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insomniac-arrest · 3 years

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how NOT to do a tournament arc

It’s kind of sad, I really enjoyed the first book in the “Darker Shade of Magic” series by VE Schwab, I even rated it 4 stars on my Goodreads! People told me that the second book, A Gathering of Shadows, was even better and I was pretty excited.

However, I cannot get myself to finish the last 80 pages or so. I am really close to the end, but I just Do Not Care. I have stopped caring about these characters or what happens to them. I think the main problem is that I actually really love “tournament arcs,” they are literally always my favorite arcs in Shonen manga.

the tournament arc in the Naruto series?? life-changing. the tournament arc in My Hero Academia? literally the only full arc I’ve seen of that show. The tournament arc in Yu Yu Hakusho? so much fun. even outside of manga, the second Hunger Games book is my favorite of the three because I think the arena/game itself is really interesting and I’m a shallow bitch.

Lee vs Gaara?? 😩👌

I think it’s this love of the trope that kind of ruined the book for me because Schwab fundamentally mishandles why audiences care about our heroes joining or winning these things. *SPOILERS AHEAD*

So I literally hated the reason for every single character joining the tournament. Not only are most of them way too OP to be joining this tournament (it’s like the reverse underdog trope and I hate it), but the reasons they join are generally weak and actively make me want them to lose.

Why does Naruto do the tournament arc? He wants to go up in the ninja hierarchy and it’s a stepping stone to his overall goal of becoming a hokage. And, as always, he’s trying to prove his self worth as a person by punching people real good. He is an underdog and seeing him win is thus satisfying. You want him to win for practical, emotional, and cathartic reasons. It’s not that complex.

None of the heroes in A Gathering of Shadows want to join the tournament for practical reasons and seeing them win achieves no catharsis. They do have emotional reasons for joining it, but their emotional reasons actively make me want to bully them. Let’s get into it.

Lila wants to join the tournament to test her magic and also run away from her cool pirate life she always wanted because of Issues I guess. I found her reasons for joining the most acceptable of the 3, but also frankly vague and boring. She kind of just has this sense she has to join. The thing that really got me is how she goes out of her way to kidnap and replace this rando in the competition.

She is technically an underdog here, but having guessed by this point she is a *SPOILERS* Antari, I already know she is super powerful and is way too magically gifted for being in this normal-people magic Olympics. I don’t watch Haikyuu for the tall people dunking on other teams! I watch it for the short king overcoming height-ism! Your stories about genetically superior magic people suck!!

If she had like, an actually compelling reason to insert herself into the competition-- such as being in poverty and needing prize money or seeking revenge or political sabotage or wanting to win the heart of a girl, I might be more forgiving. But the fact she just kinda wants to . . test herself, and fucks up someone else’s life to do that, just made me angry. I get that’s she’s a spunky, wild-card, the author describes her as a “self-serving badass,” but she was just so weakly motivated that the self-serving part made me root against her. She’s out there messing with someone’s entire profession just to “test her abilities.” This is some villainy shit.

This and the fact her “not-like-other-girls” fuckery was all over the place in this book (one of her love interests literally says “you’re not like other girls”) rubbed me the wrong way.*

*Note: the first book also had this problem too, but I was kind of willing to forgive it bc I was interested in the magic stuff going on. But Schwab did NOT course correct and I had to have this whole do-I-dislike-Lila-bc-of-internalized-misogyny debate with myself. Luckily, I discovered that the only character I really liked in this book was Rhy regardless of gender.

Alucard is also there. I don’t clearly remember his motivation for joining, but he is already wealthy and has status and allies and doesn’t really need to join this tournament so I also did not particularly care if he won or lost. He’s also just, very pompous. Which, yeah, made him likable enough, but again, pompous characters in tournament arcs are not the ones you’re rooting for. That’s not why you watch.

Finally, Kell, king of the Over Powered angst trope, wants to join the tournament because he dreams of violence. He wants to fight other people. He has some bloodlust which he feels real bad about, but also damn does he want to use his magic powers to punch people. Like, dummies and training are not enough, it has to be real flesh and blood people to pummel.

I can’t emphasize how thoroughly this turned me off. Characters who join tournaments literally just for the purpose of smacking other people around are villains in these type of stories. They aren’t doing it for the prize or redemption or self-worth shit or love. And I wanted Kell to lose so bad!! I wanted him to get water-slapped across the stage! Not only was he way too overpowered in this tournament for me to care, but the reasons he’s in the tournament actively pissed me off. You want to find freedom in violence Kell? :( absolutely not.

And like, he does lose, but it’s only because he lets Lila win. No struggle. No gay little speeches. No random heartfelt trauma reveal or character development.

I hate it here.

Naturally, a western book does not have to follow random anime tropes, but shouldn’t readers be a bit invested in this staging since it takes up a large part of the book?

None of these characters are in the tournament for interesting reasons that make me want to root for them. Some characters who I was neutral on to begin with, literally made that Sims relationship thing pop up above my head when I read this

I know what you’re thinking: But Insomniac! The book isn’t about the tournament! It’s just the set-dressing! You must have noticed, the tournament fight scenes were really brief and boring. The main conflict is between the real villain and the main characters.

And I’m like . . . then why were the magic olympics there? Also, the fact all these characters were joining this important sports event for shallow reasons really did a number on my perception of them. None of them even want to be Hokage. This is ridiculous.

Anyway, as a side note I was interested in the Rhy/Alucard interaction, but I’ll probably never finish this book so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#IA talks #IA reads #am reading #a darker shade of magic #a gathering of shadows #ve shwab #here are my thoughts you must all suffer through #long post cw #lol

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bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture · 3 years

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The first match continues! How will our intrepid hero get out of this mess? (Spoilers, it’s ghosts.)

[No. 33 - Shinsou’s Situation]

Our first page here is actually another mock cover! Which I think might be a nod to some other comic book cover, though I would not be able to tell you which one.

Poor Izuku’s shirt, who knows where it might have gone. Boy’s gonna get a cold like that. And he’s standing on top of the rubble of a fallen apartment building I think? Just from the ladder and some of the brick-like debris. And the gloves and boots are definitely a different style from what we see Izuku wearing in canon.

Anyways, into the chapter proper. The crowd’s making a lot of noise as Izuku continues to stand there frozen, with Present Mic comments on that fact, along with how Izuku is looking confounded and not even twitching. He correctly identifies it as Shinsou’s quirk at play, though he frames it as a question because, you know, show business. Ochako and Tenya are confused and concerned, as is Toshinori.

Shinsou continues to stand there, menacingly, as Present Mic goes on about how they were barely aware that this guy existed, but now he’s sure one to keep an eye on! Aizawa brings up a pair of sheets, catching Mic’s attention, as he brings up how the entrance exam was completely irrational. The sheets have simple specs on the two, since they knew this would be a quirk versus quirk battle.

...wait, oh my god, but this WAS a quirk versus quirk, battle, though, just not in the way anyone was expecting! It was a mental control battle instead of a physical versus mental quirk battle! And was our first nod towards One For All having a powerful mental aspect, which becomes a major plot point like 250 chapters from now. I am just. Huh. Well then.

Continuing on with Aizawa’s commentary. Shinsou apparently failed the practical part of the exam, so he lost a spot in the hero course. He got into general studies, though, and that’s all he could have hoped for. His quirk is extraordinarily powerful, but, given the format of the practical exam, his ability didn’t help him out.

Down in the arena, Shinsou comments to Izuku about how it must be nice to have everything handed to him. He then commands Izuku to turn around and walk out of the ring. Izuku ends up doing so, and Present Mic comments on Izuku following orders like a good little boy - which means that the crowds (or at least the announcer booth) has to be able to hear what’s being said?

Uhm. (Looks at later matches) Either they have selective hearing, or the mics must have been destroyed during the Izuku-Shouto match before they could give away anything incriminating.

Anywho. We finally get info on Shinsou’s quirk, Brainwashing! Which is absolutely not what his quirk does, it’s more like puppeteering or hypnosis, where brainwashing is a longer-term conditioning process. Shinsou’s quirk, according to the narration here, makes anyone who verbally responds to him instantly brainwashed, and will do whatever he commands. However, the quirk won’t work if he doesn’t will it.

Huh, so I suppose that means written or signed responses don’t work, then. I’ve seen that in a fic or two. Though that then leads to the question about making noises that aren’t outright responses, like groaning or scoffs or whatever… eh, battle now, quirk thoughts later.

Up in the booth, Aizawa thinks about how, from the result of the strength tests, Izuku really shouldn’t have been placed in the hero course either. But Shinsou’s stats are even worse in any event where he couldn’t make use of his quirk. Izuku would come out on top in an ordinary battle, but now that he’s brainwashed, it’s a different story. This will be over quick…

Meanwhile, Toshinori is panicking over seeing Izuku about to walk out of the ring, a litany of ‘no’ escaping him as he mentally begs fo Izuku to stop walking. Izuku is also stressing out over his body not listening to him, as well as how fuzzy his head is. He’s trying to get himself to stop, and swearing when it’s not working. He’s especially mad at himself because Ojiro had even warned him about this ahead of time -

And as if to highlight this, we shift into a flashback where Izuku and Ojiro are talking. Izuku wonders how he can win against mind-control quirk. Ojiro replies that his loss could be Izuku’s gain. His memories cut out from the instant he replied to Shinsou, which is what he thinks is the trick.

Izuku is stressed out as he summarizes that it’s all over if he slips up and says anything to Shinsou. Ojiro disagrees, saying that it doesn’t seem like such an almighty ability. Remember how he said he didn’t remember anything until the end? When Shinsou had them run past to nab Tetsutetsu’s headband, he thinks he must have bumped into Tetsu’s formation - which was when he snapped out of it. He was suddenly aware of what was happening.

Izuku guesses that it had been undone by the physical contact, which Ojiro agrees with. That said, however, he has no idea how strong the contact needs to be. And in a one-on-one match, of course you can’t expect any outside help. (Cough) Anyways, that’s everything Ojiro can tell him. Izuku replies that no, it’s awesome, thanks! Ojiro asks for forgiveness if he’s out of line, but he wants Izuku to win this for him.

