and chases the hebrews, and god literally rains fire on them again this time in the form of a flaming tornado that sweeps across the sand, making a big old wall of fire that the egyptian soldiers cant get through

which gives moses the time to do the famous parting of the sea. he brings that staff down in the water and DOES GODS WONDERS!!! yay!!!

watching them walk on the seabed was beautiful. with some lightning strikes you could see the silhouette of some kind of shark swimming in the water (looked it up there are sometimes whale sharks in the red sea this is accurate)

and the fire tornado recedes into the earth, the fire fades, the soldiers chase on at ramesses' orders. the water sweeps them away just as the hebrews make it to the other side and it later cuts back to ramesses, alone on the rocky shore, screaming out at moses. hes completely alone, soldiers presumably dead, and no family to speak of. his side of the sea is cloudy and gloomy, still stormy, but when it jumps back to the hebrews in celebration, the sun shines bright and happy. the hebrews are free.

the movie ends with moses walking down the mountain sinai, ten commandments in hand, while the last snippet of deliver us plays once again.

only one other movie has evoked this much of this kind of emotion in me.(the one movie is klaus LMAO klaus made me ugly cry) there was not a single second of watching this that i didnt have goosebumps.

the movie itself just looks pretty. all of the characters have unique and neat designs. (its also nice to see a movie with only poc in it like im just saying)

the musical scores and numbers are so expertly made. my favorite has to be deliver us but through heavens eyes is a very close second. through heavens eyes made me feel better about myself, in a way. the entire movie was like some healing experience.

all in all, this is an S tier movie, and i BEG BEG BEG anyone who hasn't seen it to watch it. just pirate it or something (i did lol watched it on an illegal streaming site)

if you're not religious and havent seen it, think of it as a chance to learn more about abrahamic faiths. if you are religious and havent seen it, well hey! here you go!!

#the prince of egypt #long post #beware

[sineala]

Hiiii sine. A really random question: What club(s) did you join during uni? how did u find it?

I have to preface this by saying that I went to a, um, very weird public university. Unlike most US colleges/universities, there was zero Greek life (fraternities/sororities) and in terms of sports we were (and still are) the only NCAA Division III school in our state’s top-tier university system, which translates to “very few people who go to this school care about sports and there are no campus traditions involving binge drinking.” In college rankings, I believe we were generally number one for marijuana consumption (when I was leaving for college, my mother took me aside and gave me a Very Important Lecture on how to tell whether the weed anyone offered me was quality or not), and our traditions involved things like mass public nudity. So the people who have actually heard of the school where I did my undergrad tended to think of it as a place where a bunch of hippies get massively stoned in the woods and discuss the meaning of human consciousness. They would not be wrong.

But the school I went to also had a reputation for being one of the top undergraduate institutions in the US to study linguistics, and that was what I was interested in, and I actually turned down Berkeley to go there instead. And while I was there I didn’t really do a lot of clubs, but we did finally start an undergraduate club for linguistics. Mostly what I remember was that we called the club “Underling” and got t-shirts that said [ʌndɚlɪŋ] on them. I feel like I must have attended at least some events that the Queer Student Union sponsored, because I’m pretty sure that was how I ended up seeing Pansy Division play on campus. I also went to some of the clubs for other majors, because my friends were running them -- the anthropology club liked to hold movie nights where they would reserve a lecture hall, bring snacks, and put on a popular movie starring some kind of anthropologist or archaeologist character and then make fun of it the entire way through. This is the only reason I have ever seen all the Indiana Jones movies. I feel like we also watched Stargate.

And it’s not a club, exactly, but the university I went to was also divided up into smaller residential colleges, and they each had their own traditions, and the big tradition of my college was College Night -- once a week you would reserve tickets at the dining hall for dinner, and everyone would try to dress reasonably nicely, and show up at the appointed hour, and instead of the usual dining hall dinner where you would pick random food items off a buffet and probably end up eating a bowl of cereal at 10 pm, they actually had themed menus with slightly nicer food than usual, and you would have one great big communal meal, after which there was some kind of entertainment -- a play, or a musical performance, or a lecture, or sometimes Arts & Crafts Night. (I still use the plastic-lanyard keychain one of my friends braided for me.)

So, yeah, that was my club experience. I really enjoyed college, honestly.

#Anonymous #replies

[purplesurveys]

1125

survey by nadine07

[..Introductions..]

First Name: Robyn.

Middle Name: I don’t think I’ve shared it on here and I doubt I will.

Last Name: Not providing it either but it starts with a C.

Birthdate: April 21st.

[..First Things First..]

What was the first thing you did after you got up? I rushed to the rooftop so that I could see the sunrise. I also got in the random mood to do a time-lapse of it, but the sun took forrrrrrrr-freaking-ever to come up entirely. I was holding up my phone for like 15 minutes and nothing was happening, so I quit halfway through lol.

What was the name of your first pet? Goldie, because it was a goldfish.

