#and using one animal for one stunt and another for a different one
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Idk if ur requests are open, but hear me out XD. A creator!reader who descends on Teyvat meets all the Archons and such. Then up and leaves by changing their appearance in order to explore their creation and how it has changed. Every once in a while Creator will make themselves obvious by performing acts only the Creator could. Once they are found out they just up and leave again only to resurface after another Divine act. TLDR: Creator playing cat and mouse with Teyvat
oh my GOD creator is just TORTURING then atp
small ramble because i still have massive writers block [cries] also ignore how late this is pls ok mwamwa thnx
c.w // yan. chars
song : Best Friend - Rex Orange County
SAGAU INCOMING : YAN CHARS.
okay so you decided 'hey man, what if i wasn't worshipped the moment i stepped outside'
so you just said fuck it and shifted
(it's been a while since you've done so, it kind of felt weird and hurt a tiny bit)
walking around teyvat in an odd, different form. completely different hair, height, clothes, you get the gist
the only things you couldnt change however were three things:
your blood (still gold, but you didn't plan on bleeding infront of anyone)
your aura (still comforting, caring, and even alluring)
your voice (why? zero clue.)
escaping the throne room you've oh so sadly been bound to!! having fun while doing it!!
(the only real reason you managed to escape is bc you managed to get the archons out and actually tend to their nations, as per your request order)
messing around while escaping fr!! people passing by wondering why this random person they've never seen is (not very) sneakily running away from the creator's palace/temple
but eventually shrugging it off, albeit reluctantly
messing around in mondstat, playing with the npc children more than you could usually, giving them the time of their life!!
this is where you use your first creator powers >:3
some poor kid scraped his knee real hard on the bridge, let's say timmie (hes so sweet he just wants to defend his birds pls b nice to him!!)
you, being the belovent god you are, use your divine powers to heal him
whether you do it with the hc of having to use your own gold blood or just having special healing powers only creator has, you do it
however, your dumbass mind hadn't thought of the fact that Venti may have been watching this
new outlander person with a mysterious aura
and now he quickly learns its you :0!!
the archons had no clue you could shapeshift!! why wasnt this in the ancient scrolls??? did they just lose the ones that mentioned it???
venti immediately finds some weird wind way to tell the other archons
fucking loud mouth
speaking of which, ei is freaking. out.
she came back to just check on you in your throne room and youre just.
not there??
panics, almost goes to zhongli before she gets venti's message and calms down slightly
atp you've realize you've outed yourself
so after making sure timmie is find you quickly run off into the forest before venti can come after you and smother you (both physically and with questions)
forest reached, new mission : new form needed
this basically keeps happening, and it's a needed breath of fresh air for you
running to liyue looking like a normal person until you magically form a special medicine that was unheard of from your hand for an elder, sickly lady
running from liyue to sumeru and shifting into!! an animal!! a fox!! cat!! tiger!! dog!! bird!! any of the sort!!
only getting outed from sumeru after you accidentally spoke while in animal form and having to go over to inazuma as an unknown, traveling sailor!!
getting outed after that for your extremely familiar aura and voice (inazuma people are scarily observant towards strangers) and eventually getting shoved escorted back to your palace/temple
funny stories to tell
however, the archons wont be leaving your room for quite a while..
oh well, who says you don't have other stunts to pull?
#morgan.died : writes#x reader#genshin impact#requests open#genshin cult au#sagau#sagau x reader#genshin#self aware genshin#genshin fanfic#genshin imagines#genshin rambles#rambles#various x reader
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I have an idea for “Have I found you, flightless bird?”!! What if after living with Tangerine for a while, Tan decides to test Y/n to see if she’ll try to run away again, so he leaves her bedroom door unlocked. So when Y/n wakes up in the middle of the night one night, having trouble sleeping, she goes up to the door, sees it’s unlocked, but instead of running away, she goes to try to find Tangerine’s room because she can’t sleep and wants to climb into bed with him? But he finds her before she’s able to get to his room and thinks that she tried to run away again + he had told her before never to leave the room without asking (he’s really mad), but she tries to explain that she wasn’t trying to run away, she just wanted to climb in bed with him because she couldn’t sleep and had a bad dream and was scared… Tan going from 😠 to 🥺 extremely quickly, and also a bit of 😏
OHhh I know this answer is really late, I'm sorry <333, but I absolutely love this idea!! So, I've made this into a little blurb!!!
This is probably the worst night you have had since being forcibly taken from your life.
You’re currently sitting up against the headboard of your bed, shaking like a leaf as you count to eight, waiting for the inevitable sound.
“-five one thousand, six one thousand, seven one thousand, eight one tho-” Then a clap of thunder loudly interrupts your counting, sending you into tears. You desperately want to be held and feel safe, but how are you going to get that when the only person in the house is a psychopath? As well as the fact that the door to your room is locked from the outside, leaving you helpless and with no choice but to stay on your pink bed and pray that the storm stops.
You try to distract yourself and trace the floral pattern on your bed, but you see a quick flash of light through your window, and all you can do is anxiously bite your lip and wait for the thunder. When it finally hits, it’s the loudest one of the night, even making the house shake just a bit. But it’s enough for you to yelp, throw the covers off of you, and jump off of the bed onto the cold floor.
As you quickly run to the door, you plan to give up and call for Tangerine. You just want to be next to someone, anyone. Just as long as you’re not alone.
You instinctively reach for the door handle and are about to rattle it, but the first turn of the handle opens your bedroom door. You freeze as you let go, letting the door open by itself and reveal the dark hallway. It almost makes you want to turn back into the comfort of your pink room and stuffed animals, but another clap of thunder sends you running to the room Tangerine has been staying in.
Meanwhile, Tangerine puts his hands in his hands and sighs. He also hopes for the storm to pass by, but it’s different in that it’s distracting him from his work. He likes the rain as well as the sound of thunderstorms, but not when he’s been trying to get some information on the latest case he and Lemon have been working on. This guy has been difficult to track, even more difficult to find any sort of information on. And as a result, he’s had a headache for hours now.
Not only that, but he’s been under more stress because of you. You tried to escape about a week ago, which came as a surprise to Tangerine since you’d been nothing but quiet. He thought you were starting to get used to him and your new home. So when he saw you trying to escape, once again, he knew he was back at square one with you. Then he realized you two never left, you tricked him into thinking you were okay.
He felt humiliated when he told Lemon, who couldn’t for the life of him stop laughing and making teasing remarks the entire day.
“You couldn’t keep one girl under control? You’re a shit assassin aren't you?” Lemon laughed.
Tangerine wouldn’t be fooled the next time. For the last few days, he’s left your bedroom door unlocked, to see if you’d pull another stunt. If you did… well, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He figured the two of you weren’t close enough yet that any sort of punishment would take an effect on you. He couldn’t ignore you or send you away to another room for the night or day, that would only make you happy since you don’t want to be anywhere near him. He wouldn’t dare even try to spank you, that would send you even further away from him. He toyed with the idea of taking away your stuffed animals and making you stay in one of the boring guest rooms instead of your room that was perfectly designed for you, but those were your only sources of comfort. He didn’t want to take that away from you.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of feet running closer to his office then right past it.
Oh, I’ve got you now, love.
Tangerine quickly rises from his chair and pulls open his office door, fully ready to see you taking off down the stairs.
“And just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He says angrily.
You whip around when you hear his voice. All the fear you felt before of him goes away when you see him from the doorway of some room you haven’t been in, always being told “don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”
You don’t know if it’s because you are so deathly afraid of the thunder, or the chill you feel all over your body, or if it’s the fact that you haven’t seen anybody in so long, but you're in a floaty headspace. One that makes you feel small and easily damaged. And when you look at Tangerine, for the first time ever he is your safe haven. And you just know that if he held you in his arms, you would feel okay. You try to ignore the furious look on his face and start walking towards him, your tears finally falling.
“I thought I told you not to leave-”
Tangerine, first angry, is confused then very concerned as you walk closer to him. When he hears your sniffle and hiccup, he meets you halfway down the hallway. Grunting when you crash and fall into his chest, crying your eyes out. You would’ve fallen, your knees deciding to give out, but Tangerine pulls you so close to him that your legs dangle.
“Oh, darling. What’s wrong? Is it the storm?” He asks softly, stroking your back and cooing when you nod against his chest. He feels you trembling in his arms, your endless shaking and sobbing has Tangerine’s heart into two. But then he’s reminded of the fact that you came to him, you decided yourself that he would make you feel better. Then Tangerine starts to feel proud of himself, despite doing nothing.
“It’s okay now, it’s alright. I’ve got you now, haven’t I?” He then brings you up higher and you instinctively wrap your legs around his waist and nod your head into his neck. Your nightgown rises up, just barely covering your ass and exposing your legs. You would be cold, but one of Tangerine’s big, warm hands is under your bum, holding you up. And the other is stroking one of your thighs around his waist. Then you feel his lips against your head and the storm no longer exists. Only you and Tangerine.
“Wasn’t trying to leave, p-promise.” You hiccup and flinch at the thunder.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry for being angry, dove, probably scared you, huh?” Tangerine whispers into your ear. You nod your head against him.
“Wasn’t very nice of me was it?”
“Nuh-uh.” You admit.
Then you feel movement and wonder if he’s taking you somewhere. You lift your head and see you are back in your room. You tighten your arms and legs around Tangerine, signaling that you don’t want to be alone.
“If I give you a cuddle, can you forgive me?”
“Yes, please.”
“I should be the one begging you.” Tangerine tickles your sides, making you squeal and jump in his arms.
“Oh, please forgive me, my love.” He continues poking your sides and nuzzling his head into your neck, his hair and mustache tickling you. With tears still in your eyes, you giggle and try to push him away from you, but you’re trapped in his arms.
“Stop it, stop it! Okay-”
“Oh, (y/n), I’ll do anything. Please forgive me.” Tangerine mumbles into your neck, then throws you on the bed and starts peppering kisses all over your face, squeezing your hips and pinching your sides. You giggles and screams for him to quit it making him smile.
“I forgive you! Just stop it!” You yell with a smile on your face, the weather outside completely forgotten. You sigh when Tangerine takes his hands off of you, you suddenly feel cold again. Then he plants a long kiss on your head before getting up, making your heart pick up nervously.
“Let me just change out of my clothes real quick, lovey.”
“No!” You shout and quickly cover your mouth, shocked at your own reaction. But the thought of having to be alone again, even if it’s just for a few minutes, brings back your tears. “I’m sorry, just don’t want to be alone.”
“It’s just going to be for a moment, I promise. You won’t be comfortable laying on me with my suit on.”
“I don’t care, just take it off. Just don’t leave me, please.” You pout up at him from your spot on your bed. And Tangerine is immediately unbuttoning his vest and shirt for you. You didn’t quit realize it yet, but any time you flashed him your pout, he was on his knees for you, ready to do anything you wanted. This feeling became even worse when it was paired with your teary eyes.
When he was down to just his boxers, Tangerine climbed into bed with you. This wasn’t the first night he had slept with you, but it was one where you cuddled into his side and placed an arm on his bare chest. You closed your eyes and breathed in his scent as you quickly fell into your slumber. Because of this, you didn’t feel the quickness of Tangerine’s heartbeat right under your hand.
Soon enough, the only thing Tangerine can hear are your quiet snores and even breaths. This is how it should be. He knows that when you wake up, you’ll be mortified at your actions and the events that took place, but he places it in the back of his mind and pulls you closer. Smiling when you snuggle closer to him and say very quietly, “thank you.”
