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yenonnoff · 8 months

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TEACH ME HOW TO LOVE! 10. strangers (?) at an amusement park

“hi!”

you smiled, face-to-face with atsumu. he stared at you briefly before responding with a curt nod—perhaps his unique way of greeting others. still, this was progress (at least you hoped it was).

this time around, you plan on heeding kuroo’s advice. with one goal in mind—finding something tolerable about atsumu miya—you'll end the meeting on a good note and all the cursing done behind each other’s backs will surely be forgiven!

you're well aware that it's ambitious of you. one way or another, you have to tolerate him and his smug behavior; tolerate his lazy smiles and vexatious comments; tolerate his oftentimes irritating candor. you could only hope and cross your fingers that the chances of today going well weren’t completely zero.

usually atsumu plasters on an indifferent mien, but today, his eyes are limpid and curiously looking you up and down. raising a confounded brow, you asked, “what's wrong?”

“do you want people to recognize you?” he said, simultaneously adjusting his denim cap with one hand.

a playful smile crept onto your face, augmenting your co-star’s confusion. “what, i think i look pretty good.”

momentarily, you caught it: the patent way atsumu cringed, his back slightly rigid. he looked beyond disgusted, eliciting a satisfied grin from you.

he cleared his throat, replying, “yeah, you’ll look pretty good when your picture appears on the news tomorrow.”

“we won’t get caught,” you said plainly. “practically everyone leaves at five p.m. anyway.”

atsumu glanced at his watch, quietly reading the bolded numbers: 4:45.

“you sound so sure,” he turned towards you.

“that’s because i am, i’ve been here countless times with my friends before.”

he folded his arms, his shoulders relaxed as a subtle breeze passed by. “and you weren’t caught once?”

“not once.”

there was a pause between the two, the chaotic cheers from within the amusement park filling the brief silence. when the noise dispersed, atsumu said, “is that so? this’ll be the second time i’ve come here. the first was during high school with some friends.”

you resisted a stunned smile. another wave of pandemonium blared, causing atsumu to tense, annoyance evident in his furrowed eyebrows. while his focus was elsewhere, you inhaled sharply, attempting to control your exaltation.

this was definitely progress—good progress. was this the first time atsumu has mentioned anything personal about himself? it made you wonder if he’s still in contact with the friends he mentioned, or if he had a positive experience at this amusement park.

when your co-star shifted his gaze back onto you, you were reminded of their current predicament—of their opposition and dislike for one another. you inhaled again; you doubt you'll ever discover the answer to those questions.

after the film ends, you're out of there. these current circumstance were only temporary, and you were determined to resolve them quickly and soon.

you hum in response, digging for your phone in your bag. “you’re in luck, i know this place like the back of my hand,” you smiled. “come, i compiled a list of rides i want to go on today.”

approaching you, atsumu peered over your shoulder. he leaned closer while you navigated your notes app. he grimaced, your list seemed never-ending.

“we’re going on all of them?”

“yes, all of them,” you reaffirmed.

he grumbled disapprovingly. “i don’t have all day to do that, y’know.”

you turn, peering up at his narrowed eyes in a nonchalant manner. you also wish you were doing something else—something more productive and less headache-inducing—but here you were.

“don’t tell me you’re backing down? or, perhaps,” you paused, a finger resting on your chin, “are you afraid of heights? do you have motion sickness or something like that?”

swiftly making an apologetic expression, you continued, “if you do, why didn’t you tell me? we would’ve went somewh—"

“no,” he interjected sternly, “i don’t have any of those things.”

“oh, is that so?” you said disbelievingly, irking your co-star in the process.

atsumu (scarily) smiles—not one formed out of joy, but rather impish stubbornness.

“y’know what? fine, let’s go on all of them and see who is most exhausted at the end.”

your eyes widened. you already knew from the way he lifted his denim cap and raked an impatient hand through his hair, that you were getting your way. still, you didn’t know he’d give in that willingly and easily.

were you becoming an expert on how to effectively push atsumu miya’s buttons?

“oh, but,” you paused, a thought suddenly coming to mind, “it’s not five yet. should we wait a bit?”

“no, those roller coasters aren’t going to ride themselves. let’s get going.”

before you knew it, he'd sidestepped you, walking towards the entrance.

you knew you shouldn’t get your hopes up, but you was smiling like an idiot. this wasn’t a dream, right?

approaching a lone worker at the entrance, the two actors were greeted with a welcoming smile.

“perfect weather to go on rides, right?” the worker commented in an exuberant manner. “oh! there’s an event happening today specifically for couples. it’ll begin at nine p.m., you should definitely check it out.”

by the time the worker finished, her confident and uplifting smile had turned into a confused and blank frown. she looked extremely lost, alternating between the disgusted faces of the two figures.

when neither of you responded, the worker cleared her throat harshly. the silence and utterly repugnant expressions were too much to bear. she had just clocked in too... she wasn’t going to let this galling situation ruin her shift.

“sorry!” she smiled nervously. “i mistook the two of you as couples. there are numerous events today for friends as well.”

her words didn’t alleviate the disgusted expressions—it seemed to have augmented them instead.

attempting to reassure the worried worker, you said, “oh, we’re not friends. more like co-workers?”

atsumu intervened, causing you to shift your attention to the blond actor. “don’t say that, it sounds equally as bad.”

“then what are we? acquaintances?”

you two shared a mutual look of revulsion.

“strangers,” atsumu asserted, a less mild expression of disgust on his face. he turned to look at the worker who’s been quietly observing the tense scene in front of her. “we’re strangers. i don’t know who she is,” he smiled charmingly.

a muted and hesitant laugh escaped the worker’s lips. what kind of response were you supposed to give in a situation like this?

“…i see. you can swipe your card here.” she finally said.

shortly after, you both walked into the amusement park, leaving the worker standing bewildered. what had she just witnessed?

a slight breeze glazed by as you and atsumu stood under a lamppost.

with one hand tucked warmly in his pocket and the other holding tightly onto his phone, atsumu glanced at you.

“will you be okay?” he asked.

you only nodded briefly. he didn’t inquire out of concern, he only asked to point out your shaking legs and fatigued appearance.

after hours of continuously riding roller coasters back and forth, you were going to feel some sort of exhaustion. it didn’t help that atsumu had said it so cunningly with a smug expression on his face.

“looks like i won,” he mused.

you grumbled—but you had to admit, atsumu handled himself well. usually after about the seventh ride, your friends all back down and are completely exhausted.

you smiled tiredly. “are you sure this is the second time you’ve been here?”

“of course it is. maybe you’re the one with motion sickness,” he said.

before you could respond, a taxi arrived in front of you. atsumu was the one who had called for it, seeing as his co-star’s voice was extremely hoarse and dry. you wondered if atsumu’s eardrums were alright.

opening the door, you looked at him over your shoulder. “you’re taking a different taxi, right?”

“yeah, will you be okay?” he teased.

you allowed yourself a short laugh, telling him a brief thank you before disappearing into the car.

masterlist ⌒☆ previous ⌒☆ next

fun facts:

whenever y/n and her friends go to the amusement park, kenma 8 out of 9 times will insist on staying behind while the others ride the roller coaster. sometimes, he'll record them and silently laugh to himself.

once, kenma went on a ride with his sandals and he was gripping onto them for dear life. luckily none of them flew off.

kuroo accidentally ventured around the souvenir/candy store once and got chased around by a child with a sugar rush.

TEACH ME HOW TO LOVE! ｡ｏ♡ an atsumu miya smau

synopsis: when y/n l/n, a rising actress, decides to star in a romance film that could make or break her career, she’s unable to showcase her skills, revealing her inexperience within the romance department instead. worst of all, atsumu miya, her co-star and the main lead’s love interest, seems to hate her guts! with absolutely, unbearably zero chemistry between the two, an idea was proposed: spend time with one another in the upcoming weeks. will y/n be able to ignore her professionalism and listen to her heart? and will she, a clueless romantic, be able to pick up on the signs her co-star is sending her?

a/n: sorry to everyone who doesnt like roller coasters + has a fear of heights i can relate i also have a fear of heights ure not alone LMAOO this was a difficult ch to write omg idk if i like or hate it (nvm i hate it)

taglist is open! dm or ask to be a part of it! (those bolded were unable to be tagged)

⌒☆ @kqbukimono @empathum @clyver @chosoluv @moonplethxra @sunarots @marga-j @rukia-uchiha-98 @wyrcan @thechaosoflonging @rintarousgirl @ast4rg1rl @seiamor @saiewithakatana @usermins @literally-a-ferret @terrarain @iuspired @haruskatana

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thebroccolination · 2 months

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Krist's Thai Fans

My favorite thing about Krist's Thai fans is how kind they are. As long as you're respectful when you ask, they're more than willing to answer questions about him and clarify the past to people who are looking for context. That's what I've always done, and it really speaks to the kind of bond that exists between him and them that although interfans have happily tried to destroy his reputation overseas for years, his Thai fans are able to be this patient dealing with the same misinterpretations of his character over and over.