Who was your first big crush? Gabie, I would say.

Where was the first place you drove after you got your license? Chelsea’s 18th birthday dinner was scheduled right after I happened to get my license, and the event took place in a small, quaint little restaurant in Marikina. 

There’s a bit of a funny story here, too – Aaron needed a ride to get there and so I offered to drive him. I picked him up and we were having small talk in the car, and he asked me how long I’ve been driving. I told him that moment was my literal first time driving out and that I just got my license the day before, and he is my first-ever passenger (at that point I’ve never even tried driving solo yet). The horror and immediate distrust on his face was something I will never forget HAHAHA. We got to the place unharmed, but it’s still one of my favorite stories to tell.

Who was your very first friend? It was a kind girl named Kaye back in kindergarten. We were always next to each other in our class lists, so it was inevitable for us to befriend one another. She transferred schools in first grade and I have not seen nor heard from her since.

What was the first thing you ate today? I had another bag of salted egg chips. I’m extremely hooked, lmao.

What was your first job? I work as an associate at a PR agency.

[..Colors..]

Name something red in the room you are in: We have an unopened bottle of wine here on the dining table and there’s still a red ribbon wrapped around it.

Is orange one of your school's team colors? No, neither of my schools had orange as one of its colors.

How many yellow shirts do you own? I can think of 5 tops hanging out in my wardrobe at the moment. Two of them are class shirts from high school; the others were tops I bought when I started getting into mustard yellow.

Name someone you know who drives a green car: I believe Angel, a classmate from high school who also studies in UP, also drives a Mitsubishi Mirage, albeit a lime green one.

Is it a blue sky outside right now? Yes for the most part, but the sun is setting soon so the sky is bound to change into many pretty colors as it usually does at this time of the day.

What is the first thing that pops into your head when I say 'purple'? Barney the dinosaur, and ube.

Are the walls in the room you're in white? Yes, all our walls indoors are white.

Does black make you think of depressing things? Not always, but if used specifically in that context, it definitely helps boosts the mood.

Jewelry: gold or silver? Silverrr, always.

[..Phone Stuff..]

Who is your provider? Nothing you would be familiar with, but I use Globe.

How long have you had your current phone? It’ll be three years this year. It would be nice to upgrade, but I’m also still happy with my current phone so it doesn’t really matter to me.

What did your last text say? The last one that came through that didn’t come from my mobile services provider was from someone in the media. It was his birthday last Friday and I messaged him if he’d like to receive a gift from us, on behalf of one of our clients; he just replied with his confirmation and details.

If you woke up naked next to the last person to call, would it be awkward? Yep and I’d feel like throwing up almost immediately.

Was your last missed call male or female? It was from my mom.

Who is your 10th phone contact? It’s from Jum, who I realize is still listed as Ate Jum on my phone. That’s cute hahaha; I must have gotten her number when we weren’t super close yet. Anyway, she’s been super MIA for like the last two years...basically, ever since she graduated. I believe she has also since moved back to Bicol, so it’s become virtually impossible to see her again. Bums me out and I look forward to the day we somehow end up in the same room once again.

How did you meet them? I met her in my very first journalism major class. I had mixed feelings towards her at first since I found her to be super loud in class, and I initially thought she would only be a one-time classmate and nothing more; but I got to know her more and we even ended up as orgmates, and it turns out she is literally the most hilarious person I know.

Are you related to your 17th phone contact? I have absolutely no clue who it is. I no longer remember what led to it, but Gabie and I swapped the SIM cards in our phones at one point, and for some reason it made me have access to her contacts; the 17th contact on my phone is someone from her list. And since I never hang out in my Contacts app, I’ve never gotten around to deleting those extra numbers I received.

How long have you known your 1st phone contact? Around 6th or 7th grade. I can’t remember the exact grade level she transferred to my school as a new student.

When was the last time you saw them? It’s been at least a year. I remember seeing her on campus very briefly when I was on my way to a certain building for class, while she was walking out of it.

Who is your 4th phone contact? LMAO, again, it’s from her contact list. Said person is one of her older cousins, I believe.

Have you ever kissed that person? No, and that is very weird and uncomfortable to think about.

When was the last time someone drunk dialed/texted/left a voicemail? Andi drunk messaged me a few months ago. November, I think.

[..Friends..]

Who is your #1? No Myspace but I’d say my top best friend is Angela.

How long have you known them? It will be 16 years this year.

Have you ever kissed? Oh my gosh, hell no. It would be like kissing a sister haha. She’s super affectionate and will sometimes kiss my shoulder or cheek, though.

Are you dating this person? No, never did and never desired to.

Do you have nicknames for each other? Not really exclusive to each other, but I call her Anj (and only a few people call her so) and she will occasionally call me Reben or Rolayn, both from past inside jokes.

What is your #2's full name? I am not sharing that, but I refer to them as Andi (you may remember them as Andrew from the past times I’ve mentioned them).