#tangerine#tangerine x reader#tangerine imagine#tangerine fanfiction#tangerine x fem!reader#tangerine blurb#aaron taylor johnson x reader#aaron taylor johnson x fem!reader#flightless bird thoughts<3
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Alhaitham and Kaveh's dynamic is interesting, because I've seen a lot of people say either "oh my god Kaveh is so mean" or "oh my god Alhaitham treats Kaveh terribly". But, quite importantly imo, in this quest Paimon remarks that she "doesn't know which one of them is more problematic".
I think when considering their relationship you need to look at intention. Do Hoyo want to villainise one of their popular husnandoes as a toxic asshole? No. Even the "villain" playable characters like Childe and Wanderer are nice/funny on occasion. Kaveh and Alhaitham's interactions are intended to be humorous, to make you gasp and say "oh wow I can't believe he just said that!".
Like, during the most recent story quest, for example. Kaveh accusing Alhaitham of having no empathy when he's clearly pretty emotionally stunted and decently moral is mean. But saying "At least I'd be a fungus with empathy!" Undercuts that - it's clear neither Alhaitham nor the player are suppose to take those words seriously.
Alhaitham dismissing Kaveh's field of work with "you work yourself to death just for a smile" is so belittling, but it's a retort to Kaveh saying his scribe job is at "rock bottom" in the Akademiya. Alhaitham isn't lashing out or trying to demean Kaveh in front of others (this interaction happens after the player has "left"); he's just continuing their verbal sparring match. I think people take this jab so seriously because it can be seen as a jab at a lot of people working out of passion, but in the context of the dialogue we're not supposed to regard it so deeply.
It's also fairly clear that nobody in game takes them seriously either. Tighnari says Kaveh is "as pent up as an anemo slime" in his Alhaitham voiceline - another funny quip - and Collei details how hard it was to suppress her laughter when Kaveh was talking about Alhaitham. Nobody thinks they're genuinely bad for one another, or that getting them separated is all that crucial.
Even the interactions in this story quest are just so silly and domestic: Kaveh can't get the painting straight, Alhaitham buys ugly furniture, they're arguing about rent and drink tabs, Kaveh is doing an unfair amount of housework and Alhaitham fucks off without entertaining his own guests. it's funny, or at least it is clearly intended to be.
I've heard that in the other dubs the VAs tones are different and it makes the lightheartedness clearer. Personally I've thought since their first interaction in the AQ that Alhaitham is having fun during their quarrels, and Kaveh is just melodramatic enough to act traumatised even if he isn't truly offended.
Then when it comes to whether their dynamic is supposed to be read platonically or romantically... Well Hoyo won't do anything canon, but it's hard to argue that there is no intentionality in how their relationship is portrayed. What other character(s) has an idle animation directly referencing their relationship with another character? How many other voicelines explicitly reference two characters as a pair? Nahida's Kaveh voiceline, Collei's, Tighnari's - I'm sure there are more. "Roommates" "senior & junior" "academic rivals" -> certainly there's a case to be made that they're just very close, but Kaveh and Alhaitham getting fifteen minutes of epilogue interaction in two different quests (where none of the content is related to either quest) says something. Fanservice, quite possibly.
Also Kaveh's line "We used to be friends, but not anymore"; I've seen plenty of people interpret this as "oh we're not friends, we're dating*". I think this is fun in fanon, but on a canon level it's basically a promise by Hoyo to fix (or explain) their current dynamic. Hoyo, for all their many faults, are detail orientated enough to follow up on such a line. Perhaps it will just be in Kaveh's voicelines/character stories, but I anticipate a future event or Kaveh hangout in relation to their bond. Nothing explicit, but more exploration. It's fairly clear Alhaitham and Kaveh are popular enough characters to warrant it.
All this to say: I have lots of thoughts. I have seen people call them toxic and (while idm the drama of that in fanon shipping) that isn't really the intended case in canon. Or, at the very least, the intention is not to to take their squabbling so seriously.
#genshin impact#alhaitham#al haitham#kaveh#kavetham#alhaitham story quest#also pls don't somehow take this as ship bashing for other pairings#this is NOT: oh my ship is canon everyone else stfu#i just wanted to discuss how interesting Hoyo's approach to their dynamic has been#and how polarising the fandom's reaction has been#it's not supposed to be taken seriously#i think kaveh is leaked for 3.6#which should be new desert area#i would not be surprised if we have a desert quest with him#considering how he has had a significant amount of screentime already#in comparison to Faruzan and Layla and even Candace#we don't know what his rarity is yet#but he's had a lot of build up#when most characters not directly involved in archon quests#only debut in their release patches#with rumours of them beforehand#think ayato think itto think eula#i wonder what Hoyo will do with Kaveh#and haitham might end up as the Sumeru Albedo#considering he's already a front runner for most dialogue out of the Sumeru characters#maybe he'll get an event before Fontaine
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If I may speak. I want everyone to take a good look at these "real blogs" and how they conduct themselves.
They have nonstop claimed to have insider and private info on this man for the first time in decades, and then when the info is not matching or is wrong, or they don't deliver, they gaslight people and claim they never said it. They twist words and constantly play victim.
Since November they have not been informed clearly of anything with this "couple". Why? Because the narrative does not need selling anymore. Usually that's a signal it's coming to an end. I hate to tell you, but hollywood uses fans all the time for PR. But this one got out of hand because of the people they used to push the narrative. Clearly those blogs felt that justified their targeted attacks and bullying on other people. It's outrageous.
A blog simply said that Scott was watching Dodger in LA, as per a zoom he did with a fan (he does those on cameo) . This prompted Lonesome to attack that blog and act like they "Don't know anything" about Chris, and they proceeded to post 6 year old doggy daycare footage of his pet. In order to prove what? I leave my pet at daycare and have a decade (for various pets) No one has access to a fucking camera from a pet daycare unless you own an animal there. Which means she either illegally obtained that content or someone working there violated their job for clout. Either way, you can be sued.
On top of that, she and her minion Claire targeted the other blog and accused them of making "nonstop accounts" and then tried to pretend their own browser history was that of the other blog. Do they really think that you can just hack into someone's computer and see their browsing? These people are insane and unhinged. That was their own browser history, not the other blog, not to mention they posted it being 1:00 am, Oh you hacked into someone's computer when she was sleeping huh? . And let's remember LQ and Claire are the ones who have continuously stalked that other blog and a few others, and constantly post screen shots of everything they do. This is targeted harassment, this is so far beyond "real or PR" sides. This is nonsense. What people need to be doing is reporting those damn psychotic blogs and stop giving them attention. Cut it off. They are over the line. There's plenty of people here who may view this stunt differently, but going after people just because they knew something you didn't, and trying to boast that you have private footage of this man's animal is another level of Sick. And frankly she should be torn down for that alone.
The PR blogs you may not agree with everything they do , but they have not behaved like these other blogs, not even close.
Lonesome and her minions need to just go away and never come back.
Who and what is Claire? Irrelevant.
I’ve seen the Scott photo myself. All three of them. It existed. I don’t care if people decide to shade me, or post indirect messages or not. It doesn’t follow certain peoples narratives or ideas, and that’s exactly what pisses others off.
I don’t care what Lonesome thinks or believes. If she wants to live in a fantasy bubble that this is true luv 💙 then go for it, but when you openly attack people for the very same thing you have been doing in the past, then you should be called out.
I’m still waiting on that Tomas photo from June of 2022.
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Whumptober Day 25: Storm
Day 25 and it's another movie-verse fic! This one is a bit of a different vibe to the other ones but you know what? It's 3 am as I am scheduling these and I do not care. You will either enjoy it or you can wait another hour.
Taglist: @splinnters @abigailxoxo @tornoleander @mondothebombo @ghostwalloper @toastingpencils37 @lightning-chicken
Words: 2k
Jay used to love storms.
Every time he would hear the crack of thunder across the sky, he would beg his ma and pa to let him go outside. After promising to stay away from all of the junk piles (which were struck quite frequently), they would bundle him up in a rain jacket three sizes too big for him because it was one of Pa’s that shrunk in the dryer before finally letting him loose.
He would always run until he was out of sight of the trailer, waiting for the rain to be directly overhead before shedding the rain jacket and letting the water fall on his bare skin. The lightning zigzagging across the sky felt like an old friend, and Jay remembered reaching up and trying to grab it out of the clouds. He only did this more after his old school had a mythology unit, and they learned about the gods and their domains and their powers.
People forget that Zeus was the ruler of the gods for a reason.
Maybe it was foolish to try and compare himself to Zeus, of all people. Maybe it was fate. All Jay knew was that if Zeus ever had to deal with the bullshit that came with using electricity with a straight face, then he was a stronger soldier then Jay ever could be.
He felt ridiculous in his current position, but some things just had to be done.
“Jay,” Zane called, standing at the open door to the garage, “is there a reason why you are standing out in the rain holding a frying pan?”
“Because elemental powers suck and I just need it to strike me already,” Jay answered, raising his pan even higher and continuing to walk in a circle. Walking gave him the illusion that the pouring rain wasn’t hitting him as much as it actually was.
“You are trying to get struck by lightning?”
“Yes, Zane. I am trying to get struck by lightning.”
“That does not seem very wise—”
“Well then it’s a good thing that wisdom is not my wheelhouse,” and Jay knew how stupid he looked, walking around with a pot on his head and a pan in his hand. He probably looked like some circus clown. “Look, can you just leave me alone to suffer in peace, please?”
Zane sighed, but abided by Jay’s wishes and went back into the warehouse. Jay kept walking around and around and around, waving his pan like a crazy person. The lightning was crawling under his skin, writhing and waiting to get out, but the problem was that Jay didn’t know how to let it out, exactly.
These elemental powers were for the birds.
He never saw Kai sticking a tong into a campfire to try and channel his element, or Nya constantly throwing herself under the shower. Cole wasn’t rolling in the dirt and mud like a wild horse, and Zane was only caught in the freezer once, but that was before any of them had their elements. Jay didn’t even know how Lloyd would begin to channel his element of green into an actual physical thing.
So yeah. Elemental powers sucked.
With every storm that thundered overhead Jay could feel his element spring to life, twisting and snapping like a wild animal waiting to be released from its cell. Jay did everything that he could think of to try and release it: he tried to force it through a car battery, he tried to channel it into some wires, he even stuck a fork into an electrical socket just to see if that would do anything. He still had the small burns on his hands from the last stunt.
Maybe there was some secret way to let loose that the others weren’t telling him, but Jay was too scared to ask. Besides, if they really knew something, then they would’ve told him by now, right?
There was a small clanging sound behind him, and Jay turned to see Nya standing at the mouth of the warehouse rather than Zane. Feeling his heart start to pound in his chest, Jay flushed when he truly realized how ridiculous he must look, and it took every bit of self-restraint to not fling the pan away.
“You okay, Sparky?” Nya chuckled, holding an umbrella to keep the rain from landing on her. Jay thought that she would’ve just been able to control the rain, but maybe that wasn’t the case.
Sighing, Jay brought his pan down to his side. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just trying to get struck by lightning, you know, the usual. Even a little jolt would do at this point.”
The rain seemed to stutter, starting and stopping in place before resuming its normal rhythm. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nya asked, leaning against the wall.
“No,” Jay admitted, “but it’s the best one I’ve got.”
“I’m pretty sure someone as smart as you would have better ideas than to stand outside in a thunderstorm wearing pots and pans to try and attract one of the deadliest things to humans in the world,” Nya deadpanned.
