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lurkingshan · 3 months

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Last Twilight Episode 12

A month ago, I never could have predicted that I’d be sitting here trying to assemble some thoughts to explain how on earth this show went so badly off the rails. I am truly taken aback by where this story landed, and I advise anyone who wants to think of it fondly to just pretend it ended at episode 9, and even skip the finale if you haven’t watched yet. Before I get into it, let me just start with a word of praise for the cast, who did a great job with their performances and kept this show afloat when the writing fell apart. And boy, did it fall apart.

In my view, this narrative had three main threads it was addressing: 1) Day’s journey to accepting his disability; 2) unresolved family trauma; and 3) Mhok and Day’s romance. And in the end, it failed on all three of them. I am going to dig into this and I am not feeling particularly nice, so if this is going to hurt your feelings I suggest you stop reading now.

Day’s Journey

Just…wow. We have been afraid of this turn the entire time and trying to hold out hope that the show would not go there, but here we are. I started laughing out loud when we got to the end of part 3 and Mhon’s phone went off with an alert for a new eye donor, and then just stared incredulously at my screen as we time skipped AGAIN to a Day whose vision had been restored for years (last week I joked to @bengiyo and @waitmyturtles that once a drama starts using time skips it becomes addictive and they never stop, and—welp!). What was this entire show for? Why did we spend twelve episodes with Day grieving his vision loss, learning how to cope, and finally accepting his blindness only to completely undercut it at the end? The first part of the finale was so much about how he was thriving—finding a new career for himself and becoming self-sufficient and growing so much on his own—only to give us an ending that implied he could not actually have his happily ever after without his vision restored.

And this is in fact the message they sent by coupling the return of his vision with the return of he and Mhok’s relationship, and giving us a happy ending rooted in his contentment at having his sight back. They even went back to the Last Twilight mountain to completely tarnish the thematic resonance of the original scene. Calling back to the beautiful memory of Day “seeing” the sunset and experiencing “a moment so good that you feel like you can live there forever” as he accepted his disability with this scene of him seeing the real sunset with his restored vision was so hurtful to me that I actually got angry. Day didn’t need his vision back to get a happy ending, and I absolutely hate what this communicates about disabled people’s capacity to live happy and fulfilling lives. This show has created many writing sins but this is the most unforgivable to me.

Family Trauma

The show began dropping the ball on this one a few weeks ago, but this finale put the nail in the coffin. We spent most of this episode at Porjai and Night’s wedding, an event that might have felt meaningful if the show had let us see any of their romance. I’m grateful to Mark Pakin and Namtan Tipnaree for their beauty and charisma because it’s the only thing that made me care about those scenes at all. Rather than actually being about them, however, this wedding was used primarily as a clunky vehicle to deliver heavy-handed messages about “second chances” to encourage Day to get back together with Mhok (more on that in the next section).

I did enjoy the brief nods in this episode to the brothers continuing to have newfound harmony in their relationship, but where the show really lost me was in their attempt to bring Night and Day’s dad back into the mix and imply some sort of resolution between him and Mhon. Mhon, a woman whose perspective on their split we never actually saw, whose motivation for her choices and behavior toward her sons were completely elided by the narrative, who was forgiven and made peace with offscreen during a time skip. I was never given the chance to understand her or what this relationship meant to her in the first place, so why would I care about these scenes with her making her peace with this man? I continue to be so confused about where this show chose to spend its time, and why someone with Aof’s track record on developing strong and narratively important familial relationships dropped the ball so much with her.

The Romance

Okay, let’s get into it, and remember what I said about not reading if this is going to hurt your feelings! My criteria for considering a romance successful is I have to believe the relationship is mutual, beneficial to both of the pair, and that the couple is prepared to weather future challenges. Last Twilight’s romance fails on all three fronts, and it all comes down to the total imbalance in the relationship that persisted right through the final scenes.

This entire narrative has been Mhok bending to Day’s will, giving Day what he needs, forgiving him for everything, and letting him make all the decisions about the relationship, and the finale was regrettably more of the same. In episode 11, Mhok made a mistake when he lied to Day about turning down the job in Hawaii. But he made that mistake out of grief and fear, and Day didn’t care—he unfeelingly rejected him and his pain and ended their relationship without a second thought. That was potentially forgivable as a momentary lapse borne out of instinctual hurt, and could have been repairable had Day reconsidered soon after and extended Mhok some grace. But in this episode, we find out Day blocked Mhok and refused to communicate with him again after that night, and has left Mhok completely in the cold for three years after he failed to be perfect one (1) time.

And this episode? Was on Day’s side in this conflict. Mhok is the one to return and start pursuing Day again. Mhok is the one to broach the topic of their breakup. Mhok is the one to thank Day for breaking his heart and tell him he did nothing wrong (y’all, I almost threw something at the screen). Mhok’s grief and trauma go completely unaddressed in this finale until they try to play the Rung card for one last moment of sentiment. Day cries to his mother about how he just doesn’t know if he can forgive Mhok. And in the end, Mhok makes the grand gesture, missing his flight to go to Day and stay in Thailand with him despite the successful life he has built in Hawaii.

The cognitive dissonance I felt watching this play out was extreme. I rarely see a writer misunderstand their own characters and relationship conflict so thoroughly. In order to believe in this romance we needed to see Day finally show some empathy for Mhok, take responsibility for his own mistakes, and be the one to make an effort this time. We needed to believe that Day has the capacity to be a supportive partner to Mhok even when he’s struggling. But Day didn’t demonstrate any of that, and so I simply don’t believe in this relationship. I don’t believe Mhok can trust Day not to abandon him again when some other major life event intervenes and Mhok is less than perfect. And that’s a shame, because the show really almost had something here with these two.

And that’s all I got. What a disappointment this show turned out to be. If you need me, I will just be over here in my little corner imagining the Night and Porjai romcom that we never got and pretending the rest of this show ended several weeks ago.

#last twilight #last twilight the series #thai bl #shan shouts into the void

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i-like-writing-stuff · 2 years

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retirement [five hargreeves x reader]

a/n: hi guys! it’s been a while hehe, so i hope ull enjoy this short x reader with the one and only five yall know i love sm, homeboy did not disappoint this season neither lmao. season 3 just premiered and i already have finished it:(

can i just say

WHAT THE ACTUAL FVUCK

either way, id b happy to discuss with yall opinions and such and also feel free to leave requests!

ill leave warnings at the beginning of each imagine if it shall be the case

i.e. this imagine takes place right in the first episode!!

also, forgive my english, havent really spoken in a while and dont even get me started on the writing

enjoy besties!

summary: now that the second apocalypse is over, five and y/n can finally retire and maybe finally make their moves?

“You know, Five... Sometimes I do wish I’d never met you,” You took a sip from your wine, watching as the preteen in question rolled his eyes playfully at you.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a delight as well, Y/N,” He nonchalantly dismissed you, continuing to eat his Chinese takeout.

After surviving not one, but two apocalypses alongside Five Hargreeves and his siblings, you guys wound up back in your timeline, only to find out your trip to the 60s caused some changes in the present, such as Sir Reginald Hargreeves deciding against adopting Luther, Diego, Klaus, Ben, Allison, Viktor and Five, and instead some seven other dickheads with superpowers.

Your encounter was far from pleasant.

Six months ago you were planning to retire from the Commission, since you were almost sixty and had had your fair share of missions, so you figured one last task with your partner, Five, would be the good way to end things. Well, one thing led to another and instead of taking out JFK, you woke up in 2019, in your preteen body, in an unknown backyard with unknown people, who turned out to be your partner’s siblings.

One thing led to another and you guys bonded over the span of 10 days in an attempt to save the world, but that is a story for another time.

After those 10 days, you time traveled once again and woke up in 1963, alone, in a school. Some teacher found you and took you in, thinking you were a lost 13 year old girl, but then again, that is a story for another time.

Six months passed until you reunited with the Hargreeves siblings in yet another attempt to save the world.

Two more weeks and you were back in 2019, but things did not go according to plan.

“Still don’t understand how you two have not banged yet,” Klaus shook his head disappointed, as Diego and Luther couldn’t help but not in agreement.

You tried not to blush, but Klaus’ bluntness always got the best of you. Spending this time with Five on top of being a teen again took a toll on you. You’ve known Five for long before the apocalypse. When the Handler recruited him, she trusted you to be his partner, since you were basically her right hand. The bickering was there even back then, but these past six months you started seeing him with different eyes, in a different light.

“I’d rather choke on chopsticks,” You were quick to deny any indecent thought, “You’re sick, by the way.”

“And you’re sixty, so bye,” Klaus smirked, hopping from his stool.

“Too retired to even bother,” Five shrugged his shoulders, watching as his two other brothers followed Klaus.

“I’m gonna get more food,” Luther lightly shrugged his shoulders, making his way to the buffet.

“I refuse to third wheel 13 year olds,” Diego stated, scratching the back of his neck.

You watched confused as the three men all left the table, leaving you alone with Five, who did not seem bothered at all.

“I’ll never get used to your brothers,” You shook your head, taking another sip from your wine, “You people are too much.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Five scoffed, watching as you were playing with your glass.

“So, retirement, huh?” You changed the subject, “What are your plans now that the world is safe?”

“I didn’t think much of it, to be honest,” Five shrugged, “Weren’t you supposed to retire after the JFK mission? What did you have in mind?”

You smiled softly, looking at your wine, “I was gonna buy a mansion in Italy, 1970s or so... maybe get a dog and cat, start producing my own wine... I don’t know, I didn’t plan much.”

“Of course there’s a lot of wine in your retirement plans,” Five smirked, as you playfully smacked his arm, “Ow!”

“You’re officially banned from visiting me in Italy,” You stated, biting back a chuckle.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to anyway,” Five lightly shrugged his shoulders, not once dropping his smirk, “Besides- you wouldn’t last a day without me.”

“Excuse you?” You scoffed, placing your hand on top of your chest for a more dramatic effect, “Last I checked, you were the one who dragged me along this whacky adventure.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I knew you’d be devastated at the Commission without me,” He replied with the same cocky air as usual, which made you ponder on the situation.

Is this Five’s way of flirting with you? During the time you spent together ever since operation Doomsday started back in the original timeline of 2019, there may have been a few... interesting moments to say the least. Like when he first opened up to you about being worried sick for his siblings, or when he gave you the tightest embrace after reuniting with you in 1963. There was also that time when you two held hands on your way to meet his father.

Moments like these that you couldn’t help but cherish with utmost happiness, but not once letting yourself get sidetracked. There was an apocalypse going on, neither of you had time for this.

But now?

Now there’s no apocalypse anymore. Granted, there still are some issues that would be best to fix, but it’s not like they’d bring the end of the world if not.

So, why not?

“If I didn’t know you any better, Five Hargreeves,” You smirked, leaning in closer to the boy, with your glass of wine in one hand, “I’d say you are flirting with me.”

Five shook his head amused, watching you sip your precious wine so close to him. If the wine was intoxicating you, you definitely were the one intoxicating him. It took him some while before he could accept that he had feelings for you, but he couldn’t say either that he was surprised when he realized.

He really felt like you were absolutely perfect, no doubt in his mind.

“And would that bother you?” Five raised a brow, resting his arm on the back of your chair, leaning in even closer.

“I can’t say it would be unpleasant,” You set down your wine, curious to see where this would go.

“You’re such a tease, Y/N,” Five rolled his eyes, “But... I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

“Will you just kiss me already?” You sighed, watching a genuine smile appear on his lips, as he leaned in, connecting your lips at last.

You cupped his face, melting into the long-awaited kiss. On one hand, you couldn’t believe this was finally happening, and on the other hand, you couldn’t believe this was actually happening. You and Five were finally done with apocalypses, trying to save the world and the Commission.

You could officially both retire.

“Does this mean I can visit you in Italy?” He whispered, as you two pulled away from the kiss, but still painfully close to one another.

“Ah, who can’t last a day without the other now?” You smirked, pulling him into another kiss.

#five x reader #five hargreeves #number five x reader #number five imagines #five hargreeves x reader #tua x reader #tua season 3 #The Umbrella Academy #the umbrella academy x reader

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plutoccult · 4 months

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HAIKYUU X THE OFFICE AU — EPISODE FOUR: OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

pairing: sugawara koushi x female reader

description: it’s the holidays, and that means it’s time for the annual office christmas party where everyone participates in secret santa. much to sugawara’s delight, he has picked your name for secret santa this year and plans to make it count.

word count: 5.6k

also available to read on my ao3 here

author’s note: hello and happy holidays! i will admit i’ve been struggling to stay motivated with this series, but i have to remind myself that i’m mainly writing this for MY enjoyment at the end of the day. i’m the ultimate sugawara warrior and it shall stay that way. anyway, it’s christmastime, so of course i’m writing a christmas episode! i strayed away from parts of the episode quite a bit. this definitely has more focus on sugawara than the reader this time around, but i’m not mad about it. it’s nice to see an angsty, pining suga 🤭 i almost thought this would have to be split into two parts, but i’d rather keep it as one. i also made a playlist for sugawara and the reader a good bit ago, so here’s the link here (i am very much open to song suggestions)! i’m so excited to get closer to my favorite episode ever, and i hope you guys enjoy!

tags: @toorubobatea @cowgirlikets @dragon-slayer5 (ily ty for hyping me up) @femme-lune @kazuchaos @bakagun1312 @beingbrokenfitsus @mumblepingu @daedaep69 @darthferbert @intheewrld @msbyomimi @sukxma @akari-fujikawa

taglist form here

christmas was always the best time of year for the office. the holiday spirit was at its peak, everyone loved being a part of it, especially your boss, ukai. he took christmas more seriously than everyone else, even kiyoko who primarily handled planning the annual office christmas party each year. ukai took it so seriously that he chopped his own tree and brought it to the office building, dragging tanaka along in his shenanigans towards festive greatness.

tanaka huffed and puffed as he let go of the bottom half of the tree, ukai holding the top half. “ukai, i don’t think it’s gonna fit.”

“that’s what she said.” ukai joked, resisting the urge to snicker. it was like he was a child in a grown man’s body. plus, that joke aged like milk. only he found it funny.

“no, like, it’s really not gonna fit.” tanaka said.

“again, that’s what she—”

“WE CAN’T FIT THE GODDAMN TREE THROUGH THE DOOR, UKAI!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, completely frustrated with his boss. you could hear tanaka from your desk inside the office, but it came out muffled, so you couldn’t quite make out what was being said. you assumed it was idiotic activities as always.

“i’ll make it fit.” ukai insisted, the spirit of christmas granting him all the determination he needed.

“lemme guess, you’re gonna say that’s what she said, right?” tanaka let out a sigh.

“don’t make me fire you, tanaka.” ukai threatened.

“should’ve just got a fake tree.” tanaka rolled his eyes. yeah, that definitely would’ve worked just fine, but this was ukai here. the man was crazy. he would never do anything the normal way.

“i guess that would’ve worked…” ukai said as he pondered over how he would get this tree through the door, quickly thinking of his idea of the best way to do it. “alright, on three, we’re gonna shove this through and hope for the best. got it?”