With that, we ome back to the present, Izuku getting awfully close to the line and his ringing himself out. Izuku thinks how it can’t end like this, over in a flash. Everyone’s done so much for him - he can’t lose here.

And something responds.

Eight pairs of eyes watch from shadowy faces, almost everything about the specters nondescript. Izuku has no idea what’s happening, even as they seem to linger at the fringes of his mind. One For All starts to flow under the skin of his left arm, with Izuku quickly realizing he can move his fingers, even just a twitch. Shinsou, ignorant of this, starts to talk about how Izuku wouldn’t think so, but Shinsou’s quirk is like a dream. Oh, right, and Izuku loses.

Izuku’s response?

He’s not out of it yet. Izuku heaves like he’s just breached the surface of a lake, his feet stopping right on the inside edge of the line. He then turns to stare at Shinsou in a very concerning way as Present Mic wonders at Izuku managing to stop.

You know, I have this particular face saved in my folder under ‘boss music starts playing’ AND ‘boss music intensifies’. I feel like that’s pretty appropriate.

Izuku’s fingers throb in pain, and apparently the cameras are able to zoom in enough for Aizawa to see it and realize what happened - Izuku smashed it up to shake off the brainwashing. Ojiro is in nervous awe at Izuku going that far. Shinsou himself is unnerved, asking how he did it, that he shouldn’t have control.

And here’s where we get to some interesting internal monologue from Izuku that I don’t think made it into the anime.

Izuku slaps a hand over his mouth to keep himself from replying, thinking about how the finger was all him, but something woke him up. What was that? Who were all those people in his mind? For that one second, his head was clear!

One For All, All Might had told him. It’s passed down like the Olympic torch. Izuku recalls those words, and wonders if those were people, and if that was a sign that he’s linked by this power to the past. Did they save him? Is that even possible? Izuku tries to shake it off, knowing that just thinking about it won’t give him any answers, and to save it for later. He needs to think about now.

[I will have thoughts about One For All at the end of this, but for now, let’s finish up the battle.]

Shinsou is pissed, thinking about how Izuku’s not answering him, wondering if he figured it out. But no, he probably knew from the start, that that ‘damn monkey’ told him. He just has to get him to open his mouth again. He mocks Izuku for having nothing to say for himself, but Izuku manages to press his lips together and say nothing as he shifts into a fighting stance.

Shinsou presses on, stating how he’s jealous, and how just moving that finger must mean Izuku’s the real deal. Thanks to his quirk’s nature, he couldn’t enter the golder gates. Izuku wouldn’t get that, since he’s naturally blessed. You people, born with your awesome quirks, getting to follow all of your dreams!

Izuku sweats as he pushes himself forward, internally noting that that’s how he used to think too. He does get it. But… right. He is blessed. He’s blessed by the people in his life! And that’s exactly why - that’s why he’s not going to lose!

Izuku throws himself forward, one hand grabbing Shinsou’s shoulder while the other slams itself into his stomach. Shinsou retaliates with a cross punch into Izuku’s face, demanding he say something. However, Izuku only turns back to stare at Shinsou, determination burning in his eyes as he begins shoving Shinsou back. Shinsou says that pushing him out isn’t gonna happen, right before he yanks himself out of the grip and doges around. Shinsou says he’ll give Izuku that honor instead as he smacks a hand into Izuku’s face and pushes him back.

(Also, interrupting the flow here, but Izuku is making noise without Shinsou able to take control, so it really does seem like it has to be a response and not just noise. Which makes sense!)

Izuku grabs Shinsou’s wrist and his shirt, and with one mighty heave, manages an over-the-shoulder throw that firmly slams Shinsou back-first into the ground - and just over the line.

I’m pretty sure this is the same move Izuku pulled on Katsuki during the Battle Trial, actually - at least, from that momentary reaction shot we get from Katsuki.

Midnight calls the match. Shinsou is gritting his teeth, and Izuku is straightening himself out as Midnight confirms that Izuku is moving on to the second round.

And with that, the chapter comes to a close. What a match. And now that I’m not breaking the flow, it’s time to go back to the ghost stuff and ramble on it a bit more.

Alright, so. One For All. First time we’re seeing the ‘haunted’ aspect of it - and honestly, it’s not far out of line with what we end up seeing it capable of later on. It comes off as a physical quirk, but One For All as a stockpile holds everything from the past holders - strength, quirks, memories, personalities. And because of that overwhelmingly spiritual lean to the stockpile, One For All is, in many ways, as much a mental quirk as Shinsou’s, if not more so. Arguably, it could count as the most mental quirk, and that ties back into something All Might mentions at the end of the Hosu arc - that One For All can’t be taken unwillingly.

I’ve seen criticism of this fight’s handling, and how One For All shouldn’t have been able to (or interested in) stopping Shinsou from taking the win. But it’s really not about Shinsou’s quirk itself - it’s about the mental control! The helplessness, the desperation from not one, but two living holders to overcome this and retake control from the person commandeering them.

One For All’s existence, it’s purpose, is to resist being taken by All For One. It is the collective will of nine people, all with a deep-seated will to resist control. So why wouldn’t One For All step in here, when Izuku needs to learn to fight against mental puppeteering? When the still-hazy spirits of the quirk must already have the sinking feeling that All For One isn’t as dead as hoped?

Can it really be a surprise that they stepped in?

I’ll probably make a longer post digging more into this after Kamino, but yeah. Honestly, this fight is a LOT more interesting in the manga than I recall from the anime, since we get a bit more of Izuku’s thought process and what’s happening with OFA.

To close us out, here’s some discord commentary on the match:

#chapter 33 #sports festival arc #readthrough #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #midoriya izuku #shinsou hitoshi #ojiro mashirao #yagi toshinori #yamada hizashi #aizawa shouta #one for all #quirk's haunted #QUIRK IS HAUNTED #whoo boy do I really like this scene so much #especialyl izuku cottoning on right away to what's happening #even if the details elude him for a while

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maybe-seggy-will-be-our-always · 3 years

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How is Leon the most and least humble person at the same time? Learn more about it in this very lengthy and very much not really requested translated transcript of the newest NHL interview starring Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stütze and Marco Sturm. Please don't be mean I tried best.

Christian Rupp: Servus [sorry but it’s just a form of greeting I don’t want to translate] to our German NHL call today with three first round picks who have all been drafted in the first round [I know this is repetitive but I thought it was funny]. I am excited for this great group! Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers, Tim Stützle of the Ottawa Senators and Marco Sturm, Assistant Coach of the LA Kings. Thank you for agreeing to this format and thank you for being here. First question, of course, Leon: You broke Marco Sturm’s record and are now sole German top scorer in the NHL. Since this has been a few days ago now did you get the chance to fully realize/internalize this fact?

Leon Draisaitl: Yeah, I think that the media and you are maybe making a bigger deal out of it than I myself to be honest. No question, of course this means a lot to me but as I have said enough times already I have way too much respect for Sturmi and all the other outstanding German hockey players we’ve had in the NHL. So I don’t want to make a thing out of it that it isn’t.

C. R.: It’s always „Dream Big“ – have big plans as a young player and dream big. Is that something you can even dream of, being the best German player in the NHL?

L.D.: Yes, I mean dreaming of something like that is always nice, that was probably no different for Sturmi and now for Timmi as well. We all dream of something that big playing in the streets as small kids. Coming out on top is of course super special to me, that is out of question. But as I said, there’s always something to work on and to improve and that is what I am trying to do here.

C.R.: Marco, your record had been standing for a long time. Leon now broke it at the young age of 25. Is he a worthy successor?

M.S.: By all means, yes! It took me 15 years to reach that point and Leon did it in only four. That beats everything! But [I didn’t catch what he said here but I guess something along the lines of an elaborate form of „that“] was only a matter of time. Leon won’t be the first and last one. Tim will be the next one, also only a matter of time. I am happy about this and am gladly passing on that title to Leon. He is completely different and plays in an entirely different league than I did. It’s only the beginning for him, I am sure there are many more points to come.

C.P.: And with Tim Stützle, the next one is already on his way. He’s diligently collecting points in his rookie year. Regardless, Tim, for you. What’s it like for you seeing the/your count written out especially now that you got to know how hard it is to score and collect points in the NHL. How bis is this number for you?

Tim Stützle: Yes, I will have to be honest and say I noticed that every time we played Leon. Especially in the defensive zone it isn’t the easiest thing but mostly it was incredibly fun playing against the best players in the world every day. And again, especially in our league [I think he’s talking about the Canadian division here], playing against Edmonton with Leon and Connor who, which is no secret, belong to the two best players in the league and the world and particularly with Marco, who has collected many, many points. It’s supercool seeing German hockey getting better and better.

C.P.: I’ll throw this question back at Leon. You played against him a few times now this season. What did you notice about Tim Stützle’s game, what did you like about it?

L.D.: Everything! I mean, playing in the league already at his age and so to say helping your team win or playing a big role on the power play right away, that isn’t quite that easy. I think we all know this. Timmi is probably experiencing that himself right now, that the league can be hard [on you] and is quick to bring you back down to earth. Plainly, because it is the best league there is with the best players there are but I’m gonna say, playing this continuously good in his first year as an 18 year old is an impressive achievement.

T.S.: *laughs* Thank you!

L.D.: *grinning* Of course!

C.P.: I can spot a shelf in the background. Leon, did you already receive your trophies? You did win a few in the pre-season, did they arrive already? Do they have a spot already?

L.D.: Nah, I don’t have the real ones here yet. I haven’t even seen them yet to be honest. I got smaller ones, how do you call them in German, replica trophies. Yeah, it is pretty cool. They are downstairs and I guess are functioning as chewing toys for my dog right now. But the real ones, as I said, I haven’t even seen yet.

C.P.: Marco! Of course we want to talk a bit about you as well. You are assistant coach of the LA Kings. How are you looking back on the season?