And was Jay just now realizing how foolish his plan was, with his long-time crush looking over at him with a fond but exasperated expression? Yes, yes he was. “It isn’t what it looks like!”
Now what on earth would’ve possessed him to say that? He was so stupid, he was so so so stupid—
In hindsight, he really should’ve been paying more attention to his surroundings.
The bright flash was what reached him first. It burned what felt like permanent holes into his retinas and Jay saw stars swim across his vision, dark against the white light of the lightning bolt. And then the pain hit.
It was all-consuming, running through his nerves with the force and speed of a freight train, and Jay barely had the breath to scream as the air was knocked out of his lungs with a baseball bat. It felt like every single one of his limbs was being blown off. He started violently twitching, panicking, but the true fear set in when he instinctively felt the lightning bolt try and jump Nya. The bolt was desperate to ground itself, and Nya was the next closest host.
With a strength that Jay didn’t even know he possessed, he grabbed the lightning bolt and tossed it the other way into the raging sea. It fizzled out without a fight, but Jay was crashing to the ground before he could see it fully disappear.
Someone called his name but he couldn’t hear it over the ringing in his ears. His head smashed against the concrete on the docks, and Jay just laid there, stunned. There was no feeling in his outer extremities, and he only had a view of the hand that he threw the lightning with; it was blackened, definitely burned but at least all of his fingers were still there. Was he paralyzed?
Gentle hands grabbed either side of his face, and Jay was blinking the rain out of his eyes to glance up at Nya’s worried face. Actually, worry was too weak of a word; Nya looked terrified, eyes raking him up and down as Jay tried to kick his brain back into gear. She was saying something, and Jay’s lip-reading skills left a lot to be desired but he could’ve sworn that she was calling him an idiot, which was totally fair in this situation.
“Nya?” he slurred, his tongue tasting like ashes. Finally he was able to wiggle his toes, but he still couldnt move the majority of his leg.
“Yeah, Jay,” she sounded somewhat relieved, “it’s me, I’m here.”
“I’m okay,” he tried to assure, but she suddenly looked angry. Jay shut his mouth instead.
“Walker, you are literally smoking,” Nya growled, but her hands stayed gentle as they cupped his cheeks and rubbed the tears away from his eyes. When did those get there? “I better not hear you say that you’re okay again or I will kick your ass.”
“That’s not very nice,” Jay commented, before his back arched suddenly and his mouth opened in a silent scream. All of the pain was rushing back into his body at once, and his hands scrabbled for something to grab onto as he was overwhelmed with sensations, feeling the lightning race around under his skin faster than it ever had before. Nya was holding him down by the shoulders, still saying something, but Jay only grabbed at her arms in a desperate bid to ground himself.
It wouldn’t stop. It just wouldn’t stop. Jay was sure that he was gripping hard enough to draw blood, but Nya only held him tighter when he started convulsing, the world going dark as Jay seized. Pain like nothing he ever felt before was blossoming across his skin, and the storm only whipped itself up into a frenzy around them, the lightning glowing brighter in its streaks across the sky and the rain smashing down with a vengeance. The wind whistled in his ears, and Jay didn’t know where his pan was, but at this point he needed Nya to grab him and knock him the fuck out.
The lightning was attracted to Nya, and it took every ounce of Jay’s willpower to keep it contained inside, but it still smashed and raged against his skin like something possessed and Jay didn’t know how much longer he could keep it together—
A warm hand landed on his back, and Jay felt the lightning break through his self-control and go through the hand. But the hand didn’t pull away, instead gripping Jay’s hoodie tighter and drawing both him and Nya into a warm chest. Jay would recognize the scent of the person anywhere: Cole.
“I need both of you to calm down,” said his best friend, his voice ringing out loud and clear despite the chaos swirling around them. “You’re making the storm worse.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to calm down?!” Nya asked angrily, “Jay just got struck by lightning!”
“Yeah, I know,” Cole grunted, “and that was pretty stupid, but you do realize that the whole water ninja thing means you’re controlling the rain, right? I need you to get a handle on it before you drown the entire east side of Ninjago City.”
But Nya was scared, and Jay knew that. He hid his face in the crook of her neck, ignoring the wispy smoke still curling off of his palms as he hugged her. “Nya,” he said softly, “I’m okay. Lightning ninja, remember? It won’t kill me. Can you try to calm down, please? For me?”
He was still very much in pain, and he doubted that was changing any time soon, but he would rather not be wet and in pain. Nya returned his hug, her breathing ragged, and Jay pushed down his own panic so he could focus on her. “I’m trying,” she whispered, and Jay felt the guilt pour into his chest at his past thoughts about how in control all of his friends were of their elements. It was a stupid assumption on his part, if this rain was anything to go off of.
Finally, after a few minutes of careful breathing, the rain started to let up and the dark clouds overhead began to dissipate. Cole sighed in relief, his hold around the other two still as solid as a rock. Jay realized that Cole must’ve been using his earth powers to help channel his lightning and give him an outlet, but Jay jumped as Nya slumped onto him. She was exhausted, and he was more than happy to be her pillow for a little while.
Cole kissed the back of Jay’s head. “You burned your hand pretty bad, bluebell.”
Oh yeah, he did manage to do that, and his hand was hurting very badly now that Jay was thinking about it. “I know,” Jay whispered .”I threw a lightning bolt, isn’t that cool? I thought it was pretty cool.”
“I’m sure it was, but you know what would be cooler? If you two never did this again, and I never have to see you do the chicken dance with a pot on your head in a thunderstorm for the rest of my life."
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To this day, I cannot forgive Denny's for making a Thing Burger as a promotion for the 2015 Fantastic Four film, not because the movie is bad, but because the burger itself is non-kosher. That's right, Ben Grimm can't eat his own burger!!
What kind of sick twisted diner makes a burger based on a famously Jewish comic book character that violates not one, but two dietary restrictions in the Jewish faith. Not even Yancy Street would pull a stunt this dirty!
Firstly, the burger includes bacon. Kashrut only permits the consumption of animals with divided hooves that chew their chud. As pigs do not chew their chud, they cannot be eaten.
Secondly, eating meat alongside dairy is not kosher. This is because of a Torah passage that states "Do not cook a kid in its mother's milk."
So how do we fix this revoltin' development? Removing the bacon is easy. You could even substitute it with turkey bacon if you so wish, but choosing between meat and cheese is tricky. Removing the meat takes away the... well... meat of the meal, but taking away the cheese removes the bun's Thing-like appearance, removing its identity as a Thing Burger and making it just another hearty meal.
There are two ways to go about this, which I shall dub the pro-meat method and the pro-cheese method. The ingredients in the official Denny's Thing Burger include burger buns, a beef patty, pork bacon, hash browns, cheese (inside and on the bun itself), egg, and Thing Sauce (spicy mayo). By sampling from this list, we can make a kosher thing burger.
My recipe for the Pro-Cheese burger is to cook your dough in the oven with shredded cheese on the top to create that rocky look. For the interior, I thought perhaps I could lean into the Thing's aesthetics by emphasizing the hash browns. In fact, if the potato slices are mixed with egg and flour and cooked on a pan, you just created a Hanukkah staple: Latkes! The fact Denny's thought to include hash browns but somehow didn't make it intentionally Jewish is an astounding missed opportunity. Slide some Latkes in-between the cheese bun, maybe drizzle some dill sauce, grind some pepper for extra kick, and you got yourself a weird variant of a Hanukkah dish. I wonder if Aunt Petunia would approve.
For the Pro-Meat burger, I thought maybe the Latkes themselves might be stable enough to use as a substitute for the buns, but in case you feel different, you can always have them inside the buns. If you choose to have standard buns, I recommend scoring the top before baking so that it looks all rocky. You could also do this for the pro cheese method if you so wish. As for the inside, go ham... literally! Get a nice beef patty, throw on some (turkey) bacon, a nice sunny side up egg, that spicy mayo, some ground up pepper, and you got yourself a hearty burger that Benjy is sure to enjoy. You could even substitute the patty for breaded chicken if you think it looks more Thing-like.
No matter what option you prefer, I hope that this reconciles the mistake Denny's made in constructing a burger Ben Grimm, let alone the jewish people wouldn't be able to eat. Maybe someday the Kosher Thing Burgers will outlive the half-assed film tie-in that inspired it.
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Mission Impossible 7: Dead Reckoning Impressions
I’ve been a fan of the Mission Impossible franchise, especially fourth film onwards. This is not a review per se, it’s more a list of what was okay in the film, what was great and what was downright awful. So let’s get into it.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
THE MEH:
- The villain - on the surface, having an AI entity called The Entity sounds like a good idea. Especially given the current climate, the discourse surrounding AI and the way it’s being used. The problem is that, it lacks the human component that makes a villain engaging. One of the most fascinating aspects of a villain done right is their motivation and their drive. Aspects that perhaps the audience can relate to. All of that is missing with a digital villain.
- Gabriel - Again, the fact that he’s following orders from an AI just seems dumb and takes away from his being an engaging villain in his own right. Yes, he’s menacing and clearly dangerous but all of that is undercut because he’s not the big bad, a machine is. His history with Ethan is rife with untapped potential and I hope that the eighth film digs deeper into that.
- Alana Mitsopolis - So much potential and she does next to nothing in the film.
Also, this was mind-boggling, when Grace is pretending to be Alana, her eye colour is so obviously different from the real Alana that I’m kinda shocked that the brother didn’t pick that up. It was so glaring that it immediately took me out of the film. It made no sense.
THE GOOD:
- Paris - Pom Klementieff stole the show. She was so good and I’m so excited to see her in the next installment. Also, the scene of her chasing Ethan and Grace in the huge-ass military truck... pure chef’s kiss. You know that scene in the animated 101 Dalmations when Cruella is driving her car like a lunatic, Paris had that energy down pat.
- Grace - I liked her character though there are some problems that I’ll get to later. But well written and another character who doesn’t immediately fall head over heels in love with Ethan. I liked that she was smart and didn’t trust people just because they asked her to. She had reason to be wary and I appreciated that.
- The stunts - This is a given. The stunts get bigger and more outrageous with every progressing Mission Impossible film and this one was no different. The bike-jumping-off-the-cliff is the one that they’ve pushed the most in their marketing, but there’s one more near the end that’s probably way more stressful.
THE BAD:
- The stunts - The stunts in the film overpowered the plot. There is such a thing as 'too much of a good thing’ and the stunts in this film definitely fall into that category. There was something new happening every few scenes and some of the stunts scenes also just went on for a little too long.
- The Death of Ilsa Faust - This one just drove me mad with rage. She is canonically as good as Ethan, his equal in every way and was set-up as a foil to him, often a little more ruthless than him and willing to make tough decisions even if that meant going against Ethan and his team, people she clearly cares about.
It’s not just that she died, but the way she died. She gets stabbed by Gabriel and actually died alone, by the time Ethan finds her, she’s already gone. She died alone on a fucking bridge and that’s just a damn shame.
To add insult to injury, the way they’ve set-up Grace as an immediate replacement for Ilsa, to the extent that in the very next scene, she’s part of the team as if she had always been there. It’s like the film is telling you that female characters are of little consequence and replaceable. This was also so damn blatant that yet again, it pulled me out of the film. I couldn’t believe that it was handled in such ham-handed way. It also made me dislike Grace on principle.
