#and its dub instead of non because you just know they LIVE for the insanity

[wilsonsmcgillsweatshirt]

Dubcon but instead of sex it's surgery

#i just used this as a tag but it deserves its own post #and its dub instead of non because you just know they LIVE for the insanity #house md #house #greg house #james wilson #hilson #hate crimes md #hatecrimes md #hannibal #nbc hannibal #will graham #hannibal lecter #hannibal nbc #hannigram #fanfiction #ao3 #fandom

[delightfulcollectivetyphoon]

WOOP WOOP guess whos baaaaaaack. anyways yeah. ik i promised knifeplay but I SWEAR ON PAPA HET it will be in the next part. only after reading did i realize how bad i am at writing p in v smut. please reply and reblog if you like my fic ! <3

warnings: extreme dubcon (like seriously im blurring the line between dub and non but like its all 100% consensual they're just roleplaying), p in v, hair pulling, squirting, dacryphilia, post-kink-action consent (again roleplaying a dubcon situation), pet names, i need to have his children *cough cough* i didn't say anything, james refers to reader as "my perfect little girl" not in a ped0ph1l1c way but like in size ykwim, morning-aftercare, soft!james (aaaaaa), fluff, he bathes her, food

dear fucking god this started to get really (really) dark but i stopped myself but lmk if u guys want dark stuff!<3

"Won't everyone else hear us?" you asked nervously.

"Ah no, they're all gettin' shitfaced at some bar probably."

You grinned at his remark and let him lead you to his room.

The walls were black wood panels running vertically. The paint was rubbed away at a few spots, and the furniture was just the same. A king-size bed lay in the middle, with the headboard touching the wall and the footboard jutting out just shy of the center of the room. There were two identical small dressers directly across from the bed, and a red easel mirror separating them. You let out a small gasp as you took in your surroundings. It truly was a gorgeous room, and you felt as if you desperately needed to live here. As you were distracted, James took the time to observe you, grinning at your child-like wonder. He too had been amazed at how beautiful it had been. He knew that he needed someone to share it with. One thing you noticed was that the headboard was made oddly; instead of one flat board of wood, it had been carved at the top into an ornate pattern, and the middle of it had a checkered cutout. You instantly knew that it wasn't just a headboard, it was specifically to be tied to. You swallowed hard, thinking about being tied up, unable to escape, forced to succumb to him, to let him have you in every way possible. He noticed your special interest in the bedframe and told you so.

"Yeah, I like it too. Its gotta be my favorite thing in the whole house," he spoke. He chuckled, then walked up to your back. He leaned down to whisper, "well, not my favorite thing." You sighed at being called his favorite thing. The thought that you could just be his toy drove you insane, whimpering for more. If he noticed your turmoil, he didn't show it. Instead, he backed away from you and fiddled with his pocketknife through the denim. He knew exactly what to do with it, he just had to do it. That was gonna be the tricky part. Once your mind left the room and focused back on James, you remembered what you were here for. For him. For the pleasure he would send shooting down every nerve in your body. You blushed at the thought of you cumming around him, screaming his name, growing more and more overstimulated as he chases his own high, not caring that you had reached yours first. You turned to face him, your heart nearly beating out of your ribcage.

"I'm ready."

He strode towards you, a smug look on his face.

"Tell me, what are you ready for?"

"...I...want you to fuck me. I was nervous before, in the woods, because I didn't know what this would be like, but I know I'll like it." You grinned as you leaned forward, standing on your toes to reach his lips. At first, he resisted, just to see how desperate you were. But one swipe of your tongue across his bottom lip convinced him. He grabbed the backs of your thighs, and you understood, allowing yourself to be hefted into his arms. You hooked your ankles together behind his back, you dug them in as you felt his cock, straining against the fabric. You loved the feeling of the rough material on your soft clit, but you remembered his rule. He pulled away. "I've been waiting for that. Waiting for you. Waiting, watching, I can never tell the difference." He dove down to your neck, licking at the bruises. He started towards the bed, gently laying you on the soft blanket. He began grinding himself against your thigh, thrusting wildly. After all, you had denied him earlier. However, he wasn't going to let himself go just yet. He detached himself from your throat as he pulled his cock back out of his jeans, still throbbing and angry from its ruined release. He moaned as he felt his hand tug his length, he needed to cum, and he needed it now.

"On your hands and knees, pretty girl."

You complied as you could feel the throbbing start between your legs again. Soon, you had your nose pressed into his bush again, and you were choking around him. He didn't offer words of encouragement this time. He wasn't going to wait any longer. He had an iron grip on your hair as he fucked your mouth. He was a grunting, sweaty mess by the time you could fell his head pulsing at the back of your throat. You tried to pull away again, to tease him again, but he was smarter this time, not letting you go. He continued until you could feel the hot, salty cum dripping down your throat, filling up your mouth. He came with a moan, the sound imprinting itself into your very soul, echoing in your ears. Once he had caught his breath, he tilted your head up, still holding your hair, and told you to open your mouth.

"Swallow."

You obeyed. You opened again to show him, and he grinned.

"Such a good slut for me, my little girl," he cooed as he stroked your sore scalp.

"Since you've been fairly good, you want me to fill up that tight little cunt? You want me to make you scream my name, cum all over me like the little whore you are?"

You moaned at his words and nodded, eyes clouded with lust. You were drunk. You hadn't touched a bottle since the concert, but you were drunk. On him, on the way he so lovingly degraded you, how you knew he would take care of you in the best ways, how he would love you in the worst.

"I want to be yours."

There it was. The look you had seen onstage, the wolf's glare as he stalks his prey. Those 5 words had transported him somewhere else. They made him someone else. Mine. The word rang through his head as he took you in. On your knees, hands folded in your lap, a lustful look on your face. You were almost made to be dominated. He decided he would make you obey. You would obey his every command. He would get what he wanted, no matter the cost. You were his. His little fucktoy. He grabbed your cheeks in one hand, earning a strangled gasp from you.

"You're gonna regret saying that sweetheart," he sneered as he pushed you on your back. You couldn't see him as you heard his clothing hit the floor, but you knew he would have the hottest body. He leaned forward, chain swinging from his neck just less than a foot above you. He positioned himself between your legs, and you instinctively wrapped them around him. You wanted nothing more than to kiss him as he inserted himself, but he wanted to be inside you as soon as possible. He needed to feel you practically split in two from his girth. He needed to see tears running down your cheek as you tried to distinguish pain from pleasure. His wish was granted as he locked hands with you, and slowly pushed himself inside. He watched as you tried to escape the stretch, the excruciating pain.

"Shhhh, I know, I know. It's gonna be okay," he said in a calming voice as you groaned through your teeth. He tucked a lock of hair behind your ear and wiped a stray tear from your cheek. It was a few minutes before he bottomed out, but it felt like an hour. Every couple of inches or so, he would stop and let you adjust. It took all of his will to not slam right into you and rail you straight in oblivion. He knew damn well if he did, you wouldn't be able to walk properly for at least a couple weeks, and that wasn't even his ego talking. He continued to caress your cheek as he stared at your entrance, how nicely he stretched you. As soon as he could feel your wetness against his pelvis, he slowly pulled out, assuring you through the pain. He repeated his process several times, before you finally spoke up.

"Fuck me, please, faster" you half-whispered. More tears had accumulated at the corners of your eyes, spilling over the edge and collecting in your hair.

"It's gonna hurt for a few minutes, but I promise I'm gonna make you feel so fucking good. I promise." He slowly picked up his pace, careful to move in as straight a line as possible. He still held your hands in his own. He squeezed tighter as he pushed in, and slowly released as he came back out. You tried to remain as quiet as possible, but it was no use. The only sounds in the room were your moans, his pants, and your pelvis colliding with his. He would lean down and kiss you every once in a while, and could feel his tummy colliding with yours, which almost made you cum on the spot. You found pleasure in the way his bush brushed against your clit upon bottoming out. Your vision was foggy, your legs were almost numb. He was right. You were in pure fucking euphoria, and you hadn't even cum yet. You watched him watch himself drill into your hole. His eyes only left when you freed yourself of his grip and reached your hands around his neck, bringing him in, close enough so you could whisper.

"aa...aaaaa.... Jamie....fuck.... feel so fucking good......aaaaaaaa"

He threw his head back, reveling in the accelerated pleasure. Your whimpers and moans, badly masked, pushed him way closer to the edge than they should've. You could feel the coil tightening, looking at the sweat running down his forehead, arms locked and flexed, the only thing keeping him upright. The way his chain bounced against his chest, even shinier with sweat. You came right then and there, squirting all over his abdomen and thighs. You nearly passed out. Your mouth opened in a silent scream as you convulsed, the hot liquid taking him by surprise.