M.S.: Yeah well, as everyone knows we are in the midst of a rebuild right now. We are right at the start which is never easy. Patience is the most important feat in this phase. Many older players are now gone, a few still remain. The youngest players aren’t quite there yet, that’s why we still need to exercise patience and work hard. Particularly with the younger players. Then, hopefully, we’ll be able to take the next step next season or in the summer and maybe we’ll receive some new players. A player or maybe multiple players who will help us.

C.P.: We have all been anxiously watching/awaiting the 2020 Draft. LA Kings with Marco Sturm, I am sure Tim Stützle would have been a good fit there as well. Now, to be frank, with Tim in the room. How often did you regret not selecting Tim Stützle?

M.S.: I don’t have any influence on this process but I had my hopes, of course. Regrettably, nobody heard me, that’s how it goes and I only learned we were picking Byfield the day of the draft. But Byfield, I’ll have to say, he played the last 5 games up here and he will, too, become an outstanding player in the league. Maybe a bit different to Tim but personally I had hopes Tim would end up playing for/with us.

C.P.: Tim, it keeps getting better for your team, you are on a streak right now. Are you sad the season will be over already for you?

T.S.: In the beginning, of course, we weren’t quite that good. But we are in the middle of a rebuild as well and we have a lot of young players. But the last games it clicked for us and I think we won seven out of nine games. We feel comfortable and have a lot of fun playing together and as a young team we savor every day.

C.P.: What are the plans for the upcoming weeks? Has Toni Söderholm called?

T.S.: Yeah, I will have to see. There will be talks with trainers and management about what is best for me. There are still some remaining problems with my hand and I will have to get another surgery. That’s why we will have to wait and see.

C.P.: Marco you lay the foundation for players wanting and enjoying to play for Team Germany, at worlds for example, again. What is your stance on [I again did not catch what he was saying] of German hockey?

M.S.: Generally I think we caught up nicely in the past years. As you mentioned already, if you want players, especially the ones playing in the NHL to [here probably something along the line of „to come play for Team Germany“] you it has to be fun. It is a long season for the boys and if they then go on and play another tournament on top of that, that is not easy and because of that it has to be fun and that was what I had been trying to achieve back in my days. German hockey needs the [NHL] boys to get ahead. And as I said, back in my day, the boys always liked playing here [Team Germany] and we always were successful.

C.P.: The list of German NHL players speaks for itself here, it is quite long and with Leon at the head, how do you rank the German national team, especially if all NHL players were to join. Particularly with the Olympics on the table as well. What are Germany’s chances of keeping up with the top nations?

L.D.: Yes, I think we do have a pretty decent team. Of course it’s always important to stay realistic if it’ll be enough going up against the USA or Canada. That is something we will have to see but I believe we have a lot of players that have the ability to compete on that level and that a few NHL players will be present as well, hopefully all of them. I think we have a very very good team.

C.P.: Sadly, we have almost reached the end of our Zoom call today. I will making my rounds one last time. Tim, what are your summer plans?

T.S.: I think I will most definitely spend my summer in Mannheim. I will practice with the [„Fitnesstrainer“ so I guess just coaches/trainers] and some Adler players. I think it will be a good summer for me because I want to work on a lot of things and grow stronger [generally, just improve is meant here I think]. I think it will be best for me to be there [Mannheim].

C.P.: And you Marco? Will you stay in Landshut and then later, will you be returning to the LA Kings?

M.S.: After the first few meetings it is, I think, clear that I will stay here for the upcoming years. I like it here and working together with [the bosses], it is fun. But then for me it is the same as it is for Tim and Leon. I will most probably stay with family and friends in Landshut for a few months before it is time to get back to business again.

C.P.: I don’t think I have to ask about your goal, Leon. I would describe it as a quite big and silver thing [I don’t have a good translation here, the expression was „etwas größerer Silberling“].

L.D.: Yeah of course! I hope we’ll remain in the game for as long as possible and come out at the very top in the end. That is the dream and the goal of course. Then, as the other two have already said, I will spend the summer mainly in Europe and will prepare for the next season there.

C.P.: So for you this, so to say, means Köln is calling in the summer even if it is a shortened one?

L.D.: [In my opinion this was said hesitantly] Yeah, mostly in Köln.

C.P.: I wish you all the best for your athletic projects, stay healthy and thank you for joining this exclusive NHL.com.de [he said that so I dunno] Zoom call.

*Everyone says their goodbyes*

#Marco Sturm #los angeles kings #La kings #Leon Draisaitl #edmonton oilers #tim stützle #ottawa senators #iihf world championship #Because they talk about it a bit #Team germany #I haven't really translated anything in ageees ahhhhh #I love it tho even if I'm not great haha #I took my liberties hope it's ok #NHL interview #Del #deutsche eishockey liga #This is pretty much only for me and then the one person I asked if they wanted a translation fjfjjd

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letshaikyuu · 3 years

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random kageyama headcanons

Happy birthday to one of the greatest characters in Haikyuu and our resident milk boy <3 to celebrate, I’ve written up some random headcanons for our lovely blueberry and I hope you can see why I write for Kageyama like I do and what I think he’d be like in general!

If this is something you find interesting to read, do request because I love showing people my perspective for each character :3

any bolded headcanons contain timeskip and manga spoilers <3

- Kageyama can’t take compliments at all. Once, Sugawara complimented his serve and Kageyama looked like the reddest cherry ever. He would rather not be complimented than actually have someone say those sacred words to him because Kageyama’s stuttering and his blushing face is the perfect opportunity for teasing – Tsukishima loves poking fun at him then and Hinata and his chatterbox personality never stop spitting out compliments. In general, the whole team loves complimenting Kageyama to see him blush like he does

- Because he wants to be as active as possible, he has this routine to wake up super early, like 4am or so, so that he can get up for his morning run at 5:30am. Kageyama definitely has a shit ton of alarms because poor baby can’t wake up, but he wants to finish his morning run. When it comes to being physically active, Kageyama will sacrifice sleep and nutrition for it – and then the idiot keeps falling asleep in class

- During lunch break in his second and third year, he has this habit of falling asleep on someone’s shoulder – most likely Yamaguchi’s because his neck hurts when he falls asleep on Hinata’s

- Whoever said Yamaguchi and Kageyama are good friends by the end of high school – fuck yes to that headcanon because I can definitely see it

- School related, there’s definitely a class or two that Kageyama excels at without any difficulties, but nobody actually knows that because 1) Tobio gives a minimum amount of fucks when it comes to school and 2) he doesn’t mind people thinking he sucks at school because he’s the one who knows that he’s, actually, pretty decent when he wants to try

- He does dislike math, but literature sparks an interest – especially poetry at times when Kageyama really needs a poetic word or two to read. He also, surprisingly, has some Russian literature in his house – he promised himself that he’ll read Crime and Punishment (my favorite novel of all time) at least once when he has the time

- Hardly has any formal clothes, he literally has only sportswear and casual clothes. His style isn’t anything mind blowing, but Kageyama would definitely fit into the whole e-boy style if someone were to guide him properly – imagine the first years as third years and them going out for a weekend to make Kageyama try on such clothes; Tsukishima was forced to go lol

- Not necessarily a clean freak, but likes to keep his room and house in order. Takes out the garbage regularly, hates vacuuming and washing the dishes

- Buys those packages with 12 milk bottles in it and yes, that’s not even a joke

- Goes on late night runs to the convenience store when he watches international games – he once stumbled upon coach Ukai closing up his store and dancing to old 80’ songs with his broom; Kageyama is still scarred

- Has cheat days when he buys snacks and he’s a sucker for chips and guacamole; also likes those salt and vinegar chips for some odd reason

- Actually sucks at anything related to technology, he just really needs a flip phone

- Kageyama is definitely a light weight who avoids alcohol to keep his body in check, so when his friends or teammates go out drinking, it takes hardly one beer to take Kageyama completely drunk

- He’s a chatty drunk and compliments everyone, and falls asleep out of the blue on the table when no one’s expecting it. Videos of him drunk are saved in everyone’s phone because it happens once in a blue moon and it’s such a funny sight

! timeskip and manga spoilers ahead !

- When he finds out he’s going to be one of the members of Japan’s national team for the Olympics (the ones in 2016), he breaks the news to Karasuno’s old group chat so nonchalantly that everyone is screaming and celebrating while Kageyama is just *-*, baby must have been so proud of this achievement (ngl I cried myself when I found out about that)

- Time zones are his worst enemy, both when Hinata was in Brazil and once he moved to Italy. Neither could get ahold of them and kept waking up the other

- OMG BUT KAGEYAMA GETTING A SIMPLE “Congratulations,Tobio” IN HIS MESSAGES FROM AN UNKNOWN NUMBER, HE KNOWS AND I KNOW THAT’S FUCKING OIKAWA AND HE’S SO HAPPY

- He’d suit Italian so fucking well that I’m squealing my head off just imagining him speaking in Italian – takes him a while to learn it because foreign languages were never his forte, but he tries for the sake of bettering his communication with his Italian teammates

- He and Ushijima frequently talk after finding out they’d be playing together. Ushijima mentioned to Kageyama once how much he has improved since their match during Ushijima’s final year and how he’s grown strong to stand on his own. If they were drunk, Kageyama definitely cried

- It would be years after they had finished high school and the team would still tease Kageyama about being the youngest (because, it’s canon that he is the youngest on the team) and can you just imagine Kageyama as a professional volleyball player being reduced a stuttering mess because all of them against one Kageyama isn’t an even match

- Kageyama never admits it, but he gets homesick pretty easily and before moving to Italy, he had a talk with Sugawara that, whenever he’s feeling homesick, just send him a message like: “it doesn’t feel right” and Sugawara would immediately understand. That has happened way too frequently for Kageyama’s liking

- If it weren’t for the constant training, he’d most likely gain weight from all of the bakery sweets he has - never really had a sweet tooth back in Japan, but damn do Italy sweets taste good

- Makes sure to go back to Japan whenever he has the chance and see his family and friends

#haikyuu #haikyū!!#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu!!#hq x reader #hq #kageyama tobio #kageyama headcanons #kageyama tobio x reader #hq kageyama #haikyuu tobio #haikyuu writing #haikyuu writers #hq x you #hq x y/n #hq x male reader

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sithlordmando · 4 years

Text

agent jack ‘whiskey’ daniels nsfw alphabet

i saw someone do one of these for mando so i thought why don’t i give it a shot!

also give credit to @sithmando because she helped with a lot of this too!