“i guess?” no. tanaka didn’t get it, but he had no choice.

“too bad. one… two… THREE!”

with one big push, ukai and tanaka burst through the doors of the office. the tree toppled to the floor, bringing them along with it. the sound startled just about everyone, having been doing their typical duties. to you, it just felt like any other day, and you didn’t bother to help the two men.

tanaka fell face first into the pile of pine, aggressively coughing as he wiped any pine needles off his face. “i think i swallowed a pine needle.”

“well, merry fucking christmas.” ukai said enthusiastically. he seriously needed to be scolded over his cursing.

“ukai!”

•••

in the first time in, well, ever, suga was actually excited to be doing an interview for the documentary crew. why? because of this year’s secret santa.

“so this year, for the first time ever, i got finally y/n for secret santa. i’m pretty excited about it, and i really wanted to do something special for her, so i got her this teapot. as much coffee as she drinks here, y/n is way more of a tea person—i would know—so with this she can make tea at her desk.” suga said excitedly, showing off your gift for the camera.

“but i also stuffed it with some inside jokes, that’s what makes it so special, you know.” he continued, carefully digging through the teapot to show off said inside jokes. “like, this is my high school volleyball photo. she saw it fall out of my wallet on my first day here, and it really made her laugh. not sure why, but i’m letting her have it now.”

with the biggest grin on his face, suga dug through the teapot for more, pulling out a wasabi packet, but it wasn’t just any ordinary packet of wasabi. this had a story behind it, one that had meaning for suga.

“ooh. this is a wasabi packet. she put this on a hot dog a couple years ago because she thought it was relish.” he explained. “i thought it was really funny, so i kept the other two.”

after telling the wasabi story, suga held up a mini toy of a chili pepper with a kawaii face, but made a squeaking noise when someone squished it. poor sound guy jumped when it almost blasted his eardrums.

“this is actually a toy for dogs or babies or something, i don’t know.” suga shrugged. “but i saw it, it was cute, and it reminded me of awards night, so i thought; why not?”

but the most important gift of all—one that outsold everything in that teapot—was a card suga wrote just for you, detailing his feelings towards you all on paper. “and then, uh, this is a special card i wrote for y/n… because christmas is the time to tell people how you feel.”

oh, the documentary crew was going to eat this up.

•••

kiyoko and yachi were put up with the task of decorating for the party, forcing many of their coworkers to partake. they also had to deal with ukai’s hack job of a christmas tree. the two girls tried their best to salvage it, throwing as many ornaments and tinsel on it as possible, but it was a losing battle. it was just going to be an ugly tree, so they put the rest of their effort into decorating the conference room.

when it seemed like they were done with everything, kiyoko made her rounds, examining each decoration, but by the end, she wasn’t a fan. “i don’t like it.”

“you… don’t?” yachi questioned.

honestly, it was the perfect scene; red and green decorations perfectly put together, all strategically placed, but if kiyoko didn’t like it, then it simply meant that more work needed to be done.

“we need more lights.” kiyoko said. “i need someone tall.”

“count me out.” tsukishima, who sat down while drinking a soda, spoke up. he had been put through enough, he was tired of decorating.

“i wasn’t asking you, tsukki.” kiyoko rolled her eyes.

“only yamaguchi is allowed to call me that.” tsukishima said.

“whatever.” she scoffed. “uh, who’s super tall and buff…?”

kiyoko and yachi share a look. they instantly knew exactly who to find.

“asahi.” they say in unison.

not only were the two girls on the same page, they knew exactly how to rope asahi into this mess, and it was all up to yachi to get the job done. “asahi, help! i’m dying!”

“dying?! who’s dying?!” asahi bolted into the conference room, only to find no one was actually in trouble.

“i’m dying… for you to hang up these lights for us.” yachi said with a grin as she held up a roll of christmas lights.

he didn’t have much choice, so asahi let out a sigh before ultimately giving in. “okay…”

•••

“i found that asahi will do pretty much anything for me because he’s afraid i’ll be a scaredy cat around him again.” yachi spoke confidently to the camera while the party preparations were happening behind her. “he’d probably commit murder for me, who knows?”

asahi, who overheard her, yelled out in defense for himself. “that is NOT true!”

“keep hanging up those lights!” she yelled at asahi, who immediately went back to work, further solidifying her point. “see? he totally would. he’s the best.”

•••

right before the party was about to start, ukai exited his office dressed like santa. you immediately laugh and try to mask it with a cough, but ukai caught you anyways. “something funny, y/n?”

“yeah, you look ridiculous.” you snort, covering your mouth to muffle out your laughter.

“that’s the point. this party is supposed to be fun.” ukai said sassily. “i want everyone to let loose. i want this party to be reminiscent of my frat boy days.”

“you were in a frat? what was it called?” you ask him, intrigued to hear his answer.

“beta schmeta—” yeah, he wasn’t actually in a frat. “whatever. all i’m trying to say is i want everyone to get lit!”

you cringe at ukai’s use of outdated slang. “that is so seven years ago…”

“yeah, and i want it to happen anyway.” he said.

“your way of getting lit is drinking, and we’re not allowed to have liquor in the office, so...” you reply. you were always one to follow rules. well, for the most part, at least. it was hard to have any sort of structure at an office ran by someone like ukai.

“don’t… don’t remind me, dammit.” ukai cursed. “stupid corporate losers. like booze ever killed anybody.”

you always found your boss was painfully stupid at times, and this was definitely one of those times. but even so, you tried to combat it every time, always failing no matter what.

“but booze has killed—” you began to say.

“anyway!” he cut you off, tired of this conversation and ready to party. ukai then waved tanaka over to him so they could get the party started. “tanaka, let’s get this show on the road! announcement, everybody! listen to tanaka because he’s a better at yelling than me, as shown earlier when he yelled in my face!”

“yes, everybody listen up!” tanaka yelled out. “you better have your presents wrapped up and ready to go under the tree because we will not wait for you and you will be disqualified from secret santa! don’t be that guy! nobody likes to be that guy, so don’t be him!”

you let out a groan as you grab your present for secret santa from under your desk, eyeing the camera on your way to put it under the tree.

“please, don’t let this party suck ass.” you whisper to yourself. you hear tsukishima snicker behind you, an “ow!” soon following, assuming it was yamaguchi smacking him on the back of his head.

•••

“i love christmas. christmas is fun. it’s the best time of the year besides my birthday.” ukai said, still dressed like santa, knowing this would be seen on television one day. “why do i love christmas, you may ask? because i get free stuff, and who doesn’t love free stuff?”

•••

everyone gathered around the tree, placing their presents underneath. one could compare it to christmas morning with your family. some may argue that this office is like a family, while some may think otherwise, but regardless, it was nice for everyone to be together in harmony.

after daichi and tanaka argued over who would light up the tree—mainly because daichi didn’t trust him with outlets—tanaka was finally given the rein, or, well, extension cord.

“everybody ready?” he asked, a mix of nods and “uh-huh” in response.

“okay, and…” the tree is lit up, but it’s quite dim. “yikes.”

silence plagued the room. no one expected the lighting of the tree to be so anti-climatic, especially since the office makes such a big deal out of christmas every year. kiyoko practically wanted to die of embarrassment given she was responsible for the decorations, even if yachi was the one who brought in the lights from her apartment.

while no one said a word, you were the one to speak up, praising the tree for kiyoko and yachi’s sake. “well, i think the tree looks quite nice.”

“thanks, y/n, but you don’t have to lie.” yachi frowned.

“no, it’s a lovely tree.” ukai insisted. “let’s do secret santa now, okay? tanaka, pick who gets the first present.”

tanaka walked over to the tree and picked up a random present, reading who its intended for. “and it’s… tsukishima.”

“oh?” once handed the gift, tsukishima ripped away the wrapping paper to unveil a dinosaur plushie. much to everyone’s surprise, he was delighted by the gift. “aw, this is actually really nice.”

“oh, thank god.” nishinoya let out the biggest sigh of relief one could take. “that was from me.”

“wow, thanks, nishinoya.” tsukishima said with a smile. someone may as well pass out from shock now. christmas truly brought all types of miracles.

•••

“that is literally the nicest thing tsukishima will ever say to me!” nishinoya exclaimed. “i’m serious! i’ve officially peaked at life!”

•••

secret santa rolled along smoothly so far. suga ended up getting a card, which contained a twenty dollar bill inside, the limit for this year’s secret santa. kageyama claimed he didn’t know what to get, but suga wasn’t all too phased by it. who doesn’t like free money? besides, he was too eager for it to be your turn. luckily for him, it was happening right now.

“y/n, you’re next.” suga perked up once he heard your name, knowing your present would be from him.

you take the box from tanaka with a grin before opening up your gift. inside was the teapot suga spoke of to the documentary crew earlier, although you weren’t aware of its secret contents inside just yet, especially the card. you show off the teapot to your coworkers, and suga was notably the only one excited to see it in your hands. it made you wonder who your secret santa happened to be…

“wow, thank you very much, santa.” you say slyly. “whoever you are, you did good.”

“there’s a little more to it.” suga leaned over and said to you quietly.

oh. so your inkling of a suspicion was right, after all. now you were itching to see what was inside, but the office had to keep the show rolling, which completely distracted you from the anticipation.

“alright, next. asahi.” tanaka threw the present to asahi, which made ukai freak out.

“jesus, tanaka!” he yelled out. such a reaction instantly gave away that ukai was the one to get a gift for asahi. “easy, easy!”

moving on from ukai’s sudden outburst, asahi unwrapped his gift, shocked to see what was inside. “an ipad?”

yeah, ukai got asahi an ipad. asahi was just as shocked as everyone else, and he was the one to receive such a gift. clearly ukai felt he could bend the rules, but no one was happy about it, and it would surely be known soon enough.

“woah. wow. jeez. somebody really got carried away with the spirit of christmas...” ukai said, acting all nonchalant before he revealed himself as asahi’s secret santa, but everyone figures it out anyway. “that was me, i got a little carried away.”

“i don’t even know what to do with this…” asahi said to himself.

“ukai, you got way more than carried away.” you scolded your boss. “you spent god knows what on that thing! we had a limit!”

“okay, well, who cares?” ukai shrugged. “it doesn't matter what i spent. what matters is that christmas is fun, right?”

“it’s kind of unfair.” you cross your arms, but ukai could care less about your irritation, although everyone else was in agreement with you.

“whatever.” he rolled his eyes. “who’s next?”

“you are, ukai.” tanaka said.

“i am? great.” ukai was handed a small bag, opening it up and finding mittens inside, which he wasn’t happy about whatsoever. “really?”

“i knitted them myself…” yachi said shyly. she knew she should’ve knitted a scarf instead.

“mittens? pft, okay.” ukai then proceeded to walk out, confusing everyone.

“uh… did he just leave?”

•••

“these mittens? pathetic. i gave asahi an ipad for christ’s sake. i spent my hard earned money while yachi just did some fucking knitting.” ukai complained, unbothered by his cursing for the umpteenth time. “censor me, i don’t care!”

•••

left to their own devices, the employees of japan pulp and paper weren’t sure if they should continue secret santa without their boss. thankfully, ukai returned with a solution, although not a great one.

“i got it!” he burst through the office doors as if nothing happened. “we are going to turn secret santa into yankee swap.”

“what’s yankee swap?” suga questioned.

“one person chooses a gift, then the next person can either choose a gift or steal that person's gift. if your gift gets stolen, then you can steal somebody else's gift or choose a new gift.” ukai explained. it was confusing coming out of his mouth, but you were just going to roll with it anyway.

“yuck, why are we doing this?” tsukishima questioned, wanting absolutely no parts of ukai’s typical nonsense.

“because it's better, more special.” ukai replied. “duh.”

tsukishima wasn’t the only one who didn’t like this idea. kiyoko was practically fuming about it, especially since it spawned from ukai’s strong dislike towards yachi’s gift. “it’s mean, ukai. that’s what it is.”

“it’s not mean.” he said. kiyoko couldn’t believe how much of an ass he was being right now.

“yes, it is.” she argued. “you’re only doing this because you hate your present and you’re bitter yachi didn’t ball out for you like you did for asahi, which no one asked you to do, by the way.”

“no, it’s not.” ukai argued back. “just give it a shot.”

“i’d rather not, actually. i’ll be taking my present, which is…” kiyoko picked up a card with her name on it and opened it up. “a gift card for coffee. thanks, takeda. and whoever doesn’t want any part of this nonsense can take their gifts and hang with me in the conference room. yachi and i made sugar cookies and they’re very delicious.”

as kiyoko and yachi went to the conference for some real fun, suga followed, much to ukai’s surprise, including yours, although your boss was more vocal about it. “really, suga?”

“yeah, you guys have fun.” suga said before disappearing into the conference room.

“i’m coming too.” tsukishima stood up, clutching onto his new plushie. he couldn’t believe he and suga were on the same page for once. “for the sugar cookies, obviously.”

“yeah, okay.” suga snickered. well, not totally on the same page.

“shut up, sugawara.” tsukishima scoffed before dragging yamaguchi with him to the conference room.

as you watched suga leave with the others, part of you felt guilty. you wanted to follow him, but at the same time, you didn’t want to seem like a little puppy dog following its owner. besides, you were itching to get that ipad too. the teapot is just a teapot, right? you didn’t think there could be anything that special about it, but you couldn’t be more wrong right now.

•••

“why didn’t you opt out of yankee swap?” one of the crew members asked you, stirring the pot—or teapot—for the sake of the drama with suga.

“i don’t know. i thought it’d be fun.” you lie with a little shrug before revealing the whole truth. “plus, i kind of want to get the ipad. i can binge watch my shows with it while ryo hogs up the tv.”

this was totally ruining the crew’s spicy plans right now.

•••

while ukai’s yankee swap commenced, suga obsessively watched the events unravel from the conference room. he didn’t even try one of kiyoko and yachi’s sugar cookies yet. the man was a mess, hoping and praying that teapot wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. it was meant for you and only you, why would you chance giving it up? suga knew it had to be the ipad. he never hated ukai more than he did right now for buying that stupid thing.

the others sat around quietly playing christmas music, snacking on cookies and chatting in the midst of suga’s lovelorn crisis. kiyoko decided to go talk to him and figure out what was up with him, but she had to do a bit of warming up first.

“hey, suga.” she said, forcing him out of his trance. “who did you get for secret santa?”

“oh, um, i got y/n.” suga replied.

to be honest, kiyoko was shocked that suga was capable was picking out something so sweet, but then again, this was suga. of course he would do that. “aw, cute. i really like that teapot.”

“i put little inside jokes inside the teapot.” he added. “plus, um, a really personal card.”

“saying…?” she raised an eyebrow.

“nothing. it’s not important.” suga shook his head. such a terrible lie.