Her death also stings because Benji and Luther were right there and they’ve been there since the third (fourth?) film and are still alive and kicking. If we were meant to have a meaningful loss for Ethan, why couldn’t it either of the 2 dudes? Also, it is possible to have more than 1 woman on the team. There’s no rule that states that the addition of the new female character must be facilitated by the death of the previous woman on the team. There are SOOOO many films guilty of this (looking at you Pacific Rim 2, which killed off Mako Mori and then replaced her with Liwen Shao)
THE THING THAT GIVES ME PAUSE:
The only thing that gives me pause is the way Ilsa’s death was handled. It’s so badly done that it almost feels like a different film. My theory is that Ilsa is actually alive and will return in the next film. The whole thing was badly handled on purpose.
Now hear me out, early on in the film, Ethan and Ilsa fake her death to get the American intelligence agencies off her back. From the way it’s shot, it’s immediately apparent that she’s not dead. And they reveal very quickly that she’s still alive.
When she reunites with the team, the whole lot of them get into an argument about acceptable losses and that the mission is more important than any member of the team (very subtle-R-us) and then to no one’s surprise, it is Ilsa who goes and talks to Ethan and they have a very awkward hug. Ilsa and Ethan’s romance, thus far, was played with great subtlety. they’re not very touchy-feely with each other. They show their love in how far they’re willing to go for each other. It’s the sexual tension that is the real draw for these two. It’s a strange kind of intimacy which is very different from all of his previous romantic partners.
So we got that awkward scene and by then it is glaringly obvious who’s gonna die. Ilsa has a sword fight with Gabriel, she gets stabbed and then dies. But here’s the thing, every thing I said earlier about how it was handled just doesn’t feel right. McQuarrie is a better writer and director and I expect him do better because he has consistently done better in the last two films.
We are constantly told that The Entity can already see ALL of the possible approaches that Ethan can think of. It can see 10 steps ahead of everyone on the team. So how do you beat a machine that has already seen all of your upcoming moves and put in counter-attacks? You do something it can’t predict. If both Gabriel, Grace and pretty much everyone concerned thinks Ilsa is dead, it gives her the perfect opportunity to blindside The Entity. She’s the piece of the puzzle that The Entity can’t see coming.
Repetition: Gabriel already killed Ethan’s past love interest, it is so damn lazy of the filmmakers to make him kill the current love interest (although Ilsa is so much more than a mere love interest) Not to mention, Gabriel stabs Paris in almost the exact same place as he did Ilsa and she managed to live and even saved Ethan and Grace’s lives.
If however, this is the end of the road for Ilsa Faust, it was a damn shame for such an amazing character to get such an anti-climactic end. It was a disappointing end for a character that had very quickly become one of the best parts of the series.
#mission impossible#mission impossible dead reckoning#mission impossible dead reckoning spoilers#mission impossible 7 spoilers#mission impossible 7#ethan hunt#ilsa faust#tom cruise#rebecca ferguson#pom klementieff#hayley atwell#vanessa kirby#benji dunn#luther stickell#simon pegg#ving rhames#esai morales
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System Recommendations Based On What I Like About D&D
Sometimes you want to play a different system because you are looking for a brand-new experience. Sometimes you want to play a different system because you have an ethical objection to the one you're playing now. If you're the latter, you probably don't want to hear about how awesome games like Orbital Blues and Stillfleet are. They are awesome, but right now you're looking for a system to move to that can capture the magic you feel playing Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. This post is for you.
Here are the parts of D&D 5e that I really enjoy:
Involved Character Customization ("Build Creating")
Tactical Combat
Ability to use Magic
Appealing World
High Fantasy With Heroic, Upbeat, or even Comedic Undertones
Getting to be Gay with my Friends
Each of my recommendations has at least two of these factors and is intended to be played in a group setting over multiple sessions. So let's jump in!
Blue Rose (or The AGE System)
Features: Tactical Combat, Build Creating, Magic, Appealing World, High Fantasy, Gay
Blue Rose uses the AGE System, which might be some of my favorite tactical combat design. In particular, I love stunts. When you roll good in combat or other scenarios, you get stunt points, which you can spend to create additional effects, like setting up a teammate or taunting your opponent. There's a lot of options to choose from when building a character, and you can make some of that stuff synergize real well. This is all true of most AGE system games, so I'd also recommend checking out Fantasy AGE and the Dragon Age TTRPG.
Blue Rose in particular is all about Romantic Fantasy: humans going on fantastical adventures with magic talking animals, protecting the land and those who would harm it, that kind of stuff. The setting is also explicitly queer, and "relationships" are an emphasized part of character creation and development. Found Family all over the place.
If you liked The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, or the Uncaged anthologies, you might enjoy Blue Rose!
7th Sea
Features: Tactical "Combat," Magic, Appealing World
7th Sea is all about swashbuckling adventure, court intrigue, and intense action. There technically isn't a "combat" system in 7th Sea, so much as there is an "action" system. Swordfights, escaping a burning ship, high-stakes chases: all that stuff uses the same system, where you have to think about how to set up good opportunities. The combat is meant to be fast-paced. GMs are encouraged to not give players too much time to think.
The world is full of secret societies and shadow organizations, as one would expect for a game about gentlefolk and intrigue. One of my favorite parts in particular is the "Story," which is what 7th Sea calls a PC's backstory. There are guidelines for creating one, with expectations and progression hard-coded in, from the First Step to the ultimate resolution.
There's a lot here to do with Ship Combat. If you liked Ghosts of Saltmarsh or 3rd Party products like the Seas of Vodari, give this a look.
Thirsty Sword Lesbians
Features: Upbeat Fantasy, GAY
Let me start by saying that you can play this game in any genre. In the Advanced Lovers and Lesbians expansion there's even rules for playing a session as a pack of hyenas. But if your table is the type to really lean hard into developing your characters' relationships, between PC and NPC and PC and PC, then this is the game for you. Mechanics allow you to place strings on other characters, giving you "pull" with them to influence a later decision. Status conditions are extreme emotions, and the only way to deal with them is to lean on another teammate for emotional support or indulge them in a cathartic and destructive manner (you can relieve being angry by breaking something that has value to another person, for example).
If you are gay and you play D&D you are legally obligated to try TSL. I DO make the rules.
Court of Blades
Features: Magic, Appealing World
When folks say they like Eberron and want to do crimes, I tell them to play Blades in the Dark. When folks say they like fey magic and high society and doing dirty work for wealthy patrons, I tell them to play its sexy cousin Court of Blades. CoB is a Forged in the Dark game, meaning it uses the Blades system. Instead of a heist crew, you're a coterie, and you perform errands for your patron that run the gamut from assaulting a rival to publicly embarrassing them.
One of my favorite parts about FitD systems is how it handles the aftermath of your adventures. Different groups across the city might react differently to the news, and that propels future adventures. The City of Ilrien is full of hooks and briars for your characters and GMs to get stuck on.
Court of Blades might seem like the outlier on this list, but my favorite official 5e adventure was Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. If you liked that one too, and you're looking to lean into that WAY more, you should give CoB a look.
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Melting into my touch
pairing: taehyung x fem reader
genre: fluff
summary: when your baby is moving too much so you need a help
a/n: I am very proud this my old fanfic from my other account with anime ff. I though maybe you could enjoy it also from different POV.
When you told Taehyung first time that you were pregnant you both were very happy. You had gone through everything together: morning sicknesses, cravings, mood changes, but what later got you the most was how heavy baby can be and how hard it is to carry it. Taehyung had helped you with everything he could. He gave you back massage, foot rubs, buy all the food cravings he could. He felt helpless when your muscles were in pain and he couldn't do anything about it. He is understandable guy and knows that it is hard to carry his baby. He had his part in this process your body went though.
One day your back pain and belly pain got horrible. Baby was turning around, kicking and only person who could calm little Tae was baby daddy himself. He was at the studio today, practicing. You got message that he will be late. You tried to make some food for him and you few hours before he comes home. You want to thank him for being such a good boyfriend. Maybe it was hormones but you were thankful that you had someone helpful as Taehyung and not some guy who wouldn't help you with anything at all.
While making dinner and preparing some candles to have nice dinner time together baby was putting lot of pressure on your belly. Your back pain was horrible already but nothing you didn't got used to, but now the pressure and turning around? It was something else.
After preparing everything you got text from Tae that he is almost home. You have waited some time for him but after while he was home. Finally. Baby was hungry but you wanted this night to be perfect so you waited for him.
"Hi baby, how was practice."
"Hi love, it was as usual but this important performance is coming so I had to be there little bit longer. How are you momma?"
You have blushed when you heard your new nickname.
"Why are you blushing? Still not used to hearing someone calling you momma? Maybe you should get use to it soon." Then he crouches down and talked little bit to your baby. "Did you see that? She is not used to calling herself mom. Maybe your first word should be papa."
"Okay okay enough of talking to small Tae. Dinner is ready and WE are starving."
During dinner Taehyung saw that you can't stop moving, you were trying to find comfortable position. He asked you about it but you said that it's just baby moving around and that today is harder than usual.
"Are you okay Y/N?" He looked at you, looking for any sign that would tell him that something is wrong.
"Yeah just (b/n) is giving me hard times today. I feel like he had gain some weight overnight." You smiled little bit looking at your belly. It was big so you have eat your food further away from table. This whole stunt still makes you laugh a little but you are using your belly as your own little table sometimes.
Taehyung took the dishes and told to you go on the couch to make yourself more comfy. While waiting for him you started reading some articles about being a good mother. Tae have joined you after a while. He sat on the couch and indicated you to use him as a personal body pillow. You laid back on his chest, between his legs. He has put his one arm around you and with other one he was watching some videos on the internet. Suddenly, after 45 minutes of cuddling and watching vids, he came across this video of the woman helping another pregnant lady. How you can help your pregnant girlfriend. Tae wanted to try this. It was like a sign from heaven. He remembered that his mom told him about this but somehow it has slipped his mind.
It was late and you were little bit tired from today but you belly didn't want to stop hurting. Being uncomfortable for the whole day and still not finding your peace and quiet in Taehyungs arms made you frustrated. In that moment you heard Tae.
"Uhmm.. Y/N? Can we try something? Can you stand up for me?"
"Okaay~" you have groaned a little. To be honest you were not in the mood of changing positions right now.
You have stand up. He was right behind you.
"Trust me baby." He told you to relax your body, your shoulders, head, back... You did as he said. In that moment he has put his hands under your belly to lift it slightly.
"Oh my gosh~" You have moan. This was better than sex in that moment. You felt like there was a lot of weight lift from your whole body. You could collapse into Taehyungs touch. Your shoulders have fallen immediately. "Jesus, I love you Tae~"
He was smiling to himself. Proud that he did this himself for you.
"Y/N you are basically melting into my touch, don't fall asleep on me." Kissing your hair from back and thinking that he should do this more often, he couldn't stop laughing at how much you were enjoying this.
"My love, my Taehyung, I can't promise you anything." Both of you laughed. Yeah, this made him happy but most importantly he could feel his baby in his palms. Not much since baby was still in your belly but for now he was satisfied. Little weight in his palms was his baby.
You were like this for a moment. After while he suggests to go to bed and call it a day. This was difficult day for both of you. While falling asleep he held his hand on your abdomen. (B/N) was finally calm.
Since this day he does this whenever you ask or whenever he internally feels like you need it.
a/n: I just want to say that I really wrote this long time ago and made some changes. I have post it in my other account but I don't use it anymore so that is why I wanted to share it here. I hope you enjoyed.