"Ah fuck yeah.... just like that....thats my good girl.....fuck"

He began to rub at your clit, sending you into overdrive, making you clench as hard as possible. You screamed as he came, coating your walls. He only fucked you faster. He held onto your waist, bruising the skin, His moans were the only thing keeping you conscious.

"Fuck, thats my good fucking girl.........so fucking perfect...... fuck baby.."

He craned his neck, trying to focus on anything, anything other than your fucked-out features. He knew that the second he laid eyes on you, he would cum again. He pulled out just in time, groaning at the loss of stimulation. Your eyes were glazed over as you reached for him, pulling him into a bear hug. You cried into his shoulder as your walls fluttered around the mix of your cum. You could feel it leaking out as he pulled you upright, pressing kisses all over your face, licking the stray tears away. He stroked your back as you both caught your breath, recovering from your brain-melting orgasms.

"You were so good for me. So perfect. My perfect little girl."

You basked in his praise, still unable to fully form words, let alone sentences. You smiled up at him as he stroked your hair.

"Well, I don't know about you, but a bath sounds pretty damn good right about now." You nodded at him as he looked to you for an answer. He smiled softly and stood, walking to the bathroom across the hall. As soon as you heard water running, you fell asleep. You weren't sure how long you had slept, but the sun was shining through the window when you awoke. You tried to sit up, but your core throbbed. As soon as the pain washed over you, you remembered what had happened the night before. Ohmigod. After finding a massive t-shirt, you limped out of the bedroom. You didn't know where the kitchen was, but after exploring, you had finally found it. James was sitting down, eating a bowl of cereal and some eggs. He smiled as you entered the room. You offered him a grin as you slowly sat next to him, holding in a groan as you hit the chair. He put an arm around you, which you gladly accepted, and snuggled into his chest, almost falling asleep again.

"How are you feeling?"

"Feels like you're still in me," you grumbled. You winced as the words left your mouth. You had screamed yourself hoarse last night. His hand ran up and down your arm, trying to ease at least some pain. He chuckled at the remark.

"Well, was it worth it?"

You looked up, unsure of his question.

"What do you mean?"

"Whatever you think it means. Regrets?"

"None," you whispered as you kissed his cheek. A few minutes passed, which you filled with sharing his cereal.

"Oh, uh by the way, I ran a bath last night because I wasn't sure if you had any more energy left for it, but the offer still stands."

"Ugh, fine," you teased as you made your way to the bathroom. You were just reaching for the faucet, when you heard footsteps behind you. James pulled you back by the waist, placing you by the door.

"Nuh uh. I'm doing this. You just work on brushing your hair. I'll wash it, and your body too, if you want. You need to rest."

Your heart almost shattered at how caring he was. You couldn't stop grinning as you ran his brush through your hair. When you were done, you took off the shirt and slowly climbed in. The water was hot enough that you immediately went limp and groaned. God, this was amazing. It soothed your skin, made all the pain drift away like smoke in the wind.

"I don't think I've seen anyone enjoy a bath as much as you," he taunted. You opened your eyes to find him on his knees in front of the tub, hands resting on his thighs.

"Shut up, Hetfield," you smiled.

He held up his hands in defense, laughing. After what only felt like a few minutes of idle chit-chat, he began to pump shampoo into his hands, working up a lather. You pulled the shower curtain back farther and lifted your head off the edge of the tub, to give him better access. As soon as his hands began massaging your scalp, you felt a wave of contentment settle over you. You shifted so that your back was to him. He grabbed a towel off the shelf and put it against the side of the tub so you could lean your head back. He didn't care that he was getting soapy water all over his pants, he was just happy that you were happy. He continued massaging your head in silence. He could've sworn you fell asleep more than once, just while he was shampooing. He guided your head up, grabbed the sprayer, and, while holding a washcloth over your eyes, so as to not get any soap in them, rinsed your hair. He moved on to conditioner, brushing through your hair as he did so. He left the conditioner to settle as he lightly ran a loofa over your body, being extra careful around your labia and vulva. He could still see his handprints on your ass, and tracing them, asked, "do these still hurt?"

"They're just a little sore, but you can wash them."

He slowly ran the loofa across your ass, slightly proud that they were still there. He kept that to himself and carried on. Once you had been rinsed off, he helped you out of the tub and dried you off. He guided you to the bedroom, where he pulled a bag from under the bed.

"This morning, I drove down to a Walmart a few miles out and got you some stuff."

He pulled out a fresh pair of panties, and some pajamas.

"I figured we could just have a day in, if you have nothing else to do."

Your heart felt like it was going to erupt at any second. You teared up as you approached him. He could see your emotion and reached out his arms. He embraced you, running a hand through your hair, as you cried into his shoulder. You hadn't had this type of treatment from past lovers, and you never expected him to do all this for you. Especially when you thought this was just a one-night stand.

"What is it?"

"No one's ever done this for me. You're the first. The bath, the clothes. You're just so sweet, even to a one-night stand."

He looked confused as you spoke the last three words.

"Do you want this to be a one-night stand? 'Cause I don't."

"Are you sure?"

"Pff, why would I not be?"

You simply buried your face back in his chest. You stood like that for a few minutes, glad to have this time with him.

You eventually pulled away, unpackaging your clothes. You slid on the underwear and pajamas. He led you to the living room and sat you on the sofa. He went back to the kitchen, grabbing the snack foods he had gotten from Walmart. He came back out with a couple of boxes of cereal, some milk, some candy, and a massive tub of Moose Tracks ice cream. You snatched the ice cream and a spoon as soon as he set them down. He grabbed the second spoon, and you both worked on the tub as you watched trashy reality TV. God, this man was perfect.

#WHEW #james hetfield #papa het #i need this man in ways that would get me on a watchlist #ANYWAYS #james hetfield smut #papa het smut

[fanficshiddles]

Descent Into Madness, Chapter 1

Summary: Violet is new to the high rise, but mainly keeps herself to herself. Laing has noticed her a couple of times in passing, harmlessly flirting with her. But she turns down his advances. When the high rise descends into madness, he finds her being hauled around by some other guys, screaming and pleading at them to let her go. Laing rescues her and she thinks she’s safe with him. But he decides to have her all to himself instead, claiming protection for her.

Going to be a five parter! 

Warnings: Highly Dub-con, rape/non-con, loss of virginity, manipulation, forced orgasms, forced drug and alcohol use.

-

When Violet first arrived at the high rise, it was exciting yet quite daunting at the same time.

Violet liked to keep herself to herself, which was fine until she learned that everyone in the high rise enjoyed partying a lot of the time. But that was mainly on the floors above and below her, so she was able to keep out of it for the most part.

There was a really handsome man that had caught her attention once or twice. Doctor Robert Laing. He lived on the floor above her, he was very charming and always set her off guard slightly.

The first time she met him, was when he held the lift for her when she had some shopping from the grocery floor. The doors were about to shut but a long-fingered hand shot out and stopped it from closing, just in the nick of time.

‘Thank you!’ She said as she slipped inside, then was stunned momentarily at the beautiful man smiling down at her.

‘You’re very welcome, darling.’ Robert smiled pleasantly. ‘What floor?’

‘24th, please.’ She said as she snapped out of her daze and moved into the corner, giving herself a little more space between him as she placed her bags down.

‘Ah, you’re just below me.’ He grinned, pressing the two floors. Then he put his hand out towards her. ‘I’m Robert, Robert Laing.’

‘Nice to meet you, Robert. I’m Violet Simpson.’ She smiled and took his hand, he had a gentle hold but it felt firm at the same time. His hand practically engulfed hers.

‘How long have you lived here for?’ She asked when he released her hand.

‘Two months or so. I heard on the grapevine you just moved in a week ago. Are you liking your stay so far?’ He asked as he leaned back against the mirror.

She tried to ignore how good looking he was. The way his white shirt clung to his chest didn’t help and neither did the way his forearms were on show, his sleeves rolled up.

‘Uhm, good so far. I mainly moved here because it’s so handy having everything I need within the building. I’m not much of a people person, so not having to go out and about aside from work is ideal.’ She said sheepishly, looking down.

‘Ah, yes. And it is good not having to brave the harsh elements when you just need a pint of milk.’ Robert chuckled.