“i think it is, sugawara.” kiyoko said.

suga hated how kiyoko was catching up to him. why did he have to mention that the card was really personal? it was more than just personal, the poor sap poured his feelings out to you in that card. he read it over a dozen times, making sure there were no spelling or grammar mistakes whatsoever. his brain felt like mush by the time he felt the card had reached its best version. this gift had to be perfect, but it never stood a chance at being that way, it seemed.

he had to get the attention off his back before kiyoko fully got the picture of the gift’s important, and thankfully, he knew exactly where to push her buttons. as suga once said, manipulation at its finest.

“shouldn’t you be worried about tanaka giving up the gift you got him?” he questioned. yeah, he heard a little bit from the grapevine about that.

“how did you know?” kiyoko gasped. she knew someone had to snitch. “yachi, was it you?!”

“no, never!” yachi exclaimed.

“actually, daichi told me.” suga smirked.

“that bitch.” kiyoko cursed. it was one more reason to want to slap the shit out of daichi. “whatever. i don’t care what he does with my gift anyway…”

suga let out a chuckle knowing kiyoko was playing off her crush on tanaka—one that was much more innocent than how he felt about you, an engaged woman—but his laughter quickly faded when he looked back at what was going on outside. “oh no.”

“oh no, what?” kiyoko questioned.

“hinata has the teapot.” suga replied. he then let out a loud groan, one that caught the attention of tsukishima who was trying to figure out why suga was acting more of a weirdo than usual.

“oh god, he’ll break it.” yachi said with a quiet gasp.

“i can’t watch.” suga turned away, covering his face with his hands. this was too painful for him to bear.

“y/n took the ipad.” kiyoko spoke up. as if hearing that made this any better.

“please don’t commentate like it’s a football game, kiyoko.” suga whined.

“sorry…”

tsukishima furrowed his eyebrows as he watched suga wail in agony, then gave a look to the camera. he had a weird feeling about this.

•••

“i’m just going to throw a theory out there.” tsukishima said plainly. “you don’t have to say anything, but i can read your faces. sugawara has feelings for y/n, doesn’t he?”

the documentary crew was unsure how to respond, but tsukishima guessed it right instantly. they knew, one by one, slowly but surely, the whole office would figure it out.

“that’s what i thought.”

•••

yankee swap continued, and it only got worse from there. your teapot was passed around like a hot potato, and it was torturous for suga to watch it all unfold. the sparkling cider kiyoko brought just wasn’t sparkling enough for him to dull this soul-sucking ache in his heart.

“i have to get that teapot back.” suga said. “if y/n doesn’t want it, then no one else should have it…”

it’s true. not even because of the card, but because it was specifically catered for you. outside it was just a teapot, but inside was a plethora of memories from your years of friendship. suga may be hopelessly in love with you, but your friendship meant the world to him at the end of the day.

“that’s…” yamaguchi paused. there was only one way to describe this. “really depressing.”

“it’s cause he has feelings for her.” tsukishima blurted out. everyone turned and looked at him in shock. did he really just say that right now?

“do not!” suga protested.

this was suga’s worst nightmare. was it always obvious? did anyone else know? did you know already? the questions swirled in his head a mile a minute. he was absolutely freaking out. from you giving up the teapot to this fiasco, the holidays simply couldn’t get any worse for suga. he just couldn’t catch a break, it seemed.

“ha, you so do! i figured you out, sugawara. you’re in love with y/n.” tsukishima smirked, almost finding joy in his suffering. actually, he found joy in everyone’s suffering, so this wasn’t much different, but since it was suga, he found it much more thrilling.

“what do you want? money?” suga asked desperately. it was the only solution he could think of so this secret wouldn’t spill anywhere else.

and since he mentioned it, tsukishima wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity. “yeah, gimme that twenty kageyama gave you.”

“suga, wait.” kiyoko stopped him. “do you really have feelings for y/n?”

ignoring her question, suga quickly handed the money to tsukishima. kiyoko couldn’t believe it. he really did have feelings for you, and now everyone in the room knew it. “oh my god…”

“this secret doesn’t leave this room.” suga demanded. he bought tsukishima’s silence, but luckily for him, everyone else didn’t need to be convinced with money. at least he hoped so...

now that he got that out of the way, suga checked in to see what was going on at the party, and it seemed like yankee swap had ended. worst of all, your teapot was nowhere in his sight. “wait, they’re dispersing. why are they dispersing?”

“ukai probably did something stupid and ruined the party even more.” tsukishima scoffed.

“who has the teapot? who has it?!” suga asked frantically like a madman.

“i think i see tanaka with it.” yachi said, pointing to him with what seemed like the teapot in his possession. it was worse than hinata having it, honestly, and suga needed it back now.

“NO!”

suga bolted out of the conference room, scanning the office floor to find tanaka. however, you walk up to him, holding the ipad in your hands. “hey! ukai left to get booze. he said screw the rules, i guess.”

“oh, really?” he asked. “great. i’ll need it.”

“yankee swap was kinda chaotic, but look who came out on top?” you say excitedly, showing him your new gift.

“that’s nice.” suga said quickly so he could get back to his mission. “uh, where’s tanaka?”

“break room.” you reply.

“great, thanks.” suga swiftly walked past you, abruptly ending your conversation. you found it a little odd, but ended up shrugging it off and heading back to your desk.

in a flash, suga walked into the break room, finding tanaka right where he needed him. “hey, tanaka. i need to talk to you. it’s about the teapot.”

“nuh-uh.” tanaka shook his head. he knew exactly what suga was up to, but he didn’t quite know the reason why, he just knew suga wanted that teapot. “don’t even, suga. this is mine.”

“really?” suga sighed. he had to get it back, someway, somehow. “look, it has sentimental value, tanaka. can i buy it from you? i’m willing to pay a lot.”

“no. i want it. i'm going to use it.” tanaka held it close to his chest like it was a baby.

“you don't even drink tea.” suga said.

“true.” tanaka shrugged. “but it lowkey looks like i could make a bong out of it.”

oh god. this was definitely way worse than hinata having the teapot.

•••

“to think that my gift for y/n will be used for that…” suga began to say, taking a deep breath, almost overcome with emotion. “it’s just too much for me.”

•••

suga walked out of the break room, absolutely defeated he couldn’t get the teapot back. even worse, he found you showing off your new gift to ryo, crushing him even more. despite the pang in his heart, suga couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.

“this is awesome.” he heard ryo say.

“i know.” you reply. “look at the quality on this thing. i can watch stuff in 4k on this.”

“yeah, i was gonna get you one of these for christmas, but now i don't have to since you got one for free.” he said happily, thrilled at the thought of not having to spend that much money on you. it made suga want to barf. “i'm gonna save a ton of money.”

“so what are you going to get me instead?” you ask him.

“i don't know. probably like, an ugly sweater or something.” ryo shrugged.

you look to the camera in disgust before their attention turned to ukai coming back to the office with bottles of alcohol. as if you needed more of that in your life after what happened last time you drank.

“ho, ho, ho!” ukai greeted everyone, on theme with his silly outfit. “santa has come with spirits, as in booze.”

“we’re really not supposed to serve alcohol, ukai…” takeda said, trying to keep his job by the end of the day.

“no one cares, specs.” ukai scoffed, typical when it came to talking to takeda. “it’s a party and it’s christmas! if i can't throw a good party for my employees, then i’m the worst boss ever, and that contradicts with my world’s best boss awards! so, who wants a drink?”

practically everyone raised their hands instantly.

•••

“if i’ve learned anything from my time at japan pulp and paper, it’s that alcohol solves all your problems.” ukai grinned. what terrible advice, the crew thought. “everyone’s having a good time, and why is that? alcohol. i’m such a good influence!”

•••

despite the whole secret santa fiasco, everyone seemed to be having a good time. at least now you could all have fun, even if it was with the help of alcohol. well, plus the food too. that too always helped.

while christmas music blared and many of your coworkers danced on the office floor, suga found you sitting behind your desk, wondering why you weren’t partaking in the festive shenanigans.

“you know, you don't have to answer calls during a party.” he said cheekily. “just thought you should know.”

“oh, i know.” you say, revealing the teapot to suga, showing that it was now yours once again. “i was just checking out my new teapot here.”

“what?” suga gasped. “but how?”

“well, it ended up with nishinoya after tanaka traded it for kiyoko’s gift, so i didn’t have to do much convincing to get it back.” you explained to him. “i figured, you know, letting it go was really stupid of me because what should matter most is that the gift is from you, so i went to get it back. i hope you’re not mad at me...”

it was a christmas miracle for suga, even if you simply just made a trade with nishinoya. of course he would give it up for the ipad. thank god he did, and thank god you were willing to let go of such a lucrative gift for one made with love instead. words couldn’t describe the relief suga felt right now.

“i’m glad, actually. and not to be totally biased right now, but this is an amazing gift because it comes with bonus gifts.” suga said. “look inside.”

suga’s reassurance put you at ease, and as directed, you look inside the teapot, pulling out his infamous volleyball photo. you had never been so happy to have that teapot. if only you knew before. “oh my god. no way.”

•••

you proudly hold up your teapot for the documentary crew, a huge grin on your face, one that only suga could bring out of you. “yeah, i think i made the right choice.”

•••

you looked through the rest of the contents in the teapot, and while you weren’t looking, suga stole the card he wrote back and shoved it in his pocket. he just couldn’t bring himself to let you read it. maybe someday, but not today. the timing is just wrong.

“is this a chili pepper?” you ask as you hold up the toy.

“yeah, cause you’re banned from chili’s. look, it makes noises.” suga squeezed the chili pepper, accidentally ghosting his fingers over yours, and you jump from the squeaking sound coming out of the chili pepper toy. totally not from his soft touch either.

you felt like an idiot for giving this up before. it helped you learn to not judge a book by its cover. you knew that’s something you learn as a kid, but sometimes you have to learn something all over again as an adult. at least you came to your senses. there was still so much for you to figure out.

“you’ve outdone yourself, suga.” you smile and look into suga’s eyes.

“it’s about time i got you for secret santa.” suga replied. god, why did you have to be so beautiful?

“yeah, it really has.“ you say, holding your gaze before gulping when you think you’ve been staring at him for too long. little did you know, he wouldn’t have minded looking into your eyes a little longer. “merry christmas, suga.”

if suga has learned anything about christmas, it’s that it’s definitely not the time to tell people how you feel. he knew that now, no matter how much it hurt. in his eyes, if you had to take some time to come around to fully accepting the teapot, then you had to take your time accepting a life without ryo, potentially in favor for a life with him instead. the only question now was when? it was only a matter of time before suga will grow impatient.

sometimes suga felt like he was better off shoving his feelings down his throat, and you felt the same way. what you have is beautifully complicated, but suga swore that one day he’d tell you how he felt. it just had to be the perfect time.

“merry christmas, y/n.”

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ncisfranchise-source · 2 months

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“Tiva” is back. CBS Studios is expanding its ever growing NCIS franchise by bringing back two fan favorite characters from the mothership series, Tony DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly, and Ziva David, portrayed by Cote de Pablo, who will reunite on screen for the first time in 10 years. Paramount+ has given a 10-episode series order to the untitled spinoff headlined by Weatherly and de Pablo and written by John McNamara (Trumbo, The Magicians). All three executive produce.

Nicknamed NCIS: Europe, the new action-packed spinoff, set to start production later this year, will follow Tony (Weatherly) and Ziva (de Pablo) as they find themselves on the run across the continent.

NCIS is one of CBS Studios’ most valuable franchises and its expansion has been a goal for the studio. This is one of two new NCIS offshoots greenlighted this year, along with the Young Gibbs prequel series for CBS, NCIS: Origins. It is also the second extension of the NCIS franchise beyond the U.S., following NCIS: Sydney, which has been airing on CBS in the U.S.

After Ziva’s (de Pablo) supposed death, Tony (Weatherly) left the NCIS team to go raise their daughter. Years later, Ziva was discovered alive, leading her to complete one final mission with NCIS before she was reunited with Tony and their daughter in Paris. Since then – and where we find them in the new Paramount+ original series – Tony and Ziva have been raising their daughter, Tali, together. When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, trying to figure out who is after them and maybe even learn to trust each other again so that they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.

“We’ve been talking about this story for many years, and now with John McNamara at the helm, we are ready,” Weatherly and de Pablo said. “The world of Tony and Ziva (and daughter Tali) promises to be an action-packed roller coaster fueled by love, danger, tears and laughter. We also want to acknowledge and thank the fans from around the world who supported the ‘Tiva’ movement for years. To this day, they say hello in grocery stores and on the street to tell us how much these characters mean to them and ask what Tony and Ziva are up to now. This is for you!”

Weatherly hinted at a potential ‘Tiva’ reunion last month when his New Year’s tweet, “It’s time to look at time and enjoy the moment!” prompted a fan to respond, “We all would rather look at you and Ziva reuniting.” Weatherly highlighted the comment, adding, “Stay tuned… for this might be an interesting year for such ‘moments’!” He further fueled speculation this week by responding to a fan tweet lamenting about him and de Pablo, “miss the chemistry and magic you both create,” with the cryptic, “the universe works in mysterious ways…”

De Pablo, Weatherly and McNamara executive produce the spinoff series with Laurie Lieser, Christina Strain and Shelley Meals. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

“I’m incredibly excited to step into the NCIS universe with Cote and Michael and thrilled to explore it from a few new angles,” McNamara said. “Given that the franchise is such a global sensation, I think it’s phenomenal that CBS Studios and Paramount+ have given us the greenlight to shoot in Europe. As to the title of this series, if I told you what it is, I’d be violating the Espionage Act.”

Weatherly, an original NCIS cast member, had been with the series since its launch in 2003. He left after 13 seasons and went on to headline another CBS/CBS Studios drama, Bull. Speculation about his potential return to the NCIS franchise picked up after Bull ended its run last spring. He recently did a surprise cameo in the Ducky tribute episode of the mothership series.

De Pablo joined NCIS in Season 3. She appeared in Seasons 3 through 10 and exited the series early in Season 11. In the Season 13 finale, it was revealed that Ziva apparently had died in an explosion in Israel. She returned three years later in 2019, where it was revealed she was alive and had gone into hiding. She made a surprise unannounced return in the last scene of the season 16 finale, which aired on May 21, 2019, in which Ziva arrives at Gibbs’ basement to warn him that his life is in danger. She later appeared in the first two episodes of the show’s 17th season and in that season’s 10th and 11th episodes as part of her storyline.

Weatherly, repped by Anonymous Content, Verve, and McKuin Frankel Whitehead, and de Pablo, repped by UTA and Entertainment 360, have remained close off-screen. In 2018, they teamed up to executive produce detective drama MIA, which was set up at CBS.

Twenty-one seasons in — currently ranking as the third-longest-running U.S. primetime drama — the mothership NCIS series remains the most watched non-sports program on broadcast. A big global seller, which once ranked as the most watched drama in the world, the venerable procedural has spawned three spinoffs in the U.S., NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans as well as NCIS: Hawai’i, which kicked off its fourth season. The franchise recently went international with its first non-American offshoot, NCIS: Sydney, which also has done very well in the U.S., ranking as the most watched new series of the fall.