#taehyung x reader#taehyung x you#taehyung fluff#taehyung imagine#taehyung scenarios#taehyung dad#taehyung father#bts fluff#bts fic#taehyung pregnancy
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…maybe an unpopular opinion, but I think I like Eliot's hand-to-hand fight scenes more than the ones in big-box movies.
see, I was rewatching a bit of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (yes I've seen some of the MCU, no I have not seen Infinity War or anything past it because I refuse to watch it without other people to cry with and my friends haven’t been available) before I rewatched Rundown. and guys, I adore TWS. easily in my top favorite films of all time. the fight scenes are fantastic! holy heck, the emotional weight! if you asked me which movies I love hand-to-hand in the most, that'd be at the top of the list, easy. Steve and Bucky in that final scene? ohhhhhh my gods.
but then I bounced over to The Rundown Job and just… y’know the bit where Eliot takes out the guys after Hardison signals him at the elevator? it feels so much more fun. I can't pin down exactly why, but it feels closer, more personal, more impactful. probably some of it comes from how Eliot is having--maybe not exactly fun, but how he likes doing his job. there's something about it.
and it's not just TWS that I can compare this back to, either. off the top of my head, I love it more than The Batman's hand-to-hand combat (which is admittedly rough because it's early-years Bruce, but still) and probably most anything else I've seen out of the MCU. animation isn't live-action, obviously, but I've seen some really solid combat in DC's animated work too. like, I haven't seen a ton of hand-to-hand work (it seems the film industry is understandably more fond of sword fights and such), but personally I find that when it comes to sheer fun, Leverage is really hard to beat.
now I'm not gonna compare it to sword-fighting or things like that. that's another ballgame. but hand-to-hand specifically… I'm not a violent person, but I dunno, y'all, there's just something about how Eliot fights that makes him fun to watch in a way I'm not sure I see elsewhere. probably it's partly that I'm just ridiculously fond of him. it is absolutely in large part because Christian Kane a) does his own stunts and works with the choreography, b) actively integrates Eliot's character into his work, and c) is just an all-around fantastic madman of a person.
but! they get so very clever with it! all the different things he'll grab to improvise with! I mean, where else do you get somebody who uses umbrellas, pipe organ pipes, whisks, screen doors, golf clubs, appetizers, literally anything to take opponents out on a regular basis? hauling people up over his shoulders and his back to toss them into dumpsters? comments like "if I'm not honest with you, you can't improve"? counting every single dude in a massive ship and then counting down as he takes each one out? barreling out of nowhere to tackle a dude? who else gives us lines like "that's what makes it fair" to the dude who laughs at him for not carrying a gun?
and it's hardly like we don't know Eliot's going to win--Eliot always wins--but there's still tension to it. he's not so good as to be perfect. he struggles, he comes back with bruises and cuts and the occasional broken rib, it's not like there's nothing at stake here. we've seen him have to let somebody go or otherwise mess up. too many opponents or too much muscle make him wary. he's competent as all hell, but he has to be sly and tricky and clever about how he fights as much as he has to deliver enough force. Eliot doesn't just fight well, he fights smart. he uses his surroundings and knows when to play possum and how to target an opponent's weak spots.
like. goddamn. I can watch him versus Roper in The Carnival Job a hundred times, and it still shakes me to the core to see him go down for that brief moment. in that second, you can believe he's in real danger. and he does come out of it hurt and limping and covered in blood. but we still have no doubt that he's an absolute badass!
oh yeah, and also: he has fun. there's always that little smile he's got when he's about to take down a bunch of unwitting thugs. laughing at Quinn when he's got bruised ribs and bloody teeth. looking at the pipe from the pipe organ in Van Gogh in surprise when it rings when he hits a guy before giving it an appreciative grin. sizing up Mikel and running through each situation (and, you know, that little make-out in the basement). staring at the dude in Lonely Hearts and going "fisticuffs? seriously?" with that tone of amused disbelief before flipping the guy into the harbor.
it's his job and he's not fond of hurting people, exactly, but he takes pride in it and he enjoys proving himself over and over. he enjoys the challenge. and it's kind of impossible not to love watching him beat it every. single. time
anyway yeah, if you ever ask me "who's the most fun to watch fight hand-to-hand?" it's probably always gonna be Eliot, tbh.
#leverage#eliot spencer#and I couldn't find a spot to add this thought in here BUT ALSO#these scenes aren't all about Emotional Tension Release#they're not Big Dramatic Moments for the most part#there is no heft dramatic music or seriousness to it#nah--Leverage just wants us to have fun#these scenes are crafted to be FUN TO WATCH#we're meant to enjoy the grins! we're meant to laugh!#we're meant to be impressed by Eliot's ingeniousness of course#but we're also just... here to enjoy the ride with him#yes I absolutely love big dramatic fighting moments#they can be great on a character development level and just in general#but there's really something to be said for when they're developed#with the specific purpose of entertainment and such#also: I'm saying hand-to-hand SPECIFICALLY#because uh. you really really REALLY can't beat Princess Bride's swordfighting#or the hilarity of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl#and there's also lightsaber battles to be considered#also magic and ATLA and those sorts of things#and you really absolutely cannot beat the sheer fun of Cap's shield#however: hand-to-hand is QUITE different in comparison to those#now I adore Nightwing's sass mind you and plenty of others#but when it comes to sheer 'aw hell how'd they do five season's worth of this#and it STILL never ever gets remotely boring or stale?!' factor#Eliot beats out... pretty much everything I can think of
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Hello sorry to barge in with the word vomit/ramble, just wanted to let you know that god. Oh my god. You dont know how many things you’ve uncovered in me.
I started reading like, yesterday afternoon due to an animation for this fic, dreading over the word-count. I thought I could just read a little to catch a grasp of the fic, then put it to the side when my interest dies, and then 12 hours of reading happened and now I’m sitting awake at 1 AM wondering what the fuck happened to my emotions.
Cause?? I just?? Adored it so much?? The writing is such an experience to read, you just nail every single detail that just immerses me into the current scene or event. The amount of details picked and imbedded are just enough to fully paint a picture while also not overwhelming me with information. It was a Joy to read, and shone whenever a revaluation and/or breakdown happens to a character (no plural, we know all know which one). The tension parts always shakes me over with anxiety (like the teru v ritsu 2, one of my favorites), the tiny and wholesome moments are so well described too?? You know what’s happening and you know your heart it not coming out unscathed but nope, you sit there and take the pain as now the characters are allowed a sense of comfort and you realize how much they needed it after watching their lives turn into a slow motion titanic scene.
AND THE CHARACTERS, the characterization is immaculate I swear. Its so different from what I’m used to in the best ways plus more. I love how mob is just a confused kid trying his best and reigen is just Some Guy who managed to completely tear down (or breach-) the emotional walls of every Kageyama kid in sight and just?? Let them know he’s there for them?? Let them be kids?? His interactions with Ritsu is so tragic cause Reigen will just not let go of the fact that Ritsu is fucking thirteen and does not need this much stress condensed in him (god bless burger scene, also a favorite). And Ritsu. He is so insane it makes me want to blow up a house (positive connotation). The dude is just a walking car wreck that is slowly parking at the edge of a cliff. Just the way he snaps in the most unhinged and self destructive ways makes me want to set him down in a pile of blankets, because child you are not leaving until you book a therapist appointment. Teru makes him 10x worst its comical, they just hate each other, barfs at eachothers presence but also they’d entrust their lives to the other’s no problem, what are worst enemies with slight fond attachments are for (Ritsu realizing he was manipulating Teru all along, naturally? A well aimed strike that rattled my core, incredible). Ritsu’s journey throughout the fic has been a sight to witness, from him being a emotionally stunted mess to an emotionally stunted, but now slightly considerate, mess. Character development.
This story has been an absolute delight to finish, and my thoughts will still run wild for about a week. I cannot thank you enough for writing this and sharing this to the world of ao3.
(ABoT)
fbjhfbj eating this review eating this eating this
I'm!!!! Okay to approach this in pieces.
>breakdown happens to a character (no plural, we all know which one)
we all know which one....
I'm just saying this could still be about literally ANY character named Ritsu in this story.
Also yes!!! Another Ritsu vs Teru v2 enjoyer!! I was so goddamn excited getting to that part of the story. The role inversion between Ritsu and Teru. The weight of Ritsu making this a spirit possession battle against Teru of all people, and that being why Ritsu is able to hold his own against Teru who is so much stronger than him.
And absolutely ABoT is all about the small wholesome moments, cuz each and every one of those are wrestled in tatters out of the jaw of tragedy and misery which, to me, makes them extra special. The absolute fighting tooth and nail for happiness and betterment.
>reigen is just Some Guy who managed to completely tear down (or breach-) the emotional walls of every Kageyama kid in sight and just?? Let them know he’s there for them?? Let them be kids??
yep yep yep the double-meaning of "Breach" in the title. Breach trust. Breach the barrier. The role of lies and the role of trust in that very core element of Mob's barrier.
And I really adored writing all the Ritsu and Reigen interactions because they are. just. the worst for each other. But also Reigen is who Ritsu needs. And that hard fight to save Ritsu happens in the form of screaming matches that destroy a McDonalds and the massive decimation of innocent Build-A-Bears. The burger scene is. SO near and dear to my heart.
>And Ritsu. He is so insane it makes me want to blow up a house (positive connotation).
Ritsu "Aren't you tired of being nice? Don't you wanna just go apeshit?" Kageyama. I love writing him as a foil against the Reigen and Mob plotline. Because both Reigen and Mob have been hurt, and their reponses are much more focused on how to heal themselves. Ritsu's been hurt (and Teru, too) and their responses are to lash out and hurt everything back. ABoT runs the whole spectrum of catharthis for just "You've been badly wronged. Wouldn't you just like to [heal] [have someone who cares] [seek revenge and destroy the world which destroyed you]?"
>(Ritsu realizing he was manipulating Teru all along, naturally? A well aimed strike that rattled my core, incredible)
I deeply loved writing the Teru and Ritsu plotline just every step of the way. And the hardest part was writing all the build up knowing the role-reversal was coming without tipping my hand--the part where Ritsu would surpass Teru in awfulness, where it would become Teru desperately clinging to morals and trying his hardest to stop Ritsu. And this all starts with the pivot in ch31 as Ritsu realizes he IS in a position to take advantage of Teru... because Teru sees him as a friend.
fkjfdnkjfddf thank you for this review! I'm eating it I'm eating it. You're talking about so many of the things that make me feral for this story and why I wrote it in the first place. It's the trauma it's the healing it's the character development it's the character regression it's the beating your bestie to death on a soccer field it's the taking a traumatized kid to get ramen it's the mindless destruction of a Build-A-Bear Workshop it's the manipulation it's the trying to do better it's the idea that self-sacrifice doesn't actually save the people around you who need you it's the different ways tragedy affects people it's the lighting a corpse on fire then slashing your own throat it's the adopting a kitten named Socks it's the corruption it's the possession it's the cursed Jade Statue that just follows you everywhere for no reason
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Question: My daughter, she's five, right?
Jared: You tell us! Yes?
Q: I don't let her watch Supernatural for obvious reasons. But I do let her watch the Scooby Doo episode, 'cause it's not so terrible? And she covers her eyes sometimes. What I want to know is when you guys are gonna do more voice acting versus screen acting and if you enjoy it, and what the difference is, kind of?
Jared: He's gonna have a better answer, so I'll go first. I do enjoy it, there's a difference between doing voice acting when you're trying to match - when the art is already done? [Jensen nods] And you're trying to fit in words. Like the Supernatural anime -
Jensen: [grabs Jared's knee] I feel like you were traumatized by that experience. [laughs]
Jared: Traumatized, traumatized, traumatized. Because there would be -
Jensen: No, wait, that's why I didn't do it.