WARNING: this is pure filth so, read at your own discretion.

nsfw alphabet — agent jack ‘whiskey’ daniels

a = aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

jack is a snuggler. he won’t admit it but the best sleep he gets is after fucking you senseless. he prefers being the big spoon so he can nestle his head in the crook of your neck. he loves the way you smell and this gives him an excuse to enjoy it. when you’re done having sex, he’ll lazily pull you into him and kiss your forehead and you’ll fall asleep like that.

b = body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

jack is very proud of his legs, particularly his thighs and ass. he looks good in a pair of well-fitting jeans and he knows it. he really loves when you sit on his lap and grind yourself into him, humming as he tells you what a good girl you are.

jack is very much an ass man. he loves checking your ass out when you’re walking ahead of him or leaving a room. he appreciates a girl who can wear jeans just as well as he can. he likes to keep his hand on your ass and will give it a light squeeze or smack to remind you (and everyone else) who you belong to. sometimes he’ll stick his hand into your back pocket just to remind you that he's there. he also loves the view he has while he’s fucking you doggy style, seeing your ass bounce against his dick just hits different.

c = cum (anything to do with cum basically)

jack cums a lot. he knows that you know how to work him so that he cums quick. (quickies bent over his desk are a common thing.) he held back when he could, wanting to wait for you to reach your orgasm first. it’s super important to jack that you cum first. jack definitely prefers to finish inside of you, feeling that anything else is cheap and dirty, and that’s not how he feels about you.

d= dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

though he would never ask, jack wants to try anal. he can only imagine the way that it would feel around his cock. he would ease you into it, not wanting to hurt you. he always wonders but never has the balls to actually mention it. he knew that it was something that was over the line, and boy, did he not want to cross it.

e= experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

he knows how to fuck. he fucks good. he knows how to hit every spot like it’s clockwork, loving the sound of you whimpering beneath him. he knows that you love it when he sucks on your nipples, gently biting when he switches between the two. he knows you love when he finger fucks you into your first orgasm on the way home from dinner. he knows you like being on top, but only because of the way he pounds into from below.

jack knows how to eat pussy. he knows exactly how to work your clit and bring you so close to an orgasm to then stop and act like he did nothing wrong. jack could cum at the sight of your reaction when he’s sucking on your clit while slowly finger fucking you at the same time.

f = favorite position (this goes without saying.)

hands down, jack loves when you ride him. he loves the view, the feeling, and loves that when you get tired he can still rail you from the bottom and make you scream his name. he also loves missionary, it gives him the perfect view of your entire body and he loves being able to tell when you’re about just from your facial expressions. it gives him even more confidence to know that he’s the one making you feel like that.

g = goofy (are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

jack likes to tease you a bit, and depending on the situation, can be a bit giggly with you when you’re both getting undressed. however, once he gets going, he gets going. when he’s close to finishing, he has no time for funny business because he’s so fucking ready to fall apart that he can barely string a thought together.

h= hair (how well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

jack takes pride in his mustache, so it only makes sense that he would maintain himself down there too. nothing crazy, but he does like to trim the hedges once in awhile and keep it clean. he has a bit of a happy trail leading to a well-groomed patch of hair.

i = intimacy (how are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

it depends. Sometimes jack enjoys a quickie and will pound into you relentlessly to chase his own release. however, if you’ve got the time, he’s a generous and romantic lover and genuinely wants to make you feel good. he paces himself, touching and kissing you as he fucks you slowly. after losing his wife, jack wants to savour every moment he has with you and show you just how much he loves and adores you.

j = jack off (masturbation headcanon)

jack is horny, like, all the time. usually, he’ll fuck you to get himself off but if he’s out of town on a mission, his hand gets the job done. sometimes he’ll shamelessly call you while he’s doing it, telling you how much he wishes you were there sucking his cock or bent over the table taking it.

k = kink (one or more of their kinks)

jack is a kinky motherfucker. he’s down for anything. frankly the man is a poet with a lasso and knows how to use that shit in other ways too. he loves bringing a little bit of cowboy roleplay into the bedroom and will lasso you to him and tie your hands with it as he pleasures you relentlessly. sometimes, if you’re both feeling adventurous, you’ll have some fun with the whip too.

jack loves orgasm denial and overstimulation. he loves bringing you so close to the edge then backing away, watching as you’re a panting mess begging for him to fuck you. then there are the times where he fucks you into orgasm after orgasm with no mercy.

jack is also a dom. he likes being bossy and punishing you when you’re being a whiny brat. he’ll lay you on his lap and give your ass a few good smacks if you’re misbehaving. however, he can also appreciate when you’re riding him and telling him how good he feels inside you. it turns him on knowing he can pleasure you like this and he never gets tired of you telling him how good he makes you feel.

l = location (favorite places to do the do)

jack will literally fuck you anywhere as long as you’re okay with it. after a couple of drinks at the bar, you’ll be all over each other and go back to his bronco so you can ride him in the driver’s seat. sometimes, you can’t even make it to the truck and he’ll lean you over the sink in the bathroom of the bar and fuck you from behind, watching your face twist in pleasure in the mirror as he brings you to your release over and over again.

one time you even joined the mile high club on the statesman plane. after a particularly tough mission, he bent you over the pool table and fucked you senseless before moving you to the plane’s bedroom and taking his proper time with you on the bed.

m = motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

literally a cool breeze.

n = no (something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

jack does not like sharing. you’re his and no one else’s. the idea of someone else making you feel as good as he does has him seeing red.

although jack is into mild bdsm and choking, he doesn’t like hurting you. he’s very careful and makes sure that you’re 100% okay with whatever kinky shit he wants to try with you. above all, he just wants to make you feel good and show you how special you are to him.

o = oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

don't get me wrong, jack loves top. he loves watching you suck him off, with the occasional deepthroat that he knows you struggle with. but good lord does it feel great. he loves when you’re on your knees, face full of slobber and you’re looking up at him through your lashes. you always say “i probably look gross,” but he thinks it’s fucking hot and seeing you like that drives him crazy.

he loves when (on occasion) he can mouth fuck you. your mouth is so warm and cozy, and God, you know how to use that tongue. he won’t admit it because you’ve only done it a few times, but he loves when you suck on his balls. it’s like he’s transported to another dimension and he doesn’t want to come back.

when it comes to eating you out, jack is a pro. if eating pussy was an olympic sport, he’d win the gold everytime. he knows your body, so he knows exactly where to lick and suck to push you into oblivion. he loves the way you taste and will never not want to go down on you. you love the feeling of his mustache on your sensitive areas and how jack occasionally looks up at you with those big brown eyes while nestled between your legs.

p = pace (are they fast and rough? alow and sensual? etc.)

it all depends on the mood. if it’s a quickie, he’s fast and rough with his thrusts. he’s looking for a quick nut and it shows in how he fucks. when he can take his time, he starts off slow. he teases you by letting himself sit in you, feeling how you adjust to him and convulse around his cock. once he’s comfortable, he’ll start pounding into you like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do.

q = quickie (their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

jack is always down for a quickie. some days you’ll visit him at the office and the moment you walk in the door he’s ready to take you over his desk or on the sofa meant for sleeping on his long nights. you’ll be at dinner and he’ll keep teasing you so that the moment you two leave, you’re fucking in the backseat of his truck. even in the mornings, you’ll wake up to him feeling up your body and lingering kisses all over, leading to a quickie before you can even completely wake up.

r = risk (are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

when it comes to risk, you guys take one each time that you decide to fuck in his office, or anywhere in the new york headquarters. there’s always the risk of another agent walking in or an intern coming to take lunch orders. the two of you were caught once, that poor intern. she walked into jack taking you against the glass window overlooking the city. now everyone knows to knock first.

s = stamina (how many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

jack has stamina. he’ll fuck you and cum, then continue fucking you until he cums again. with jack, it’s like he can actually communicate with his dick, “ok this is gonna be a quickie, now i wanna last longer, now we’re going to go a few rounds.” he loves pleasuring you so he makes sure that you always cum at least twice before he does. if not, he feels like he didn’t do well enough.

t = toy (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

he takes the strap. no, i will not elaborate.

he doesn’t like using toys on you. it’s a pride thing. what toy can make you feel better than his own tongue swirling around your clit? no dildo can elicit the noises out of you that his cock does.

u = unfair (how much they like to tease)

jack is a fucking TEASE. fuck. he’ll feel you up in public when you’re in a bar seated at a table full of people he’ll sneak his hand up your thigh and start rubbing circles around your clit as he leans over to you and whispers filthy things in your ear.

v = volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make)

jack is a dirty talker, especially when he’s bottomed out inside you and you’re clenched around him like a vice. he runs his mouth and calls you all kinds of things, tells you all the things he’d like to do you. he loses his mind when you’re fucking and has no filter. he’ll let out low groans occasionally and lets out an animalistic noise bordering on a growl when he cums.

w = wild card (get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

jack would love to teach you how to work a lasso or whip. he thinks that’d he would have so much fun showing you, and that’d you look sexy as fuck doing it. he’s already brought you the gun range dozens of times with him. teaching you how to kick someone’s ass a bit old fashion? good heavens, he’d melt.

x = x-ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants)

the man is packing. his dick is LOUD and he knows it. we’re talking 7 inches, uncut, and thick. Sometimes he catches you staring at the bulge in his jeans and smirks to himself because he just knows.

y = yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

jack is a flirt. he’s utterly shameless. he’s always calling you pet names in public (darlin’, sugar, baby girl, etc.). he’s down to fuck wherever, whenever. at the office, in his bronco, in the bathroom of a bar, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re down. he can’t keep his hands off you, always feeling you up and whispering in your ear the things he’d like to do to you later when you’re alone. it seems like he’s always ready to go, it doesn’t take much to turn him on.

z = zzz (… how quickly they fall asleep afterward)

for jack, its easy to fall asleep with you by his side. he usually waits until you’re asleep, then he can rest for the night with you by his side. he’s a cuddler, so your back is either pressed up against his chest or you’re snuggled up by his side.