Veteran showrunner McNamara most recently served as an executive producer on the Apple TV+ series Physical and prior to that co-created and executive produced Syfy’s The Magicians.

#ncis #tiva #ncis europe

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lukkabloom · 3 months

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Fun facts abt residents according to Ikevamp Radio (ヴァンなま) Part 5

The last post of this series, featuring episodes 13-15!! Let's get on with it!!

Episode 13: feat. Dazai’s VA Yashiro Taku

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Makki messed up his lines a bit so he said “Subas” instead of “Sebas” (so cute)

Dazai’s happy that Vincent enjoys baths

Dazai baths a bit earlier than them, that’s why they don’t usually meet

Dazai’s writing a novel about a “married woman and a blossoming love and desire—” Sebas: “Nonononono! Stop!” bc it got too out of control

Sebas: “Master Vincent’s here, so let’s keep it at the same level as an educational children’s TV show” Vincent: “were we so strict about it here?”

Dazai agrees to answer some questions for Sebas & Vincent as they were curious about him

Vincent first asks him what the object he hung in the entrance where it makes ringing noises when the wind blows it. Sebas: “Rather than Dazai-san’s personality, you’re more interested in that, huh?” Vincent: “well, it was really pretty, so I got curious” Dazai teaches that it’s a windchime, tells him that it allows people to enjoy the summer with both their eyes and ears

Vincent got curious abt ways Japanese ppl spend their summers

Dazai says he used to watch fireworks, look out at the sea, eat shaved ice. Dazai asks Sebas if he’s done something similar, Sebas replies “Yes, I’ve also gone out to watch firework tournaments (花火大会). When I was in Japan, I’d wear a yukata and go out to watch them” Sebas also enjoyed caramel-apples and goldfish-scooping (金魚すくい)"

Dazai: “It may seem normal, but Sebas has had a childhood as well, huh?” Vincent: “Really. Sebas didn’t become Sebas as soon as he was born…” Sebas: “...what do the two of you think I am?”

Dazai explained that the best part of the fireworks tournament is the atmosphere. The sound of fireworks and the geta (shoes you wear w/yukatas), the enthusiasm of the happy individuals, and most importantly, women wearing yukatas. Vincent: “Yukata… It’s what you typically wear, a type of clothing in Japan, right?”

Dazai: “Women in yukatas are especially good. The skin you can see from their hair raised up, and their skin lightly coated in sweat—” Sebas: “Nonononono—”

Dazai: “... are you excited?” Sebas: “...yes” Dazai: “Oh, you are excited.” Sebas: “A little bit” Dazai: “So even Sebas can get excited” Sebas: “the topic of the conversation ended up a bit off, so I had to put a stop to it”

Dazai: “Even for Sebas, don’t you have a favorite yukata for women?” Sebas: “Let’s see… for women’s yukata, I like a dark blue color. Also, I prefer when the hair is tied loosely near the ends. I also really enjoy it when they fix a loose strand of hair…” Vincent: “Umm.. Sebas?” Sebas: gasps “I apologize. However, Master Vincent must also have a color that you’d like a woman to wear?”

Vincent: “Hmm… I think any color would fit, but probably bright colors would fit the most.”

Dazai likes graceful (?) colors like a deep purple to contrast the color of their skin, make them look prettier

Taku is really good at drawing?? In the “Van Gogh’s drawing section” the VAs had to draw in the theme of “Ikemen Vampire light novel! By Dazai Osamu” and Taku drew (the real) Dazai & it was really well-drawn?? (Dazai draws Dazai haha)

“Can you tell me… your name?” segment comin up!! First up is Vincent! His options were “It’s really hot… let’s just take everything off” “Since it’s hot… do you want to take a shower together?” “I can make you forget about the heat” “Hm? The thing in my mouth? It’s ice. You want it?” The chosen line was the last one. After saying his line for the last time, he continued “Here. Ahhh~” (listening to it when it’s winter was kinda counter-intuitive but… it was nice ig)

Dazai’s options were “If you’re hot, why don’t you take off your clothes?” “We can reenact that passionate night that will make us forget about the heat” “You don’t like the heat? Then, you can spend the time with me until the season becomes cooler” and 4, which is a combination of all three (Which was the one selected)

His voice is so good??? “(y/n), it was a really hot night. Until it cools off—no. Can you stay here with me forever?” He actually said his lines properly unlike Morishi and Makki so it was even more amazing

And Sebas’s options HERE WE GO “You need guts… to go in saunas” “Do you want to start a chilled Sebas?” “I can make you feel cooler. *insert terrible pun* (吸血鬼のお尻が９個で９ケツなんちゃって)” (I can’t translate the pun itself bc it wouldn’t make sense, but just know that it’s a pun involving vampires and 9 butts lol) and option 4, “Even when you’re struggling in the heat… you look beautiful” The chosen one was the second option “Do you want to start a chilled Sebas?

There were two funny options (options 2 & 3) I didn’t know which was gonna be chosen

Anyways there was “Yoshihiko, do you want to start a chilled Sebas?” Makki: “Yes, please” the last one he said was “(y/n), do you want to start?” and the others were like “start what??”

Episode 14: Vincent & Sebas w/an audience once again

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This happened at the time of Ikevamp 1st anniversary, this episode celebrates this event

They also talk about the 1st Ikevamp election & the rewards players get when each resident completes a certain goal (place within a certain ranking, gets more votes than a certain character, etc.) Makki and Morishi create their own goals for the election too.

For Morishi, if Sebas places within 10th overall, Makki and Morishi will do the radio while drinking. For Makki, if Vincent gets first, he plans to telephone an audience member live during the radio

Very unrelated but you can tell Morishi really knows his game knowledge since he knows what blanc was, as well as the ikevamp 1st anniversary song when it played in the background

The theme of this episode’s “I love yu” segment is “Thank you, and please take care of me from now on too”

Sebas was already in the baths when Vincent entered, he said he’s been waiting for Vincent for the past three hours Sebas: “I was conversing with the audience, and before I knew it, three hours had passed”

Vincent: “Audience? We’re in front of an audience? When we’re naked?” Sebas: cough “W-well… please don’t worry about that”

Vincent & Sebas reminisce about the time they had spent in the baths together (April Fool’s w/Leo, Sasuke entering the bath w/them, turning into idols)

Vincent asks who Sebas has been talking to, Sebas replies, “Don’t worry about that, my angel”

Vincent says that he’s been enjoying his time w/Sebas in the baths, but he’s worried that he’s relying on him too much. His solution? To change bathing times with Sebas

Sebas is shocked. “My oasis… is about to disappear… Lost on Eden… Master Vincent, I won’t record your voice or take pictures of your angel smile or shiver and shiver because I want to see you! So please! Please! Rethink your decisions…”

Vincent says it was all a joke. Wanted to scare Sebas for a bit, and apologizes for scaring him

Sebas is relieved & forgives Vincent. Vincent admits that he likes spending time w Sebas, to which Sebas agrees.

Sebas keeps referencing the audience, Vincent: “Hey, Sebas? You’re seeing things that I can’t see, right?”

The next segment is the “Ikevamp radio 1st anniversary awards” The first award is the “best guest awards” with the nominations being Tsuda Kenjiro (Leo’s VA), Sato Hisanori (Theo’s VA), Yashiro Taku (Dazai’s VA), Horie Kazuma (Comte’s VA), and Morishima Syuta (Sebas’s VA). Ofc Morishi won that category

2nd award is the “Best Drawing awards” the winning drawing is “Movie ‘Love promised under the cherry blossoms~my love is always full bloom~’ PR poster by Makki”

3rd category is the “Best Word Award” with the winning word being dyungyun (obv). In happiness with his word winning the category, Morishi performs voice percussion

No “Can you tell me… your name?” segment today :((

Episode 15: The last episode I can get my hands on…

youtube

Morishi wants to go on a vacation trip w Makki. Makki asks him where he wants to go, to which Morishi replies, Paris, the Louvre Museum.

Makki: “What will we be doing there?” Morishi: “Going to the Louvre, looking at some paintings, then opening the door. And then be like ‘What? When I opened the door, there are 12 historical geniuses…?' And we’ll stay there, just the two of us” Makki: “No, I don’t want to!”

Morishi: “I think it’ll be a while until the two of us actually go on a trip together. It would be more realistic if Sebas and Vincent did instead. So! Scenario-writer! Please write about a situation where Sebas and Vincent go on a trip together! And Yamada Shiro-sensei! Please draw an illustration like that as well!”

They announced the winners of the Ikevamp election that happened that year & the merch/events released to celebrate certain characters’ poll victories

“I love yu” skit! Starts off w Sebas saying “Sigh, it already ended. The Ikevamp election. Oops, I shouldn’t be thinking like that. Ta-da! (in a Doraemon-like voice) Historical genius observation journal! I need to note the other’s excellence here. Just like usual, Master Napoleon was very courageous, and Master Leonardo was as sexy as usual. Sorry, my angel, Master Vincent was an angel as always—”

Vincent: opens the door “Who. Is. An. Angel?” Sebas: “Master Vincent?” Vincent: “Really, I’ve been drawing all day, and I’m so exhausted” (he says this is a rough tone) “Sebas, I’m going in, so I need you to move to make space for me” Sebas: “oh, o-okay”

Vincent: “The temperature’s a bit lukewarm, so it’s not that satisfying. Well, I’ll let you off the hook for this one” Sebas: “Master Vincent? What happened to you? It seems you have a different tone than usu—” Vincent: “It’s just a part of your imagination, Sebas!” Sebas: “Yes! Of course!”

Sebas asks what’s happened to Vincent, asking if he got into a bloody argument w Theo. Vincent replies “We don’t get into arguments! That’s uncool!”

Sebas asks if Vincent’s hit his head somewhere. “If that’s true then, I need to take him to a doctor—” Vincent: “I need you to leave me alone!” Sebas: gasps “Master Vincent?”

Vincent: “From now on, I’m going to change.” Sebas: “Change?” Vincent: “Yeah. I’ll keep on going on a bike that I stole from who-knows-where and break the windows of the school at night and I won’t be manipulated by the adults! (It’s basically what delinquents [ヤンキー] in Japan used to do)”

Sebas: “Why do you say things like Ozaki Yutaka and Keyakizaka46? That isn’t like you, the great angel Vincent—” Vincent: “If you keep on calling me ‘great angel,’ it’ll only make me upset!”

Sebas: “Master Vincent’s—Master Vincent’s ‘idiot’ (ドアホ). I don’t know what happened to you, but please open your eyes. Take this! Perverted butler, Sebastian’s forehead flick of love!” Vincent: “Gah! O-ow… Huh? I—”

Vincent: “Sorry about that Sebas… It seems I lost myself.”

Sebas asks what had happened, Vincent promises Sebas that he wouldn’t laugh at him. Vincent: “I-I wanted to be a different self. Do you remember the one event where we asked who she (MC) likes? Hearing the results of it, I wanted to be more liked by her… so...”

Sebas: “Master Vincent, please listen carefully. What if I had wondered the same thing you had, and become like Master Arthur, saying ‘Hey, can I kiss you?’ (in Arthur's tone) What would you think about me?” Vincent: “I would think it’s very repulsive.”

Sebas: “Of course. Or like Master Shakespeare ‘I would like you to dance on my stage in the theatre’ (in Shakespeare's tone) What would you think about that?” Vincent: “I would think it’s very scary”

Sebas then tells Vincent that he understands his desire to change, but does she (MC) actually wish for that? I think she likes Vincent as is.

Discovered that there’s a Ikevamp LINE stamp and honestly it looks pretty good link here (idk if I would ever use it considering I only ever text my family members... lol imagine sending a sticker of Isaac to your parents haha)

Because Sebas got more votes than 1 suitor, Morishi will do ikevamp radio while drinking (sad that I couldn’t find the episode) they were planning to drink the blanc that will be released soon

No "Can you tell me... your name" segment im sad

And... that's the last episode!!! I'm really happy that many people enjoyed reading this as much as I did when I watched & wrote this. I'll be looking for more of these radios & in the future I'll see if I can write things similar to this as well. Anyways I hope everyone has an amazing rest of your day/night :))

#im sad its ending #ikevamp #ikemen vampire #ikevamp radio #ikevamp vincent #ikevamp sebastian #ikevamp dazai #rough translation #lukka talks

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mischievouschan4 · 6 months

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WIP Wednesday - 5+1 QuiObiAni (2 of 6)

Part 1

Please enjoy another episode of “5 times Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin's relationship was misinterpreted by other people, and the 1 time it was just them” 🥰

Smol tw for the assumption of cheating even though nobody actually cheats? This one was supposed to be more funny, but uhhhhh, it turned out slightly more angsty? IDK 🤷🏻‍♀️ but dw, it’s a happily ever after!

An Honest Mistake

“Your partner is a filthy cheater!

A voice hisses urgently from Obi-Wan’s right, and he doesn’t even register that it’s directed at him until Anakin pulls away from their kiss to glare over Obi-Wan’s shoulder.

“What the fuck is your problem?” the younger man spits out.

Bewildered, Obi-Wan turns to see a woman sitting at the table next to them pointing a finger squarely at Obi-Wan’s chest. Her female companion doesn’t look any more welcoming.

“I’d watch out if I were you, kid,” the woman repeats angrily. “This one is a cheater through and through.”

Anakin looks as if he’s ready to throw a punch, and Obi-Wan hastily grabs his arm to keep him in his seat.

“You take that back,” Anakin says fiercely. “Obi-Wan would never cheat!”

“Listen,” the woman barrels on. She’s speaking quietly but with clear vehemence, keeping her voice low enough as to not disturb the other tables around them. “I don’t know what lies he’s been spinning, but he’s definitely cheating on you.”

Obi-Wan winces as Anakin’s face turns red with anger, and he grips the younger man’s clenched fists between his own hands. Shushing his lover with a gentle murmur, Obi-Wan turns toward the woman. “Ma’am, I’m sure this is all just a misunderstandi-”

“Oh, hell no,” the woman interrupts. “You, shut your mouth.”

Obi-Wan is too shocked to do anything but obey.

“Look,” the woman continues, “I was in a relationship where my partner was unfaithful for years, and it absolutely destroyed me.” She looks at Anakin, and her gaze softens in sympathy as she says, “I know it’s not easy to take in, but you’re better off letting go of this loser sooner rather than later.”

Obi-Wan can feel Anakin’s heartbeat skyrocket with indignation, pounding in the pulse underneath his fingertips at Anakin’s wrist. Oh dear, Obi-Wan thinks to himself. Just how did they end up in this situation?

Earlier

Obi-Wan seats himself comfortably at a table after ordering his customary biscuits and tea from the cafe register. The day is absolutely gorgeous outside, and he settles himself like a cat ready for a nap in the warm glow of sunlight streaming in through the large front window.

It’s one of those rare occasions where all three of them are in the city for work on the same day. Qui-Gon usually conducts his online lectures from their home office and Anakin is out of town at a client site more days than not, but the older man is apparently needed in-person at the University for some department-wide meeting and Anakin’s team happens to be co-locating here for the whole week. So of course, Obi-Wan attempts to corral everyone’s wayward schedules to squeeze in an afternoon date.