‘Sure is.’ She smiled, nodding in agreement.

She felt a little relieved when the lift stopped on her floor. While he seemed nice enough, there was something intimidating about Robert. But she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

‘Thanks again. It was nice meeting you, Robert.’ She gave him a sweet smile before exiting the lift.

‘The pleasure was all mine, darling.’ He smiled widely at her and waved just as the doors closed.

Violet had bumped into him a couple more times after the first meeting. One time she was just coming home from work and so was he. He held the door open for her and they rode up in the lift together again. That’s when she found out that he was a doctor.

-

It had been around a month since Violet had moved into the high rise, she knew tensions were rising slightly between the floors. Mainly between the upper and lower floors. She was somewhat in the middle, which she hoped was a good thing.

But she went for her weekly swim in the communal pool one Tuesday afternoon. It was usually at its quietest then, for some reason. So she always took advantage of that.

She had the pool to herself for a short while, making the most of it by getting in a good few lengths. But when she heard the door of the changing rooms opening, she felt her stomach drop. She had hoped to have it to herself for a while longer.

As she started swimming down towards the deep end, away from the changing rooms, she heard a familiar velvety voice come from the side.

‘Why hello, darling. Is there room for another?’ He teased, grinning from ear to ear.

Violet stopped at the deep end and glanced over, her heart skipped a beat slightly when she saw Robert. His black trunks left very little to the imagination. And he’d had a quick shower before coming through to the pool, his hair was wet and messy, he had droplets of water running down his chiselled chest…

She ran her hand down her face to stop herself from oogling him too much.

‘I won’t be much longer, so you’ll have the pool to yourself.’ She smiled sweetly at him and started swimming down towards the shallow end.

Robert smiled and slipped into the pool at the side. ‘No need, darling. I’d much rather enjoy your company.’ He purred and swam into rhythm next to her.

She blushed and tried to focus ahead of her. She wasn’t sure if he was naturally flirty with every woman or if he was genuinely flirting with her. Either way, it was getting difficult to ignore.

After doing a few lengths with Robert and making small, polite chat, she went to the steps and climbed out.

‘Leaving me so soon?’ Robert asked, sounding slightly hurt, but he had a smile on his face as he swam to the side and folded his arms over the edge, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes.

‘Yeah, I need to get dinner sorted.’ She said with a blush, trying to turn away to hide herself. Even though she was wearing a swimming suit, she still felt very self-conscious now she was out of the water.

‘Speaking of dinner.’ Robert said as he slowly swam down the pool, while Violet walked along the side towards the changing rooms, he kept in line with her. ‘Are you free on Friday night? I wanted to ask you out on a dinner date.’

Violet almost tripped over her own feet when he asked her. She looked down at him, mouth open in slight surprise. But then she got her brain to work again, eventually.

‘I… I’m flattered, Robert. Thank you. But I… I’m not really looking to date right now.’ She said quietly, nervously. ‘I’m still getting settled in here and finding my feet. I uhm, I really enjoyed your company while swimming though, thank you.’ She smiled and then headed through to the changing rooms.

Laing let out a groan as he floated onto his back, staring up at the ceiling.

That girl was driving him insane. She was so shy and timid, always stealing small glances at him and by the look in her eyes and the flush that crept on her cheeks, she clearly fancied him. But why she turned down his advances, he had no idea.

But she was such a pretty little thing. Looked so innocent, he would love nothing more than to see her kneeling on front of him with her lovely lips wrapped around his cock. Then to have her whimpering and moaning underneath him as he thrust into her and made her body yield to him…

Robert cursed as he was hard just thinking about her. He quickly swam over to the edge of the pool and rested his head against the side as he slipped a hand down his boxers, squeezing himself.

He felt a bit perverse as he pushed his boxers down enough so he could stroke himself properly in a pool, but he couldn’t help himself. After seeing Violet in her swimming costume, he couldn’t think about anything else.

‘Oh fuck!’ He closed his eyes and grunted as he stroked himself faster, the water was making his movements more languid but it still felt good. He squeezed himself a bit harder, while wondering how tight she might be.

His stomach muscles tensed as he thrust into his hand, it didn’t take long for him to cum while thinking about his pretty little neighbour on the floor below. But his sperm was wasted as it was taken away in the water.

He wasn’t overly fussed in the end as he tucked himself away, knowing he wasn’t the first person to masturbate in the pool, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last.

After swimming under the water for a bit, he pulled himself out of the pool and headed for the changing rooms, needing a cool shower.

But he knew one thing for certain. He had to have that innocent little doe, one way or another.

#Tom Hiddleston #Dr Robert Laing #Robert Laing #Robert Laing x OFC #High rise #fan fiction #descent into madness

[lacusmoonrise]

This one is probably going to get pretty long so I’m putting it under a readmore.

This positivity post is made purely by me and is for @sparklingdemon / @fallenpkmntrainer

First, I’d like to dissect into the pokepasta story Fallen Leaf itself, as that is how I met Sparks. If you have not read it, I highly recommend doing so first before reading it. You can find the link to it above on fallenpkmntrainer AND it has the same askblog to go along with it. If you prefer listening, they also did a dub here.

I’d of course, like to start with thanking for this story personally. Growing up afab, there was something that always irked me about video game media. The closest I ever came to this video game wise was only being able to play as a boy on Harvest Moon. But I was fine with it since I got to date cute girls (yes I know what a baby little gay). But after reading Fallen Leaf I had realized something. Sexism and misogyny in video games is very much rampant, even now. People are so complacent just because of nostalgia and rose tinted glasses. This pokepasta smacked those right off of me, and I have to thank it for that. It’s an amazing meta story that uses Leaf’s non-canon inclusion in the games as a means for a voice. A voice to tell others what is wrong with the Pokemon series when it comes to how they treat their girl characters, and their players. The story itself is well written of course, with the visual medium assisting it heavily and making it unique. Sparks is excellent with their sprite edits and story telling, and it was a joy to read.

Now onto the fallenpkmntrainer askblog itself. This blog explores the after story of Fallen Leaf, and the consequences of Game Freak/Nintendo and how it impacted Leaf. Not only is it well written, it’s incredibly emotional. Personally, it’s a bit difficult to feel guilty or genuinely upset when reading askblogs, but this blog moves me in ways nothing else really has. Not only is it done well, it’s drawn well instead. Its updated rather regularly, and it’s all done with a mouse and a curve tool! It’s insane to me how good and consistent the art quality is. Sparks also just has an amazing and cute art style. There was one panel where I even thought red (the heartless bastard) looked a bit cute. Of course, Leaf is cute all the time so points for Gryffindor. Least to say, fallenpkmntrainer is one of my FAVOURITE askblogs and I’m glad I found it when it started.

Now, onto the mod, Sparks! I started talking to sparks in like may or march? One of the M months. I actually did so, not knowing they wrote Fallen Leaf. (cause I’m kinda dumb :pensive:) But I stayed up late for three nights just chatting it up with them about pokepastas. They’re a genuine blast to talk to, and I do it pretty much daily. Not only are they funny, I’m able to just talk about whatever I like and they’re able to do the same. It’s a nice back and forth! I still think about their plots frequently... (slaps morpheus and they [REDACTED]) They’re SUCH a good story teller and it honestly baffles me how much they’ve worked on stuff. I was particularly impressed by how much they’ve worked on their jirachi lore, I LOVE the different classifications. They’re also, clearly, an amazing author. I’ve read the other pastas they worked on and rewrote and they’re just really good.  They bring so much uniqueness to the pokepasta community with their visual representations of the story, and their storytelling in general, it’s no wonder their stories got so popular!

And not only are their skills nothing to sneeze at, they’re just really kind and friendly and fun to talk to. They’re considerate and I like listening to them! I also drew them pog leaf and they will never escape for as long as I live.

Just generally, I’m really glad to be friends with them. And if you made it all the way down here, you should definitely check them out!! They’re wonderful!!! 

#pokeask positvity #talk #long

[theastrophilearchitect]

February 2021 wrap-up.

Every book, audiobook, tv show and movie I consumed in February.

The phrase ‘wrap-up’ is so boring. I want to talk about books, TV shows and movies, so I can’t even call it a ‘reading wrap-up’, however pleasingly alliterative that sounds despite the fact that ‘wrap’ actually begins with a W. One of my favourite YouTubers, polandbananasBOOKS (that capitalisation is loud) calls her wrap-ups ‘Stories I Ate This Month’ which I love, but using exactly that seems wrong. I genuinely debated calling this ‘My Media Diet’, but the word ‘diet’ has so many negative connotations to me, so I dropped that. Besides ‘wrap-up’ all in lowercase followed by a full stop is aesthetically pleasing.