And a lot of them have been fans since SOTUS. I've spoken to some who attended the filming of SOTUS. Some have known this man since he was a teenager, and since he wears his heart on his sleeve, they know him better than most fans would know the average celebrity. At the BMF finale event, he started crying when he saw a fan he hadn't seen for months. He thought she'd lost interest, but it turned out she'd just gotten busy with work and had been donating to his food support for months instead.

Before I went to Thailand, my friend told me he'd been to a bunch of BL actor events and he said of all the fanbases he saw, Krist and his fans seemed the most like actual, genuine friends. And then I attended the BMF finale event and Krist's solo concert, and my friend was right. At the fan benefits portion of both, Krist not only recognized his fans, he had unique ways of interacting with each of them. One woman opened her arms and ran at him with a yell, and he grinned and yelled back. One guy walked up to him with a beaming smile and Krist lit up and hugged him. It wasn't a, "Hey…you!" thing, he knew these people well enough that he immediately recognized them and matched their energy.

Two friends, a guy and a girl, took a 3:1 photo with Krist, and it was clear from his nervousness that it was the guy's first time meeting Krist. He lingered after, said something to Krist, and Krist beamed and took his hands. The guy walked off the stage barely keeping it together, and his friend turned around and waved at Krist with a knowing smile.

Then, during a group photo, a woman and her friend told Krist that she'd been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and she would likely never meet him again. She was smiling, and he gave her a long hug. She passed away recently.

The reason I'm so enthusiastic about Krist as a person is because I saw firsthand the amount of energy and devotion he reserves for the people who care about him. Friends, family, coworkers, staff, fans. He could easily give half of what he does and it would still be admirable. The fan benefits for the second day of his solo concert went on until at least eleven at night, and the concert started at three. And he was there rehearsing from early morning after doing another concert with benefits the day before. And he was sick. He got through both days using steroids, and he was violently ill from them afterward.

And like, every time I think about this bond with his fans, I'm moved by how immensely kind his Thai fans specifically have always been to me. They've been through so incredibly much with the weird witch hunt against Krist spearheaded by international fans. He was tormented off social media in 2020, but his long-time Thai fans were still there. Watching as western people arrived in this fandom for the first time and started cheerfully spouting death threats at someone whose language they didn't even speak. These people saw one screenshot and an inflamatory TikTok or two and rather than ask anyone why Thai fans weren't also baying for his blood, they decided they knew best and that his fans must just be simps or idiots.

When I visited Thailand last year, it struck me how humble and kind most of these actors are. Be it because they have perspective from working other jobs (doctor, chef, etc.), and if they're like Krist and only work in the entertainment industry, they might just see their fans so often and at such close range that it's probably impossible to want to maintain an Aloof and Mysterious Distance from them. Maybe it's cultural, too. Here in Ireland, Irish people famously don't give a toss when they see Irish celebrities. I saw Hozier on the corner in my neighborhood a few weeks ago chatting with an unhoused man and no one at all reacted.

All this to say, since KristSingto will be active this year, and they'll likely have a series announced at the showcase, please encourage people to do more research than skim through a YouTube video called PROBLEMATIC BAD PEOPLE IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO BE MEAN TO. If not for Krist, then for his queer Thai fans who are, I can confirm, extremely tired of international fans coming into fandom with sanctimonious and cruel intentions that make the entire experience dramatically worse.

I promise you if Krist had ever been perceived as homophobic by his Thai fans, who know him far better than we do, then his queer Thai fans would still be saying something. He also wouldn't have primarily queer friends. Like, it's not one or two. Most of his friends are queer. The industry is queer.

Anyway, y'know. Another day, another casual effort to stamp out this nonsense so we can all enjoy KristSingto time in peace.

#i also just wanted to talk about his fans #they really are absolutely lovely #i'm as excited to go back to thailand later this year to meet his fans again as i am to see him #his solo concert especially was such a bright and happy time <3 #thai fandom has its own issues but overall it seems a lot more relaxed #krist perawat #thai bl

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get-back-homeward · 9 months

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My queue was in the middle of 1968 India trip posts during the anniversary of Brian Epstein’s death and the statue unveiling, so it got me thinking about the connection of these two events.

It’s easy to forget the link between the two because they’re technically 6 months apart. But it feels underappreciated how much Brian’s specter looms large over the entire India trip. And not just because they delay the grief process several months in the name of Paul’s favorite coping mechanism. But because Brian dies the week they first meet the Maharishi:

Tuesday, August 22: The band’s first recording session since June; they record takes 1-8 of Your Mother Should Know

Wednesday, August 23: Recording take 9 of Your Mother Should Know and Brian stops by

Thursday, August 24: The Beatles first meet the Maharishi at a lecture in London. At the end of the day, they hold a press conference, get a 90-min private meeting with the Maharishi, and plan to go to Bangor, Wales for a 10-day training in Transcendental Meditation (TM) the next day.

Friday, August 25: They travel to Wales, the first time in years they’re traveling without Brian or Mal or Neil, and it’s chaotic; after they arrive, they get a message from Brian saying he will join them on Monday.

Saturday, August 26: Following a day of training, they renounce drugs in a press conference (well, LSD at least). Brian spur of the moment drives back to London from Kingsley Hill after the guests he invited for the weekend don’t make it.

Sunday, August 27: Brian dies from an overdose of sleeping pills the previous night; he’s found around noon, the Beatles are inducted into TM before the news about Brian reaches them. They had a private meeting with Maharishi about their grief (he talks about reincarnation and the need for positive thoughts about Brian to help this process). Then Paul goes back to London while John and George are forced to make a statement for reporters staked outside.

Monday, August 28: Paul presents the idea for the MMT film and convinces them to keep working rather than go to India now.

That’s one week.

Whether you want to look at it as fate, consequence, or coincidence, TM and Brian’s death are linked forever because of this timing. The simple act of losing Brian factors into the disparate grief reactions and subsequent burnout symptoms seen visibly in each band member after India and across the next year. But this timing would haunt anyone. And not just because those around Brian report him feeling jealous about their diverted attention toward the guru this week. Just dumb what ifs that grief can haunt your brain with: what if they hadn’t heard about the lecture, what if they hadn’t gone on the Bangor trip or had invited Brian to join them on the train, what if they hadn’t appeared on camera announcing they were giving up drugs because of the Maharishi’s influence, etc etc etc.

This link between TM and Brian’s death is especially worth considering for John, who I believe is the only one who ever directly expresses guilt over his death. This isn’t unique as he expressed guilt for all deaths around him in an opaque way believing he’s a curse on people he loves. But it also is understandable because he had some warning. Pete Shotton talks about a worrying tape message John receives from Brian a few days before. Brian’s father died only 6 weeks prior, and Brian’s secretary finds a suicide note dated just before that. There seems to be some uniformity among those closest to him at this time that while he may have been actively considering suicide earlier in the summer, he wouldn’t have after his father passed out of concern for his mother. Still, even with the idea it was all just a terrible accident, those dumb what ifs would creep up in a case like this.

When you add in that Bangor is a spur of the moment trip, that it’s the first one they’ve taken in years without Brian’s planning and guidance, and that telling Brian or inviting him to join them seems like an afterthought? Well, it’s not hard to see how that close link and the guilt that it inspires would have factored into John’s desperation for finding that answer in India. And his anger when it doesn’t deliver. It looks like a desperation to make a consequential choice matter. Searching for the answer to life guided by a holy man makes TM and the Bangor trip meaningful. It makes it important. But to a guilt-filled brain, the idea the man is a fraud means Brian died for nothing. It’s a 60 foot drop into the earth, nothing but a deep dark hole of emptiness.

Now add that John shares with Brian more than just a tendency for depression.