#agent whiskey x reader #agent whiskey #the mandolorian x reader #the mandalorian #din djarin x reader #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #din djarin #javier pena #javier pena x reader

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reineyday · 3 years

Text

bnha characters as volleyball players (au headcanons)

i have never in my life played volleyball outside of gym class and the occasional beach jaunt, so this is all based off of what i learned from haikyuu LOL

anyways, this started as tags from this fanart by @syblatortue of deku, kacchan, kiri, sero, iida and shouto as vball players, and then it got away from me so if you wanna read 2.9k worth of headcanons about powerhouse athletics high school UA then go ahead and press “read more” :)

deku's the calculating setter like kenma and he fanboys over stats from the international to the national to the high school

kacchan used to make fun of him and look down on him bc he used to think too much on court to move properly, and as a kid kacchan used to think that it was spiking or bust so he always gave deku grief and bullied him over being slow and weak

in middle school kacchan was a starter since first year and eventually became the ace but deku was always second string setter

his athleticism was nothing to write home about but he was just good enough to make the bench

in their middle school tournament their starting setter got injured and deku had to step in to set for a match for the first time ever

powerhouse volleyball high school coach yagi toshinori is watching and he sees all the aborted plans in deku's setting choices

he sees the gutsy sets that miss and the one successful dump he did that threw everyone off-guard (even deku himself), and yagi remembers what it was like to be hungry for volleyball seeing the look in this kid's eyes and he recognizes the brain on him

their team loses there though bc the fact is that deku wasnt athletic enough to do it and kacchan is yelling and deku's crying

but yagi approaches deku (who freaks out bc all might is THE legendary vball player of their country, and the nation was SHOOK when after getting severely injured by a malicious spike in the wrong place he chose to coach high school vball, even if the school was a powerhouse school and also his alma mater lol)

but anyways deku babbles and fanboys even through his tears and says he got into UA but he's not sure he can make the vball team, and yagi says he sees the potential in deku's plays and if he trains hard every. single. day. from now until the tryouts at UA, he might make at least the bench

(cue montage)

kacchan is angry to see deku at tryouts and fuckn RAGING when deku more or less keeps up bc deku got buff since their last high school match

unfortunately for kacchan he is actually the one most familiar with deku's playing since they trained together in middle school too, and he almost pops a blood vessel just thinking it but ever since deku started actually being able to get to the ball in time, vball has been more fun ‘cuz the things deku ends up doing are fucking batshit crazy and his sets are begrudgingly his favourite to hit

deku sets right where kacchan can just hit the ball as violently as he can, and it sounds like a bomb goes off when the spike hits the ground

(kacchan also obviously has the best serves and he mixes it up with the power ones like his ap shots, or floaters when he's strategic; he knows how to read the opposing team and either wait or serve really fast and serves up high to blind them like his flashbomb explosions, and he’s really arrogant about his serves but at least he can back it up as per classic kacchan)

anyways they become a really intimidating duo, apart but especially together, because despite the way deku still occasionally cowers from kacchan’s rage and kacchan is often yelling and antagonizing deku, they can read each other really smoothly on court and they match each other really easily, and they both go for the really gutsy shit no one else would think to try (like samu and tsumu going for the freak quick with samu setting kind of gutsy)

kacchan is also antagonizing af and calls the other team extras lol

but yeah, those two along with renown olympic vball player todoroki enji's son shouto are the three most intimidating first years at UA

enji has a very aggressive playing style and where he targets people on the opposing team specifically to make them sweat, makes them feel like he’s hot on their heels even from the other side of the net, always glaring, always strong

shouto hates it and hates the way his dad made him train day in and day out just because he had a good reaction time and instincts for the ball when he was young

fuyumi and natsuo were slow as kids and got immediately dismissed bc of it bc to enji if they werent athletic enough for the ideal vball playing style as children then theyd never be athletic enough to beat all might’s vball career and metrics in the future

touya was fast enough but he overtrained and strained his knees and then continued straining them to play anyways till they were permanently damaged, and by the time he graduated middle school, his doctor put him on orders to never ever ever do anything that might be overly strenuous for his knees ever again

anyways, shouto plays very cool and detached, like even when he spikes the ball right into your face you’ll feel like he wasn’t looking; he’s a middle blocker like suna, stays calm but uses his whole body

deku eventually convinces him that playing with fire every once in a while, especially when he spikes, can be a good thing because at the end of the day, his dad may have taught him the tricks but it’s shouto himself who’s playing, and so it’s not his dad’s style, it’s his own

also the spikes just aren’t as good or as psychologically effective if shouto’s not 100p IN it when he goes to spike one of deku’s demanding sets

and im gonna say shouto is ambidextrous but more comfortable with his left hand in this volleyball au because shouto’s left side is his fire side, and it’s more parallel to the character to make his more aggressive spiking hand his left one but still have him be able to use his left hand for spikes too (it’s also SO stressful for opponents bc angles)

also yes he does indeed only play with his right hand (his ice side) when he gets into UA, and is initially very hellbent on proving to his father that he can become a pro vball player without being as aggressive as enji on court and without using his more dominant hand, the hand that his dad’s been focusing on whenever they trained at home, the hand he’s spent hours and hours spiking and serving with since he was like five years old

one day deku notices shouto’s writing with his left hand and then connects the dots and sort of badgers him into spiking one of his sets with his left hand too and then yeah shouto tells him his life story and deku manages to emotionally coerce him into being okay with his left-handed spikes

(shouto also feels better about it when deku points out the left-handed angles thing)

so yeah that’s the big three scary first year starters: calculating and gutsy deku, who occasionally makes plays so gutsy he’s at risk of twisting one of his limbs in a very scary way (he’s always bruised in weird ass places from volleyball); raging, aggressive but also cunning kacchan, who is undoubtedly the loudest on any court he’s on, and ambidextrous hot and cold shouto, who does a pretty solid general defense with little holes but has scary aggressive spikes

btw shouto’s got a fanclub and they call him the volleyball prince

also at one point they totally play a practice match against shiketsu and UA loses bc inasa starts antagonizing shouto for being exactly like his father (inasa asked for enji’s autograph after a match once when he was a kid and got rudely blown off) and shouto gets offended and starts targeting inasa and then they get outplayed (it was a close match though ‘cuz both of them couldnt get their heads out of their asses and both their teams were suffering as a result)

alrighty, the other players in that fanart lmao!

kirishimaaaaa my dude my bro, super solid libero, always pumps up the team, and his defense is unbreakable! will receive even the scariest, most powerful spikes and smile cheerfully through it; will always insist that you’re manly for playing with everything you have and never letting fear get in the way of going for it

his middle school had a huge and scary substitute gym teacher who didn’t have mercy and spiked hard right to the faces of the students, and kiri really wanted to run forward to receive the spike and yell about how unfair this teacher was but he froze because the spike seemed unforgiving and if he received it wrong, what if his nose broke? what if he fell and broke something from the impact? mina didnt pause though and she received the spike and told off their substitute teacher and then reported it to their homeroom teacher and it was so manly of her, he promised himself he would never hesitate just bc of a scary spike again

btw mina’s all-around athletic and could probably make it onto the girls vball team but she’s probably on the UA dance team (UA is a powerhouse school for many sports, and theyre famous for their athletics department bc they often hire (former) pro-athletes to teach and coach)

iida comes from a family of sprint runners and he’s the one they trust for the most running; he’s their first year decoy and he’s fast af for such a big guy, and he often also provides extra block support from zooming left and right

also enjoys helping out the managers and corralling his team into being good students; he’d offer to tutor kirishima but kiri seems to have fun trying to be friends with bakugou lol; he makes it known that he’s there if kiri wants some extra patience to go along with his studies though

sero guess blocks so accurately people like to say that he’s got tape coming from his elbows, bringing the ball straight to his arms so that he can block; actually he’s pretty known for having weirdly accurate control bumping the ball back from places other than his hands (esp his elbows though), like he’s just so aware of his body, and he uses everything he can to keep the ball off the ground so he’s good at general defense

some other people i wanna mention:

aizawa’s their supervising teacher and the first year homeroom teacher (he gets to hear bakugou explode both first thing in the morning AND right at the end of the day, oh joy); all might just coaches ‘cuz he does other former pro stuff during class time, so he somehow ended up in charge of the volleyball club after the previous teacher stopped being able to

he never went pro but he’s a black belt mixed martial artist, and he still does those parent-child karate classes with hitoshi (who is now close to black belt and on the demo team, since they’ve been doing this since hitoshi was like five) and eri (who just got her yellow belt! aizawa is soft)

only hizashi, nemuri, oboro and his kids know this but he’s also REALLY good at doing aerial silk and he looks graceful af when he does it

hitoshi started kinda learning aerial silk when hizashi took him to a rock climbing place that had the silks on the ceiling (dont at me, there’s a place EXACTLY like this where i used to live lmao) and found out they offer classes there, and hizashi laughed and said “yknow your dad is pro at those right”

ochako is their first year manager, and when everyone is confused about kacchan continuing to call deku something so mean, she talks about how the nickname is cute and gives off the impression that he’s trying his best and when deku grins and blushes and seems to be happy with it, the whole team starts calling him deku with the same intentions and fondness behind it

every time other people hear UA calling their starting setter “deku” theyre so confused

nejire is the third year manager leaving and she does gymnastics and dance outside of school

mirio is the ace and his thing is that he is very strong and very precise, and he moves like he phases through the other players