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (audiobook) I’ve read this series countless times. I read the series first time through six years ago, and, after finishing it, I just kept rereading it during silent reading time at school, so God only knows how many times I’ve read it at this point. This is actually the second time I’ve listened to this audiobook, and I still, of course, love it. When I first read it, this book stuck with me. It was the first teen book I ever read and, most unfortunately, put me into a dystopian phase. However, we got over that. I’m good now. I promise.

You know what this is about, but here it is anyway: in a dystopian future (of literally just North America, it never mentions what’s happening anywhere else), a country called Panem (literally the whole of North America) is divided into the luxurious, utopian Capitol, and thirteen districts, all of which gather or produce something for the Capitol. Some of the districts live in poverty, while others are afforded some luxuries but nowhere near those of the Capitol. It never really explains how this system came to be, but then there was a rebellion against the Capitol in which District Thirteen was destroyed, and every year two teenagers from each district are chosen to compete in the Hunger Games, where twenty-four tributes are put in an arena together to fight to the death, and the last person standing emerges victorious. It feels so strange to talk about the basic premise of this book without going into the rest of the trilogy, but I’ll leave it here.

I hate how the media washes this book out and plays it off as just another love triangle, which it barely even is. It has such an important message about society, and the fact that the media does that just proves how accurate it is. I can’t believe when I first read it I was actually Team Gale, but in truth I think that was just because I liked Liam Hemsworth better than Josh Hutcherson, which I still do, but not the point. Anyway, the narrator is excellent.

I’m not giving these booksa rating, both because it’s a reread and I like to base ratings off my initial opinion, and because the first time I read this book I was literally a small child, and part of my love is the nostalgia.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab

This was the first book I read with my eyes this month, and I ended up getting the ebook because it was just so much cheaper than getting a physical copy - I may have invested if I loved the UK cover as much as the US, I’m ashamed to say (above is UK). It was not what I was expecting.

This book was much more contemplation-heavy than I was expecting and actually very light on plot. In 1714, Adeline LaRue runs away from her wedding and prays to Gods, wishing to be free, and is answered by the darkness, who makes her a deal: he grants her immortality, and she promises him her soul when she doesn’t want it anymore. He, wanting her soul, twistedly grants her freedom by cursing her to be forgotten by everyone she ever meets. Three hundred years later, she meets someone who remembers her.

It’s really about life, freedom and time - there’s no direct message or moral, at least not that I picked up on, but it really makes you think. I do enjoy that in a book, but not as much as one where i just love the story. I generally prefer books where I’m rooting for the characters, and it’s full of ships - the kind of stories you would write fanfiction about, but this is the kind of book that I think will stick with me. I take issue with how cliché the ending was, though.

Anyway, I’m not actually sure how I want to rate this. As a British teenager, I’m not actually that familiar with lettered ratings, and I don’t really want to use stars, but I think I’m going to suck it up. Maybe I’ll think of something else eventually.

Rating: 4.5 stars - books that get five stars from me are generally based on the enjoyment factor, but this book deserved more than four.

Arrow Season 1

I’ve been semi-interested in the Arrowverse/DC TV universe for a while, and finally took the opportunity to delve in. This show is so insanely CW - everyone has that look, it has that tone and it takes itself way too seriously. By the 23rd time you’re hearing it, the recap becomes painful to listen to.

This was the first show in DC’s saga - the show picks up as Oliver Queen returns home from being stranded on an island for five years after a cruise ship sank. When the ship went down, his billionaire father sacrificed himself to save Oliver, and left him with a list of ‘the people poisoning [his] city’. Upon returning home, Oliver becomes the vigilante who will eventually become known as ‘Arrow’ or ‘Green Arrow’ (currently unclear; I’m not a comic book person) but is currently dubbed just ‘the Hood’ or ‘the vigilante’, with the goal of taking down the people on the list. It’s very intense.

It took me about ten episodes to actually get invested - which is nearly seven hours watch time - but, ultimately, I’m glad that I did. Aside from the excessive CW-ness of this show, I love the characters and I want to see what happens.

Still, why is everyone so obsesses with Laurel? What’s so great about Laurel? I don’t get it. Felicity is 10000% the best character - she’s relatable, cute, and I high-key ship her with Oliver.

This little rant of mine was unintelligible.

Rating: 4 stars

Guardians of the Galaxy

I’m not explaining what this movie is about. Honestly. This was just a rewatch: I’m currently rewatching every MCU movie in chronological order (as in, starting with Captain America: The First Avenger instead of Iron Man). For every TV season I finish, I watch a a movie, and I alternate between movie series, one of which is, at the moment, MCU films. It’s hard for me to briefly explain my weird watching patterns.

I love this movie so much. It was the first really upbeat MCU movie, and I love the characters.

I don’t really have much to say about this, but if you haven’t watched MCU movies, please watch them. Even if you don’t want to, this movie is absolutely worth watching and you don’t need to watch any other MCU movies for context.

I Am Not Okay With This Season 1

I’m reeling from this show. I literally can’t tell whether or not this is getting a second season; it seems like it was meant to, but then got cancelled, and now I can’t tell.

This show follows a high school student named Sydney. She’s your typical outcast, and isn’t interested in getting ‘in’ - she’s best friends with a girl named Dina; they both came to their school around the same time and ended up friends, though Dina is your typical pretty girl. Then Syd discovers she has powers that operate based on her emotions, and I really don’t want to say anything else. But it does star Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff, who you likely know as two of the kids in IT (the clown movie, not like computing).

Honestly, episodes 1-6 were very chill, more focused on teenage life than her powers, then episode 7 brought it. Up until the end of episode 7, I enjoyed the show and would be happy to watch a second season, but I wasn’t particularly invested or excited by it. Then episode 7. I would love a second season of this show. I have to at least know where the writers were going with it.

This show came out last year, and I only just got to it, but I can’t believe I haven’t heard anybody talking about it. It’s intense, it’s entertaining, and the first season will only take up about two and a half hours of your time (it’s seven 19-28 minute episodes).

Rating: 4 stars

Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

I listened to The Raven Cycle audiobooks in 2019, and I’m not sure why because I didn’t even enjoy them that much. I did, however, decide I wanted to read Call Down the Hawk, the first book in the spin-off series, and that meant I had to reread The Raven Cycle since I had paid so little attention to the audiobooks, which I started in January and I love this series. Not what I expected from a reread of a series I paid virtually no attention to, but here we are.

This is book 3 in The Raven Cycle series, book 1 being The Raven Boys, which is a paranormal book in which the protagonist Blue, is the only non-psychic in a family of psychics, and has been told her whole life that if she kisses her true love, she will kill him. Then, on St Somebody’s Eve (Mark’s? I want to say Mark’s but I’m not sure), when she goes with her aunt to see the spirits of the people who will die in the next year, she sees one of the spirits, a boy from Aglionby Academy, the local private school, meaning he is either her true love, or she is the one who kills him, which in her case, could very much be both. Then that boy schedules a reading with her psychic family to help him find an old Welsh king, and there is so much more than that to this glorious series, but I’ll stop here.

I think my main thing in books and general media is the characters. They have to follow some kind of sensible plot, but if I’m not invested in the characters, I can’t get invested in the story. I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever been so in love with a cast of characters, not even in Six of Crows - this story is so character-driven, and I can’t get enough. This was an excellent continuation, and so much happened, but it did feel like its purpose was just to set up the final book, so I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the previous two.

Rating: 4 stars

As for The Raven King - this was the last book I read this month, finishing it on the morning of the 27th because I knew I would have very little reading time from mid-afternoon until twenty-four hours later.

In complete honesty, I found the climax of this book to be a little rushed - we spend the whole series aware that Gansey’s looking for Glendower, but it never seems to be more prevalent than just their general investigations as to what the hell is happening. As a result, when it came to that in this book, it felt a little out of the blue (no pun intended).

Regardless, this series so well balances strong characters and strong plot where so many others fail, and I love it.

Rating: 5 stars

Fate: The Winx Saga Season 1

This show is a live-action rated-15 Netflix adaptation of one of my favourite childhood shows, Winx Club. And, honestly, you can tell.