Do they live within 20 minutes of you? If there is zero traffic, I can probably make it to their place within that timeframe, yeah. But realistically, no they don’t.

How did you meet? We initially met in an anti-Marcos protest/rally – I approached they first because they had a wrestling shirt on, heheh – and that’s when I learned we were from the same college. But they rubbed me off the wrong way from our first meeting as they were too extroverted for my liking, and I spent a good chunk of time ignoring him whenever we crossed paths, lmfao. Eventually we were put in the same class at some point, and they even joined my org, and an intensely close friendship started from there.

Could you live with this person? Sure. I think they would never be a boring roommate.

Who is your #3? I’m gonna go with Kate for this one.

Where are they right now? I have no idea. We don’t really catch up with each other’s lives on a regular basis; we have a very chill, low-maintenance friendship.

When is this person's birthday? January 1st.

Has this person ever seen you naked? I don’t think so.

What is your #4's full name? I don’t think I have a 4th-tier best friend haha, but I’m gonna pick Tina.

When did you last see them? Last year, on the last normal day I was able to be on campus. She was set to present one of her projects at a journalism conference that was taking place in campus that day, but I was able to hang out with her for a short time before the event.

Have they ever dated one of your other friends? No. I knew she had a crush on someone from the college, though.

Do you know their favorite movie? I’m not sure about her favorite movie but I do know she loves Adam Sandler. I was never able to figure out if her interest was ironic or genuine but yeah, she enjoys a good number of his works.

[..Randomosity..]

What time is it? 6:20 PM.

Are you supposed to be doing something other than this? I wouldn’t say so. I do have deliverables for work but since it’s the weekend, I’m not thinking about them nor do I have the desire to touch those tasks until Monday.

Do you live on your own or with your parents? I live with my family. Considering my monthly income, it’d be close to impossible to sustain myself in my own place this early in my adult life.

Are you more of a cat or a dog person? Dog, for sure.

Are you allergic to anything? I don’t believe so.

Does your shirt have anything written on it? Yeah, it says “UP Fighting Maroons” styled in a varsity font since that’s the term for our sports team.

Have you ever tie-dyed something? I have, but only back in like Grade 6 when we had to do it for a home ec class. I remember wanting to buy a tie-dye set recently so I could revisit the activity, but I never got around to it.

Who can you always count on to cheer you up? Angela for the most part; but I also don’t want to be too reliant on my friends in this way. Sometimes I simply allow myself to be sad or upset, and sometimes I count on myself to cheer up.

How many places have you been today? I have been nowhere but at home today lol. I’ll be going to BGC tomorrow to have lunch with my godfather and my cousins, though.

Are you a forgiving person? No.

When was the last time you felt let down? Last night when I read the news that the government will be making All Souls’ Day, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve working days this year. I already know I’ll be half-assing my way through those days lmao because whyyyyyyy the fuck would you make people work on family-centric holidays such as those

What is the title of the nearest book to you? There are no books here at the rooftop.

Are you wearing anything that belongs to someone else? Nope.

Can you whistle? Only through my lips. I can’t do the kind of whistle where you put your fingers in your mouth as well.

Do you look more like your mother or your father? My mom.

Are you still in high school? I’m well past that chapter.

Are you the oldest, middle, youngest, or an only child? I’m the eldest.

Has anyone ever told you that you talk in your sleep? No, because I don’t.

How many people have you kissed this year? None.

Is there anyone of the opposite sex you trust fully? Hmm, no one comes to mind.

Are you a night owl or an early bird? More of a night owl.

If you could have an exotic pet, what would it be? No thanks. I’ve never had the desire to have one.

Would you rather go to Brazil for the weekend or Finland for a month? I’d have to go with Finland. I feel like the cultural differences would be a lot more marked, plus the vacation is longer so that is an instant win for me.

[..And Finally..]

Where did you go the last time you drove somewhere? I was driving to the local coffee shop to spend some time with myself, and do a liiiiiiiittle bit of work as well.

Where did you last go out to eat at? Ramen Nagi. I was initially hesitant to show up there and ask for a table for one on a Sunday evening...but it turned out to feel incredibly empowering and freeing. It was definitely awkward at first, but it got a lot easier once I realized literally no one gives a fuck. Or if they did, they didn’t do anything about it and let me mind my own business. That evening was a crucial step in reclaiming my happiness, so I’m glad I made the choice to suck it up and enter the restaurant.

When was the last time you let someone borrow something from you? Last week, when Angela needed our abaca mat as an aesthetic for her grad shoot.

Was your last breakup a bad one? Yes.

What was the last song you listened to? Just checked my Spotify and the current song I have on pause is Descansos by Hayley Williams. 

What was the last movie you watched? Midsommar.

Did your last kiss happen in a public place? Not technically, but it did take place outside of my house so we were outdoors for some neighbors to see.

How did you meet the last person to leave you a comment? It was Andi, and I already explained how we met earlier in this survey.

#survey #surveys