tamaki is a middle blocker that can adapt all kinds of playing strategies pretty fast as long as he’s got time to digest them and decent food in his stomach—he’s a great decoy ‘cuz his spikes are hard and he’s pretty fast too, and while he prefers read blocking, there are a few times he guess blocks and it’s accurate af and kinda scary honestly

tamaki and mirio are also pretty fearsome ‘cuz people start off scared of mirio’s power spikes and serves (btw his goal is to spike a million service aces LOL), and then tamaki kind of surprises them ‘cuz he seems to be able to just? do everything??? (and theyre extra surprised bc no doubt he’ll be talking himself down and doubting himself before the match and the opponents will think like “oh good he’s mentally weak” and he kind of is but also holy shit??? we got blocked AGAIN???) and so they sort of only keep a peripheral eye on mirio while they start focusing on tamaki, and then all of a sudden mirio’s not where you thought he was and how’d he get there so fast and there other players in the way??? and then mirio spikes one in

this isn’t really related to anything else but you BET mirio can bend low and do insanely accurate bump receives from pretty close to the ground like! his thighs and knees are legend

we don’t really know any second year bnha students, but i’d like to think their starting team isn’t just first years, so i’d say like… hm or mb tamaki is starting setter (all the stuff about adapting and easily digesting strategies still applies, as well as his flexible skillset, it just now includes setting) and mirio is his ace, but all might puts deku in a lot more than you’d expect a bench player to be subbed in not only ‘cuz it shakes up the other team to see such a meek-looking kid do these gutsy-ass sets, but also bc it’s good for tamaki’s mental health that he feels like he’s got a really great setter right there supporting him as well, even though he knows (objectively) that he can hold the fort on his own

so yeah, id say tamaki and mirio for sure starters (mirio is captain), kirishima’s a starter (he’s always been really good, he just used to get a little scared off in matches sometimes, but since the thing with mina, he’s been really gunning for it, and also conveniently their last really good libero graduated the year before and they didn’t really have a good backup), shouto’s a starter (he’s lowkey mad about it bc it feels like he’s fulfilling his dad’s legacy and he doesnt want to be), and probably two second years, that feels fair

bakugou’s benched bc his temper’s still a little too unwieldy for the court (much to his dismay), sero’s still patching up holes in his defense, and deku could stand to watch other people’s playing styles, but u bet theyre all fearsome af when theyre on court: deku seems to be the only one that seems to be able to bring out shouto’s terrifying spikes for now; after their first qualifiers, rumours fly around the vball circuit about his angry pinch server that’s so mad he’s not a regular, he takes it all out on his serves and rip the team that has to try and receive them

well okay, so bakugou is the only that i can qualify as actually fearsome bc even when he’s being intimidating sero is a pretty chill dude, and deku looks too nice to really be scary so the opponents usually arent scared until he starts playing and then for them it’s just this internal monologue of “what the fuck? what the FUCK???”

and sero, while chill, is the type to be aggressively cheerful and grin really wide after he blocks and gives you, the opponent, really supportive feedback that sort of still offends you but in a way you cant refute because every word he said was nice and his demeanour was nice too and yet? you kinda wanna strangle him??? and then he laughs winsomely and blocks your next spike too (like, “awh i noticed you have a tendency to follow here when xyz happens, but better luck next time right? that’s usually a pretty good play”)

and of COURSE their school banner says “plus ultra”

ANYWAYS i went OFF lmao i can’t believe i really wrote 2.9k of headcanons for this

i have waaaay more ideas about what the rest of the class and other characters are up to in this au that is powerhouse athletics high school UA so if for some reason you got all the way to the end then thank you and please interact if you wanna talk more about it!!!

#bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha headcanons #mha #my hero academia #mha headcanons #haikyuu fusion #sort of #rei rambles #rei writes #(sort of)#it was fun trying to parallel their quirks to their vball playing style haha

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megbox · 3 years

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2020 Year in Review

Previous Posts: (2019) (2018) (2017) (2016) (2015) (2014) (2013) (2012) (2011)

2020 is a weird year because as the world goes through something collectively extremely traumatic and that is radically changing the structure of our lives, our workplaces, the way we connect socially, our mental health… our response to disease…. SO MUCH ABOUT THE WORLD…. And yet the day-to-day of living in a pandemic is so… mundane. I am privileged enough to have that opinion. I have stayed securely employed and it is privilege for my main reaction to something as intense as this pandemic to be boredom. But really, 2020 was a year of absences. It was a year spent largely alone, in my own company. It was a year that forced me to rest. It was a year that made me feel so terribly lonely but also forced me to get acquainted with myself and enjoy my own company in a new way. And it was a year of running.

I would also like to thank Connor for making this post happen by reminding me to do it and not to break tradition.

January & February

I am combining these months because they were not altogether all that memorable. My resolutions, as I noted on Twitter on January 2, were to 1) Keep running and 2) Learn how to make fresh pasta dough. I can safely say – mission accomplished on both fronts.

On January 14, I had the privilege of presenting a suicide intervention lecture to students at the medical school where my brother goes. By that time, I’d done a million of these presentations so nerves aren’t really a factor (imagine that! Me, no longer remotely afraid of public speaking…), but this one meant a little extra to me. My brother is so highly accomplished, and I am so proud of him, and I enjoyed having an opportunity to show him what I do and make him proud of me. I wore my favourite dress and did my hair all nice and he described it later as “exceptional.” It was a really, really good feeling. The first weekend of February, Ali and I had planned to go to Jasper. We wanted to go for a hike or two, and get super stoned and go to the planetarium. A huge blizzard hit Alberta just before we were supposed to leave, so we ended up having a staycation here in Calgary. We rented a hotel room, went swimming, drank wine, went to Japanese Village, had drinks in the lounge and then later to a punk rock band roulette night at the Palomino and finally crawled into our giant hotel bed and fell asleep to Remember the Titans… of all movies. It was the kind of night where you simultaneously feel 18 and 35 years old.

March

March was when the pandemic really started to become real. I don’t know exactly why, but I did not take the threat of coronavirus very seriously until the last minute. My coworkers would whisper about it in the hallways and I just rolled my eyes. But then, people started deciding they would work from home, the number of us in the office dwindled. The vibe was bad. Nobody could really focus. They held meetings at 8am and 4pm every day just for COVID-19 updates and we all waited with bated breath for them to finally tell us to go home and not come back. I really feel like I didn’t acknowledge the true implications of this virus until we got the official work from home order, and I had to tell my boss, my laptop at home is too old to run this software, I need a work tablet. My first official work from home day was March 23, 2020. I don’t remember much about that time except that the general sense of panic and anxiety made my job a lot busier, and it is hard to do a job like mine from home because it is hard to counsel or reassure clients through anxieties that are hitting you just as hard. I coped with wine, a lot of running, and listening to Ben Gibbard’s afternoon live streams where he would play acoustic versions of Death Cab songs and other covers. He played New Slang by the Shins one night and I burst into tears. I also coped with teaching myself how to make fresh pasta dough, and enjoying what was, at that point in the pandemic, the novelty and fun of Zoom.

April

In the absence of being able to have a party for my birthday, I decided to be obnoxious and do a “challenge” on my Instagram story. I asked my friends to record a distance run and/or walked and send it to me as a birthday present. My actual birthday ended up being a cold and windy and pretty miserable day. I ran 12km myself, came back home and watched both Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, and then went to my parents’ to celebrate both Scott and I’s birthdays with our family. My friends dropped off presents to my door and drove past my house and honked and I felt very loved and appreciated. I drank a lot of Prosecco with my brother and we listened to Kacey Musgraves.

It was also in April that I become “acquainted” with my neighborhood running nemesis. I put acquainted in apostrophes because I have never actually spoken to him. On one fateful run in April, I happened to catch up to him on my regular route. This was at the height of the COVID fear and so, while I would usually just pass someone on the sidewalk, I went out into the street. He saw me out of the corner of his eye and SPED UP. WHICH IS SUCH BAD RUNNER ETIQUETTE LIKE DUDE I’M IN THE ROAD LET ME PASS YOU. And then we ended up in this like, all-out 100m-finals-at-the-motherfucking-Olympics sprint challenge when all I was trying to do was go for a leisurely training run. And then I finally passed him, turned a corner and had to like collapse on to my hands and knees to catch my breath. Since then, I see this man running all the time. Sometimes while I am also running, sometimes from my car when I am driving through my neighborhood. He’s like… 16. And we are very competitive with one another. I hope to one day actually say hello to him. I both hate that guy and have to thank him for the motivation.

I ran my first half marathon on April 13, 2020. I was very hungover because I had stayed up quite late with someone on Zoom the night before on a virtual “first date” that had gone much better than anticipated. I don’t know why but I woke up the next morning in such a good mood that I decided I would go for a long, slow run. I got to 18km and figured, what’s 3.1 more? And so, I did it. The first thing I did upon finishing was call my mom. The second thing I did was contemplate calling an Uber to drive me the 2km left to my house. The other notable thing in April is that Maddy moved back from Australia, begrudgingly and a LOT earlier than planned, because of COVID.

May

May was kind of a blur. It was the first month of the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee, which I signed up for while coming off of the high of actually running a half marathon all by myself. The GVRAT was fucking awesome. It was created by Lazarus Lake, of Barkley Marathons fame. The ask is to run 1022.68km between May 1 and August 31, an average of about 8.3km per day. Well, you could run, walk, or hike. This is the actual distance it would take you to cover the state of Tennessee. Myself and about 20,000 other weirdos from around the world signed up for this challenge. I figured I would never get a chance to run in a Lazarus Lake race for real, and being home all the time opened up a lot more opportunity for training. It was one of the very best things I did for myself in 2020. So May involved a lot of running, because I was fresh and naïve and fully intended to be ahead of the curve. I was running about 10-12 per day, sometimes more, and not taking any rest days.