I tried to watch this objectively, instead of complaining about how they cut some of my favourite characters and changed so many (Tecna, Riven, Beatrix, Stella, Brandon etc.). While I was upset about some of the cuts, I can agree that they were best for the story. Where in the original, every fairy had their own unique powers, this adaptation splits it into five elements: fire (Bloom), water (Aisha - on another note, screw Aisha, honestly), air (Beatrix), earth (Terra) and mind (Musa), though Stella still has light powers? Which is never explained?

Anyway, this follows teenage Bloom as she discovers she’s a fairy and goes through her first year at a fairy school called Alfea.

I’m not going to go too deep into this because I have so much to say about this show that i think I’m going to make a whole separate review rather than bore you with it now. 

Quality-wise, this show was mediocre, but enjoyment and nostalgia raise its rating for me because I’m biased.

Rating: 4 stars

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

This is both Bardugo’s first adult novel and her first novel not set in the Grishaverse. I read the Grisha trilogy for the first time years ago and didn’t like it that much, but followed that right up with the Six of Crows duology which I loved. I read King of Scars in 2019 when it came out, and started listening to the King of Scars audiobook just before I started reading this in preparation for Rule of Wolves at the end of March.

I loved this. I don’t think I have anything to criticise quality-wise - the characters had depth, there were plot twists and strong subplots, the world was incredibly well built, and the only thing that got me to put this book down was taking a week to start working on my own writing project (post coming soon). Because I took that week completely off reading, this book took me about two weeks total from start to finish, but it was so worth it.

This novel follows Alex Stern, a twenty-year-old whose friends have all been murdered. She was found beside one of them who died of a overdose, with the same drug in her system. But Alex can see ghosts, and, soon after her friends’ deaths, is consequently offered a scholarship to Yale University, on the condition that she works for the ninth House of the Veil to monitor the activities of Yale’s secret societies.

In complete candour, I found this book somewhat convoluted, though most of that was probably mainly my own poor reading comprehension. Regardless, I loved the plot, and am very highly anticipating the eventual release of its as-of-yet unnamed sequel.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

So I actually finished this audiobook briefly after finishing Blue Lily, Lily Blue, but I’m tacking it on here because I forgot to add it to the list and already explained my Grishaverse experience in my Ninth House comments.

So, yes, I love this duology, and it really opened a new compartment in my writing brain, even though I haven’t really taken advantage of that writing brain until now (again, post coming soon).

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

I am realising I’ve read eight books this month, and nearly half of them were by Leigh Bardugo. Which makes sense, considering how much I enjoy her books.

This book is slower-paced than most of hers, but it does follow two (one of which splits again) completely separate storylines, and is still excellent and entertaining.

I listened to this for a recap before Rule of Wolves is released on March 30th.

#wrapup #wrap up #february #february wrap up #books #book #reading #reader #february2021 #february 2021 #bookblr #writerblr #tv shows #movies #movie #tv show #review #movie review #show review #book review #film #films

[gofancyninjaworld]

OPM manga chapter 119 Review: A Conspiracy?

Buckle up, this review gets long.  I was away on family business for a few days so I missed this one’s drop.  It’s meant though that I’ve had longer to ponder my thoughts. 

Core take away for me is that like Hellfire Flame and Gale Wind trying to recruit Sonic set us up to better understand the Ninja arc when it showed up in the webcomic, this ‘glimpse behind the scenes’ at the conspiracies brewing sight unseen is foundation for what will burst into the open later, apparently from nowhere. 

Anyway, onto the review.  Much more under the cut.  First though, One-Shotter is still alive!  Looks like his mechanised parts are much more extensive than initially appeared. 

I tell you, it doesn’t pay to be a cyborg hero in OPM. It’s just inviting gratuitous cruelty into your life.

Soon Gets Sooner

This chapter, I honestly expected Drive Knight to just leave with Nyan and stay the international Cyborg of Mystery he'd been to date.  But he stuck around to talk to Sekingar and what we got was a glimpse indeed to the mystery plot that has been brewing from the very start.

We find out just why Drive Knight has a 100% win record: he never, ever fights unless he has carefully studied and formulated an excellent battle plan. Even if it means sacrificing his fellow heroes like pawns.  

And then things get weird. After offering data on the strong monsters in the MA, Drive Knight changes the subject to asking Sekingar about the state of the Hero Association, being very interested in just which capable heroes were left available to respond and whether or not Blast was likely to attend if the Hero Association were attacked.  And then Drive Knight went into full tin-foil hat conspiracy mode, painting the loss of the Metal Knight as a deliberate action by Dr Bofoi to gift the Monster Association with the way to take out the Hero Association.

When Sekingar spoke of not expecting the support heroes to carry out their mission without injury, I’m sure he couldn’t have imagined ending up a casualty.  When he tries to call the Hero Association to check, none other than G5 shows up to shoot his hand off.  As G5 approaches, Drive Knight makes no move to either attack G5, claiming lack of power, nor to protect Sekingar.  Even in extremis though,  Sekingar is still thinking about the support team, the hostage, and what action he could yet take.  Truly, a hero is being forged before our eyes.  He just has to survive the experience.

‘Why not me?’ That’s the central question heroes ask themselves.

Fee, Fi, Do, Fum, Cinderella's At The Ball

We'd seen Garou, who I'd dubbed Sleeping Beauty awaken from his unconsciousness. With a roar, he pummelled PPP into the ground.

Cyborg Cinderella, whom we'd left vacuuming and washing dishes while the others went ahead, may be attending the ball late, but his entrance was no less spectacular. With timing worthy of Saitama himself, just in time, one mighty kick all but split G5 in half, arriving so fast the robot barely had time to register his presence.  It's interesting what summoned him; Saitama's punch may have gotten his attention, but it was G5's energy signature that really got him on scene.

Insane kicks, flips -- and upgrades

Kuseno magic extends to clothes: the last time he used Jet Drive Arrow, he ended up naked. Now Genos isn't just very fashionably dressed, but his raiments are fire-resistant and wonderfully form-hugging.  Until the clock strikes twelve (or ten in his case), he is here to cut some terrifying shapes.

And now all the pieces are in play.

The chapter ends suddenly and ominously.  On one side, we have Genos asking, looking about as cunning as a newborn lamb, what’s going on: 

On the other, if it’s possible for an expressionless face to look unamused, then the very cunning Drive Knight looks most unamused:

Meta: “The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy. No more. No less.”  

 -- from the webcomic ‘Schlock Mercenary’ (more here)

I’d wondered why ONE had split Genos off from the rest, in difference to the was he’d gone together with the rest in the webcomic.  It was definite that ONE intended to test Genos in a situation where he had no support, bu the potential for him to discover something new and relevant to his quest is the last thing I expected. 

A peek behind the scenes indeed!  Where from and why Genos came to fetch up at Saitama’s door in chapter 7, telling a tale of evil cyborgs and total extermination, we know not.  It’s seemed increasingly far-fetched as nearly nothing happened with that storyline and the monsters we meet have nothing to do with the sort of intelligences behind any such cyborg.  It’s led to some, too many, fans claiming that in that absence the ‘mad’ cyborg must be Genos himself  -- in a twist of logic too stupid for real life  [Then again, the typical SF story seems to be written by an individual who never met an actual human being...].  I don’t know about the veracity of 90% of what Drive Knight said, but there is a conspiracy indeed. 

So, now we get to understand a bit more about Drive Knight. It’s something I’ve long wondered about:

The thing about Drive Knight is that he hasn't told us who he is yet. At present, he's a blank slate for whom many alignments are possible without betraying who he is. He could be entirely a hero, just acting in ways that are more independent than most would appreciate. He could be a member of The Organization, acting as a mole in the Hero Association. He could be an entirely amoral person, aligning himself to one group or another as suits his goals and all would be consistent with what we don't know about him. Once he declares who he is, we'll be down to many fewer possibilities.  -- myself, Reddit post   

“Everything that can be used must be used.”  With that, Drive Knight has finally told us who he is.   He is highly calculating and will use anything he can to achieve his ends.  At the expense of anyone and anything. 

What to make of all of this? One thing we can be certain of. Drive Knight really hates Bofoi, considers him a threat and reads the worst possible motives into his actions. He wastes no time in trying to sew suspicion about Bofoi whenever possible.   Why?  We don’t know. 

At its most benign, Drive Knight may be like Zombieman and the House of Evolution, seeing evil in Metal Knight and a grand conspiracy where none actually exists.   A less benign possibility is that Drive Knight may be projecting his ambitions onto Metal Knight and describing what he fears Metal Knight has in possession in order to thwart them (whoever ‘them’ is). 