#you can see why janov had a field day with john #from 2022 #lol this wasn’t supposed to post oops #queue malfunctioned #my text #august #1967 #i started this to get the dates straight and this took on a life of its own #they were too desperate to make eppys death matter #john especially #i guess was my point #brian epstein #john pov #eppy and john #understanding john #1968 #what happened in india #fic bunny #i wrote this august 2022 if anyone is curious about what statue i mean #it’s been sitting in my queue for a year as i roll it over in my mind and try to poke holes in it #i wrote it to get into 68 john pov for fic writing #im still not sure about it spec wise but the dates are solid #guilt john expresses is mostly due to introducing brian to pills and may have included spiking drinks unbeknownst in 62 in woolers tbb #but given how far back his im a curse to everyone thing goes its not hard to extrapolate and think his guilt went further #this sets up conflict between paul as john defaults to eppys gone it’s all over and ascribes all their success to him #and paul is intent on proving him wrong while running from his own grief again #george pov is a bit harder to nail down at this time he kinda acts as the polar opposite of paul #his focus on death predates the maharishi and he’s been dissatisfied with the beatles and looking for a way out for some time #he and pattie are the reason they go hear the maharishi as they were interested in meditation already and had done drug renouncing already

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minsungchronology · 6 months

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My Personal Opinions on Minsung's Dynamic (2020)

Disclaimer: I am not trying to pass off my opinions as facts. This is my personal interpretation of what is laid out right in front of us. I could be completely off base because I don’t know these guys personally, so take this with a grain of salt and feel free to disagree!

I think it’s more than safe to say Lee Know and Han find each other attractive.

They don’t even try to hide it.

You really start to see it this year, especially from Han’s side (how the turn tables).

2020 was such a good year for them. You can tell that the guys are a lot more confident and vibrant, especially when you compare it to the latter half of 2019. I think Lee Know really starts to come into himself during Gods Menu era (like I mentioned previously), like his confidence here is another level. Compare him to his 2018 self and you'll really notice the difference.

But as I also mentioned before, Han’s attitude really changes this year.

First with the Osen Star Road video: Lee Know talks about working part-time at a restaurant flipping steak and Han blurts out “Flip me!” The members’ reactions to that are priceless if you replay that clip. His intrusive thoughts won that day.

Then there’s the Unlock concerts: the clip of him staring at LK through the giant monitor like he saw the galaxy and LK catching him in the process has me in stitches every time I watch it. (Almost foreshadowing to another instance where he does the same exact thing in 2023, but for a different reason 😉)

The fancam from Music Core during Gods Menu Era where Han literally fans himself right after he stares at LK.

And then casually calling him “Hot” as he films him in one of the SKZ talkers.

Last but not least, the “All in” clip where he goes “You” (Dangshin) after Lee Know asks “What have you been all in?”. Intrusive thoughts win again!!

And the feeling is mutual too.

During the Weekly Idol episode when Han does yet ANOTHER sexy dance, Lee Know tries to create an exaggerated, taken aback reaction much like what the other members are doing. (Some of them are playfully grossed out) But he can’t hold it for that long at all lmfao. Like, his body language completely betrays him. (Man literally says ‘wow’ and bites his lip skjdhaksjhkjashd)

Lee Know also seems to really like Han’s look in the “Easy” MV. (this is one of his best looks imo so I don’t blame him) First, he draws it in one of his vlives and then makes it his mission to mention that was his favorite part (exact time stamp and everything!) before getting all teeheehee shy. Like bro??? How do you even remember that?

Much like last year, it’s not as obvious as it was in 2018. But the occasional "slip up" doesn't ever really go away. Though, they come back in full force around 2022 and 2023 (especially!!).

We get to see a little bit more of their little hangouts. Either that or they just casually mention them in passing. They really do take the time to hang out together outside of work schedules. As much as they’ve mentioned hanging out together, fans have also spotted them out together on many occasions throughout the years. Imagine living with someone, working with them 24/7, and then wanting to spend the very limited amount of spare time you have with them as well, when you…already see them every day.

Oh! and Butt-hunter LK makes his official debut this year. His unique way of showing affection towards the members. Han seems to be his number one victim though (ooooh wow how shocking 🤥).

My personal opinions:

Again, I’m preetty sure they are just friends this year. From what we are shown, I personally don't see anything more (outside of potential feelings) unless you purposefully take moments out of context and ignore how they perceive each other around this time.

Though, they don’t shy away from the mutual playful banter and flirting, as well as being appreciative of each others looks. They seem a lot more comfortable and confident with themselves than they were in previous years, so its not something they refrain from doing. It also seems to carry onto 2021 and future years. But it’s not something you saw as much prior to 2020.

However, I do think Han, for the first time, starts developing feelings that go beyond platonic this year. If I had to pinpoint a year for him, it would probably be 2020. Han’s "Han's Communication Show - Stay 2nd Bday" Vlive gave a lot of insight in such a brief time. He seems like someone who wants to put a distance between himself and any sort of feeling that crosses the platonic/non-platonic boundary with LK. He says he doesn’t want to spend too much time with him, but they always end up together. 🙃 He literally says "Lee Know is annoying" while giggling/laughing like that. (Is he attempting to convince himself or us? I don’t know.)

It kind of goes back to him saying stuff like: “I stared/glared at him b/c he was so handsome...cause i was jealous of his looks." "I ranked him as one of the lowest b/c I don’t like good looking men." "I don’t like when he winks at me it’s so annoying" etc etc.

I honestly don’t think he’s even aware of it. Like sometimes he’ll blurt something out that kind of….gives him away in a sense? Like a Freudian slip or an intrusive thought.

I’ve also noticed he tends to pay extra attention/laugh extra hard at Lee Know’s jokes or little quirks that might go undetected by the others.

In 2021, the playful back and forth flirting really ramps up between them. I think that year (and onwards) is when they are the most secure with themselves, at least compared to 2020 and the years prior.

#minsung

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silyabeeodess · 6 months

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Thoughts on TWST Book 7: Knots in an Already Twisted History

Now that I've caught up to the available translations for Book 7's current chapters, I can't help having some thoughts on the lore that's been revealed to us. Much of this focuses on the world's history, specifically between humans and fairies, as there are some dots that aren't connecting when we look at the bigger picture. As this is a lengthy analysis, I've broken it down into sections. Please note there will be major spoilers ahead.

Where the history we know meets TWST's:

To begin, it's revealed to us in Book 7 that Night Raven College has been established since at least Lilia's days as a Royal Guardsman. While there weren't always seven distinct dorms, with Pomfiore's being the first/oldest, I get the feeling that at least Diasomnia's dorm must've existed by this time. My reasoning for this is because, even though Lilia's application came centuries ago, Maleficent still isn't mentioned except as a legendary figure in history.

I know there's probably some people who want to think of this Maleficent as the one from the 2014 film--especially with inclusion of Henry in TWST's story. However, I get a strong feeling that just isn't the case. All flashbacks have pointed us to the animated films alone and it's important to emphasize that the 2014 version of Maleficent is extremely different from every other incarnation of the character across the Disney franchise, including in Yuu's flashblacks. In 2014, she was painted as a tragic heroine that tried to undo her own curse on Aurora and helped save both the human and fairy kingdoms. I'd say that film was a complete middle finger to the original, but who's asking...? Moreover, that wouldn't explain how that ending where the two kingdoms merged peacefully changed to their being broken up again with no mention of how or why whatsoever.

More than likely, TWST's Henry is a reference, but not the same character. If he was, the timeframe also wouldn't fit since Maleficent is missing from Lilia's backstory. Even if we consider the possibility of her being Malleus' grandmother, it doesn't explain why Malenoa (except as maybe a Maleficent stand-in herself), Lord Longan, or Revaan exist or why Aurora is also missing. Yes, Silver is a heavy Aurora parallel, but Aurora should still exist just like every other Disney character explained in TWST's history: The Great Seven, the mermaid princess that was Ariel, the puppet that came to life as Pinocchio, etc., etc., etc. It wouldn't make any sense at all for only Aurora and/or Maleficent to be replaced across this entire game. Keep in mind, the characters in TWST mimic the original Disney ones, but those originals have also played their own, separate roles in the world. To call Silver Aurora's replacement would mean we would have to call all of the others replacements too when that is clearly false.

Therefore, the only possibility left is that Maleficent is much older than anyone we've seen and is no longer around because she was killed by Phillip well before even Lilia existed. This would also make sense with TWST's history being so distorted: Not even the long-lived fairies that were there during the events we see were old enough to witness Maleficent's downfall; ergo, none of them can say what truly happened outside of the stories that have been passed down to them. Which brings me to my bigger point: If Maleficent wasn't around to see the same conflict that we do, if her and Aurora's story already happened, what else has occurred that we didn't see?

A Fairy's Blessing:

This section is more of an in-between, but another point that adds to the events of Sleeping Beauty occurring much further in the past is Silver's and the Knight of Dawn's lineage. They're both described as these ethereal beauties recognizable for their blonde hair and unique eyes, a fact so important that Lilia was glad when Silver's hair color changed because other fairies would be suspicious of his features. As he points out though... they aren't natural colors. Just as Silver's hair turned to a color of moonlight from a Night Fairy's blessing, so should it have been that shining blonde from a Day Fairy's blessing. The Knight of Dawn was blessed the very same, having been given the ring that was passed on to Silver. And who else do we know that was extremely beautiful that was blessed by fairies at birth? Aurora.