In between these runs, I spent a lot of time going on long, ambling quarantine walks with Maddy. We would either go for a long walk or she would come over and we would get absolutely hammered in my backyard playing beer pong just to pass the time. We would send snapchats to our exes and make TikToks like 18 year olds. I know we never really said it out loud but having eachother during this time made these months bearable. We were lamenting the loss of a summer, and Maddy’s time in Australia, and all of the expectations we had for ourselves. We were watching our friends in relationships move in together or get closer due to the quarantine. We needed companionship, and stupid things to laugh about, and love, and distraction. And I can genuinely say I would not have gotten through this quarantine period if it weren’t for the nights I spent shooting Pink Whitney and dancing to Party in the USA in my living room with her.

May 13th was my one year anniversary of working at the university. It felt good to have accomplished so many things in that time, and have moved up already in my job, and to have a full-time, permanent contract.

And May 16th was when I ran my second half-marathon as part of a virtual challenge put on by a friend of a friend. My parents came and sat in lawn chairs in the park while I did loops. They cheered me on and filled my water bottle for me when I ran out. They’re my number one supporters and I love having a family that does that kind of shit for me in the face of something arbitrary like a virtual half marathon challenge. I knocked 7 minutes (!) off my original time. Amazing what not being hungover can do for your fitness levels.

June

I don’t remember many important things about June, other than Maddy moving to Banff. It was depressing but I was also happy for her and happy to have an excuse to go out there and visit. I went the very first weekend after she moved. Halfway through June I seriously contemplated quitting the GVRAT. My shins were bruised, I was dreading every single run, and I could not fathom doing it for 2.5 more months. I was dragging behind in the standings and losing my motivation.

I spent a lot of time with friends reading in parks. Sometimes, often, with wine. I met a stranger in Canmore Park and ended up kissing him. He was lovely.

Ali and I had one really good day in June where we went to the Farmer’s Market and then came back to her place and watched Ru Paul’s drag race for like eight straight hours. It was one of those days where we hadn’t seen each other in so long and you just feel totally high off of friendship and absolutely everything is funny and you just can’t stop laughing. I vividly remember it as one of the best days of the year.

July

Again, July kind of passed in a blur. I did a lot of hiking, and a lot of running… keeping up with the GVRAT. I hiked Picklejar Lakes, Castle Mountain, Little Beehive Lookout.

I went to Banff for a weekend to hang out with Maddy. We had a predictably wild weekend with her roommates and friends. We had dinner at Chili’s (hell yeah) and then went to High Rollers for beers and bowling. The “thing to do” at that point for all of these Banff people was to meet at the “rec grounds” aka public firepits and drink. The police would generally leave you alone so long as you weren’t being rowdy. I sat next to an Australian named Josh at a picnic table and later took him back to my hotel room and he gave me the world’s most unbelievable obvious hickey. Maddy and I sweat out the tequila shots the next day with a long ass hike, and then had a nap before her brother came and took us climbing at the Sunshine slabs – an activity I was not very good at but I wanted to be good at. It was the kind of weekend where you feel like, okay, I definitely indulged my wild side. And you drive home just like totally exhausted but smiling. I sent Maddy’s brother a voice note on my way into town thanking him for taking us climbing and saying it was nice to see him.

August

Okay – August was actually really eventful. Like most of the year’s events happened in August, honestly. A lot of running and hiking. I did Ha Ling Peak for the first time, and we did a 30km hike to Aylmer Pass one day that was a fricken GRIND. I spent the long weekend in Saskatchewan. We went to a cidery, and I ran laps around my Dodo’s acreage, and then we got to visit Wakaw Lake and reunite with our old next-door neighbours. We took the boat out and went tubing and lit fireworks and had an amazing dinner and honestly it was like reliving my childhood in the best, best, best way. I fell asleep on the car ride home.

I went camping with Ali in Sylvan Lake. We got ice cream and cooked fish tacos over the campfire. She told me that Cody had a date planned for the day they took possession of their house, that she wondered if he might ask her to marry him but didn’t want to get her hopes up in case it didn’t happen and ruin what otherwise was supposed to be a celebratory day. Spoiler – he did ask her to marry him  I was running when she called me. I was listening to Epsilon by Kygo, and now when I hear that song I always think of them. I stopped my watch and just openly bawled on the street out of happiness for them.

Steven successfully defended his master’s thesis. We went camping in Waterton to celebrate with Matt, Kennedy, Regan, Scott, and Rie. They brought cake. We did a sunrise hike. I slept in the back of my Ford Escape.

On August 27, Ollie passed away. It was both expected and unexpected. He had been having some issues with seizures. The vet didn’t think it was anything to be too concerned about, he was old and it wasn’t uncommon for them to happen. It happened suddenly. I had a terrible sleep that night, and woke up in a cold sweat somewhere between 3 and 4 am. In the morning, my mom called me and told me the news. He had a giant seizure in the night and was crying and yelping. They woke up and took him to the emergency vet, they made the executive call to put him down to prevent any further suffering. He died right around the time I woke up in the middle of the night. I like to think that was his way of saying goodbye, maybe. I cried all day. Well, let’s be honest, I cried all week. I burst into tears at the mere thought of him. He was such a good and lovely dog. He was so loved by us. He had a good life. It is always sad when we lose pets so early. They bring so much joy to our lives, and still when I go to my parents’ place the first thing I want to do is call for him or pet him. I hope he is running around in whatever the pet afterlife is. I miss him.

And on August 31, I ran my last kilometre of the GVRAT. I finished with 733.78 run, 83.18 hiked, and 205.09 walked.

September

September was a nice break from running. I got to start coming to campus one day a week, on Thursdays, which was good for my mental health and work productivity. I got to spend September long in Vernon with Maeghan and Madison at Michael’s family’s cabin. They took us boating and made us meals and didn’t judge us for drinking margaritas with Michael’s sister literally all day. It was the best. It was the epitome of every summer weekend you dream about. I was so happy I got to go.

I met a boy in September. It’s always September, isn’t it? It feels weird to write about him. Like, that makes him significant. But. He is significant. And I met him in September. And it was unexpected. Last minute. And essentially not a day has gone by since that day in September that I have not thought about him.

I also joined a Calgary Sport and Social Club team with my friends for softball and it started in September. We played two games and then I tore my hamstring running from second to third base. I tore… my hamstring…. Running like 30 metres…. After a summer of literally running 10+ km every day. I… it was the worst day ever. Softball itself was amazing and so fun even though I really do suck at the sport but highly recommend Rec League C-level beer league softball with all of your best friends. There’s just no way that isn’t fun.

October

A lot of pouting about my hamstring, I went to two physio sessions and then decided to just start running again. I’m bad. I’m a bad example. Don’t do what I do… but also…. It worked.

I went to Victoria to visit Sydney over the Thanksgiving weekend. We went to a Thanskgiving potluck party at my old coworker’s place. It was a nice experience to be the new people at a party, to have a room full of new people to meet and who ask you questions about your life. We got really drunk and they tried setting Sydney up with one of their roommate’s brothers, and gave us lipstick to try, and poured us tequila shots. We had such an amazing meal. It was honestly so fun. We laughed in the cab the whole way back about how we were going to need to debrief that evening HARD the next morning. We watched a lot of All Gas No Brakes, and went for dinner and brunch and I limped up Mount Doug with my hamstring. It was a very very chill weekend, like we spent a lot of time just lounging at Sydney’s apartment and doing nothing. Because that is the kind of friends we are. It was so relaxing and lovely. I was sad to leave.

Karla, my roommate, left for New York at the end of October. Her aunt was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and she and her mom made the executive move to go there to basically be with her for the end of her life. She wasn’t going to be back until December. I was happy, because it’s nice to have a place to myself, but also sad because Karla is lovely and I knew it was going to be a stressful situation for her.

November / December

I am combining these two months because they have also been largely uneventful. In fact… I don’t know if I could really tell you anything significant that happened. We’ve been in a lockdown. I’ve spent my time playing piano, watching Netflix, listening to podcasts, basically doing all of the things I usually do when I’m bored. Lots of Among Us. Lots of outdoor things… skating… more running. We’ve been in a lockdown since early December. Time has dragged on since then. I spent Christmas with my parents. Scott and Rie stayed isolated, because Scott is in and out of the hospital for school. My mom and I watched shitty Christmas Hallmark movies and made fun of the guys who star in them. We drank a LOT on Christmas Eve and both spent Christmas with a wicked hangover. My dad and I ate edibles and I was launched into the stratosphere. I spent New Year’s Eve with Boy from September. We played beer pong, and card games, and he tried to use a coat hangover to pick the lock on the mysterious room that my landlord keeps locked. We spent most of the night kissing, honestly. I was happy to spend the last moments of the year with him.

2021:

Honestly... at this point... who really knows?

#year in review #text #personal #2020

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lukkerichardson-blog · 3 years

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Identity and Representation within ethnic minorities

Introduction:

Throughout this rich media essay I will be looking into the identity and representation of minority groups in TV and film. My case study will be “Get Out” which was written and directed by Jordan Peele.”Get Out” was a cultural landmark in cinema as it was one of the first horror films to feature a predominantly black cast and be written and directed by a black man. It also won several awards and received critical acclaim. The identity and representation of ethnic minorities has been an ever changing and evolving debate ever since the beginning of cinema. Directors like Jordan peele have strived to make change within the paradigm in regards to the way ethnic minorities are portrayed. This is evident in his 2017 film “Get Out” when the main character Chris Washington played by (Daniel kaluuya) Meets his white girlfriend (Rose armitage) played by (Allison Williams)’s family in suburban America and things get strange when Daniel kaluuyas character Chris finds out that his girlfriend Rose and her family have been secretly plotting to detain him and switch bodies with him because they believe that the black body is more superior to theirs. Jordan Peele wrote the story this was as a result of a belief that some people hold that white people are superior to black people. It is a reverse of eugenics, as in the film the grandfather (Gordon Greene) played by (John Wilmot) tells a story that Jesse Owens beat him in the 1936 olympics and therefore believes that black people are superior Jordan peele wrote the story like this so that it would show black people being the “superior” race which is a far cry to what most of history has been about.