Since we as readers have a quasi-omniscient view of the story, we know that quite a lot of what Drive Knight said about Metal Knight is factually wrong.  We know that he is wrong bout the circumstances under which Bofoi lost the Metal Knight.  We know that he is wrong about its fate.  We know most of all that he is absolutely wrong about Bofoi wanting the capable heroes scattered or defeated.  Dr. Bofoi has been furious with the Hero Association executives for risking the lives of any heroes raiding the Monster Association precisely because he feared what might happen if the ranks of the heroes were thinned. 

Interesting that G5 is definitely its own entity!  Once I realised that the tactical transformations formed around Drive Knight, I’d started to entertain the possibility that the two of them were the same.  That said...

I could well understand Drive Knight having done his own work to understand the nature of the strong monsters actually in the Monster Association base.  However, there is one piece of information G5 has that it could not have reasonably obtained without Drive Knight sharing it. 

When they ran off a second time, they ran off separately.   More pertinently, there’s no reason for G5 to show Sekingar this information: it puts psychological pressure on him, but if G5 just wants to kill him, there’s no point to it.  Instead, Drive Knight drawing attention to the support team and G5 drawing attention to the hostage act as a double-team interrogation to see if Sekingar has some way yet of reaching Blast in time of most extreme need. 

We’ve also learned that Blast is all but retired. It falls into line with what we've gleaned from the webcomic and suggests that he's quite old.

He's just a poor boy from a poor family: spare him his life!  (and limbs)

Dr Kuseno's occasionally prodding Genos to not forget his primary task of finding the 'mad' cyborg, as well as his warning not to fight it alone both make great sense.   In OPM, you get good at what you actually  practice.  Fighting monsters as a hero has been very useful for Genos developing raw fighting prowess. It has done nothing to prepare him to face the cruel, conniving, and creative people that the not-quite-mad cyborg and those behind him are.  Watching Genos ask straightforwardly what the situation and contrasting it to Drive Knight's complicated narrative was to realise how painfully naive Genos is. 

It's all very well to counsel non-engagement, but you deal with the monster before you: situations aren't neat and don't wait until you feel prepared. I'd hoped for another conversation between Genos and Drive Knight but this looks far more dangerous.  I've no doubt that Genos won't die, but his participation in this battle could be VERY short.

So many ways this story could wend.  A few that come to mind:

The most tragic:Drive Knight convinces Genos of his predicament, perhaps offering data on the cadres as a sweetener and Genos escorts him and the fallen heroes out of the war zone.  As soon as Drive Knight is sure Genos is safely underground, he'll kill Sekingar... and probably the support heroes into the bargain. If he burns them, the only fire-wielder known is Genos.  If he's really clever, catching up with Waganma and Food Battler, dragging them back and burning them too creates a compelling narrative of Genos (already suspected of colluding with the monsters) waylaying the support heroes as they tried to retreat and killing them all.  Drive Knight can show up at the Hero Association and continue his activities. No witnesses, a convenient scapegoat, and near total freedom to carry on his agenda.

Mortal combat. No matter what changes to the webcomic ONE has planned, Genos isn't about to get killed, so Drive Knight is either going to have to run for it or else get killed. Knowing who Drive Knight is, there is no possibility that he would defeat Genos and leave the latter alive -- even if he were that careless, Genos announcing that any enemy that gives him trouble will find that he comes back very quickly and very much stronger would put paid to that. (yes, he’s so naive!)    Either way, Drive Knight won't be working as a hero any longer.   For Genos, victory is likely to be expensive -- he runs the risk of sustaining critical damage, which will force him to retreat, or of wasting precious, precious energy that he could really use later.   Very interesting repercussions will definitely follow.

Hit him in the heroism. Drive Knight could use the heroes and Sekingar as hostages and get Genos to allow him to leave unmolested. He won't be coming back to the HA but it looks like he knows all he needs to. Genos won't like it, but as a person who has long established his willingness to take incredible punishment to protect others from harm, he won't have any other course of action.  I suspect that this is the most likely outcome.

Whatever actually happens! Only ONE (and Murata) know.  I know I need the next instalment!

Bonus question. Where is the cat?  Drive Knight dropped it when G5 showed up and it hasn't been in evidence since.

#OPM #manga #review #meta #long #Drive Knight #Sekingar #Genos #heroes #yay Genos is back #and ominious #wah ending on such a tense moment #please be a little cunning Genos #just a little

[thatfriendlyecho]

Sanders Sides AU: Modern Kingdom of Imagineria

Finally I make one of these! My 8 month writer’s block has finally diminished for now and I’ve decided to make an AU I’ve been working on for about a year (among other things).

This is a Modern Fantasy AU, where technology and real life bullshit exists alongside magic. As all good Sanders Sides AUs go, there will be ships. If you want a non-ship esque AU, leave now because there is a whole lotta LAMP.

Anyway, let’s get right into the character descriptions!

Roman Olivers (Dragon-Hybrid, 16)

Roman was born in Manchester, and even after moving to the modern Kingdom of Imagineria at the age of six, he still has a slight English accent.

Roman and his twin brother, Remus, were adopted after their mother was found dead curled around her children in the Endless Forest, just on the outskirts of Manchester. Their adoptive parents, a pair of now ex-dragon hunters, found the twins and took them in as their own.

They moved a few years later, after their mother’s scent vanished and they could leave without the twins remembering her anymore.

Roman’s mother was a fully-grown ruby-scaled dragon (presumably the last of her kind, according to his parents), and he has visible scales of his own on his shoulders, back of his hands, cheeks, neck and forehead.

He is not a full dragon, and he and his brother are half-human. (Or dragonborn, for all of you D&D buffs. Except that he’s mostly human in appearance)

Roman is insecure about his dragon heritage, and as such he grew a slight hatred for dragons. He has often stated that he would slay dragons that ever even set foot near his family.

He doesn’t have wings, but instead has a scaly tail that sprouts from his lower back.

He trips people sometimes, but don’t tell his mother.

All in all, he has serious body dysphoria.

He’s overly protective of his loved ones.

He’s been suspended twice, once because someone made fun of Remus right in front of him, and another time because someone was bullying Virgil.

Roman can create small flames from his mouth, though those have mostly been by accident. This usually occurs when he laughs too hard.

Roman and Virgil didn’t get along for a very, very long time. He eventually started catching feelings for him when he showed up to his front step on his birthday with a woven blanket that he still has not washed to this day.

Roman met Patton and Logan at a library, where Logan snapped at him for flirting with Patton while he was working.

He sings Disney songs on the regular as a coping mechanism.

He’s currently a sophomore in high school that works as his neighbor's babysitter.

Patton Hazir (Harpy, 16)

Patton was born in the Endless Forest, and when he left it for the first time, he appeared in Imagineria.

Patton’s name is actually completely different, but he doesn’t go by it because it’s too complicated to pronounce.

His nickname was Pat because that was the only part of his name that Logan could pronounce. The last name was a random sound he made after stubbing his toe, which kills his friends to this day.

Harpies become independent of their parents after ten years old, and as such don’t have the obligation to return home every night. Since he wanted to go to school, though most harpies don’t want a modern education, he still lives with him.

His parents are very sweet, and naturally they don’t mind.

Patton looks mostly normal, as harpies disguise themselves to present normally to the human eye. The things that seriously stand out about Patton is the fact that he has no ears, he has a few small feathers in his arms that he can’t conceal, and he has talons for feet.

When Patton is in his true form, he has eagle-like feathers sprouting from his arms in varying shades of soft blue. His waist down morphs into the bottom half of some large eagle, tail feathers and all. His torso and head remain as is.

As time progressed, harpies became more docile, and are now not such predatory monsters. They are still extremely territorial and it is unwise to cross a flock, but they are actually very friendly in comparison to a century ago.

Patton is the prime example of the kindest harpies to ever exist in the history of...ever.

He literally smiles at the sun when he wakes up what kind of-

Many people, especially those who are much older, still regard him with a watchful eye.

Patton thinks basically everything is cute. You could show him an imp and he’d pinch its cheek. (He's done this before and he regretted it immediately after)

The biggest challenge for him was Virgil, who we’ll get to in a moment.

They have some really cute moments together.

He can sing, though he’s really shy about it so it rarely ever happens.

His voice sounds enough like music that nobody complains (often).

Patton also has an insane love for sugar cookies, and whenever he’s stressed, he stress-bakes.

Since he doesn’t have a “modern home” in the forest, he usually shows up at Roman's or Virgil's house with a bunch of cookie ingredients.