Moving on...

Night Fairies vs. Day Fairies:

Despite the story pointing to a conflict between humans and fairies as a clash between species, although the Day Fairies have a direct connection to the Silver Owls, this alliance is never properly addressed. One would think that the Day Fairies would take issue with nature itself being destroyed just like the elemental fairies do, or that the Night Fairies would call them traitors or hypocrites, but neither happen. Moreover, again, what we see follows the flow of the original Sleeping Beauty, with the three fairies who give the Knight of Dawn his ring and guard Silver mimicking Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather blessing Aurora.

This conflict of interest was shown in both the animated and 2014 films: In the former, a matter of good vs. evil and, in the latter... Honestly, it wasn't well thought out beyond "spreading peace," since their entire characters were resigned mostly to comedic relief trying to wean off the original's. Thank goodness the names were changed so I don't even have to think of them as the same people. Maybe they were actually bodysnatchers that kidnapped the real Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather.

Let's review what fairies really are and how their hierarchy works in TWST's world. To repeat what was covered in the Fairy Gala event, the fairies aren't all one, solidary people like Book 7 presents them as. There are those like Malleus who can pass as human and there are those who take on a smaller, more traditional appearance like what we typically think of; there are those who transform into beasts and those who exist as manifestations of natural elements; they speak different languages and even their leaders won't recognize each other, just as human civilizations often don't. All of this, Malleus himself explains, which is why he couldn't help when the fairies came in and stole the mage stone. Clearly, the Day and Night fairies fall in-line with this example: They are literally named as polar opposites of each other.

There's another factor to consider as well, and that's that, just because the Day Fairies sided with the Knight of Dawn, that doesn't mean they were on the same side as Henry or the Silver Owls or are even necessarily against the Night Fairies as a whole. Why? Well, we see the Knight of Dawn disagree with Henry's actions and save Lilia with a pre-hatched Malleus. He didn't go directly against Henry because he felt indebted to and was scared for the king's life due to an illness. The Knight of Dawn was a good person forced to serve a bad one; facing Malenoa, an enemy just as prejudiced (it doesn't matter if you feel she's justified or not, she was still fine treating innocent humans like dirt like our NRC group); and doing the best he could to do what was right despite the terrible, complicated circumstances he was stuck with.

While this gets into strong theory territory, the reason I brought up Aurora before is because I think this might actually explain the Day Fairies' strange allegiance. They aren't allied with humans or fairies, but to one, special lineage: Aurora's and Phillip's. If you think about it, the Knight takes on the traits of both. He's as beautiful as Aurora, her blessings passed down to him, while as strong as Phillip in combat, his battle with Malenoa a much more tragic parallel to Phillip's battle with Maleficent. He carries himself with "virtue and truth," and even has a magic sword.

Why was he originally an abandoned orphan despite this royal lineage? Well, probably for the same reasons he died and Silver was left alone: Whether or not it was well after their deaths, someone took over Aurora's kingdom at some point in the timeline thanks to territorial disputes or other factors; Maybe even someone of Maleficent's lineage/species, since Malenoa's castle looked exactly like the Sleeping Beauty castle we know from the film. It's confirmed in-game as well that the Night Fairies had another, more fortified one that better matched Maleficent's. The Day Fairies' allegiance never changed, or at least the allegiance of three of those fairies: They've always supported Aurora's bloodline. As is true to real life, it's not as simple as one side started this conflict and is wholly evil--the Night Fairies aren't all like Maleficent; humans aren't all like Henry; and, even shown in individual relationships in the story, we have Malenoa and Lilia who weren't like Lord Longan in their original views of the world and its people--but rather that power dynamics have been constantly shifting over time with both good and evil individuals caught up in them. Moreover, because of that waxing and waning, Aurora's story is almost repeating itself in Silver's--only with other humans acting as an added threat to his life.

Is there another story playing out different from what we believe?

All that being said, there is another, small possibility that might be worth thinking about: That TWST's history as the characters know it might be real after all rather than distorted over the years as we thought. I take this into consideration because of our experiences with Mickey. Just like us, Mickey comes from another world, another reality in the Disney line-up. Therefore, there's a chance that, just like how we're able to communicate with him across dreams, maybe what we're seeing aren't flashbacks into TWST's past, but rather reflections of what has occurred in Mickey's timeline instead, as a world potentially existing similarly to Kingdom Hearts or how interactions in the parks are presented, to help us deal with the current issues we are having in TWST's world. This also would help us explain why territories are so different from the ones we know from the films. For example, barring a name change, there is no Greece that Hercules takes place in, but the Kingdom of Heroes and the Island of Woe. TWST may be taking the concept of separate canons into the realm of an existing multiverse within its lore. In this case, history isn't being twisted by those retelling it, but by alternate timelines taking shape. Because of this, anything that isn't adding up, like with the Draconias living in the Sleeping Beauty castle and the land being taken over by the Silver Owls, could be dismissed: We would have to take Yuu's visions simply as warnings and shake off everything we've known.

EDIT: Adding this late, but it occurred to me that the Tsum events could also possibly be evidence for this, as they also come from another world and act as AU versions of the characters. With those events seeming to be more of a simple, funny crossover with the brand, it's hard to consider it canon. Still, Yana Toboso is known for creating comedic side-stories in her works that hint/contain important information we wouldn't fully understand until later.

Again though, I list this as a small possibility rather than a theory. There's not much else to give way to it beyond that fact that other worlds exist like Yuu's and Mickey's. We would likely need to explore more of those worlds and how they're connected before considering this idea further. Another clear factor going against this is that there's also not enough in TWST's history altered except that certain events are being painted in a different light. Take Aladdin's story for instance: In one tale society passed down, he's a portrayed as trickster that Jafaar caught red-handed. In another, he's just a man that shared bread with starving children, leading to a saying that "if you eat a big baguette, you'll never go hungry again." They're both technically true events playing out just like we have always known them to since childhood: It's clearly how they've been told and in what way they're connected that's changed, with no one knowing that it's the same person in both stories.

Anyway, thank you all again for sticking with me through another long post.

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst spoilers #twst silver #malleus draconia #lilia vanrouge #twst henry #silver owls #twst book 7 #video games #analysis

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inkforhumanhands · 9 months

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Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. spread the self-love ❤

Out of the Darkness, Into the Limelight (Daredevil, Matt/Foggy) Apologies because this is currently a 1/? but tbh it contains some of my best writing, is funny, and promises to go down a quietly devastating road. I'd be happy if more people read it (and it will be finished in due time, don't worry). It's about what happens to Matt and Foggy's friendship when they're asked to kiss for a student film.

Worth It (Daredevil, Matt/Foggy) I'm really proud of the smut in this one. Never thought I'd do a good job with it but I think I managed to write it in a way that was uniquely mine. Also the angst in this fic is good if I do say so myself. It's about Foggy thinking Matt has asked him to be a one night stand when that couldn't be further from the case.

You Would Never Call Me Baby (Daredevil, Matt/Foggy) The quintessential inkfic. This one is my most popular fic and also one of my clear favorites. Read for Matt thinking he's unlovable and Foggy not accepting that as an answer.

A Murder of Crows (A Seduction of Foes) (Spider-Gwen, Murderdock/Foggy) If you wanted a funny spin on Murderdock in law school with Foggy, this fic is for you. This one helped me realize that I am actually a funny writer and do humor well.

Guesswork (The OC, Ryan/Seth) I think only one (1) of my 200+ followers is here for my OC stuff but you will have to let me be self-indulgent. This is also a 1/? but chapter 2 is going up really soon. Starts out very funny but goes a bit dark when past trauma rears its head, and the ending of chapter 1 is still some of my favorite chapter-closing writing I've ever done!

#asks #carrionbeast #thank you carrion 🥺#mattfoggy #the oc #daredevil #murderdock #sethryan

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nerdierholler · 2 months

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Happy Valentine’s Day, lovely person 🌹

Your kind words on the things you reblog mean a lot <3 And I always look forward to reading your writing whenever you share something, there's something about the way you capture daily life moments that's so good. (Also: love love the animal facts you share!)

Here’s a romance-themed OC question for any OC(s) of your choosing (no pressure to answer on Valentine’s day itself, or at all):

What combination of random objects would your OC use to describe their LI? What do they represent? Bonus question: What would their LI use to describe them?

Thank you so so much for all of these wonderful words <3 Sorry this took me so long to answer. The week go away from me but I've finally gotten a good afternoon to answer. I'm gonna answer for Ethan and Adam and it kind of turned into a ficlet about just one object.