As expected, Obi-Wan is the first to arrive since his office is the closest, and he mentally prepares himself to wait patiently for the other two, aware that Anakin’s schedule often falls to the whims of his manager and clients. Obi-Wan holds out hope that the youngest can still show up today, though.

A short while after his food is brought out, Obi-Wan feels a hand settle on his shoulder and Qui-Gon’s hair brushing his neck just before he’s kissed. It’s a quick thing, a chaste peck on the cheek, but Obi-Wan melts and a delighted smile spreads across his face.

“Hello, my dear,” Qui-Gon says softly as he lowers himself into the seat next to Obi-Wan. “Sorry to make you wait.”

“Not at all, darling,” Obi-Wan replies back sincerely. His lover looks so dashing in his light colored linen suit with the collar of his shirt undone that Obi-Wan can’t help but give the other man an appreciative onceover. “How was the department all staff, handsome?”

Qui-Gon scoffs lightly as he pulls out his phone to check his text messages. The look he shoots at Obi-Wan over the tops of his reading glasses is positively withering, “You would not believe the drama. Nothing to do with my immediate team, thank goodness, but another one that th-”

The older man is interrupted by his cell phone buzzing.

“I need to take this, dear,” Qui-Gon says with a sigh. “I apologize again, I’ll be right back. I should probably listen to this outside.”

Brushing his lips against Obi-Wan’s forehead, Qui-Gon gets up smoothly from his chair and shuffles out the door with the phone held to his ear. Obi-Wan watches the older man pace around the corner and out of view.

Obi-Wan sighs as he nibbles at his biscuit. His boys are so busy, he thinks to himself. He’s halfway through pulling out his own phone to catch up on some emails when the unmistakable sunshine energy of Anakin Skywalker’s magnetic personality makes itself known.

Anakin drapes himself over Obi-Wan’s shoulders and buries his face into Obi-Wan’s neck with a needy whine. Obi-Wan can practically hear the complaint in Anakin’s voice, I missed you, work sucks this week, I want an Obi-hug. Feeling indulgent and just so happy that the younger man has joined at all, Obi-Wan carefully guides Anakin down into one of the seats next to him before pulling the other man into a kiss.

Anakin is in the middle of enthusiastically returning his affections when that woman’s voice interrupts them.

Present

Obi-Wan takes in Anakin’s upset expression, how tense he is under Obi-Wan’s restraining hands, and almost wants to call the whole thing off. Just leave everything behind and head out with Anakin tow. This impromptu date was supposed to be relaxing and fun, and he feels horrible now that Anakin looks so unhappy.

Before he can get another word in, Qui-Gon’s voice sounds from behind him. “What in heaven’s name is going on here?” Qui-Gon’s tone is calm, but clearly defensive as he registers the agitation rolling off Anakin in waves.

Obi-Wan’s relief must be written all over his face when he turns to look at the older man because Qui-Gon takes a quick step to stand at Obi-Wan’s side, a supportive hand placed possessively on his shoulder. Obi-Wan catches Anakin aiming a distressed look at Qui-Gon as well.

“It’s you!” the woman accuses. “You’re the one he’s cheating with! Or on! I don’t know!”

Qui-Gon tightens his grip as he asks in an even tone, “I can assure you, there is no cheating going on here. What prompted you to come to this conclusion?”

The woman falters, “Wh-what do you mean? He kissed you, you got up and left, and the other one came, and he kissed him too!” she stutters with uncertainty, pointing between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin successively.

Obi-Wan watches as her companion’s jaw falls open in sudden comprehension.

“Ooooooh,” the other lady interjects. “Are… are all three of you together?” she squeaks out.

The first woman turns to look at the second in shock and then back to Obi-Wan. “You’re with both of them?” she asks incredulously.

Obi-Wan nods back, stiff and hesitant, as he rubs soothing patterns across Anakin’s still clenched fists to get him to relax little by little. “Yes, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, and I can see why you would have presumed as such,” he says, trying to smooth the situation over even though he was the one wronged.

The first woman puts a hand over her mouth and turns bright pink. “Oh my gosh, no! I am so sorry! I- I just… it’s a bit of a sensitive topic for me. I feel so embarrassed right now.”

Anakin finally huffs out a breath to release his anger, apparently satisfied now that the woman realizes her error, but Obi-Wan notices he doesn’t say anything to placate her either.

Picking up on the lingering tension, Qui-Gon brushes his knuckles against Anakin’s cheek and drops a kiss to the youngest’s head. “Be that as it may, perhaps a more diplomatic approach might be preferable next time,” Qui-Gon reprimands gently. “I saw you gesturing through the window, and I don’t appreciate you speaking to my partners in that manner.”

The first woman nods. “Of course, yes. Again, I’m so sorry! I- we- I mean- we have nothing against your relationship, I was just concerned!” she says in a tumble.

Obi-Wan accepts her apology with a small smile, “It was very brave of you to say something in the first place, thank you for being a concerned citizen.”

“Obi-Wan!” Anakin pouts. “She was so mean to you!”

“I’m really really sorry,” the woman repeats herself again. “I’ll be more careful with my words next time, and I can’t believe I judged your actions based on heteronormative standards. Hell, I’m lesbian!” she explains, gesturing to her companion. “I think I was just a little triggered.”

Anakin sniffs, and tugs Obi-Wan’s hand into his lap so he can cradle it gently. “Apology accepted,” he grumbles grudgingly.

Obi-Wan smiles genuinely in response and shakes off any remaining ill will towards the two women. “An honest mistake,” he says with a wave of his free hand. “It’s always a pleasure to meet new people in the LGBTQ+ community. My name is Obi-Wan, this hot-headed spitfire is Anakin, and our gentle giant is Qui-Gon. What are your names?”

Obi-Wan magnanimously ignores Anakin’s betrayed moping as he makes fast friends with his would-be accusers, they seem like good people, after all. Principled. Qui-Gon takes the hint and brings over a raspberry scone for their youngest, which improves Anakin’s mood considerably.

The date ends up being a success in Obi-Wan’s book, even with the rough start.

Bonus NSFW

Obi-Wan rewards Anakin with a thorough fucking for his self-control later that night when all three of them pile into bed together.

“Thank you for not using your fists on anyone today,” Obi-Wan praises as he collapses onto the younger man’s chest after his orgasm, both of them gleaming with sweat.

Anakin rolls his eyes and nudges Qui-Gon to take Obi-Wan’s place. “I still don’t understand why you have to be nice to every single pers-”

He cuts himself of with a loud moan as Qui-Gon pushes inside.

In lieu of a response, Obi-Wan takes Anakin’s cock into his mouth instead. Positive reinforcement has always worked wonders on the younger man.

—-

Tbh I’m not sure how I feel about this one yet 🙈 but that’s the beauty of a WIP Wednesday post I guess! Pls send reacts if you have suggestions! 🥰

#mischievouschan4 writes #quiobiani #5+1 #ficlet #Drabble #wip wednesday #Star Wars #anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #qui gon jinn

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peaches2217 · 2 months

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A big ole’ ramble below! (It’s nothing dark or gloomy this time, just general ramblings.)

I’ve had far more people than I would prefer blocked or filtered because I’m a crybaby weakling who keeps getting triggered (like legitimately triggered, I’m not making a “lol triggered snowflake” joke here, there’s content that legit sends me spiraling, I had three separate episodes in October due to such content which is why I went on a block spree in the first place). And while it’s been for the good of my mental health, it’s made me feel like absolute shit, because I don’t like not being able to reach out and interact more. “Blocking people doesn’t mean you have any grievances with them personally!” Okay, but I still hate having to do it unless I do! 😭

So! I’m trying to step back out again! I cleared my block list (minus the porn bots, those stay blocked) and bulked up my Filtered Tags and Filtered Content, and I’m hoping and praying that gets me one step closer to being and acting like a Normal Fucking Human Being. I’d like to get to a point where I can start thinning out the filters as well, and to a point where I can interact with content no matter how angsty or whumpy and eventually even overcome my triggers (whump and torture and stuff like that only makes me incredibly uncomfortable; depictions of self-harm and suicide/suicidal ideation are the only ones that are legitimately triggering to me, so surely I can teach myself to tolerate and eventually enjoy such content).

I’m a grown-ass adult, it’s high time I stop being such a weakling. And it’s scary, and it’s pitiful that it’s scary but I don’t benefit from denying it, but I’d rather feel uncomfortable but have more opportunities to make friends and interact with content than sit and stagnate just because my feefees are so sensitive. 😅 So wish me luck!

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invisibleicewands · 2 months

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The BBC’s new three-part drama The Way is Michael Sheen’s directorial debut. It has been nearly a decade in gestation, this story of civil unrest fermenting in Sheen’s Welsh home town of Port Talbot – cradle of militant unionism and symbol of working-class fury and pride. It has been created with writer James Graham (Brexit: The Uncivil War, Quiz, Sherwood) and – slightly more unusually, documentary auteur Adam Curtis.

The opening episode is something so different and fresh that even if you can’t say you’re actively enjoying it (though I was), the power and ambition of it all, the unashamed idiosyncrasy that permeates the direction, the allusiveness of the narrative and its slightly dreamlike (or nightmarish) off-kilter quality surely makes you sit up and take notice. It has a clear, accessible narrative at its heart, for sure, but the sensibility is rare and all its own.

It’s a tale of civil discontent, sparked by the death of a youngster in a vat of molten slag at the steelworks and his father’s self-immolation – in grief, in protest, in some unspeakable combination of the two – thereafter. The union blames management and decades of underinvestment. Management offers to reline a furnace, a sop to the emotion of the moment, rather than a recognition of needs. “We didn’t realise we were buying a mood,” says one of the new investors, with a combination of bafflement and frustration.

The unfurling of the unrest plays out for the viewer mostly through the long-established local Driscoll family. The late paterfamilias was a committed striker in the 80s, the failure of which terrible feat of suffering and endurance is largely blamed by the family for his death. His son Geoff (the stalwart Steffan Rhodri, last seen in the excellent Men Up at the end of last year) takes an approach to communicating with the bosses that is more pragmatic/conciliatory/weak/treacherous – delete according to political proclivities. He is separated from his wife and family for reasons that become clear over the succeeding episodes, as does the specific bad blood between his son, benzos addicts and petty dealer Owen (Callum Scott Howells), and his police officer daughter Thea (Sophie Melville).

As the internet is shut down within the town, tensions rise, curfews are imposed and riots between townsfolk and police start to break out. The Driscolls become the police – and the media – scapegoats for it all, and are eventually forced, along with Owen’s eastern European girlfriend, Anna (Maja Laskowska), to flee their home and their town.

Threaded through this growing but none-too-incredible – especially to a post-lockdown audience also being assailed with headlines about coming redundancies at Port Talbot’s Tata Steel (though business secretary Kemi Badenoch has extensive explanations about how government investment is actually saving the works) – dystopian landscape are, presumably thanks mostly to the Curtis influence, potent illustrative clips of real-life news and CCTV footage. Through them the sense of dislocation increases, while the themes of the drama only become more closely knit. From Graham – and, I’d posit, Sheen’s powerful sense of Welshness and all that means historically as well as currently – come the more mystical, ancient touches. The importance the town places on the works’ pilot light never going out; the sword made of the first steel forged in the town, long before modern industry got there; the red-hooded figure appearing and disappearing; Sheen as Geoff’s father’s ghost and/or manifestation of his conscience, pursuing him as they make their escape. And then, as the Cambrian borders become increasingly policed, there is (garbed in a costume somewhere between pastor, Clint Eastwood nemesis and Matthew Hopkins’ finest) the Welshfinder.

It is a bravura opening episode – powerful, confident, ambitious, confrontational and unexpected. It conjures precisely the feeling of a town on the edge, a tinderbox for the powder keg that is an increasingly divided Britain as a whole. Then it pushes things a little further and if you squint just a tiny bit, you could be looking at the future. Maybe even a blueprint, if you were so minded. It feels like a drama fully in the tradition of Bleasdale, Loach, Alan Clarke and Jimmy McGovern, and if it occasionally falls victim to the latter’s tendency to agitprop, that still leaves it head and shoulders above the usual fare.

It doesn’t quite meet the high bar it has set for itself over the remaining episodes. Although they gesture towards the issue of displaced persons and what is to be done with waves of desperate people, they become too much about the internal dynamics of the Driscolls and their family history to feel as innovative or thrilling as that which has gone before. But you can live off the first hour for quite some time to come.

#Michael Sheen #The Way #review

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the-power-of-stuff · 2 months

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Just sat through the first three NATLA live els and have so many thoughts - the first thing I did was come straight over to your blog because why wouldn’t I?!?

A part of me LOVES Suki’s awkwardness. In fact, none of the gripes I have with Suki and Sokka aren’t about Suki and Sokka and their characterisation themselves, but rather just the execution.

But anyways — the vibe I’m getting is that Season 2 (Book 1? I’m not sure if they’re going by seasons or books) is laying down the groundwork for some of the characters. We know they’re doing that with Azula (and the Fire Lord fam as a whole), but it seems like they’re sort of doing the same with Katara, where they’re starting off with her being a traumatised, almost-shy 14 year old girl who comes into her own as the season progresses.

While I haven’t watched the show in it’s entirety — I probably should have before sending this ask in — I’m assuming this is all leading up to her confrontation with Pakku and role in defending the Northern Water Tribe towards the end of the season. And then that new found confidence in herself and her waterbending carries though to season 2, where we’ll (presumably) find a more fiery, outspoken Katara after I’m guessing a somewhat lengthy time jump?

Anyway — back to Suki. My question to you is, if I’m right in my theory about Katara (and all the others, tbh… I feel like what I said for K can apply to pretty much any of the gaang at this point), do you think the same could be said for Suki and her own development?

We see Suki at the start of ep 2 as a fierce yet slightly socially awkward, sheltered warrior who wants to leave her village and aid in the fight against the Fire Nation and travel the world. As it goes, she does leave her village, and perhaps becomes the confident and sassy (and awful at puns) girl we all know and love, all through her experiences aiding in the war and travelling the world?

Of course, this would mean that her development would largely happen off-screen… but even still, Suki was more familiar towards the end of the episode. She was the one who initiated the kiss, she made her feelings and mostly gratitude known to Sokka by giving him her fan, she told the gaang they had to leave.

It feels like that’s the route Albert Kim is going. He’s made it clear that it’s a re imagination and not a 1:1 adaptation. He clearly wants the show to have its own identity to some extent (e.g. the genocide actually being shown and basically being a mini prologue to the series) and this is his way of doing so through characterisation.

I’ve written way more than I intended, so sorry for this long winded tangent. But what I mean to ask is, do you think in season 2 we’ll see a Suki more similar to the og (while of course still being her own).

I’d love to know what you think! x

Ahh, this makes me so happy!! Thank you so much for enjoying this blog, and for sharing your thoughts and sending this ask! <3 (And absolutely no need to apologize for writing so much, either! Goodness knows I could go on forever about this stuff.)