Jared: Well, you didn't tell me!
Jensen: I tried!
Jared: The Supernatural anime originally came out in the Japanese language, and so I guess there are some Japanese sentences where the translation is like, 'Dean, we gotta get it right now, we're in trouble, otherwise the rougarou is on the way down the stairs' but in Japan it's two words, like, 'Dean, rougarou'. Or whatever. And so I'd have to try and speak as fast as possible while trying to maintain some semblance of acting? To get the translation? I was like this isn't working, guys. This is not - the way they have to translate - so I am not interested in dubbing over something that's already been drawn.
Jensen: That is, that never happens - or very rarely does that ever happen. The normal process is the voice gets laid down and then the animation gets made to the words.
Jared: And that's how we did Scoobynatural. Yeah.
Jensen: Yes.
Jared: It's like a table read, essentially, but with microphones and then they painted the characters, or whatever you call it, animated.
Jensen: Animated, yeah. But to answer your question, yes, in fact I was just talking, I've got to go in and do another recording for a new project on Tuesday. And there's some that I've already done that are being built, they're being animated, so they'll probably be out - maybe later this year? But I do enjoy it, because it is such a departure from what we normally do and the process that we would do for live action on camera stuff. It is, you go in and you deliver the dialogue but not in a way of doing a scene with a scene partner. I'm in a booth by myself, none of the other actors are there, so it's really odd when you meet somebody like, 'Oh, I did a movie with you, I've never met you before.' Because you go in and each line of dialogue has a number next to it. So the director can be like, 'Okay, let's skip to line 158. Jensen, let's just give us three reads.' And I will just do three different variations on that one line. If the line was, 'Hey Jared, c'mon, let's go out to dinner.' [repeats the same line with three different changes of emphasis/inflection/cadence]
Jared: And then I would film my side, which is like, 'No, I don't like you, Jensen.' [Jensen nods] 'You don't eat enough.' [they exchange a look and laugh]
Jensen: And then the project would get cancelled because it's so bad. [Jared mimes a fist pump and eyebrow lick] Stupid.
Jared: We had an ongoing joke about something getting cancelled because it's so bad, not that something got cancelled, but after - So the first several years of Supernatural - I mean, all the way through, but especially in the beginning? We started to realize that if they wrote something that was really difficult to do, but we did it over and over again? On set, after sixteen hours? Whether it's stunt sequences or speaking Latin incantations or something? And it's like, this is so difficult, but we'd do it, we'd do it well, and so they're writing more of it. So I had certain parts of - what Jared enjoys doing, but didn't want to do it a lot more on Supernatural, so I would maybe, uh, you know, sandbag a little bit? And also - Jensen's really good at Latin incantations, but he's like, 'I don't wanna do these.' [Jensen makes a face] that's more for Sam. So when they'd give it to him, he'd be like, ''Uh, exortius-omus-tay.' I'm like, Jensen you know how to say this!
Jensen: [fake dumb voice] No I don't!
Jared: And so then two episodes later, when there was a Latin incantation, it was back in this guy's hands [points to self].
Jensen: But yeah to answer your question, I am doing some more voice work, I look forward to do more, it's what - I mean, my dad has made a living off of doing that for most of his career? He does a lot of voiceover commercials and lots of different things. He's kind of a, he's got a really good thing. And it's hard to get into that part of the industry, it's hard to get into voice work. So yeah, the more that I can get in to do, I find it fun. I like it, I enjoy it.
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Oniisama e... Anime vs. Manga
I watched Dear Brother/Oniisama e... earlier this year, and only after hearing that the English blu-ray is going out of print soon, I decided to see if the original manga had ever been translated, and it was! I read through it and noted a number of differences, and not just the differences that are inevitable when adapting a 17 chapter manga into a 39 episode anime.
Largely, these are changes made in adaptation that I think make the story better, but still worth going through.
(spoilers for the entirety of Oniisama e.../Dear Brother below)
Nanako’s Parents Origin Story
In the anime, the exact nature of how Nanako’s mother and step-father got together is never fully revealed. The rumors that haunts her at school is that her mother seduced him while working as a hostess, and Nanako obviously doesn’t want to believe that’s true, but she also can’t really work up the courage to actually ask, either. In the manga, we see the exact sequence of events: Professor Misonoo’s wife already left him by the time he started going to the bar, and also Nanako’s father had left her mother. No moral complications, s’all good!
However, the real killer here isn’t that it’s no longer morally amibguous, it’s the way the information is revealed. In the manga, her parents explain this to her after Kaoru accidentally reveals that Takehiko is Nanako’s step-brother, but the anime equivalent is a private conversation Nanako has with Professor Misonoo in the last episode. It’s also the scene that has what I consider to be the thesis statement for the entire story:
When asked about Nanako’s biological father, he explains that he never screwed up the courage himself to ask his wife about him, because he knew that she would never say, and tells Nanako he knows she asked him because she also knew her mother would never say, and then drops this line. It’s applicable to so much of the series, but there’s something I found it especially relevant to, which segues into...
Fukiko
Fukiko Ichinomiya is my favorite character in this anime, and it turns out that most of that was in adaptation. I think this is something that will be received different for different people, but Fukiko was so much more of a normal teenage girl in the manga. The anime presents her as this ultra-composed pillar of dignity and grace and lurking below that surface is an emotionally stunted 12 year old girl, and in the manga, she still has the veneer of being ultra-composed but it constantly, and visibly, cracks. Compare her expression when Kaoru first tells her that she thinks the sorority should be abolished in the manga versus the anime:
The more dramatic example for me is when Fukiko drops that she used her station to get Nanako into the sorority. In the manga, it’s an accidental angry outburst that she tries to brush off, but in the anime, it’s a pointed, conscious decision, confirming Nanako’s fears as a way to threaten and intimidate her:
That can also be chalked up to artistic direction: all the Dezaki works I’ve seen (with the possible exception of Hamtaro (for real)), the characters never deform or otherwise go off model for the sake of dramatic reactions or even comedy beats, and the same largely goes for the backgrounds. I also think it may be a choice to lean more into what Rei reveals about Fukiko, and how she’s the only person who ever saw Fukiko with her guard down and otherwise carries herself with the utmost dignity and grace. But hey, another segue speaking of Rei and her relationship with Fukiko!
The Relationship Between Fukiko and Rei
This is maybe my least favorite difference in the manga from the anime, and really highlights the fact that in the manga, Fukiko wasn’t really much of a fully formed character. Unlike the anime, where the relationship between Rei and Fukiko is a fucked up abusive co-dependent nightmare, in the manga, it’s a fucked abusive one-sided nightmare. Namely, this scene, which to my recollection doesn’t exist at all in the anime:
In the anime, this is recontextualized entirely: rather than Fukiko looking down her nose at Rei and taking satisfaction from her own superiority, she’s wildly possessive and jealous of Rei because her satisfaction comes from how much Rei admires her.
There’s probably an argument to be made that Fukiko was just lashing out at Rei in response to the sorority petition, but again, that would tie into “boy Fukiko is a much different character in the manga than in the anime”, and outside of her reaction to Rei’s death, there’s not much to indicate that might be the case.
And this also ties into maybe two of the three biggest changes between the manga and anime: first, Rei commits suicide by overdosing on her drugs in the manga, versus accidentally falling to her death in the anime, and second, Fukiko actually doesn’t know Rei’s her full sister in the manga, versus the anime where she knew all along. I think this also adds something to Nanako’s character, that she’s burdened with the knowledge that each of them knew about their relationship, but can never say anything about it.
More Depressing, Less Catharsis
Two major contributing points here, the first of which is Rei’s suicide. Dying accidentally in the anime is more tragic, with the implication being that she was getting better, but her suicide is a pointed “sometimes, your feelings just can’t reach people”, which is definitely more depressing (and depressingly realistic).
The second, and one which is on the same wavelength as “more depressingly realistic” is the reveal that Kaoru’s breast cancer came back, and she passed away. And this was after the same sweeping marriage ceremony and departure to Germany in the anime, so the delivery of this information on the last page of the last chapter is so abrupt it could be considered black comedy.
No reflection on the fact that at least she was able to spend the time she had left with the one she loved or anything of that sort, just “cancer do be like that”. Call me a sentimental bitch, but I much prefer the anime version that “two years later, she hasn’t relapsed and they had a child!”
Riyoko Ikeda Draws Some Funny Faces
Circling back to the point about art direction; with fewer total pages to work with and not having the benefit of sound cues and cuts, the manga does often rely on cartoonish deformation to get emotions across succinctly, and I’ll be damned if Ikeda’s not good at making some funny face.
There’s more- both funny faces and differences in content- but I think that covers the major points for me. The manga is still a good read, but I think it works better as a complementary piece to read after watching the anime.
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Disney Villain Recruiters Personalities: Part 10
The lady of the lamp! The sorceress of the sands! Our very own diamond in the rough!
Bust out those magic wands, carpets, and lamps for:
Faja (or Farja)!
For those of you who don't know, the Disney Villain Recruiters was a Tokyo Disneyland-only show held every Halloween. Basically, the minions of famous Disney villains come to our world to try and tempt us to join their villain bosses.
- By the way, they are not the sons, daughters, or genderbent versions of the villains. They are just minions.
- Also! I do not speak Japanese. Thankfully, there were a few that had English subtitles, but not a lot. These are just my interpretations of her based on the videos I've seen, along with my own personal ideas about his character. So, let's get started!
Faja (Farja)🌹
Another recruiter who is believed to have animal origins (that being a parrot) Faja was either found by Jafar as an abused pet, or she was found as an orphaned street rat by the sorcerer, not too dissimilar of Aladdin or Jafar's own origins. Regardless, Faja is eternally grateful to her master for his good deed and vows to serve him. If the Aladdin game "Nasira's Revenge" is taken as canon, I believe it is plausible that Faja was taken in by Nasira and mostly raised by her, hence why Faja wasn't present in the movies. Either that, or Faja was kept secret by Jafar and was instructed to aid in his plans and study magic in the background so as to not be discovered by the enemy.
If the former situation occurs in which Nasira takes Faja in as an apprentice instead, then Faja would grow to admire Jafar from his sister's stories about him, possibly learning more about his early years, and becoming more sympathetic and understanding of his schemes, striving to do whatever it takes to help him take his rightful place as sultan and earn his respect, despite the reality that he may not care for her at all.
Faja is a proud and passionate soul, who's bad temper and chatterbox nature conjures trouble up for her, much to her and other's dismay. She is very over the top and dramatic, being known to get easily frustrated, especially towards herself or anyone for having messed up anything important to her. As noted by Jack Heart, Faja has a temper to match the Queen of Hearts, although not nearly as scary, as her getting wildly upset, messing up a potion or magical stunt, as well as her general clumsiness has been seen as a source of entertainment among her fellow recruiters.
Despite her spitfire attitude, however, Faja has a softer side, being described as one of the silliest members of the team. She's one of the few who actually laughs at Jack's terrible jokes or puns and actively participates in games or activities with the crowd. Similarly to Lady Hock, she has a soft spot for children, even if she has significantly less patience for them than her pirate friend. She may panic or outright flee the scene when a child cries or frustrates her, but she will stay when they're calm and want to play with her or see a magic trick. Faja has been noted to become emotional if a child wishes to see her in particular, as regardless of backstory, she was never wanted by anyone growing up.