It doesn't come as a surprise to Ethan that no matter where he looks around Wayhaven, he finds things that remind him of Adam. What does surprise him are the things that catch his attention. Logic says every gray t-shirt or pair of sunglasses would be the likely culprits but instead today it's passing by an old building made from simply but solidly hand carved stone blocks. From a distance the lines seem perfectly straight, ordered row after ordered row forming an unmovable wall. It's only when one gets close that they can see the undulations in the joints, the individual chisel marks that make each block unique. For how many centuries did people pass their skill down from one to another? It's entirely possible that the man who made the blocks in Wayhaven would have used the same techniques as the man who built the keep that Adam grew up in.

Stone is a strong durable material. It's heavy and difficult for most to move or change, but in the right hands it can be made useful and accessible. The truly talented artists can turn the hard surface into soft pliable flesh, or at least the illusion of it. Stone cannot stop being a stone after all.

As Ethan passes by he reaches out and absently runs the tips of his fingers along the building's wall. It's solid and cool to the touch but he can feel every bump and pit created by years of wear and tear. They are imperfections that make it perfect. Poured concrete and blocks cut with modern saws create smooth surfaces that lack personality. They're missing the mark of their makers. Ethan can only hope that over time, he'll be able to leave his mark on Adam, and if he's very lucky he'll be able to carve out niche just the right size for them to fit together.

More random things under the cut

Other things that randomly make Ethan think of Adam:

Wine: It's because Adam drinks his blood from a wine glass so every time Ethan sees a bottle or pours himself a glass, he can't help but think of Adam and their different potential paths. He tries not to space out too much at the store lol

The smell of leather: Of course the Agency has the best SUVs, leather seats and everything, but really it's the well maintained leather from Adam's car the comes to mind when Ethan smells it. The antique store is dangerous. Heck, even that one nice chair in the waiting room can be a problem.

For Adam:

Sunny breezy days because they remind him of Ethan's personality.

Any classic film star. Nate watches old movies from time to time and there's something about that old Hollywood leading man style that makes him think of Ethan. Should Ethan ever decide to wear a 40s or 50s style suit Adam might just swoon. Now I'm having thoughts about a not-a-date night where the little theater in Wayhaven does a classic movie night and Ethan and Adam go together. Adam just looks like he's in pain the whole time so Ethan thinks he's have a terrible evening when in reality Adam's trying to hold himself together and not think all of *those* thoughts.

#oops this got really long #I hope that makes up for it being a bit late #it felt so good to think some creative thoughts today #ethan langford #twc

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tencionssyouor · 5 months

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(This is a more well based oc---,than tge others I will ever have---)

She's a princess dragon,and according to the searches about her --

She's consider a dragon but her term of name stand out a dragon without horns,so it's that I forgot to add horns on her it's just her unique trait.

She's the daughter of the Dragon king of the southern sea dragon clan Ao Qin.Or else known as the red dragon People are going to get confused how She's a aquamarine color dragon and her father a red dragon,So uhm by the story telling and the movie according to Nezha 2019 film with Ao Bing,by the separation of two pearls,the spirit pearl that got given to Ao Bing,after Ao Bing death, the pearl got given to her when she was prepared for her ceremony of coming off age and I'm pretty sure around 12-15,as it was given as a gift from Ao Guang niece for her ceremony of age,so due to her dragon features not standing out as red but as a mere brown,the pearl she was passed from,gave her dragon features a aquamarine colored like her eyes,she's the apprentice of Nü Wa,since Nuwa is a goddess of the human kind and half snake,they have a related story of the searching I have been doing.

She's in fact related to Ao Bing and Ao Lie,cousins,and very distant related with Mei,being her great great great great great great thousand grand aunt..?..So about the first Nezha meeting by accident,she didn't even realize who he was until someone told her too,it was a awkward meeting for Jiao at least,I see their relationship growing mire by more as a couple---,I know some people seen Nezha as a child,but seeing the difference between him and the kids in the shows,he looks older and has a deep voice in my opinion to be consider a child in the show at least,but regard to people claiming him as a child,I keep my oc in a friendship zone with him,but in my Au at least I see them as crushing or in a talking stage/not consider as a couple still.

I will probably give her a description later on.

#lmk #lmk oc #lego monkie kid #lego monkie kid oc #oc #lmk ao bing #lmk ao lie #lmk dragon clan

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mrsjellymunson · 8 months

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Steve’s Keychain

Written for the @steddiemicrofic microfic challenge September prompt: Charm.

WC: 548 || Rating: G || CW: Brief, implied era-typical homophobia; weed mentioned in passing but no actual smoking. Lactose-intolerance-inducing cheese at the end I’m really sorry, the lines wouldn’t leave my head so I had to include them

A/N: This is the result of fluff-writing and pic-making practice, and a previous hyperfixation 😉 Also, I noticed pre-posting that this is not the first fic with this theme, but I promise it was convergent creativity - great minds think alike, right? 😄👏

🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝

Eddie’s discovered a passion for making jewellery.

It started when Max and El forced him to make friendship bracelets with them one rainy Saturday. Since then he’s amassed a modest collection of tools and findings that he keeps stashed away almost as well as he hides his weed.

He loves how combining bits of metal and glass forms something special. He especially the concept of charm bracelets, and creating a unique, personal collection that grows over time.

Of course, Steve couldn’t wear one of those. Not just because people might ask awkward questions, but because Steve’s a physical guy and it would simply get in the way.

Eddie has a different idea. He attaches a loop of sturdy chain to a keyring, and attaches it to Steve’s keys. On significant events, or when he finds something cute, Eddie gifts Steve a charm and attaches it to the chain.

Steve loves it. It’s a constant reminder of Eddie’s devotion and love. The good times.

Plus, Steve always has it with him. People don’t notice or question the chain, and the majority of the charms are hidden by Steve’s keys (for now, at least).

Eddie adores collecting the charms. He buys them, finds random curios, saves plastic gifts from the arcade and the surprise egg machines outside Melvald’s.

There’s a heart, of course.

And a clockface, because, “We are for all time”.

A guitar, “So you’ll never forget me.” (“Dude, like I ever could…”)

A car, for the first time they made out (Eddie wishes it’d been a more romantic venue, but the way Steve made him feel? He’ll totally take it).

A spoon celebrates the first time they went on an almost-proper ‘date’ and shared a sundae in public. Okay, it was at Benny’s late one night and there was hardly anyone around, but they had fun sharing the sweet treat, fingers touching across the table, Benny looking on affectionately.

There’s a hag stone with a hole, discovered at Lover’s Lake.

A book, because Eddie reads Tolkien to Steve.

And Cthulhu (okay, octopus) because one day it’ll be Lovecraft.

There’s a plastic dinosaur, from their first Christmas cracker.

A key to commemorate the day they exchanged spares.

There’s cogs and machine parts Eddie brings from the shop, because he wants Steve to know he thinks about him all day.

A bell, for the cats they feed at the trailer park.

A rat for the ROUSs in their favourite comfort film.

Eddie even found a fire extinguisher, to remind Steve of that time they tried to bake brownies but got distracted making out against the washer, and almost burnt the trailer down.

Eventually the kids cotton on, bringing things for Eddie to add.

Steve’s keychain gets heavier and bulkier, and Steve couldn’t be happier.

The one thing that bothers him is that he can’t do something similar for Eddie. He mopes as Eddie retrieves his pliers to attach another trinket, and when Eddie probes he whines, “I don’t have anything like this for you.”

Exuding pure fluff, Eddie’s fingertip boops Steve’s nose.

“You don’t need to, you have all the charms I want. In fact, you’re my Prince Charming.”

Steve looks at Eddie’s jewellery supplies, and, smirking, retorts facetiously,

“Then I guess that makes you my Lord of the Keyrings..?”

🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝⛓🗝

Thanks for reading! 😃

And again, I’m so sorry for those final lines 🙈

#steddiemicrofic #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #steddie microfic #jeweller!eddie munson #steddie fic #Eddie munson x Steve Harrington #pure fluff

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greatqueenanna · 9 months

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Have you heard about the new short in front of Wish and how they're using Hans as a punching bag again? I'm just so tired of Disney doing the same thing over and over again. It feels like they're personally attacking his fans. Like, we get it. Can you stop now?

I've read rumors and spoiler posts about it, yes.

First off, I want to see the short for myself first before I pass any real judgment. I'm sure the short is fun and harmless, and one thing I'm excited about is seeing Hans again in (what I presume) updated animation since Frozen. He showed up in Frozen Fever, but it was from a distance so you couldn't really see him too well.

More thoughts on this below the cut. It's a bit long and I didn't want to crowd everyone's feeds.

Second, on the subject of Hans being treated as a joke, I agree to an extent.