I think you make a really good point about characterization in the LA, and the potential for certain traits (like Katara's fieriness) to develop more over time. And I've been thinking about it in terms of what we already know about LA Suki that could get built upon in later seasons.

I definitely think it would make sense for us to see Suki come out of her shell a bit more in season 2, although there are some things in the LA that make it hard for me to imagine Suki being quite as sassy as her animated counterpart, just because of the sort of foundation it gives us for her personality.

For one, there's Suki's interactions with her mother. If anyone were going to be on the receiving end of a teenage daughter's sass, even if that sass is buried too deep in shyness to come out around said daughter's crush, it would be her mother. And while we kinda sorta see Suki get a little petulant with Yukari (her delivery of "I'm not too young, I just haven't seen the world" is kind of a swipe? but is really very heartfelt), she overall seems like a well-behaved, obedient daughter. This isn't a King Triton/Ariel situation where you get the impression they've had this conversation a million times before and Yukari is exasperated by Suki always questioning her authority. In fact, it feels like the first time Yukari's even considered that Suki might want something more, and she seems pretty amenable to it, if the fact that she didn't storm into the dojo to break up Sokka and Suki's near-makeout session is any indication. So, even in these private moments where you'd assume Suki is more herself, there isn't much sass to be seen.

(Somewhat related to this, I had a funny sort of "Huh!" reaction to Yukari's, "Such a fierce warrior. And yet such a kind heart." Not that I don't think Suki is kind! It's just not one of the first words I would use to describe her. And not that I would've expected Yukari to say, "Such a fierce warrior. And yet also kind of a pill because you're always giving me lip." But that bit of dialogue is there for the audience's benefit; it was a choice the writers made to tell us what they think is important for us to know about Suki's character. So I had a moment of, "Oh, that's the takeaway we're supposed to have? Interesting...")

And then there's Suki's later interactions with Sokka. On the one hand, when they're training together, the romantic tension is through the roof; it's all very new and interesting for them and it makes sense that they'd still be a little shy about it. On the other hand, Suki gets comfortable enough around Sokka at this point to 1) remove her makeup, 2) have a deep conversation with him, and 3) touch him on the chest. We don't see her show the same awkwardness from earlier in the episode, but she also continues to be very serious. When Sokka pins her, and then she flips them over while he's mid-celebration, she follows up with a useful tip about fighting, and it's delivered completely straight (if a little breathless). No little jokes or jabs. No "Don't get cocky" or knowing smirks.

However, we are not completely without sass! There are a couple moments in particular that I feel have some of that familiar Suki flair.

First...

Lookit her smirky little "come at me, bro" face! That face 100% says, "C'mon then, let's see it, if you're so tough." There's a playfulness here, too, which we know is very much a part of her relationship with Sokka in the animated show. (This Suki up here? I could easily see this Suki saying, "😠I'm an elite warrior who's trained for many years in the art of stealth... I think I could get you backstage!😁")

And then...

The thing I love about this is that she's all, "Nuh uh, I don't think so" (her little head wiggle!), but a fraction of a second ago she was staring blatantly at that boy's mouth. Nice try, sweetheart, but you ain't foolin' anybody. (This Suki is the Suki who smacks her forehead when her boyfriend tells terrible puns to actor-Sokka but who later gazes at him adoringly when he absolutely loses his shit because actor-Sokka actually said "rocky relationship" on stage.)

So...I guess the tl;dr answer to your question is, kind of? I can't see LA Suki getting to "Sorry, Warden, you're my prisoner now" levels of sass, but that's not really the tone the LA is going for anyway. I think we'll see her being very bold (a la taking the initiative to kiss Sokka) and very compassionate (saving Appa—I hope!!), and it makes total sense that, next time we see her, she'll be way more confident than the girl who could barely say a single word to Sokka before attempting to strangle him by way of flirtation. I also hope we'll get to see more of her playfulness! Maybe even some successful flirting? Probably not as forward as "Look at you, sleeveless guy...been workin' out?" but I'd settle for a sly head tilt and a cheeky little grin. And based on what we know of her so far, I don't think that's too much to ask. ;)

#natla #natla spoilers #sukka #suki #gifs #my gifs #live action atla #netflix atla #spoilers #sokka x suki #suki x sokka #suki meta #meta #analysis #answered asks

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literalgrill · 4 months

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Zom 100: Truly Living Despite A Pandemic

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Does Zom: 100 Bucket List of the Dead have a bad message for the Covid conscious, or is there more below the surface? Let's find out together! This is my first ever video essay, so I hope you enjoy! If you like reading instead of watching stuff, this is available over on my blog. Or you can find it by keeping on reading below!

[SPOILERS For Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead]

[CW: Alcohol and Ableism]

As an immunocompromised person living through the pandemic with a severe distaste for capitalism, I’ve had complicated feelings watching Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. The anime’s premise was brilliantly simple. Office worker Akira Tendo has spent three years having the life crushed out of him by an abusive company to the point where he feels like a literal zombie apocalypse would be “heaven” compared to going into the office. Then literally the next day, waves of zombies start overwhelming the world and he makes the choice to seize the day and live his happiest life. The show really caught my eye the moment where color literally returns to Akira's life as he realizes he is truly free from the shackles of capitalism. It was a masterful moment of animation in a show that was already visually stunning.

By the final moments of episode one when Akira writes “100 things I want to do before becoming a zombie” on that notebook I was caught hook, line, and sinker, just like so many others who were on the edge of their seats waiting for the next episode to drop. I was thinking that it might even be a serious contender for anime of the year.

But then episode two introduces one of the most powerful philosophical conflicts of the series. Akira wants to “loaf around and drink beer all day” but to do that, he has to risk his life going to a convenience store to get the beer in the first place. Upon arriving there he meets Shizuka Mikazuki, a woman clearly taking the risk of being zombified extremely seriously. When Akira asks for her contact information, she denies him while admonishing his behavior. “I can’t see myself teaming up with someone who doesn’t know how to analyze risk. I’d prefer not to lower my chances of survival.”

At this point, I began to notice an all too familiar feeling of panic and dismay gnawing at the corners of my heart but I couldn’t quite pinpoint why. So I pushed it aside for the moment to continue the episode. After Akira gets home, he sees that a couple he had run into that morning didn’t make it. He sits down, drinks his beer, and says the lines that finally made everything click.

“We could die today… Or we could die 60 years from now. Either way, there’s never enough time to do all the things we want. Life’s too short to avoid taking risks… If I have to go on living without doing the things I want to do, I would rather be eaten by zombies.”

As those subtitles ran across the screen, all I could hear was a cacophony of voices in my head. “Covid is not going away, you have to live your life.” “Why are you still afraid?” “People can do what they want but I’m not changing my life.” “I won’t live in fear of Covid.” All of those words are things every Covid cautious person is tired of hearing and could easily be summarized into what Akira was saying. To the people with this mindset, life is too short to avoid taking risks and if they have to go on living without doing the things they want to do, they would rather risk death or severe health issues to return to the “new normal.”

For someone in a high risk category that could die if they catch COVID-19, it’s one thing to hear words like this from right wing trolls online, but it’s another to hear these words from friends you have held close for years as they decide maintaining that friendship isn’t worth it because of your safety needs. But when your own family, hell, your own mother, the woman who literally birthed you, the parent you were always told would unconditionally love you, decides that not wearing a mask on her face is more important than keeping her literal child and those like her from death or devastating health conditions? From personal experience, that last one will break your heart in ways that are irreparable.

Hearing what seemed like similar sentiments from Akira, a character I had begun rooting for and identifying with, stung. I was already shaken from that moment alone, but the episode wouldn’t make things any easier. In its second half we get to see the entire situation from Shizuka’s point of view. We see Shizuka eying a sakura mochi at the convenience store but she chooses not to bring it home as it would go against her survival plans which include minimizing her sugar intake. She looks over some footage from a camera she had set up for safety and sees just how excited Akira was to get his beer. She then remarks:

“Who knew a single beer could make someone that happy in a state of emergency? Oh well… Maybe I should have grabbed that sakura mochi after all…” The show then pans over her computer screen with a list that reads: 100 Things To Do To Avoid Becoming A Zombie.

This does not mean Shizuka is meant to be an antagonist. At this juncture of the story, she serves as a juxtaposition to Akira’s beliefs as the protagonist. But the series is already making it clear that Shizuka’s desire to only focus on what keeps her safe makes her wrong, that the “hero” of the story is right, and that even Shizuka is starting to agree with him, just a little bit. It is made clear by the show that we’re supposed to agree with Akira, our protagonist, and what he believes.

Everyone who continues to take precautions to keep themselves and others safe from COVID-19 has asked themselves a similar question: At what point is keeping this level of isolation and safety depriving me from living a fulfilling life? We see people go to massive conventions to interact with communities they care about in ways we cannot safely do. We have to watch friends and families gather for holidays while leaving us out. We must continue to exist in a society that shows all signs of not valuing our participation within it.

It is not an exaggeration to say that this series has been weighing heavily on me ever since I saw the second episode. How much I agreed with Akira’s philosophy had a vice grip on my mind. Those who know me personally are keenly aware of all the wild adventures I’ve had in my life, how I have fought so hard to have unique experiences that leave fantastic stories to tell in their wake. As corny as it sounds, the words Carpe Diem have been a driving force of my life ever since I first heard them in Dead Poets Society years ago as a young teen. So by being Covid conscious, am I betraying my ideals? Were those people right? Am I wasting my one chance at life by being afraid for my health? By wanting to protect others? These are the kinds of questions that I’ve been constantly turning over in my head ever since seeing that episode.

It would have been easy to drop the series here, to ignore this inner turmoil brewing, but I’m glad I didn’t turn away and kept watching because the show has a lot more to say than this simple black and white reading of its themes.

Fast forward to episode 5 when Akira is trying to fulfill another part of his bucket list, remembering his childhood dream, which turns out to be that he wanted to become a superhero. “To fight danger and save those in need in a kickass costume, without a reward… A hero of justice who saves people from zombies.”

Akira and his best friend Kencho head towards the aquarium to find a shark suit to keep him safe from zombie bites, allowing Akira to become the ultimate superhero. Nearby, a group of people trying to get to the harbor have their bus stopped and are suddenly overwhelmed by zombies. Akira jumps in to save a girl before the zombies maul her, and helps lead the group running by to safety. A group that just so happens to have Shizuka among their number.

Akira tries to use this moment of heroism to talk to Shizuka when everyone is safe, but gets shot down for his antics right away. While she doesn’t deny that he saved people, she points out he made a major mistake when she asks Akira, “Did you consider the danger to those truly important to you when you leaped into action to mollify your low self esteem?” While the rest of Shizuka’s arguments are played off comedically as being argumentative, even Akira admits that she’s right on this point, that his efforts at being a hero put his best friend Kencho in danger. He acknowledges in that moment that there might be more to completing his bucket list than just selfishly fulfilling his own desires. It is his turn to accept that Shizuka’s philosophy might be worth considering too.

This complicating of Akira’s philosophy is examined even further as a wildly terrifying zombie shark with legs begins chasing after everyone Akira just saved by ushering them into the aquarium. It’s only through Shizuka’s knowledge of the aquarium, which she gained by studying its maps, that most of the group is able to get away safely. In fact, the theme that selfishly only caring about your own wants and desires being bad is hammered home even harder when a woman shoves Shizuka to the ground, ensuring her own safety while leaving Shizuka to die, which is portrayed as a villainous act. The woman is shown chanting to herself, “It’s not my fault, it’s not my fault.” Many have heard similar words hurled at them when asking if people feel responsible for the deaths that could have been easily prevented by taking precautions against COVID-19. Those people refuse to believe it’s their fault in any way that people are dead or are being left to die. The symbolism of this moment and how it reflects real life mindsets should not be lost on the viewer.

Later in the episode when Shizuka questions why Akira would selflessly save her, he blows her away with his response. “When you’re hungry, you want to eat your fill. If you see a cute girl you try to get to know her. If I see someone who needs help, I want to be a hero.” Up until this point, Shizuka herself has also been quite selfish, only focusing on what gives her the best chances of surviving without thinking of anyone else. Even now she’s still questioning how she feels. “If you die, it’s all over. Why do you go so far to go straight for the things you want to do?” Once more, Shizuka proves her skills in analysis and risk management have their purpose as she scrapes together a plan to save them both. And she realizes it’s a long shot and asks Akira if he wants to risk it. She is making sure that unlike how he treated his friend Kencho earlier, that Akira has a choice.

In the end, the day is saved. Akira, Kencho, and Shizuka are walking away from the aquarium. She admonishes Akira once more for putting Kencho at risk, and Akira apologizes to Kencho, bringing the point about people consenting to the risks presented in their lives back to the forefront once again. But Shizuka, starting to warm up to Akira, finally gives him her contact information. In the next episode, Shizuka runs into Akira and Kencho once more. She wants to find a place that’s safe and sustainable, if such a place exists. Akira and Kencho want to head back to Akira’s hometown, Kanto’s best kept secret: Gunma. Since their interests align and they all had the same idea that using an RV would be the best way to manage long distance travel, they pick an RV out and start traveling together.

This plan literally hits some spike strips when it turns out Akira’s former abusive supervisor has started a colony of people that takes advantage of travelers to exploit their labor. Once again, someone selfishly serving only their own interests is presented as the villain. Hell, this very evil supervisor gets angry at Akira for trying to chill some beers as something kind to do for everyone. The good guy tries to help everyone around him, the bad guy only cares about himself and his own comfort. The show is drilling this theme home hard.

Akira falls into his old pre-zombie life habits due to the abuse coming from his supervisor and ends up being convinced he might actually want to just stay and keep working there instead of fulfilling his own dreams. He is once again saved by Shizuka with a rousing speech. She proclaims how it was Akira who opened her eyes and made her want to live for her own desires and not simply fold over to do what others want from her. Things then take a sharp turn as zombies accidentally are let loose and everyone runs around in a panic. Several people climb onto the tops of trucks, desperately trying to keep alive. Akira sees his old supervisor being chased by zombies. He could simply leave him to die. He could take his friends and try to find a way to escape alone. But he refuses to do any of that and saves everybody he can, even his horrible supervisor. “Standing by while someone’s about to be eaten by zombies isn’t on my bucket list.”

They manage to burn the zombies into a crisp due to Akira’s wild plan to corral the zombies around a food truck before lighting the natural gas inside of it, causing a massive explosion. Then he and Shizuka have this exchange. “Honestly, you’re always doing something crazy.”

“It wasn’t that great.”

“I wasn’t giving you a compliment”

They both laugh, making this moment stick out to me as well. At this point, the show has repeatedly shown that Shizuka’s point of view of wanting to focus on survival isn’t necessarily wrong, that having those ideas to balance out Akira simply jumping into situations thoughtlessly not only keeps him alive, but enables the entire trio to keep doing the things that make them happy. The show repeatedly also condemns those who do things purely for themselves, painting those that are selfish in that way as obvious villains. Zom 100 as a show does not agree with the thinking of people who are giving up any attempts at keeping others safe, selfishly pretending like life is “back to normal” when it’s not. The show has made it abundantly clear that while it is important to do what makes you happy, it should not come at the expense of others. That if risks have to be taken, we should all be allowed to consent to those risks, not having those choices taken away from us by the selfishness of others. That even doing things to stay safe, survive, and protect others, is something we should actively be doing as it brings joy to our lives as well as theirs.