Representation

“Get Out” is an interesting case study as it is a predominantly black cast, not only in terms of the writer and director Jordan Peele, but even the story is about black struggle and the objectification of black culture and identity, Jordan Peele tackles issues around the subject of racism. Since get out release audiences have seen a wider range of diversity both behind and infant of the camera. More black led projects have been headed; for example Peeles second directorial debut “US” and HBO’s “lovecraft, country” maybe these new releases have demonstrated that Hollywood is becoming more diverse and accepting of change. Representation within the genre of horror has improved dramatically. The TV and film industry has always been under fire because alot of people feel that the industry is not diverse enough, it has always casted white people in the industry instead of non white actors for years. You can see this in ever single aspect of production from the cast to the crew, you can also see it in the nominations for awards, and who wins them predominantly. Which is why “Get Out” was such a huge breath of fresh air. Although the representation of the black community has gotten better the path that has had to be taken there has been hard. Minority groups have been shown in a horrific way for hundreds of years. You can date it back hundreds of years to even when they were doing plays with packed out audiences using white actors to dress up in blackface to mock black people. They were painted with comically large mouths with huge red lips and large noses. They would even prance around the stage and intentionally use these characters to be the dumb stupid ones for comedic effect, in this time it was completely socially acceptable to do these things and was the norm. In Peter pan ( 1953 ) there is a part in the film with native Americans who are portrayed as villains and have skin that was very bright and red and are actually called “Red Skins”. The reason for this Is because Hollywood was controlled

by white people and all writers and directors of films at the time were all white, who were extremely proud of their country and thought that native Americans were villains. A genre that was popular at the time was westerns, which always featured white cowboys as heroes and native Americans as villains, even though the fact is, is that white people took over America from native Americans and slaughtered and stole from them. They were even portrayed as the villains up until extremely recently, in Twilight (2008) all the werwolves are portrayed as indigenous people and were all portrayed as uneducated.

Also another problem with representation within the film industry was the award ceremonies. In the nomination process it is still to this day mostly white actors and creatives that get nominated for awards. It even can be seen as recently as 2015 and 2016, where there was huge unrest and a big conversation was started on industry racism and systematic oppression. For 2 years straight every single actor that was nominated for best lead and supporting role were white. Take note that the last time something like this had happened was in 1998, so this did raise the question. Are we going back to old racist ways? Twitter exploded and the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite was trending for days. Because of this scandal alot of the worlds most famous actors and creatives boycotted the ceremony Spike lee took to instagram to announce that he and his wife could not attend because they “Cannot support it” Jada pinkest smith and will smith both said that they would not attend until the issue was resolved. But even when the most recent 2020 Oscar nominations were announced there was a huge backlash because yet again there was a huge obvious hole in the nominations, all best supporting actress role nominations were white. Alot of people believed that Lupita Nyong’os role in US, yet another Jordan Peele classic was definitely worthy of an Oscar nomination. However alot of the public and industry workers feel like she was robbed of this because of systematic oppression. Thankfully films with black cast and crew members have been gaining the attention and success they deserve. Black Panther (2018) now holds the record for highest grossing solo superhero film so far. In 2013 the first ever African American won best adapted screen play for 12 years a slave, his name was John Ridley. The best film 2019 was the “Green Book” which protagonist was mahershala Ali. Also in 2019 “Blackkklansman” won best adapted screenplay which was directed by Spike Lee who many people believe has been snubbed many times within the awards ceremony.

Identity

By now audiences know that Get out is more than your average horror film. Jordan Peele has expressed that Get Out portrays how racism feels to a black man. I agree with this and I also feel that Get Out portrays the complexities of racial identity. Get Out shows us that we still have a long road ahead when it comes to understanding each other. In Get Out all the black characters that’s bodies have been stolen go to a place called the sunken place where they float in an endless void, where the body is paralysed but the mind is completely conscious I think that this may be what Jordan Peele is talking about when he talks about what it feels like to be apart of a minority group. Maybe this is him trying to convey that black voices are not heard in Hollywood or in any walk of life at all, and that the void is like being black because it feels like there is nothing you can do. I also think that the sunken place would resonate with the black community as if you forget the hypnosis and body swapping, it is realistically a metaphor for how your identity can be lost

because people will solely judge you on race, it is also like you are being controlled and governed by someone who doesn’t really have your best interests at heart, and there isn’t anything you can do about it. Jordan Peele is half black and half white he explained in a 2012 interview that "Being of mixed background, we liken it to walking on a tightrope at different points in our lives. At certain points, it seems like we’re between two worlds, or we’re a part of two worlds, or we question where our world is.”

I also think another issue that we have today with identity when it comes to minority groups is, white washing. White washing is when an original source material, comic, book, film, tv show or any form of media is altered to cast a white character in place of one that is from a minority group. This is very harmful to culture and to basic morals in general as it snubs ethnic minorities of roles that resonate with them in place of a white person so that it can appeal to a more western society. whitewashing goes back to the early 1920’s which was a time where society was far less developed as it was today. There was hardly any equality in the 1920’s between races in America, or any part of the world for that matter. For example in 1915 a film was released called “The Birth of a Nation” directed by D.W Griffith, which by some was well regarded because of the technical cinematography. However he used white actors in black face to portray historical actions of the Klu Klux Klan. Because of this the film is widely recognised to be racist and is greatly criticised. Even up until today there have been so many film adaptations of other original source material from different cultures and created by minority groups that have been capitalised on by Hollywood to appeal to a wider audience, therefore being whitewashed. For example a Japanese Manga titled Death Note was adapted into an animation. Both the animation and the manga features an all asian cast. Hollywood noticed that this was an extremely popular anime series and therefore began production of their own live action version. This version replaced all Japanese characters with all white American ones. Compares to the original source material which is critically acclaimed this live adaptation was universally disliked. Some might say that this is because they have no idea of the source material and don’t understand it because they don’t resonate with it, maybe what makes these intellectual properties so good is because of the culture and the art style behind them. The whole of death note is extremely rooted in asian culture which is why the American version didn’t work. Another quick example of recent times is Johnny Depp in “The Lone Ranger”. He was cast as “Tonto” who is a native american character, obviously Johnny Depp is white. In annihilation Natalie portman and Jeniffer Jason Leigh play characters who in the novel are respectively asian and native american descent.

Finally I would say the history of cinema has been extremely controversial and the issue of diversity has been one if the biggest problems throughout. The lack of ethnic minorities in cinema is astonoshing at times, especially in the early days of cinema. Also the portrayal of minorities when they are casted in media is also extremely unfair, one sided and biased towards a racist agenda. Until this issue has been resolved we will not see minorities being depicted clearly and truthfully in any such forms of media. The small amount of minority directors, screen writers, and all other parts of the creative industry has caused an extremely unbalanced work place where white people will benefit, even if the character they are playing is not white. However even though we have seen an improvement in terms of this issue in some spaces. There still seems to be a lack of representation of non white creatives in the industry and award ceremonies.

Bibliography

Low, E. and Jackson, A., 2020. Black Representation In Hollywood: Is The Industry Finally Listening? - Variety. [online] Variety.com. Available at: <https://variety.com/2020/biz/ features/black-representation-hollywood-inclusion-diversity-entertainment-1234693219/>.

Bakare, L., 2020. Get Out: The Film That Dares To Reveal The Horror Of Liberal Racism In America. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/ feb/28/get-out-box-office-jordan-peele>.

Variety.com. 2020. Jordan Peele: How 'Get Out' Tackles Systemic Racism As Horror - Variety. [online] Available at: <https://variety.com/2017/film/news/jordan-peele-get-out- systemic-racism-1202604824/>.

Robinson, T., 2020. Get Out Review: A Ruthlessly Smart Racial Send-Up That's Also Terrifying. [online] The Verge. Available at: <https://www.theverge.com/ 2017/2/24/14724404/jordan-peele-get-out-movie-review-race-horror-film>.

Moore, S., 2020. The Oscars Mix-Up Matters Because This Night Was Always About Racial Bias | Suzanne Moore. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https:// www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/27/oscars-mix-up-matters-racial-bias>.

Hiatt, B. and Hiatt, B., 2020. The All-American Nightmares Of Jordan Peele. [online] Rolling Stone. Available at: <https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-features/director- jordan-peele-new-movie-cover-story-782743/>.

Cara, M., 2020. ‘Get Out’ Shows How Being Defined By Your Race Puts Your Own Identity At Risk. [online] Bustle. Available at: <https://www.bustle.com/p/get-out-shows-how-being- defined-by-your-race-puts-your-own-identity-at-risk-41121> [Accessed 18 August 2020].

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glass-rose-paperweight · 3 years

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2020 Was A Dumpster Fire - We Didn’t Start The Fire Parody

I was originally going to turn this into a Youtube video, but it ended up being more work than I was really ready to tackle, and it was not ‘sparking joy’, so I decided to abandon the project. However, I had already written up the lyrics for the parody, so I decided I would just post them on here. Note: I ended up adding verses and lines to one of the verses so I could fit everything in that I wanted to say, and I still didn’t cover everything that happened in this fucking year. Hope you enjoy

Protests in Hong Kong, riots in India Persian Gulf Crisis, a general is dead Yemen and Libya Civil War, fires in Australia Taliban peace treaty, disease starting to spread

Boris Johnson is a clown, Britain’s on it’s own now World war three drawing closer, and Kobe died Volcanoes erupting, Impeachment trial, Tiger King And why did Mr. Peanut have to say goodbye?

2020 was a dumpster fire It was doomed to burn When the year first turned 2020 was a dumpster fire Can’t believe we made it Was 12 months I hated

The Senate acquits Trump, Quarantine, no testing And now we have to deal with the CoronaVirus England still has their queen, Meghan and Harry are leaving Global disasters rage as the temperature rises

States of emergency, Houston has a cheating team Stock market crash and New planet discovery Same-sex marriage in Ireland, social distance, travel banned People hoarding toilet paper, sports canceled temporarily