He has a tendency to steal food, and can’t go into a grocery store without being closely watched.

He received a joke book from Logan on his birthday, and he regrets it. You cannot say anything without him making a pun.

He’s currently a sophomore in high school, and he assists the librarian at the Public Imaginative Library. He doesn’t get paid, and simply loves helping out. That’s how he met Logan.

Logan (Dryad, 14)

Logan was born in the Endless Forest without true parents, being as he is a tree nymph, or a dryad.

Logan was sorely misguided after he was birthed from Mother Earth, and as such he became very curious very, very quickly.

Mere minutes after being born, he wandered to a riverside and was almost killed by a hungry, stranded mermaid.

Luckily he morphed into a tree right at the bank of the river right before she could fatally injure him.

He has a bite mark on his side, which has healed into a scar from the mermaid attack.

Logan was not born naturally smart, and was in fact very naive at birth. He was curious, and never thought of the consequences of his actions until he left the forest and entered Imagineria.

When Logan left the forest, he hid in public parks, where he changed into his tree form for extended amounts of time.

Logan is a dryad, meaning that in Imagineria, if he wished to pursue an education, he could enroll for school on his own. When he learned how to read (he was 3), he became addicted to knowledge, and enrolled himself.

He skipped a grade, which is why he's so young.

The first word that he learned was "falsehood", and he found it very useful after he became friends with Patton, Roman, and Virgil. It is now his favorite word, and he gets very happy when he reads it somewhere.

The library became his home away from home, which is where he met Patton.

Logan is really book smart, NOT street/survival smart. He knows how to transform into a tree when faced with danger, but he doesn't know how to fight per sey.

Logan's appearance is humanoid in nature (no pun intended), and he has the palest skin tone of all the others. There's a slight green tone to his skin, and he sometimes grows small blue flowers that appear in his hair. He also has pointed ears and long claws that he can retract.

He can see well enough, but after meeting Patton, he grew envious of his glasses and made his own out of branches. Don't tell Patton that.

Logan gave himself his name. He doesn't have a last name because he finds it unnecessary.

Logan is a full-blown vegan, and the others need to take this into account whenever they eat together. He doesn't eat often, but he loves fruit and berries.

He's currently a junior in high school.

Virgil Anansi (Arachne, 14)

Virgil was born with the Curse of Arachne, as his family were a mischievous bunch of practicing witches and wizards. This basically means that they angered the ancient spider spirit and she cursed each generation's first born with the Curse.

Virgil was homeschooled until he was of high school age. He's extremely anti-social and insecure because of it.

Much like Roman, Virgil has body dysphoria, though not as badly due to his family.

The Anansi family is a pretty wild and close family, though they experiment with questionable black magic often. They were shunned from society after crossing Arachne.

Had it not been for his curse, Virgil would be classified as an Anansi Witch.

Virgil has three little sisters (triplets), a baby brother, two really weird fathers, a feral uncle who lives in the basement, a grandmother that drinks enough alcohol to poison a large pony, and a familiar for each of them. That makes 9 people and 9 familiars living together.

Virgil's familiar is ironically a spider, a palm-sized tarantula named Kisa.

Virgil had never felt different until he grew up and had to go to school. He was never bullied physically until he showed vulnerability in public.

Virgil's bangs only cover a little bit of his forehead, where three extra pairs of eyes are. They're a pupiless, orchid purple (as Logan dubbed them), and he can't make them vanish like his extra limbs and abdomen. He has fangs, but they're pretty small and elongate when he's hunting. On his back there is a "tattoo" of three purple diamonds.

Often times, when Virgil is being sulky, he makes spider silk blankets and scarves in his room while he listens to classical music.

Depending on what kind of music he listens to effects the sturdiness of his webs. Classical isn't his favorite genre of music, but he can't exactly listen to My Chemical Romance while trying to make an intricate design.

Virgil is an absolute sass master, and normally wins verbal arguments. (You can probably guess who he argues with the most.)

He convinced Patton to sing with him in the school talent show, and they sang Lovely Night from La La Land.

Virgil and Logan are the youngest of their friend group, though often times they feel like they're the ones reeling the oldest ones in.

Virgil's the youngest, and he's treated like the group's baby more often than not.

He and Patton were not super close at first because the harpy was afraid of spiders, and Roman hated his guts for reasons he still won't confess to. He had a hard time making friends with Logan because he was just as awkward if not worse.

He and Patton got really close after an incident caused Patton to break his arm, and Virgil nursed him back to health with potions and a whole lotta cuddling. It was cute.

Virgil met Roman first, which was the worst first impression he had ever given off. Especially since he immediately thereafter had a gay panic.

Virgil is a freshman in highschool, and eventually creates a job in which he creates spider silk blankets and sells them online.

These are the main four's character descriptions, but I can go into depth character appearances, character stories, the modern Kingdom of Imagineria, the Endless Forest, etc. I'm planning on writing the main plotline on AO3, but I haven't decided yet.

I guess I'll have to see. Mkay byee~

#sanders sides au #sanders sides #alternate universe #au #fantasy #modern fantasy au #lamp #modern kingdom of Imagineria #what even #this took so long

[saiyanhajime]

DBS: Broly - Review

I was excited to see “Dragon Ball Super: Broly”, obviously… It’s Dragon Ball! But I wasn’t expecting to be as blown away by it as I have been, to fall in love with it. For me, Dragon Ball has always been more about the fandom than the official media. When I first formed a love for the franchise, it was elusive and unattainable, so I had to get my kicks elsewhere.

I think DBS Broly might be my favourite piece of DB media, ever. It’s everything I ever wanted and everything I didn’t realise I needed from this franchise. I haven’t loved a piece of media like this in a long, loooong time.

Worth noting that, at the time of writing, I have only seen the English dub. I’ll wait for home release to see the subtitled Japanese audio version as I struggle to keep up with text and visuals at the same time!

The Cinema Experience

My first viewing was a small, packed screen on opening night here in the UK. The audience seemed to be mostly around 25-30 year olds, almost entirely fellow guys (my friend was one of maybe 5 women - seriously, where are you all??). But the ethnic diversity of Dragon Ball’s audience is something most movies could only dream of attracting. It was a great time, with people audibly laughing out loud and clapping at the end. The movie is genuinely so brilliantly funny, a surprise in itself.

My second viewing, the following night, alone, was a larger screening. Roughly the same audience demographics, but this time, the audience erupted into cheering with each transformation… It was so fucking incredible to be a part of. I was grinning the entire time. It’s hard to overstate just how important the social aspect of enjoying this movie in the cinema was.

It’s incredible to finally be living Dragon Ball “up to date” like this and the excitement shows.

Spoilers incoming...

Story Isn’t King

That's coming from someone who has always wished for more depth to DB, but what I've realised recently is that the level of storytelling the community plugs into this franchise is not something that belongs in the official media. We do it better, because we do it free of constraints the official releases require to be Dragon Ball, that it requires to be so widely popular. The official text is a framework, not a rulebook. I think one of the things that contributes to Dragon Ball’s insane popularity and ability to speak to so many people in so many cultures is how vague it can be. The snippets of depth are there for us to draw our own conclusions. DB doesn’t need canon absolutes in backstory.

Overall, I prefer the old “Bardock - The Father of Goku” telling of the prequel events that set up the Broly movie, though man it's been an age since I saw that. I wonder how much of my preference is just nostalgia? How much is knowing that Bardock: Father of Goku wasn’t “canon”, and so didn’t really matter? That is liberating. Now Dragon Ball Minus and DBS: Broly seem to demand that this is the way it actually happened with no room for headcanon and I feel a little turned off. There is plenty to like with this retelling. Gine is a delight, more of the saiyan homeworld is welcomed and just look at small details like Bardock actually moving his tail in this scene rather than it constantly being wrapped around their waists ready for combat. Ideally, I would like a perfect blend of the best elements from both tellings. And ya know what? That's the beauty of fandom... I can have that.

It is so obvious that huge chunks of story are missing here, yet it already drags for me a little... I’m not sure what the solution is, really. I’ve seen people suggesting it should have been two movies, but I’m not sure I agree.

Once the movie skips forward to present day, the storytelling revolving around the discovery of Broly, Paragus and their recruiting into the Freeza force is entertaining and I’m way more invested. So maybe it is just apathy for a prequel story retold a slightly different way…

But when the insane 30-40 minute non-stop action starts in the latter half, that’s when the movie comes into its own for me. This is Dragon Ball.