I do think that Hans isn't being treated the same way as other villains. Disney Villains, even when they have done pretty gruesome things, are given fun merchandise, songs, or promotional opportunities for their films or the 'Disney Villain' brand - at the very least they get some toys or t-shirts. Hans, on the other hand, barely gets any merchandise and is usually not featured in villain-related promotions. I think the last time Hans was present in anything was his Villain/Hero doll set he had with Elsa and the A Frozen Heart novel that was retconned by Forest of Shadows.

I would really love it if they brought him back in a meaningful way, instead of just random cameos that joke about his douche-ness. We get it. He's a douche. Can we expand on this character a bit more now? Maybe give him an opportunity to prove himself as a villain?

However, even with all this being said, I think the reason for this treatment is because of the uniqueness of Hans' overall character. Not only was he a twist villain, but he was a romantic interest for Anna - making him a little too realistic for many people.

Yes, characters like Frollo and Gaston also share the qualities of men trying to take advantage of women, and Mother Gothel does indeed show signs of a realistic abusive parent. But they're shown since the beginning that they are villainous, which helps the audience know to emotionally disconnect from them. This is the same for most villains.

Hans was shown to be desirable and then changed, which is what realistically happens when people are trapped in abusive relationships. We form attachments to these types of people and it's hard to just disconnect. It's difficult to just place him as a 'deliciously fun' Disney villain with the others when he hits too close to home.

This is why we see less of a fun side to him, and why we are often just shown him being a punching bag. Hans didn't just betray Anna, he betrayed the audience as well.

"But there have been other twist villains, like Callaghan, Mayor Bellwether, and Turbo."

Yes, but did these characters really have the same emotional attachment as Hans did? Not really. Callaghan came close, but we barely saw him interact or have an emotional connection to Hiro. Bellwether and Turbo (as King Candy) were nice to their protagonists, but again, didn't have that emotional attachment to them. Hans was Anna's light of hope after we saw her suffer during her childhood, and then he turned on her when she needed him the most. Remember the plethora of reaction videos to his betrayal when Frozen first came out? Hans is a pretty big deal.

I don't agree with the conclusion that this is meant to be an attack on Hans' fans. Sorry, but the Hans fandom is, and was never, big enough to warrant such a response from Disney and we barely agree with each other on everything. If there were hundreds of fans bombarding Frozen and Disney posts, then maybe I would believe it. However, if you actually look at Twitter, it's literally the same three or four people just insulting Jennifer Lee and spreading the #FireJenLee and #RedeemHans tags. That's the only Hans Fandom presence on Twitter, unfortunately.

#Hans #Prince Hans #frozen #greatqueenanna/responses

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ryukang1995 · 3 months

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My top 10 unpopular opinions.

10. Sevendust is one of the best Metal bands I have listened to I genuinely love Sevendust, but while the band has many fans, some of us can agree that they don't quite get the recognition they deserve, and because of that, several have indeed labeled them as underrated.

They have a great unique sound that is very heavy yet melodic, and they're one of the few bands that haven't really changed their sound all too much, and yet they still come off as great and fresh...that's just me though.

9. Double Dragon (Neo Geo) is one of the most underrated fighting games I have ever played I love the Double Dragon games (most of them, anyways), and this gem for the Neo Geo is no exception.

It's loosely based on the Double Dragon movie (more on that later), and yet it actually does a great job at making the film universe seem very cool, especially as an alternate take on Double Dragon. Beyond that, it's a fun Street Fighter II-esque fighting game, which is ironic because it's published by SNK (Capcom's long-time rival behind The King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown among others).

Definitely a much better Double Dragon fighting game than Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, and it helps that it was developed by Technos Japan aka the company behind the original Double Dragon arcade games.

8. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is overrated I used to like this movie, but upon rewatch and reflection? I realize just how cringe and obnoxious it was.

Every single character is unlikable, especially Scott Pilgrim himself, and I didn't find it all that funny. It does have a great visual style from Edgar Wright as well as some cute easter eggs for video game fans, but that's not enough to salvage it.

7. Pineapple on Pizza is fine While not my favorite topping of Pizza (I prefer Pepperoni and Meat Lovers), Pineapple Pizza is not as bad as some make it out to be, especially when compared to Anchovies.

6. The old Super Mario Bros., Double Dragon and Street Fighter movies are not the worst The first few live-action movies based on video games pre-Mortal Kombat (1995) get quite a horrible reputation among fans, but as a fan of the games they are based on, I can still watch them.

Yes, they are very loose takes on the classic games, which is largely one of the main reasons why fans hate them, and yes, they're not technically great movies either, but they can be very amusing, especially in that guilty pleasure/so bad it's good way.

I can still let them pass for at least trying to make video game adaptations work, especially since they were among the first examples of the concept. We did get better video game movies, especially the animated Mario and Street Fighter II movies, but believe it or not? We also got much worse examples (such as Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and the adaptations directed by Uwe Boll).

5. I never got into the MCU's depiction of Spider-Man I love Spider-Man, especially the first two movies by Sam Raimi, but I never really got into later Spider-Man movies beyond them...well, except for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which is honestly the best Spidey flick since Spider-Man 2 (I have yet to see Across the Spider-Verse, but I have heard great things).

Tom Holland's version of Peter Parker did get a lot of praise, but I never really liked him all that much. To me, he was kind of a wuss. I recognize that he does mature by the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, but while it was nice to see him with both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield on screen, I had already lost interest in the MCU by that time.

If you like the MCU Spider-Man movies? That's perfectly fine.

4. Street Fighter III and Mortal Kombat X are some of the most overrated fighting games ever Some will scream blasphemy since I am a massive fan of both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, hence my nickname Ryu Kang, but I never got into these particular installments.

They were both aiming to be focused on the new generations of both franchises, similar to Tekken 3, which I felt did that concept much better. The two games get a lot of love, especially among tournament players, but they're not my cup of tea, and I do prefer other Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat games.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) is one of the best incarnations of the TMNT franchise I love the TMNT franchise, whether it'd be the 80s cartoon, the first two live-action movies from the 90s, or some of the video games like the two arcade games by Konami and Shredder's Revenge.

While the 2003 cartoon has a fanbase, it's also one that tends to be pretty underrated, especially in later times. I love how it aims to be darker and mirror the original comic books while still working within the parameters of being a Saturday morning cartoon.

I also have a personal attachment to the cartoon as I used to watch it a lot around 2003-04. Plus, I will gladly take it over later incarnations of TMNT like the Michael Bay movies.

2. Batman Forever and Daredevil (2003) are pretty underrated comic book movies These two movies do get so much hatred, I feel. While neither of them are among the greatest superhero movies ever made, I genuinely feel there was a lot of effort put into them, especially considering that they were victims of heavy studio meddling.

The director's cut of Daredevil (2003) especially salvages that movie, and I would like to see the original cut that Joel Schumacher intended for Batman Forever if they ever plan on releasing it.

1. I prefer Sonya Blade with Liu Kang over her with Johnny Cage Some of you definitely saw this coming, especially if you follow my page, but yeah, I'm not very fond of the CageBlade pairing.

I have already written many times before why I feel this way, but in a nutshell...Johnny annoys Sonya so much, and she only warms up to him whenever she's put in danger and he comes in to save the day. Also, later MK games and movies did a poor job handling their dynamic.

While Liu Kang and Sonya never really hooked up in the canon, the interactions they do have really show that the two get along well, and I do feel the pairing has fan art and fanfic potential beyond what I normally do with them.

With that being said, I don't mind Liu Kang with Kitana either (though recent MK games and movies do a poor job handling them too), and I would be biased and harsh if I said that he deserves only one between Kitana and Sonya.

So yeah, those are my top 10 unpopular opinions. If you don't agree with any of these, it's all good. Let's be civil about it.

#top 10 list #unpopular opinion

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bat-besties · 1 year

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Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Movie thoughts

These are my personal opinions!

Essential

From his origin, Superman has been a Jewish superhero and his tale of Krypton deeply tied to the Holocaust and experiences of Jewish refugees. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow expands on the theme of genocide, explicitly using the word holocaust a few times, and is by a Jewish writer. I really can't see how this story can be done justice without a Jewish creative team, including writers, producers, and director.

Since it is such a big blockbuster on the themes of genocide I also think it's essential they consult Amnesty International, ZACHOR Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and other charities. It's complex and emotional content for a superhero film, and especially with rising antisemitism it has to be handled well.

I would also love to see Jewish actors, and other creatives working on this film!

Krem can't "have a perspective", or a tragic backstory, or anything to make him more complex or redeemable. The whole point of his character is that he genuinely loves killing and only regrets it after his time in the Phantom Zone. The story has more than enough moral complexity on the side of Kara and Ruthye, it doesn't need a man who commits genocide to have a voice.

Ruthye should be played by a teenager or someone in their early twenties who easily passes for a teenager for her character to be impactful. With the success of The Last of Us, this is the one area I'm really not worried about.