The trio eventually makes it to Akira’s hometown, picking up a new friend to travel with them while having exciting adventures along the way. Gunma houses a group of people doing their best to bring others in, keep them safe, and foster a healthy sustainable community despite the dangers around them. This is the kind of thing COVID conscious people have dreamed of with plenty of them joking about the idea of somehow having a town and moving everyone there to form a community of people actively looking out for and caring about each other.

Gunma is upheld as the best of what we as humans can do for each other in the middle of a crisis. It reminds me of how at the beginning of all of this, people banded together to help one another, supported essential workers and those in healthcare, began serious discussions about universal healthcare, and more. How for one huge moment, despite the horrors taking place around us, hope swelled for the chance at a brighter future.

The villains of this arc are people who were outcasts in pre-zombie society that are set on getting revenge in some way by letting zombies into Gunma which would destroy the beautiful community being built. And that is where the series abruptly left us after episode 9, going into a hiatus due to production issues. I’m writing, recording, and editing this as the CDC warns we might once again be forced to ration care to those who are sick. As 15,000 people per week are hospitalized due to COVID-19 in the United States with 1000 of them dying weekly. In a world where every one in five adults reports having long covid. All of this devastation is taking place in one country alone, the numbers become even worse when viewed globally.

These thoughts and world events have all been swirling in my head while waiting for Zom 100 to hopefully return triumphantly from its hiatus and finally air episode 10. It is not lost on me that this series has had massive production issues in an era where shows like Uncle From Another World and NieR: Automata Ver1.1a both faced production issues due to COVID-19. Was COVID-19 a reason why Zom 100 was delayed? We may never know because if you look at the comments online to NieR: Automata’s announcement in particular, you can see just how many people said COVID was not a reasonable excuse. People selfishly saying their personal entertainment is more important than others being permanently disabled or even outright killed certainly puts that line of, “If I have to go on living without doing the things I want to do, I would rather be eaten by zombies” in a whole new context.

But that very cliffhanger the show has been hanging on is exactly like the precipice we find ourselves upon as we face this ongoing pandemic. I have not read the manga for Zom 100 and thus do not know how this arc will end, just as I am unsure what the future holds in the real world. I know what I hope to see happen in the story. I hope Akira and the gang will selflessly swoop in and do all they can to protect those they love, the community in Gunma, and all it stands for.

However, I cannot control how Zom 100’s story will conclude just as I cannot control the actions of others regarding the pandemic. It is entirely possible this arc will end in such a way that leaves me with even more complex feelings and questions to tackle than ever before, just as the pandemic has left me questioning all I knew about the innate kindness of people while witnessing how I and others like me have been treated throughout it.

But right now, I want to believe in the indomitable empathy and kindness I know humanity is capable of. I want to believe if we all work together, we will prevail over those who selfishly wish to put their own wants above all else. I will choose to continue doing my best to protect myself and others while building community because that is what truly makes me happy, just like Akira would want me to. Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead has shown me how one person can inspire others to make great changes in their life to truly find happiness. I can only hope my words will inspire you the same way.

#anime #zom 100: bucket list of the dead #covidー19 #covid pandemic #covid is airborne #covid isn't over #covid is not over #video essay #zom 100: zombie ni naru made ni shitai 100 no koto #Youtube

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the-desolated-quill · 15 days

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Just finished watching the Fallout TV show. Absolutely loved it! Please believe that I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is the best video game adaptation I’ve ever seen. The writing is complex and thoughtful, the characters are nuanced and relatable even at their most morally reprehensible, the three lead actors are fantastic in their roles, and I love how they tie the story into the existing canon and how everything culminates at the end into a gut-wrenching, but satisfying conclusion.

Be warned however that it is extremely violent. If you’re at all squeamish like me, this may be a bit tough to sit through at points because the blood and gore is very graphic. Limbs get blasted off, broken bottles get stabbed into people’s faces, someone loses an eye in a horrific way. Thankfully when those scenes do occur, they give you some forewarning rather than try to jump scare you, which is nice. But as I say, as much as I enjoyed this series, it was hard to stomach in places because of the gore and injury detail. In fact the only reason I persevered was because it was only eight episodes long. Had the season been any longer, I don’t think I’d have been able to cope. 😅

Also, Fallout has been marketed as a dark comedy, and it is a dark comedy, but the dark elements are very dark. The last episode in particular is incredibly bleak. That being said, the season as a whole is still an emotionally rewarding experience that handles its ethical complexities and themes infinitely better than HBO’s The Last Of Us does.

If this is the only season of Fallout we get, then it’s a fantastic and worthy addition to the Fallout canon with a conclusive ending. If we get a second season, then I’ll be the first in line to watch it, and I can’t wait to see how they expand the story further!

#fallout #fallout tv series #amazon prime #review

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reiraland · 10 months

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MCL Honeymoon - Eric

Finally I got some free time to play the honeymoon episode. It was completely different from what I had envisioned, but I enjoyed it plenty nonetheless.

I find the first conversation in the airplane very sweet:

Eric: “If someone had told me, a year ago, that we'd be married, and that we would spend our honeymoon here…”

Eric: “I never would have believed I'd be swimming in so much happiness.”

Candy: “You're adorable! But speaking of swimming, take a look at this magnificent view…”

When Candy and Eric arrive at the hotel, you have two options:

Eric: “So, feel better? Do you feel ready for a short walk?”

A. Oh yeah, why not... It'll do us some good to stretch our legs a bit.

B. I totally feel up to it, but to tell you the truth, I had other… activities in mind, rather than a walk! --> If you choose this option, you’ll get a steamy scene ^^

If you select the option to go for a walk, you’ll get a romantic conversation.

Candy: “ Is something wrong, darling?”

Eric: “On the contrary. I just wanted to etch the moment in my memory.”

Eric: “When I think about all the circumstances that brought us here, I think that I was very lucky… ”

Eric: “And that I was right to dare to live my dreams, however unreasonable they may have been. I have never been so happy.”

Eric: “I didn't even think it was possible. I had convinced myself that I wasn't allowed to.”

Eric: “And however, here I am, with you, in this heavenly place, and you now have my last name.”

Candy: (I've rarely seen him so moved. I think he's on the verge of tears.)

I adore when they show how much Eric is in love with Candy and how fortunate he feels for being with her.

---

During the guided tour to the volcano, they got separate from the group, so they tried to find their way back following some voices, but ended up realising they came from parrots, it was funny.

Candy: “No way... We've been following parrots all along?! Blasted parrots…!

---

Later, Eric climbed a tree to get some coconuts. A bit later, Candy saw a snake behind Eric, so she warned him.

A. You have no choice! Jump!

B. Wait! It’s still far away... Especially, be still! Perhaps it hasn’t noticed you yet.

If you select any of the options above, Eric ended up stinking with rafflesias’ essence. Those flowers are supposed to have a strong smell. So, he had to swim in a lake a few times to make the stench more bearable.

C. (I grabbed a few coconut shells and threw them at the snake, hoping to scare it away.)

If you choose this third option, Candy totally missed her shots and the snake seemed to notice her presence. Then Eric snapped out of his trance and get down the tree very quickly. He ran towards Candy, stood in front of her and grabbed a stick.

In any choice, the snake quietly continued its way on the branch where Eric had been standing a short time ago and seemed to have forgotten about them already. So they picked the fallen coconuts and left the scene. But when they arrived at the volcano lake, the dialogues are not the same since in the first two options, he has to swim in the lake. In the third one, he shows how much worried he had been and how worn out he was after everything had passed.

Candy: “My love! We did it ! We're saved!!! And we even have something to eat tonight!”

Eric: “ This is... awesome! It was time. I think I'm… a little tired. ”

(He suddenly collapsed, falling to his knees.)

Candy: Eric? Are you okay? I... Can I do something for you?”

Eric: “ Don't worry... I'm fine. It's... the adrenaline rush after our encounter with the snake. ”

Eric: “And I've been hyper-vigilant for more than three hours. I was too afraid that something would happen to you.”

Candy: (I knelt down next to him to be able to hug him. I felt him relaxed.)

---

Later when they are in the cave, they chat and three different topics depending on the option you select.

C. When we met, did you imagine that we'd end up here, in this situation?

In this option, Candy asked if Eric thought about Melissa and he replied that he didn’t at all, but he wished her happiness in her new life. He said that for Melissa at first it was thrilling to have a police inspector as a boyfriend, but didn’t think the same when they got married. Even when they had agreed that his schedule wouldn’t be like the rest of common jobs and they didn’t have children for a long time, she found herself dissatisfied and blamed his job. She had changed and he didn’t. He made lots of efforts, but he also didn’t want to change who he was.

Eric: “The truth is that I needed you. As simple as that.”

Candy: (I held his hand. I feel so happy that his ex-wife didn’t value him for who he really was.)

I think she was happy because it gave them the chance to be together haha. There is a similar dialogue in every option since Candy feels joy for the way things happen since those circumstances led them to be a couple.

B. This calm is almost disturbing, after all the scares we've had today.

Timothy O'Gargine, his first teammate in the police. He was a Limehouse police station legend and Eric was proud that he chose him at first. Later he realized that his partner was too brutal and didn’t care too much about the truth. After Eric saw him in the interrogation room, he couldn’t sleep for days. Also, Eric tried to report him but quickly understood that the justice system was not the first concern of his local colleagues. With time, Eric noticed Timothy systematically arrested only people who came from the same neighborhood, which was weird since they were investigating all over town, and Limehouse wasn’t small. Eric figured out that O'Gargine was cleaning up for the competitors and wasn't doing it for free, since he seemed to have a passion for luxury watches and old cars, the kinds of hobbies that are quite incompatible with a cop's salary. In order to build a case against him, Eric had to pretend to be interested in having a bite too. Both of them were caught in the act of corruption, but since Eric had declared each bribe to the prosecutor and everything was under seal, he was clean. The only catch was that the arresting cops were unaware of him involvement.

So, they threw them both in a cell. Timothy quickly realized what had happened, so attacked Eric and since he was quite huge and strong, Eric ended up with a busted eyebrow, a cracked jaw and three broken ribs… Thanks God, other colleagues arrived to take him out. After that, Eric was transfered to Amoris with a promotion, but lots of his illusions from youth broken. The guys from his station didn’t forgive him for taking down his idol. (I don’t quite understand this, his idol was a corrupted police, so he wasn’t great at all.)

I noticed Limehouse is also the place where Nathaniel is transferred if Candy and him break up.

A. You and your coffee... I'm going to end up believing that you only got close to me for that.

They talked about the times when Eric helped Candy to close up the café. At first he did it because he wanted to help her, he had no ulterior motive. Candy asked when his motives became more self-serving, he couldn’t give a concrete answer since he wasn’t sure himself.

Candy: “ It was during our little evening "meetings", at closing time, that I started to fall for you. ”

Candy: “Precisely because I was discovering a laughing man behind a somewhat grumpy inspector.”

Eric: “ Ah… Our Cosy Bear closings… To answer your original question, I think I know when I fell in love with you… ”

Eric: “…When I realized that that little moment was the one I was waiting for the most, and that I was doing everything to make it happen.”

Eric also said, there was that dinner at the restaurant. It was a turning point for him. He knew his life was going to change in one way or another, but he could no longer deny his feelings for Candy, even though it was complicated because Candy was still in a relationship and he felt bad for her ex. Still, he did what he never thought he could do and made a move on Candy.

Eric: “But I knew I'd regret it all my life if I didn't take the plunge.”

Candy: “I would have regretted it too if you hadn't done it.”

Their situation was in fact not easy. I wish Beemoov would have allowed the players to break with the previous chosen LI before starting any romantic scene with Eric, but I didn’t happen that way. At least there was an option to confess what happen and decide if Candy wants to choose Eric or not.

I like a lot this quote from Yael from episode 13: “Sometimes the most beautiful stories are born from adversity. And this may be one of those stories.”

---

Regarding the illustration, I like it a lot, even it’s NSFW, it expresses the tenderness and love between the characters.

But they missed the rings (I’m crying...)

Also in Eric’s sprite they didn’t color the alliace in silver...

----

Personally I wished they would have gone to The Grand Canyon, but I understand that writing one scenario per LI is something they can’t manage at this moment. I found the chapter very pleasant, after all Candy spent it completely with her husband. In conclusion, this episode brought lots of joy to my life, it’s a pity is the final one.

----

I noticed after finishing the honeymoon episode, if Eric is your crush, the “crush” symbol is on his profile.

#my candy love #amour sucre #corazon de melon #mcl eric #eric ward #beemoov

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aroacegundamalex · 8 months

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hi hiiii i've been wanting to get into the mecha genre and the like, but im not exactly sure what to start with/where to start? I know theres not technically rules, but would you have any reccomendations for media to begin with? no worries if not, and thank you !! ^.^

I’m honored you’d go to me!

In terms of what to start with, it depends heavily on your personal tastes, so I’ll be including a range of series. Most of these are real robot, because super robot series can be very jarring for people who’ve never seen mecha before. I personally love super robot stuff, but it can be strange if you aren’t expecting a mech to pull out a giant top to hit pretentious bull-horned space princes with.

This is going under a cut for length!

If you’re looking for tragedy and horror, I have to suggest Space Runaway Ideon. While Tomino is most famous for his work on the Gundam franchise, Ideon is absolutely phenomenal. It often borders on Lovecraftian horror, and is famous for gruesome deaths and unrelenting tragedy. The gist of it is that a group of space colonists find a starship and a combining robot, and wind up in conflict with an alien civilization. As the war stretches on and the tragedies mount, it becomes clear that their wonder weapon, the Ideon, has a mind of its own.

Speaking of Gundam, the main timeline isn’t too unapproachable, and the standalone universes are all excellent starting points. I’m going to be giving a few of these, since Gundam series are ridiculously easy to access for English speakers— no having to dig through fan translations to find whatever has the least agonizing subtitle font here. Looking at you, Brave series.

The newest Gundam, the Witch from Mercury, is a wonderful starting point if you’ve not seen it already! It’s only twenty-five episodes, and while it pulls heavily from franchise history, it can be enjoyed without having seen a single prior Gundam.

It takes place in a future where humanity is split between Earth and space, with Earth being polluted and exploited by warmongering corporations, and space effectively being ruled by said megacorporations who are given the impunity to execute people. The first season primarily takes place in a school for the wealthy, which is effectively a training ground for future corporate executives, and a means to advertise their tech via mech duels. Everything in the school is dependent on one’s class, with even the dorms dependent on who sponsors your attendance.

The plot kicks off when our main character accidentally wins the hand of the daughter of the president of the largest conglomerate, as a political drama unfolds in the background.