Evidently, Faja is also extremely empathetic, knowing when one of her coworkers needs help, but she will not see to the problem directly, instead asking for assistance from the others. Although if the desired person is unavailable, she will do the best she can to help them on her own. She might show her compassion in the form of food and different types of flowers, making their favorite dishes or snacks, or making a bouquet of flowers corresponding to their emotions so they might feel better. It's so NOT subtle, and she will absolutely deny any goodwill intentions she may have, but the others are appreciative nonetheless.
Jafar: If Jafar himself takes Faja in as an apprentice, then the two would have an almost father-daughter relationship. He is the calming force to her temperment, similarly to Iago. Faja adores him and strives to make him proud of her, even if she flounders along the way. She understands his desire to be more than a street rat, as they both were dealt an awful hand in life, growing up in poverty. He doesn't allow her to become too close to him, not wanting his image to falter in her eyes. He just tells her enough for him to manipulate her further. And although she is rather clumsy and hot-headed, Jafar sees her potential and trains her in becoming a sorceress. However, when Faja learns of Iago's betrayal, even cornering the bird to get some answers, Faja becomes...torn. She believes that she still owes Jafar her life after saving her long ago, but...even if the bird was annoying, Iago was her friend. All three of them were in this together, and now Jafar's become far more twisted than she could ever imagine him being. Faja is deeply afraid of losing what she had, and even helps to bring Jafar back a few times, but she doesn't know how long she can keep this up.
Iago: Birds of a feather flock together, as they say. Kind of. Their relationship is a bit tumultuous, to say the least. They ironically find each other annoying and have a bit of a rivalry for Jafar's attention. Problem is, due to Faja's clumsiness and temper, and Iago's status as the sorcerer's right-hand (or winged) man, Jafar is likely to trust Iago with the more serious tasks than Faja, which, of course, leads to more insults and bragging from Iago's side. Despite that, they do have some semblance of trust, having been stuck with one another for so long. Once she returns home and hears of Iago's treachery, she's reluctant, but she listens to him, having learned to have more patience in her time away from Agrabah. And while Faja does what she can to aid in Jafar's return, she gains a new perspective of her master. If Iago, the sorcerer's most trusted confidant, betrayed him after what he put the parrot through, what does that mean for her? Should Faja join Iago on the side of good, she and Iago would have a LONG talk about what they had been through and perhaps come to the conclusion that they should put their past's aside and start anew. Together, as true friends.
Aladdin: As any minion of a villain would, Faja hates Aladdin with a fiery passion. How dare this boy ruin her master's chance of achieving his dream with his own goal of finding happiness, wanting a loving family of his own.....and hoping to be seen as more than a street rat.....huh. That sounds awfully familiar, now, doesn't it? Over the course of the recruitment program, Faja realizes that she, Aladdin, and Jafar have a lot in common, but are all so completely different. Faja's anger issues stem from a lack of attention, stress, and internalized hatred for herself as a result of her poor upbringing. Aladdin, however, was in the same boat but looks at the world with a positive outlook and hope for the future. And that is, admittedly, very admirable. If Faja takes a turn for the better and redeems herself, Aladdin would gladly have Faja live in the palace as their court magician, and help the impoverished citizens of Agrabah, as friends!
Apple Poison: As much as she despises him for calling her magic a "pathetic imitation," Faja does respect Apple to a certain extent. However, she's not afraid of telling him exactly what she thinks of him, though Apple himself admires her honesty, despite how annoying she may get. Plus, she actually does her job well enough, so he can say at least that much. Though, he is guilty of escalating her anger for his own amusement, while she obliviously falls for his mind tricks. But, Apple can see how how hard she works to perfect her magic, however flawed it might be, and will give her some pointers where he can. In return, if Apple feels particularly stressed out on certain days, Faja will bake apple pies for him to keep him from whining. It's very sweet!
Jack Heart: Most of the time, these two have fun with each other. They tease, they trick, they play fight, just having a grand ol time! But then Jack uses her magic and potions for crazy stunts and pranks, sometimes on the others, but a lot of times on her. That's where the trouble starts. "Fajako" is NOT happy. It's bad enough that he wastes her ingredients, but he didn't even ask! He just barges in like he owns the place and "borrows" what he can find! Other than that, they have a fairly good relationship. They're both the silly and spontaneous types, so when they get together, it's a blast! AND! They can both agree with how insufferable Apple can be, so they join forces to take him down. It hardly ever works, but the fun is all that counts, right?
Malfie (Malfi): Ah, the group narcissist, wonderful... These two are, unsurprisingly, very sassy towards each other. So much so that they have their own stage segment called "Villain Sassoon," in which these two engage in pure, unadulterated wise cracks and cocky comebacks. It's glorious. And also extremely fun and/or annoying to their colleagues. In all seriousness, Malfie is a big thorn in Faja's side, sometimes literally. Similarly to Apple, Malfie is also quite experienced in magic, and he will make fun of Faja's failures at any chance he gets. Unlike Apple, though, Malfie doesn't have the patience nor the attention span to help her, and if he does, it's purely by accident. In spite of their differences, they have a surprising amount in common. Putting aside the fact that Faja might also be a bird, they both understand what it's like to be rejected by society, or in Malfie's case, by your own family. Eventually, the hostility towards each other dies down, and they start to have a more friendly, yet still teasing relationship. Someone needs to put that guy's ego in check!
Eight Foot Joe: As stated before, other than Ms. Hades, Joe struggles when talking to women, and Faja's constant loud outbursts don't soothe him in the least. Unlike the others, he doesn't laugh or mock her when she screws up her magic or clumsily falls or knocks something over, he just gets tired and annoyed at her. He honestly just pities her more than anything. As someone who slinks in the background and overworks himself to the point of exhaustion for the sake of perfecting whatever work needs to be done, the fact that she's so clumsy, over the top, and very much front and center, he mostly steers clear away from dealing with that. Faja, on the other hand, views him as grumpy and socially inept. However, as they are kind of forced to interact on a day to day basis, he becomes more sympathetic to her plight and, along with Apple, helps Faja with her magic, specifically potions. He's no genius on the subject by any means, but he has seen Ursula's work over a thousand times and has dabbled in potions himself, so he makes for a decent teacher. As thanks, she'll cook him his favorite meal and keep her complaints about him to a minimum. Well, it's a start!
Mr. Dalmatia: As a buddy of Jack and someone who's also been slighted by Apple, Faja has been deemed by Dalma as an honoray member of their squad! Although she won't participate in most of their pranks, being a bit more mature than them (sometimes), she will indulge the two from time to time if the idea peaks her interest. The two might squabble once in a while as a result of he and Jack taking Faja's stuff without permission, purposely making her extremely angry for the fun of it, or Dalma's dog tendencies acting up, but they have a fairly good relationship. She's like his clumsy, drama queen big sister that he never knew he wanted!
Pretty Scar (Mzuri): Two peas in a pod, these two. Faja often complains about PS's annoying, cutesy act, but she is equally guilty of frustrating and pestering the other recruiters with her outbursts, so who's the hypocrite here? Like everyone else, though, Mzuri grows on Faja, and the hyena's genuine curiosity of her magic ignites the wannabe sorceress pride, something fierce, and she can't help but show off her skills. Faja appreciates the enthusiasm, and she begins to see Pretty Scar as her little sister. Having been rejected by their respective societies, with Mzuri getting very little food, the young hyena is beyond thankful for Faja's delicious cooking, of which Faja has to make extra, knowing Mzuri's large appetite.
Ms. Hades: One of Faja's great friends, Ms. Hades has shown to be the primary recruiter, aside from Lady Hock, who can successfully calm Faja down. Faja admires Ms. H for her calm and collective approach to everything, having an almost regal presence every time she speaks, reminding Faja of her master. Although, unlike Jafar, Ms. Hades sees Faja as an equal, and despite the bird-lady's temper, Ms. H doesn't shame or belittle her for expressing her emotions openly, which is a breath of fresh air for Faja, and she is very grateful of MH for her understanding. Thanks in part to Ms. Hades, Lady Hock, and Veil's more calming personalities, as well as general experience with guests, the other recruiters, and the program overall, Faja matures and gains more patience for people and herself. Ms. H is known for seeing an obstacle with reason, and that kind of energy has definitely rubbed off on her. That doesn't mean Faja isn't scared of Ms. H though. On the rare occasion that the fire maiden is quietly seething with rage, while this may give Faja the opportunity to repay MH for all those times she's stopped her from doing something she might regret, don't think that such a task will be easy. If all else fails, run for the hills!
Veil: Another good friend of hers, Veil gives Faja the opportunity to comfort and help someone else for a change. Due to Veil's social ineptitude, Faja works as a guide to understanding social skills and cues. While not a chatterbox like her friend, Veil does enjoy conversations with Faja and somehow gaining a friend in this crazy world. Even though Faja is not as motherly as Ms. Hades, she has some big sister energy in her, and is often Veil's second person to go to when she's upset. When Veil comes to Faja for support, Faja allows Veil to rest her head on her shoulder and sit in silence. Should Veil still be in a downer mood, Faja will cook and bake Veil's favorite meal and dessert, and create a beautiful center piece made up of her favorite flowers. They both know what it's like to feel unloved, so Faja will do everything she can to help her friend feel better.
Lady Hock (Hook): Faja is always in awe of Lady Hock's charisma and zest for life. These two are more like sisters, the female versions of Jack and Dalma, that's how close they are. While appearing calm and collected, Hock enjoys chaos as much as anyone else. This lassie loves magic, on account of living on an island across a star, so any mishaps or wacky shenanigans that occur due to Faja's or anyone else's mistake is just a fun time to be had. Should Jack, Dalma, Apple, or any of the other recruiters cross the line, the following pranks should be an expected consequence. These two have so much fun together, they've described each other as the siblings they truly needed in their early lives.
Overall: Faja is a spirited and determined young woman who may be a source of mockery in the group, but whose eager and secretly tender nature makes it easy to love her. While she may deny caring for most of her fellow recruiters in any capacity at first, they eventually filled the whole in her heart that she'd been pretending wasn't there.
With Iago and Aladdin's influence on the other side, it's only a matter of time before Faja lets go of her master and his petty and psychopathic ideals of glory and worship. The only question is: Will Faja be strong enough to break free of Jafar's emotional hold on her? Or will she, too, remain trapped?
Author's Note: Thank you so much for joining me on this long journey! I really hope these pages were helpful for newcomers or just people in the fandom who wanted a clearer grasp at the recruiters' personalities.
Of course, this isn't the end of me talking about them, and I even have a plan to go back and rewrite a few of my earlier pages because I honestly hate how I wrote them.
But for now, thank you all again for your patience, and I'll see you guys later! Byeee! 💗💗
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Ace Attorney 4-3 Turnabout Serenade, Trial 1
Walking into court today feels like the noose is already around our necks. Politically speaking, there have been and will be uglier situations for the defense to be in. But it's still unpleasant to know that the defendant's effectively being offered up as a legal sacrifice.
Making matters worse, even our fair-minded judge isn't feeling inclined to treat this case with the thoroughness and caution that it deserves.
"Let's wrap this up quickly" is the last thing a defense attorney wants to hear from the person who will be litigating their case. Especially a case this enigmatic.
The prosecution's under political pressure to tie a bow on this thing as quickly as possible and the Judge is eager to leave. These are extremely undesirable circumstances for our defense.
The basic setup for 4-3 reminds me a lot of 2-2. Phoenix and Lotta in that case were in much the same position as Apollo and Ema, having heard gunshots from within an enclosed murder scene and then having to break in.