Kara's actress needs some experience with tragic and complex roles rather than just action acting. I think a stage actress could really work.

I'd really like both actors to be Jewish, but with colourblind casting.

The aesthetic has to be bright and beautiful and artistic like Bilquis Evely’s work. The contrast between serious and tragic content and the ugliness of sentient beings against a beautiful universe which holds kindness is so important and makes this story unique. I so want her to consult on this.

Hopeful

DC should be working on a unified and recognisable aesthetic for their version of space. While the recognisability of Star Wars or Star Trek is probably too much to aspire to, I think with enough funding for creatives and inspiration from comics (let Everly consult!!!), something is possible. Also, use of real costumes and sets rather than CGI.

I understand that Kara's time on Argo City will have to be condensed into a shorter flashback, but I really hope we have more time on that for the different waves of radiation.

Niche but I’d love pre-apocalypse Krypton to be depicted as comic-style animation to show the distance/memory/innocence of Kara’s thoughts of it

The scene where Kara teaches Ruthye to wash her hands after the toilet is not only important but allows being unhygienic which women often aren't.

There should be as little exposition on Superman as possible. He's enough of a cultural icon we might need a shot of how he came to Earth, but not the whole becoming Superman thing. This isn't about him!

A consistent Kryptonian conlang for use throughout the DC universe would be great.

Films usually condense timelines, but I think there should be at least montages or timeskips to show Ruthye is with Kara for a while, and they see a lot of destruction

Let Kara Say Fuck (they probably can't have as much as she does in the comic, but she needs at least one. She's an ADULT WOMAN who has gone through so so much.)

Things I would like

The fact Ruthye stinks and is proud of it.

Ruthye asking if "@£!^%" is the name of Kara's lover

The fact Ruthye's mother gives her blessing for the revenge

The moments on the space-bus of Ruthye's personal space being invaded and how that links into her experience as a woman

References to poems about Supergirl

Ruthye being from a rock farm is important to her character and I hope they keep it, but I get it might seem a bit weird for audiences unused to comicsy logic

I think for simplicity's sake, Cosmo should be shot instead of Argo, and then Cosmo should be just a horse so as not to confuse new audiences.

I’d love to hear more ideas/dream castings for Kara and Ruthye/things people are hoping for :))

#supergirl: woman of tomorrow #kara zor-el #kara zorl el danvers #supergirl #kara danvers #ruthye #ruthye supergirl

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adamwatchesmovies · 1 month

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Bad Genius (2017)

No matter how difficult your studies might’ve been, they’ll seem like a walk in the park after Bad Genius. The cultural pressures imposed on the young protagonist make you understand why this story about an important test turns into a heist.

Brilliant Lynn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) is accepted into a prestigious school. She doesn’t realize that her scholarship covered only the initial application fees, leaving her father to struggle to afford a number of additional payments that weren’t disclosed intially. Out of guilt, Lynn agrees to help some of her friends cheat during their exams, which turns into a highly profitable endeavor. As her clientele grows, so do the stakes, culminating in an elaborate scheme to steal the answers for the STIC.

The culture Bad Genius is based in makes this more than a generic heist film. While there is pressure on everyone to get good grades, the school Lynn attends takes it to another level. After Lynn and Bank (Chanon Santinatornkul) perform well in a TV competition that pits schools against each other, a gigantic banner with their portraits and achievements is hung on the side of the skyscraper-like learning institution for all to see. Talk about pressure. With the corrupt academic officials basically coercing her father into giving them more money, you can see why she succumbs to temptation and decides to help Grace (Eisaya Hosuwan). That leads to Lynn helping Grace and her boyfriend Pat (Teeradon Supapunpinyo) cheat, which leads to loads of people wanting her "help" too. There could’ve been a slight problem with this story. You might care about Lynn but all of her friends are spoiled rich idiots who couldn’t answer a multiple-choice exam if their gift of a brand new car depended on it, so where are the stakes? Thankfully, writers Tanida Hantaweewatana, Vasudhorn Piyaromna and Nattawut Poonpiriya (who also directs) are aware of this potential issue. They team Lynn up with Bank (Chanon Santinatornkul), who also desperately needs the money. He's also from a lower caste, in a country that would never give him or Lynn the chance to move up if it wasn't for this scheme.

Another element that makes Bad Genius unique is that it isn’t all about stealing the STIC answers. At first, the movie is just about Lynn figuring out how she’ll pass her messages to her classmates without the teachers figuring out what’s going on. To anyone who ever read Naruto - or watched the animated series - it’ll remind you of one of the very first chapters, where all of these wild techniques are used to do what is really just a mundane task. The thing is, the tests feel big because of what it means to the people involved.

That's great and the performances are strong. You wouldn’t even know most of the young actors are relatively inexperienced. Then, there’s the direction by Poonpiriya. The film begins with Lynn as she's being confronted about cheating on the STIC. You think the movie is spoiling itself but actually, it’s pulling a fast one on you and when we get to the reveal, it's so good I kind of want any aspiring screenwriters to see this movie just so they can add a new trick to their arsenal.

One aspect of the film that doesn’t quite match the rest is the conclusion. There’s one particular character whose allegiance changes drastically towards the end and while it isn’t completely out of nowhere, it sort of makes you wish the whole film had been done from their point of view. At the very least, you wish they had gotten more screentime so we'd seen more of their journey. There are also a few moments where the tension feels like it’s being ramped up artificially. A cell phone vibrates. Its owner is afraid to pick up because they know the message they've received is incriminating… but the person looking at them doesn’t know that. If they just looked at the phone and casually turned the screen off after two seconds, no one would be the wiser. Their reaction makes you frustrated.

Bad Genius does a terrific job making what should be a no-stakes, boring scene - students taking an exam - into a compelling drama. That alone makes it delightful. While this movie or the true events that inspired it might not get directly remade by Hollywood, it's only a matter of time before someone takes inspiration from it. I say check out Bad Genius before it’s the cool thing to do. (Original Thai with English subtitles, February 4, 2022)

#Bad Genius #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #Nattawut Poonpiriya #Tanida Hantaweewatana #Vasudhorn Piyaromna #Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying #Chanon Santinatornkul #Teeradon Supapunpinyo #Eisaya Hosuwan

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ichayalovesyou · 2 years

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The Needs of The Many

The First Servant, COVID-19, Pike, Spock, and SNW’s Overarching Themes

So, yesterday’s episode of Strange New Worlds was very… heavy.

Strange New Worlds overarching themes this far have been fate, perspective, and sacrifice.

Even the audience knowing who lives and who dies based on having seen TOS actually SERVES that narrative! Uhura, Spock, Chapel, M’benga, even Pike, they have no idea that they can’t die until after TOS and it’s films. While Samuel Kirk has no idea he’s going to die by the end of TOS’s first season. They don’t know, but we do, and even then, crazy things could still happen. Nothing is set in stone, nothing is exactly as it appears.

The pilot’s most blatant message is that the future is what we make it. That we can choose whether we live (warp drive) or die (warp bomb). As well as that growth can be found even in the most inhospitable and unknowable environments like the vacuum of space.

Children of the Comet declares that just because we know something will happen, doesn’t mean it’ll do so in the way we expect. Whether or not it will br at immense cost to ourselves is undefined (Mahanit does not perish destroying Persephone 3 thanks to Enterprise’s intervention).

The Ghosts of Illyria establishes life after being forcibly changed shape, and the message we leave behind when we go where others cannot follow. What appeared monsterous was only there to help the crew survive what they themselves did not. It also establishes Rukiya, who in some ways is going through something similar to Pike. Instead through the outside perspective and grief of Dr. M’Benga, her father who is desperately trying to save her life, sacrificing much in doing so.

Memento Mori celebrates a Starfleet holiday where those who were killed in action are remembered, and La’an takes her first steps toward actually acknowledging her grief over what happened to her and her family on the Puget Sound at the hands of the Gorn. We also get Hemmer’s Aenarian perspective on death, and Uhura being uncertain what her purpose is in the face of it.

Spock Amok forcibly changes Spock and T’Pring’s perspectives on each other’s lives through an accidental body swap. The R’Ongovians are won over to the side of the Federation by Pike using their own radical empathy tactic. Neither Spock or T’Pring’s lives, or the R’Ongovians, are what they appeared to be to the other side.

Now, Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach, asks us whether the sacrifice of a small child enduring a slow and painful death at the hands of a machine beyond its creators’ comprehension is worth the comfort and stability of an entire civilization.

In this case, do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one?

In this particular case, I think the answer is no.