Overall, the narrative does something new for the series. It sets up, foreshadows and references back in a more conventional pattern than ever before. It feels, I dunno. It feels… Westernised? It feels, both narratively and in overall quality, more like a movie and not just a tacked on side-story. There’s no unnecessary inclusion of side characters irrelevant to the plot making cameos. Everyone is here for a reason.

Character Personalities

The characters behave like themselves again, and not just through exposition dumping monologues the series is famous for, but through visual storytelling! There is so much not said, so much told through the fight, through their expressions and movements.

From the moment Vegeta’s playful spar with Goku ends at Bulma’s vacation house, you get a very different Vegeta to the one we’ve seen through Super. His turn to listen to Goku and Whis's conversation is full of character. He's so on edge about something. And proceeds to tell us why with a humorous but genuinely livid jab at Goku for wishing Freeza back to life. Vegeta is worried. In the scene where Bulma is reviewing the CCTV footage of the Dragon Ball theft, Vegeta double takes and glares at Goku when it becomes obvious the thieves are Freeza’s men. They say nothing. It’s all character acting. It tells us so much.

Vegeta's anxiety continues on, affecting his fight with Broly… He barely has a chance to enjoy the fight at all. We get so little cocky Vegeta enjoying a battle and instead a very serious Vegeta who feels the need to to end this threat right now. What I take from all this is an example of quality character development - instead of Vegeta simply becoming more friendly, his personality that we all love is still there, but his morals have changed. His entertainment isn’t as important as protecting his family. And having witnessed Goku’ recklessly endanger their friends and families in throughout DB Super, Vegeta is not prepared to take any chances here, attempting to deliver a finishing blow very early on.

And Goku, who’s characterisation in Super felt so utterly insulting at times, is back on form here. His idiotic moments don’t feel so absurdly stupid that they’re unbelievable, but instead come across as cute and heartwarming. Moments like his talk with Broly mid fight, with Piccolo when he’s lying on the ground battered and bruised and when he’s simply watching Broly transform into a super saiyan for the first time convey Goku’s ability to be serious and regretful. It was so refreshing to see Goku back on form. The first half of his fight with Broly is incredible - going from excitement, to confidence that he could talk Broly round, to being put firmly in his place, on the ground. People who criticise the series for having no stakes fail to understand that the stakes are truly nestled in the characters personalities and their pride. The stakes are whether they will be able to overcome their flaws, both metaphorically through transformations, and literally.

Voice Acting (Dub)

Whilst on the subject of the characters, the voice acting is unbelievably good… Chris Ayres as Freeza steals the show, but the others are brilliant also.The line delivery is one thing, the ability to so brilliantly match that to the mouth flaps another, but the writing for a Western, English speaking audience is just superb. I cannot wait to see what differs in the original Japanese - I’ve heard that Freeza’s “Hello Monkeys!” line was a dub change from “Greetings!” for example, which in my opinion is so appropriate and elicits an uncomfortable, awkward laugh from the aforementioned ethnically diverse audience in the west in a such good way. Freeza as a tyrannical, racist, piece of shit, is an important character trait to a Western audience. The jokes that ride on line delivery alone are so numerous - one personal highlight for me is Whis’ ever-so-gay coded “Oh my…” when Gogeta bursts in. Took the words right out of my mouth, Whis. The voice acting is on a whole different level to anything before now from the American team. The scene I’ve already mentioned where Goku is contacted by Piccolo, Schemmel really sells the pain Goku’s in. And lets not forget Broly himself, played by Vic Mignogna, whose line delivery really conveys him as this Tarzan-like character in his sane scenes… But really shines in moments of mania when he’s flailing, yelling, crying as a cornered, manic, rabid ape who cannot control his emotions or immense strength. The scene where he’s just making noises at Goku, copying his fighting stance before he launches at him - wow. Even new side characters like Lemo have an outstanding quality to their voice acting that blows any previous English speaking Dragon Ball performance so far out of the water it’s insane.

Broly

Having a Dragon Ball story focus on so many characters who aren’t Goku is refreshing for a franchise that’s been so heavily criticised for being The Goku Show… For years we’ve wanted to see other characters step into the limelight. I still haven’t forgiven the last movie, Resurrection F, for stealing the win out from under Vegeta.

Vegeta still doesn’t get the long awaited limelight here… But this “new” saiyan, Broly, is something rather special. I wasn’t a fan of the original Broly. Loved the idea, but never liked the execution. His visual design I found personally off-putting, but more importantly it failed to convey his character very well. He looked so prestigious?  And the idea of being so affected by Goku crying as a baby next to him, that it sent him into uncontrollable rage whenever he heard the same “Kakarot” is so laughably stupid. I’m glad that’s not here.

The cool concept of the legendary super saiyan, though... I think most people dig that. Here that’s kind of gone too - but the idea of a freakishly strong saiyan from birth who is the embodiment of their animalistic heritage and rage-induced potential is beautifully executed. The great ape form, or rather Broly having found a way of accessing that power without transforming, is referenced more than once throughout the story. There’s this sense that the way Goku and Vegeta have learnt to control themselves has perhaps potentially hindered them. That maybe the ultra-instinct forms Whis has foreshadowed for so long is related, or could be used to tap into the natural potential of saiyans. Huh.

With a visually pleasing design to boot, Broly is absolutely awesome as the star in his own movie as a tragic menace. So much is done to sell this as Broly’s movie, from his sheer amount of screen time and characterisation in both his placid and manic states, to that awesome first person perspective part of his fight - incredible.

Animation and Aesthetics

You don’t need me to tell you this film looks gorgeous and I’ve already mentioned some scenes where the characters convey so much through movement alone. This looks like Dragon Ball never has. It feels nostalgic, but refreshing. It’s stylistically so unique and fluid and choreographed and magical. Impacts hit with such full-force conviction, the characters gracefully zooming around each other in dueling harmony, the electrifying ki beams piercing through the bleak environments with their vibrant colour and form. For once you really believe just how powerful and fast these superhumans are… Perhaps one of the reasons why the first half of the film is so much weaker for me is simply because there's less of this beautiful action. But the entire film is steeped in impressively bold and emotive colour pallets that sell the mood of each location so well.

But there’s a great big elephant in the room… The cgi.

It would seem I have a different opinion to most on this subject. I don’t mind the environmental cgi, but the character animation is jarring and I hate it. It is a blemish on an otherwise gorgeous piece of art. Now, I’m really funny about “bad” cgi. I also don’t know dick about animation. I just know when something looks really, really wrong. It’s as if the cgi characters have no squash and stretch applied that keeps them fluid. They’re stiff. There’s no elasticity, no umph. They move like someone just put strobe lights on. Their joints like that of action figures. I’ve seen so many people say it’s not bad or they even like these parts and I’m really glad it didn’t ruin it for most people, but my god does it ruin those scenes for me. Just look at the awkward mouth flaps and dead eyes, especially on Goky, in the Kamehameha/Galick Gun combo scene. Yuck.

Soundtrack

I love the score.

Before I saw the movie, I heard a lot of people talking about the chanting and how weird it was - but the second it started my first thought was how much it reminded me of Akira. And yeah, it’s kinda weird. And I love it. It hypes up this epic match and I don’t find it cheesy at all. I love it both in context and even when listened to in isolation.

The entire score is all over the place yet manages to feel whole as it attempts, and succeeds, to convey the atmosphere and emotion of each location, narrative beat and every swing of a fist or blast of ki. The only track I’m not keen on is the rendition of Chala Head Chala. I think it’s a pretty pants rendition of the song and is immensely distracting in an otherwise moving soundtrack. The movie totally needs a rendition of Head Chala right there, but not this rendition. I just don’t like it. The weird boingy sound is awful.

Final Thoughts

The success of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, especially in the west, is a joyful reminder what this 30 year old franchise means to so many people. Very few non-fans are going to have set foot in a cinema to see this movie, and yet the current total earnings at the time of writing on January 29th 2019 is $98,584,176 according to Box Office Mojo.

That is truly insane.

It feels like this movie was made especially for me and for that I am eternally grateful. Speaking to fellow fans and reading their reviews, it’s so clear that everyone has different things to love about this movie. There’s so much content here for every fan to find something they love. I cannot wait to get hold of a home release and I cannot wait to see what’s to come, ho-ly shit! What a time to be a Dragon Ball fan.

#dragon ball super broly #dbz broly #broly #dragon ball super #dragon ball #dragon ball z #dbz #dbs #dragon ball movie review #saiyanhajime