Though there are significant differences. In 2-2, the killer lingered on the scene to frame the defendant for the crime. 4-3's killer evaporated into thin air. Further, 4-3 has a smaller time window; Phoenix had to break down a door in 2-2, while Ema and Apollo bolted in through an unlocked door to find the scene as it was.
The killer didn't have a lot of time to teleport away this time around. This is, of course, what Gavin fixes his case around.
Gavin isn't wrong here.
Well. He's wrong in accusing Machi. He's barking up the wrong tree to make sense of what contradictions he can within the limited time he was provided.
But the larger point here, the part that he isn't wrong about, is that this crime cannot have happened. Based on the facts in evidence, no one could have committed it.
This crime, much like 4-1 and 4-2, is a magician's trick. A show of smoke and mirrors, of theatricism and sleight-of-hand. A game of looking one direction while the stunt was being pulled off in another round of secret compartments and animate corpses in boxes. And, unfortunately, Gavin has been completely taken in by the illusion.
This is the answer Gavin's devised to the question of how the magician vanished from the box. That is the question he's chosen to focus on with his limited time to investigate, and the air vent is his answer.
Gavin cannot unravel this illusion because he's fallen for the trick; He thinks the magician was even in the box to begin with.
It's just too bad that his solution is impossible.
Or. At least. It would be if the plot was willing to acknowledge that.
As has been brought up multiple times, the gun is extremely powerful. Powerful enough that the kickback would dislocate Apollo's shoulder if he tried to fire it. Only a strong person with a great deal of firearm experience could possibly use that weapon without injury, and Machi Tobaye is a small, frail boy.
This momentarily comes up.
Unfortunately, it just ends up glossed over.
The power of the revolver inexplicably becomes another piece of evidence to Machi's guilt, 'cause after it broke his goddamn arm because he is a tiny stick child and that thing would dislocate the shoulder of a grown-ass man, he fired it again successfully and then healed his injuries by magic, I guess.
This is always the worst thing that can happen in a mystery game. The revolver is obvious and case destroying in a way that the plot is not equipped to deal with, and so its crucial relevancy is swept under the rug. The idea that Machi fired this gun and then resettled his aim and fired again, that he didn't take his own ass out at the first shot, is completely outside the realm of believability.
The kickback is interpreted as a reason for why he would have had to shoot two shots at point-blank range rather than one, instead of a reason why the killer cannot have been this frail little stick child.
I can believe Machi pulling that trigger once and then managing to pop his shoulder back into socket or getting Lamiroir's help despite the intense agony. I cannot believe him managing to get off two shots in fairly rapid succession and then quickly scurrying away from the crime scene without making a peep. That is impossible.
Absolutely frustrating and a detriment to this trial.
So what do we spend this trial on instead? Well, the bulk of it is spent unpacking Lamiroir's testimony. After all, Romein identified her as the only witness who can speak to what happened - Despite Lamiroir's own reluctance to do so.
Lamiroir is an amnesiac performer. With no past to speak of, she somehow got swept up into a musical career and forged a new identity for herself. She is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a shawl.
Unfortunately, getting her to say a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g about what happened that night is a Sisyphean ordeal.
Some witnesses misremember things. Lamiroir transcends that. She is politely combative to her role as a witness. Most cross-examinations are spent untying a winding web of misremembered facts and purposeful deceptions, reinventing the collective imagination of the crime scene in the process. But Lamiroir's testimony is mainly preoccupied with simply twisting her arm into admitting that she was nearby.
Despite Romein using his dying breath to pin her as a witness, Lamiroir fights tooth and nail to disavow any knowledge. She is so aggressively unwilling to be connected to this murder in any way that you'd almost think she shot him.
Even when she does start talking, her testimony suffers from a language barrier. This itself, inadvertently so, forms another illusion. As Lamiroir fails to convey what she is trying to say, Apollo and Gavin both leap to the wrong conclusion.
Lamiroir says she saw the crime through a window, and so they both think of that small window in the dressing room. This would be a clever bit of wordplay, disguising Lamiroir's true vantage. After all, what else in that room might someone unfamiliar with the language describe as "something like a little window" through which they viewed the scene?
I love this clever bit of wordplay on paper. However, what I don't love is that the game lies to the player to keep them from figuring it out.
During Lamiroir's testimony and a few times after, we're shown this image.
This picture is a bald-faced lie. It never happened. We're meant to think that this small window is the one she's talking about, and I have no problem with showing us the window. But drawing Lamiroir looking in through it? That bothers me.
This is a fake flashback meant to mislead players and keep them from thinking about what other "little windows" might be in the room. False information should be told, not shown. This breeches the trust between audience and developer, that the characters may deceive and mislead but the story will always treat us fair.
For contrast, consider the way 4-1 frequently shows us a hand swinging a bottle. But only ever hand and bottle. We see that image over and over, as its meaning is recontextualized several times over the course of the case. But we don't see who's holding it. We don't see who's struck by it. We see only hand and bottle, because to show anything more would require the game itself to lie.
Incidentally, there's one other reason why Lamiroir looking through this window and doing Shocked Pikachu is the game flat-out lying to its players.
We get our first hint of it when Lamiroir explains,
This is the setup to Trial 1's startling conclusion. Lamiroir trusts her hearing more than her eyesight, and she swears she heard the killer's voice. She'd be able to ID him if she ever heard it again. This claim is lent more credibility as another illusory fact about Lamiroir and Machi comes to light.
Yep, more publicity stunts. Everything about Lamiroir and Machi is fake. This is only the setup to its offsetting twist, however.
Machi is a sighted person pretending to be blind, while Lamiroir is a blind person pretending to be sighted. It's an odd little do-si-do that doesn't, I think, lend as much to the mystery as the plot thinks it does.
Like. It's not nothing. It backs up the idea that Lamiroir has really good hearing. And it explains why her testimony is so sketchy. She cannot testify accurately to what she saw because she never saw anything at all.
It's a valuable piece of context. It just. Feels off. It's weird. Also I think they coded her Romani? I don't know. That is a complicated topic that I am not qualified to speak on. All I can say is this feels weird.
What it does do for the case is that it recontextualizes the whole concept of Lamiroir being "the witness". If Lamiroir is blind then it doesn't matter where she had a vantage to see the crime from. She didn't see the crime at all. She heard it. That is a whole different ballpark.
It's a critical reveal... and a depressing one. It comes packaged with the realization that we spent half the case getting her to talk about what she saw, which turns out to have been a waste of our time. Great. Thanks.
Nonetheless, it at least serves the mystery of our Borginian visitors. None of them are who they seem; Everything we know about them is manufactured publicity. They are, fittingly enough, performers in the truest sense.
Meanwhile, our victim is the greatest performer of them all.
Right here, at the very end of the trial day, is when things finally start happening. Another stage show. Another illusion. Another falsehood falling away to reveal wires and lights behind the curtain. Lamiroir's "manager" worked for Interpol. This entire trip, this pleasant excursion to Japanifornia to participate in a concert, was an undercover op.
Romein brought the Gun More Powerful Than Cop Guns. The Arm Breaking Super Gun that can only be used by a mountain of a man with tremendous firearm experience belonged to him. A revelation that settles into the realm of "Yeah, that makes sense," almost instantly.
But what is equally important about this last-second discovery is the man who presents it.
Daryan steps into the courtroom to deliver the results of the Interpol ID verification. In this brief window of time, Lamiroir is able to positively ID his voice as that of the man who shot Romein LeTouse.
Finally, thanks to her brave testimony, the ultimate truth is unveiled! While Gavin and Daryan were out on stage, Daryan confronted Romein in the dressing room and shot him with his own gun. Everything finally makes sense.
...
Wait. No. Something's not right about that. Clearly this case has at least a few more tricks up its sleeve before the last mirror falls and the magician's secret is finally revealed.
Trial 1 is... honestly, this trial day sucks. Lamiroir's cross-examination winds up being a complete waste of time. Meanwhile, most of the evidence we deliberate is stuff we're already aware of because we were in the room while it happened. Very little new information is added to the case until its final moments.
Lamiroir herself isn't a fun witness to question, either. Like. She is hugely important to the story of Ace Attorney, albeit for a plot point that the franchise has yet to pull the trigger on. As a character in the grand scheme of things, she is certainly interesting.
But as a witness, she's completely dull. It makes sense that she's so withdrawn given that it's a plot point that she struggles with the language. But she lacks the fire and force of personality that typically makes Ace Attorney characters so engaging and fun to deal with.
So we end up talking with a reserved witness who offers few engaging reactions or entertaining antics, slowly and meticulously learning very little. The majority of this case is spent prying almost no information whatsoever out of a plank of wood.
Throw in the case's yadda-yadda'ing over the contradiction of the murder weapon and the bald-faced lie that is the window flashback, and we have a slow and boring ride until things finally start happening in the last ten minutes.
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Note
(You cannot escape this now)
Quick overview for beginners!
Volumes 1 and 2 are just the main protagonists, aka the lovebirds, meeting each other and the start of their slow burn romance, with Cairyx-kun being the more extroverted but who we later learn keeps some secrets, and Luce-kun being the more introverted and reluctant to open up, but by the middle of volume 2 they both accepted they've fallen in love, but now the hard thing between them is who will have enough courage to confess first
After one of them finally confesses in the final page of volume 2, which I won't say who it was so you can find out for yourself, in volume 3 the other accepts but the problem is that Luce-kun feels unworthy of Cai-kun's affection because, as is revealed later, he is an orphan and he was the one who caused his family's deaths, so he feels that Cai-kun deserves someone who isn't a murderer.
Fortunately, Cairyx-kun understands and explains that Luce-kun couldn't possibly be a murderer since what happened was an accident, and that he'll still love his goat boyfriend no matter what
Pretty kawaii end to volume 3, but in volume 4 the drama continues, as Cairyx-kun's family do not accept of his relationship with Luce-kun and it is revealed that Cai-kun is actually already promised in marriage, something he never told his boyfriend.
After many ups and downs, this entire stunt finally ends when Cai-kun's promised husband breaks off the engagement himself, as he wishes to live his life by his own rules and respects that Cai-kun wants to stay with the person he truly loves.
This volume ends on a bittersweet note, as Cai-kun's family ends up disowning him, but he and Luce-kun overcome it because they don't need someone else's approval to love each other
Volume 5 is much more about our favourite couple fighting against prejudice from others in regards to their different species romance, which had already been seen in the previous volumes, except that in this one it gets much worse, but they do have some people who support them and they are able to keep moving on
In volume 6, our lovely couple move in together and eventually start planning on adopting a child, something the both of them want very much, and it is also heavily implied that one of them wishes to propose, though again I won't say who.
Turns out that adoption is a bit of a no-no in this society, but since a guy can't get another guy pregnant, it's their only option.
The final chapters of this volume end with them visiting the children's home, with a bit of a special emphasis on a specific boy, who is obviously going to be the child they're gonna adopt in the future
The newest volume 7 gives us an even closer look at their relationship and adoption plans, and the partner who wishes to propose also begins to build up courage, until by the end of the volume, after a romantic dinner date to celebrate having been accepted as possible adopted fathers, said partner finally does propose, but sadistically we're left with a cliffhanger on whether or not the other said yes, though I think we all know the obvious answer
About the anime adaptation news, the release date hasn't been fully confirmed yet, but the production team has confirmed that they plan on the first episode having 20 minutes in total, which is around 3 to 4 minutes less than most other animes, but it's good news nonetheless
aaahh the memories getting to relive the gripping plot of this manga! the way i was absolutely squee-ing like crazy at the confession scene! so kawaiiii >w<
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