I believe this will profoundly change how Pike perceives his own, seemingly, inevitable sacrifice and the reasons that he does it for. I think with every passing episode of Strange New Worlds, it’s going to prepare him for that moment in its own unique way. Hopefully, by the time he reaches it, he will be sacrificing himself with a sound heart and mind (which is something he does not have right now but we’ll get into that later).

If we can extrapolate from the dialogue and facts of the episode, Magellus isn’t at all the enlightened utopia that it pretends it is. The guard that Alora kills calls their society a hell. They refuse to help others in need with their technology, including colonies of their own desperate people. The blood of generations of small children is on the hands of everyone who is complicit in The Ascension of The First Servant. The whole thing is very Those Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K LeGuin. At least in this case, those who are walking away (namely, The First Servant’s father) intend on returning with reinforcements.

All I can think of is our culture’s attitude toward front line essential workers and disabled people even now as the pandemic rages on. How our culture and our government is so desperate to return to a sense of “normalcy” that in the US we have the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths in the world to date.

Our normal was never good, and in our insistence to return to it, immunocompromised people die in droves, the comorbidity of being a minority, for the greater “good” of our civilization. The victims are in the minority, and no matter how much we call it a noble sacrifice to our sense of normalcy or our economy, it is unprecedented, horrendous, and worst of all unnecessary. Most of all because the people who die from COVID don’t choose to, just like raffling off a child to become The First Servant. They don’t consent to their deaths, the society that sustains the bloody cycle does.

It is not the minority that should be sacrificing itself, but the majority that should change so that everyone can live, no deaths required. Whatever the discomfort may be, it’s better than the alternative. The Magellans could leave their city, their so-called paradise if they really cared that a child had to be murdered every few years to sustain their way of life. But they do not and have not, and may never unless a great unrest takes place.

Now how does all of this apply to Pike’s journey?

I keep mulling over in my head the key similarities and differences in the Magellan edict and Pike’s mantra from Through The Valley of Shadows.

Science, Servitude and Sacrifice VS Service, Sacrifice, Compassion, and Love

What the Magellans lack that Pike (and in turn the Federation) does not is the additions of compassion and love. Which is why the First Servant’s sacrifice is in vain, as it is to a unloving and unsustainable culture. It is also, ironically, what Pike lacks regarding, not other people, but himself.

It’s something we have seen him struggle with since the very beginning, as in The Cage. As in Dr. Boyce saying “damnit Chris you treat everyone on board like a human being except yourself!” When he says he serves the living and the dying, he is absolutely referring to Chris, who lives like he’s dying.

Pike, like many other captains we know, has a serious Martyr/God complex. He’s depressed on an existential level, he is looking for reasons worth dying for rather than for reasons to live. He’s even treating his eventual disability like death so he doesn’t have to think about living! Even though he will very much still be alive after the radiation takes his voice and mobility away from him. “If I don’t save them who will? If I don’t die for a cause who will? Surely, I am the only person who can do this, this is the only way I can do this, and there’s no unforeseen consequences to this action I’ve yet to take! Sounds convenient!”

He’s clinging to terminal deadlines because he doesn’t want to think about the future, the real future, the one he’s a part of. He’s constantly, constantly looking for a good enough reason to die so that the people who love him will stop arguing with him about it. Pike is using his paragon of martyrdom persona and his captaincy to hide that he is incredibly depressed. He doesn’t want a future that he can’t imagine, so he’s decided it’s going to end with the only answer he’s received, regardless of it’s context.

He puts very, very little value on his own life. Constantly hurling himself into immediate danger throughout his time on Discovery, out of guilt and out of principle, and out of his own unaddressed emotional struggles. I think the only reason he’s (mostly) stopped doing that in Strange New Worlds is that he is holding out for the big one. He has to live so he can “die” later. He’s got “I give my life for you” down pat, has learned to tolerate “you give your life for me” but severely lacks in “nobody gets left behind.”

Spock ends up following this pattern too under a veneer of logic, and as much as both of these characters preach that the needs of the many outweigh their own, and that that mantra holds truth and nobility to it, that doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of saving as well.

Spock puts himself at great risk to ensure Pike lives a full life in The Menagerie (messy/problematic metaphors aside), Kirk and the Enterprise crew risk their lives to bring Spock back from the dead in The Search for Spock. Nobody gets left behind, the needs of the few motivate the many to change themselves, often for the better. ‘You gave your life for us, we give our lives for you’ ensures everyone lives, not that one person dies. Even when that one person believes their purpose is to die for others.

My hope is that tragedy Pike witnessed in Magellus puts things into perspective for him and that other episodes continue to do so. So that when the time comes, he doesn’t sacrifice himself because he doesn’t think his life is important, or at least, that it’s only important because of that moment. Hopefully before the end Pike figures out the most important things to him about living. Learning to value himself before the accident permanently changes him and his capabilities. That when he does sacrifice himself it’s because he loves life, and loves who he is as a person, and gives of himself in spite of that. Or perhaps something else may come into play…

Given the overarching themes of perspective in Strange New Worlds, I don’t think his fate, or where his storyline appears to end in The Menagerie, are exactly as they seem. And I am greatly looking forward to seeing that narrative spun if SNW continues to move in this direction.

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reservoirreputation · 3 months

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Howdy!!!

Lately I've been thinking more and more about the res dogs AU, in which Freddy didn't kill mr Blonde and thus didn't give himself away. How do you think things would develop in such a situation? I mean, Eddie wouldn't know anything, Freddy wouldn't be suspicious, and the cops would still be outside the door. In general, it’s interesting to read your thoughts on this matter! (or get a link to a fanfic, if there is one, of course)

It's not exactly the same, but maybe similar enough, if you have an itch you wanna scratch

"Summary: The jewelry heist goes badly, and everyone ends up in jail, all except Mr. Orange, who’s MIA. A trusted hand is brought in, to see if Orange is a dope dealer on the run, or an undercover cop. Larry’s up for the challenge."

It's essentially 'what if Freddy saw Blonde was about to go on a shooting spree, shoots him first (Vic lives), everyone else meets up at the warehouse, gets arrested'. It's essentially best case scenario because Larry's not there to distract Freddy

But, since you're here:

If Freddy doesn't shoot Blonde, well, I guess Marvin would be set on fire, wouldn't he? One ending is Freddy dies of smoke inhalation while Blonde bails. That's not the end of it, of course, because the moment Larry gets wind of it, he's going after Blonde. Spur of the moment, he'll likely be stopped by the Cabots. If he waits, plays nice, he'll kill Vic when he's alone and least expecting it, months, even years later.

Another ending is that Freddy isn't awake when the fire starts, there's no way for him to know what Blonde's about to do. No protesting, no ambush. And it's not that Vic's looking out for others, he's still looking out for himself; he knows that if he lets Orange die, he'll NEVER hear the end of it. So, he scoops up a half-dead Orange, gets him out of the warehouse, and drives to a backup meetup (one that only he and Eddie used)

Branching off from ending two: Orange wakes up, is patched up, feels like he's been hit by several buses. The other guys have scattered with their cuts, except for the Cabots, Larry and Blonde. They explain how hot the area is, and that with Orange in his condition, they can't leave him alone. Joe and Eddie are skipping town, and highly recommend that Orange go with them; it's the least Joe can do, after all. This for all intents and purposes should be impossible; Holdaway, the LAPD, should be looking for Freddy, will find him in no time. Only, in this ending, Freddy never passed out. He saw everything Blonde did to Marvin. Didn't stop him, at any point. Be it from fear, shock, having half his blood on the floor, or maybe...

Freddy wanted to live more than he wanted to save Marvin.

Unsure of what the truth is, he knows one thing for certain; he can't face the cops. No matter what, he feels responsible. So, Freddy agrees to go with them, with Larry and Blonde in tow. Insert here the development of the most toxic version of Larry/Freddy/Vic possible.

I think there's another possibility, with Freddy using his most powerful tool in the film; his words. His ability to convince people of whatever he wants except going to the hospital, and-

"Summary: Part One: Left behind in the aftermath of Vega’s activities, Larry’s hauled in for questioning, and is given a unique opportunity; save lives by informing on Vic Vega, and have the pleasure of seeing him get thrown in jail. But, the LAPD won’t let him go at it, alone. They send in an undercover agent, one that Larry won’t know about until they’re both in the field.

Part Two: Day of the theft and everything seems to be going great. One unlucky shot, however, and Freddy’s world is turned upside-down. As he thinks back on what led him up to this point, Freddy must summon the strength to go as far as needed, and not lose himself in the process."

If there's another aspect of this scenario (the original ask) that you want me to expand on, let me know! This is just the stuff I could think of off the top of my head!

Anybody wants to take these ideas, put their own spin on it... tag me when you're done? I'm nosey.

#reservoir dogs #fanfic #ao3 #asks #bshutsky #canon divergence #what if

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