It’s all on YouTube, and there’s a short story you should read between the prologue and the first episode, Cradle Planet. It’s on their official website, both in English and Japanese.

The original Mobile Suit Gundam holds up excellently, though the animation is rather clunky and dated. It’s a war story heavily pulling from WWII, following a child soldier who’s effectively forcibly conscripted when his home is attacked, and he hops in the main mech to defend civilians. It focuses on the horrors of war, and particularly soldiers’ PTSD. I’d personally suggest watching the three compilation movies and then circling back to the series proper if you liked what you saw— the compilation films cut out a lot of the fluff and make it a much more streamlined experience, but they also leave out a lot of lovely episodes and character moments.

Gundam the Origin, both the manga and the anime, are also wonderful beginners’ series. The manga is a retelling of the original series made by one of its creators, and expands upon it, giving neglected characters and storylines a lot more attention. The anime is an adaptation of a flashback arc, detailing the events leading up to the war in the original series, albeit with some timeline differences. It’s in my opinion the best place to start with Universal Century— while there are continuity differences, it’s a great primer for what Universal Centiry is at its core, a character-driven political drama and war story.

Obligatory recommendation for my favorite Gundam show, Gundam 0080. It’s a small-scale look at the tail end of a war from the perspective of a civilian child caught up in the mess when his home is used as a development center for the military. It’s a short little OVA, only six episodes, and doesn’t require much prior context for the rest of the franchise at all. It’s a very personal story focusing on a small cast of characters — a civilian child, a rookie soldier, and a test pilot — and their experiences with the war.

It’s best enjoyed with a burger.

If you’re looking for gritty military sci-fi, Armored Trooper VOTOMs is an excellent place to start. In this series, the mechs are walking coffins, with the outright referred to as “bottoms” because they’re considered the lowest of the low. It takes place during an uneasy truce between two warring nations, focusing on a man betrayed by his own side, hunted by both his former faction (and quite a few others) as he tries to discover the truth as to the mission that led to him being branded a traitor.

It is on the harder end of the sci-fi spectrum, so if you’re here for the ridiculous robots, it might not be to your liking.

If you’re curious about fantasy and shoujo-flavored mecha, Vision of Escaflowne is a phenomenal series. It’s an isekai, following a girl accidentally transported to another world by a brash prince on the eve of the destruction of his kingdom. From there on out it’s a mix of romance and political drama, with our heroes trying to thwart the machinations of an evil empire.

The mechs here are designed after knights, with utterly gorgeous designs and some really interesting setup mechanically-speaking— they’re magitek, and rather low-tech at that, with pilots seeing out of holes in the mech. Your enjoyment of the series will heavily depend on your fondness for shoujo romance and fantasy tropes, and especially love triangles. The movie adaptation has some fascinating piloting systems that skew close to body horror. While this one has manga, they’re generally not worth checking out.

If you’re looking for a mix of light-hearted fun and more serious action, the Patlabor show and OVA are essentially buddy-cop series taking place in a futuristic Tokyo, focusing on a department created to deal with mecha-related crimes. Both the OVA and series proper are a solid blend of fun, light-hearted character moments and tenser action. Our protagonist loves her mech like he’s a person, and it’s adorable. However, this one heavily depends on whether you like screwball police comedies.

The Patlabor movies, on the other hand, are densely political, examining the place of such technology in the world, and raises questions about the ethics of law enforcement and its use of violence to combat crime and terrorism, and the implications of using advanced military weaponry. They’re directed by Mamoru Oshii of Ghost in the Shell fame. These ones are pretty standalone, but if you’d like prior context, they take place in the same timeline as the OVA.

If you’re interested in mecha video games, I’m having a blast with Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner! It’s got wonderful gameplay, and some really interesting mech designs. They’re themed after ancient Egyptian mythology, and the shape language of most of the mechs is very curvy and round, something you don’t really see often, giving it a very unique aesthetic. I haven’t finished it yet, however, so this is based only off the first chunk of story.

After a terrorist attack drags him into a conflict he thought he’d abandoned long ago, our protagonist is shot and left for dead. In a desperate attempt to save him, his body is connected to his mech as a form of life support— if he leaves it, or the mech shuts down, he dies. Seeing as the mech is what his enemies want, this leaves him no choice but to stay involved. The gameplay is quite energetic, the boss battles are fun, and just about every move and animation are designed to make you feel as cool as possible. It is a Hideo Kojima game, so keep that in mind going in.

While it’s a classic and often recommended, don’t watch Evangelion as your first mecha. It pulls very heavily from Tomino’s body of work, and I’d only suggest watching it after you’ve seen a show or two of his— especially Gundam or Ideon. Hell, watch an Ultraman or two first— that’s where the Christian imagery comes from. You’ll miss out on a lot if you go into it without prior context.

There’s a lot of mecha out there, but these are what I consider to be the most beginner-friendly. When it comes to banner franchises like Getter, Mazinger, or Brave— you can honestly pick any one of the shows to start with, as there’s no overarching continuity. Do some reading and pick whatever interests you! If you’ve got an hour or two to burn, there’s a retrospective on Getter Robo and its influence on the genre that’s worth watching even if you don’t plan to check out any Getter yourself.

I hope you find something you enjoy!

#alex.txt #based on your blog you seem to like darker stuff so that’s what I focused on with the recommendations #but I included a few lighter ones just in case #also! if anyone wants to suggest series in the replies please do

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gffa · 1 year

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Buncha scattered thoughts about trying out some different TV shows and whether or not I’d recommend them so far: - The Last of Us, with only a basic understanding of the plot of the games, I’m otherwise going in basically blind on this one and I’ve been enjoying the HBO adaptation a ton so far! Very much at the top of the “if you’re looking for a show to binge and don’t mind horror and sad stories, TO WATCH” list! The chemistry of the characters and the stunning scenery and well-paced scenes makes it thoroughly watchable. - Shrinking, I’ll give pretty much anything Bill Lawrence produces a shot (Scrubs, Cougar Town, Ted Lasso) and I’m charmed from the first episode. You’ll always get fun banter and funny dialogue, but I’m already engaged with the characters because he has a way of writing snarky characters who still have a ton of heart. The therapist’s hot mess of a life is offset by how genuinely he cares about his patients, openly and honestly. I am a sucker for people who banter but aren’t afraid to put their heart on their sleeve. - The Light in the Hall, which I can’t talk about without spoiling the ending, but I wound up disappointed by this one. The story is fairly predictable and the acting is top-notch, but I was frustrated by [redacted] being the only [redacted] and of course they end up being the murderer, all in service of making a woobie out of the [redacted]. It left a bad taste in what was otherwise a strong show. - Poker Face, I am not Rian Johnson’s biggest fan, but I like his work a lot more when he seems to be writing a love letter to a genre that he wants to pay homage to, to build a tribute to it, rather than subvert it. I like that it’s quirky but keeps a lid on the amount of it, it feels like it’s having fun with the concept of this version of Columbo, and it knows that you’re here to watch Natasha Lyonne do her thing and it loves watching Natasha Lyonne do her thing, too. - His Dark Materials, which I love the adaptation, having never read the books it still feels like you can tell they were adapted with love and it works as a coherent storyline. The actors are incredible, each of them are great on their own, but then having fantastic chemistry with each other, and I’m very taken with the themes of the story, around religion and knowledge and free will and independent thought. Sprinkle in that the main character gets to be an angry, often messy, often very loud about her feelings character, and I’m in. - The Price of Glee, I went into this one hoping that it would at least be something of a tell-all about what went on behind the scenes, because I bet that would be fucking wild, given what we already know. But after the first episode and skimming the later ones, it seems to be focused more on (as the title suggests) how much it cost these people to be part of it. Which, you know, fair. But not quite what I was looking for, so I’ve set it aside for now. - The Owl House, 10/10 no notes. It’s been so satisfying to see a lot of character arcs come to fruition, even if the season has been massively truncated. Luz’s struggle between which world she wants to stay in, the maturation of her relationship with Amity, the reconnection with her mother, all of that is fantastic. The acknowledgement of Willow’s feelings and the support she gets from her friends, Hunter’s willingness to open up about his own feelings, also so much good. Worldbuilding bits and pieces with the Collector and that I’m already engaged with wanting that poor kid to have better influences, yeah, that’s the stuff. - Three Pines, which I mostly picked up because I like Alfred Molina and he is indeed very charismatic and warm in this series, which has some pretty scenery and a very cozy feeling. I’ve never read the books this is based on, but it feels like the show very much knew that it wanted to be a charming little murder mystery series with a connective throughline and it was exactly that. I wouldn’t call it light-hearted, it has some lovely emotional weight, it has characters who very openly care about others, but I would still say it was a very warm show. - Avenue 5, which got off to a bit of a rocky start in its second season for me, but by the end of it, I was enjoying the absolute flaming trainwreck the whole thing is and how, when you lean into the chaos along with the show, it’s pretty hilarious. I love the characters and I want to know where it’s going from here, I’m going to be so pissed if HBO doesn’t renew it for a third season. - The Sex Lives of College Girls, I enjoyed the first season of the show enough to binge the whole thing and I liked the girls’ friendships with each other and it felt like there was a lot of heart here. I don’t know what happened with the second season, if it’s me or the show but nothing felt like it was clicking anymore and I finally had to drop it. First season is adorable, totally worth watching as a stand-alone show! Second season, idk maybe others liked it more than I did! - Criminal Mind Evolution, I was willing to pick this show back up again because I still have fondness for the actors and the characters, but after two episodes I had to rage quit. The writing just isn’t working for me, its leaning into everything I grew to be frustrated with or outright hate about the original and even a character like Garcia’s warmth feels forced and unearned. Dropped and will not be going back.

#lumi.txt

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yeehawpim · 9 months

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My long-winded love letter to D20

When I was in grade three, I didn’t think much about stories. I was a voracious reader— it was quiet and engrossing, all that could be asked of a kid at home. I walked the shelves of the city library in summer with eyes flitting from spine to spine, too excited about the possibilities now that it was summer reading club time, and my mom had to bring me there. I even wrote an endless stream of unfinished stories for class, the half-nonsensical kid stories that didn’t have endings.

But I never really thought of them as real. Not that the stories I read were real in the literal sense, but when I would later learn that people thought of themselves as going to Hogwarts, it was a concept completely foreign to me. Stories existed in a space apart from my little existence, where everything seemed to happen to other people. I wasn’t sad about it until I was older, when I couldn’t connect that my loneliness had to do with my tendency not to participate. How do you interact with friends when you’d rather watch them play video games than join in? How do you talk to people about the things you enjoy and what you feel when you don’t know that’s a thing you can do?

I have a mom who loves me, but would say “be careful” before she said “be kind,” and my parents almost never joked or played with my brother and I. We weren’t taught to look out for each other, just to get along and focus on school. How do you be around people who make you happy? How do you be kind for kindness’ sake, and not because you’re afraid any stranger will hurt you if you’re not polite?

I think the answers were always there, even if I didn’t see them. I read so much as a kid, Percy Jackson and Harry Potter and Bone, and even before that Geronimo Stilton and Captain Underpants and World of Wishes. They probably did teach me things, even though at the time all I was thinking about was fighting boredom.

But I don’t think all that really important stuff didn’t hit me until the past year or so, when I finally felt myself climbing out of the terrible time I was having after secondary education. Without getting into it, I was collapsing under a lot of stuff I didn’t understand as things I hadn’t processed started catching up. I finally scrounged up the energy to get actual counseling. I started to make friends I felt like I could go to if I was in trouble.

One of my friends introduced me to D20, which I’d only been aware of through a single episode being played in our university dorm common room two years ago. It was the first episode of Fantasy High, and I thought it was good then but I didn’t go seek it out after. High school stories haven’t ever really clicked with me, I think because my own high school experiences were so different. (Don’t kill me, it’s totally a series I’ll get to someday. Someday. First I need to watch Pirates of Leviathan. And Coffin Run.) I found Bloodkeep on Youtube for free though, and after hearing there was a behind-the-scenes on Dropout immediately paid for it after finishing the series.

Then I heard Crown of Candy was like Game of ThronesXCandyland, and I had to see that. And then I saw a clip of Mice and Murder on Youtube with Rehka’s incredible nat 20 (you know the one, the one that fucked all of Brennan’s plans), and went to see that too. And so on and so forth.

For a long time, I enjoyed it pretty much the same way I enjoyed all media. It helped me when I was sad and didn’t have the energy to do anything, it was there to fill up the empty spots of boredom. Sure, I watched The Seven even though I wasn’t big on high school stories and immediately cried in the first episode. Nothing had even really happened yet. The PCs were just such good friends with each other, in a way I realized was what I desperately wanted to be at that age. Sure, when Ravening War came out I watched every upload and wrote fanfic, the most I’d ever managed to write anything since I was 12. Never mind I’d felt unable to create anything except for brief stints and mandatory school projects since high school, never mind that I was actually waking up excited to make something.

I watched Dungeons and Drag Queens and was on edge for the first few episodes off my own fear of being watched while learning new things. By the end I was getting through whole episodes in one sitting because I needed to know what was going to happen. I cried like hell at the finale. The me that gets critical about plot holes shut the fuck up and it only mattered that the characters and the players were doing their best to be kind.

I know it’s a funny haha improvised show. I know obviously it’s a performance on screen, but I think somehow without me noticing it, D20 has given me stories that feel Real. Maybe because all the intrepid heroes and Brennan really are friends having fun even as they’re working. I think I saw them and all these stories and realized at some point that that’s actually possible. It feels obvious, of course it’s possible to laugh and joke with a group of friends and share something you all care deeply about. Of course, that’s a way to be happy with the people you love. Of course choosing kindness is the most radical thing you can do, of course it’s not stupid to care about things and try your hardest.

It all feels like stuff I should’ve fully absorbed as possible way sooner than now, already at 23. But I’m learning to be better to myself, and I’m glad that I got here and I’m still alive to think and write about it. I’m glad even though I don’t entirely know yet why I’m feeling better, I am able to feel like the things I make matter, that the things I do can make a difference even if it’s just to the one or two people that like my fanfic.

Maybe it wasn’t fully because of the silly little actual play show that I turned to for a smile when I was down, that’s probably too much to put on any piece of media. But D20 was definitely there through it with me, and it was there when I woke up at 5am today, unable to go back to sleep, wondering am I a person who believes in things now?

So I want to thank everyone who produces it, everyone on the art team, the intrepid heroes and Brennan, any guest star who was ever on it (incredibly special scream to Aabria and her Wuvvy and Karna, my beloveds. ALSO ERIKA AND DANIELLE.), literally from the deepest sincerest part of my heart. From someone who thought they wouldn’t make it alive at some point in the foggy future, thank you for making something that was there when I was in some of the worst times of my life and there for when I started to climb out.

I’m participating in the D20 zine jam now collabing with the friend who introduced me to D20, and I hope we can help raise money for WWRAP (Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project)! Please go check out all the fan work that's coming out in August!!!

#dimension 20 #d20 #d20 zine jam #a crown of candy #the ravening war #the seven

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