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work-of-waking-up · 3 years

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In Defense of the Psychopath

Alright, wanna venture into my crazy ass brain? I’m going to start by saying one thing that will set the tone for everything else that follows: Villanelle is not a psychopath in the way that we currently understand them. Why am I even bothering to write about a fictional character, you ask? Because representation is important. Media portrayal of various mental and behavioral health topics (including ones that people might not think need to be discussed) is important and this show has a big audience. I also just want to contribute to the conversations that are taking place because I am seeing A LOT of them and the reason for that I believe boils down to the fact that Jodie makes Villanelle so relatable and people want to know what that means and looks like for them. Even those who felt they could relate to Sandra’s Eve, or the relationship between the two, maybe questioned what that meant the further they went down the path with them. “It’s probably a bad thing I relate to a psychopath, right? But she can’t be a psychopath because she cries and she feels things! Psychopaths don’t cry, which means she isn’t realistic so therefore it’s okay that I relate to her! Right? Or are my assumptions about psychopaths and people with antisocial personality disorder wrong? I relate to Eve but look what she is underneath it all...so does that mean I relate to that part of her too?” Not only is villanelles character relatable, but people see the freedom inherent within her, the freedom that Eve sees, and they realize that, at least on some level, they want it too. The show has (unintentionally I think) created a massive dialogue which is super cool and you can tell everyone involved on the show is aware of that now, I mean they have a consulting psychiatrist so I think that speaks for itself. This is less of a commentary on the character herself and whether or not she is a genuine psychopath, and more so a commentary on the conversations she has inspired and why... For the record, this is literally just my opinion sprinkled with a few facts, nothing else.

So, the term psychopath gets thrown around in the show, more so in the beginning, MI6 explicitly labels Villanelle this way, even going so far as to use her in a presentation about psychopaths, although I think that was more so to gauge Eve’s response than anything else. The reality of Villanelle, which we come to learn, is that nobody has been able to get close enough to really know the truth. Anna and Konstantin both got close but we never hear either of them use that word (Konstantin says it once but he clearly doesn’t mean it, it was more of an attempted manipulation tactic). They make it clear that she has, and can, and WILL cause damage, but that’s as far as they go. Eve is getting close and she tells Villanelle when they first meet that she knows Villanelle is a psychopath but it’s obvious from Eve's behavior and things she says later on that she truly doesn’t believe Villanelle is what everyone says she is. It’s easier to label her as a psychopath because that alienates and isolates her and her behavior completely. She is an outlier with behavioral anomalies and therefore it isn’t necessary to look any closer. For MI6 and others (not talking about the shows creators) to label Villanelle as a psychopath is easy, it’s lazy, it’s reductive, it serves a single purpose... a means to an end. They (anyone other than Eve basically) simply do not care about Villanelle’s truth. But as an audience we are lucky enough to see more of her with each episode. The psychopath label begins to fade and Oksana is what’s left. We know based on what she has said that she is aware that people think she is a psychopath, a monster, a person built to kill. It’s not always easy to decide that who you are is different from who you’ve always been told you are, especially given her history. Villanelle hasn’t told us yet if she thinks (or knows) that she is a psychopath, but it’s clear towards the end of last season that she no longer wants to be the person that they (meaning the twelve, Dasha, Konstantin, etc.) created. We see moments where she clearly has no remorse and clearly enjoys what she does, but then we have little moments sprinkled in between where she very obviously struggles, even if its short lived. And those moments are important. We have the moment where she struggles with the choice to shoot Konstantin, saying he is a good person, she thinks. This comes shortly after a conversation she had where Irina tells Villanelle she thinks she is a good person because she is sad, so we know she is thinking about it, we know the awareness is there, and it becomes more and more there as times goes on. I like to think of it in terms of having moments that are pure Villanelle (ie the way she killed Inga in the Russian prison), and then we have moments that are Oksana, vulnerable and emotional. Villanelle is a creation and a mask whereas oksana is the truth. Those moments are starting to really mean something. I'm not even going to start with her trip to find her family, that’s its own thing, but it's a Really Big Thing.

So. Villanelle is not a psychopath in the way that we currently understand and perceive them. Yes, she displays psychopathic traits, and yes, she absolutely has antisocial personality disorder. I read an article where the psychiatric consultant for the show (makes it pretty obvious how hard they worked to make Villanelle as realistic as possible) said that the Villanelle in Luke Jenning’s books scored a 32 on Hare’s psychiatric checklist, but I like to think (and I think a lot of people would agree) that number is a bit high, at least for Jodie’s Villanelle, maybe not even hitting 30 at all (close though, let’s be real lol). The max score is 40 which would be a fully blown primary psychopath. For reference, Ted Bundy scored 39. This checklist is flawed though, mostly created and based off the prison population. Which is why it isn’t used as a proper diagnostic tool. 32 is apparently extraordinarily high for a female (think Aileen Wuornos), which brings me to my next point which is that because it’s hard to measure a lot of the classic traits objectively, there is not a ton of solid data surrounding psychopathy, and even less of it is on female psychopaths. Like most things in life, psychopathy exists on a spectrum, there are levels and layers. It’s not black and white, there’s no definitive test (psychopathy isn’t even in the DSM-5 because as I said earlier it’s extremely hard to measure objectively) and it's important to distinguish between someone who exhibits psychopathic traits and someone who is actually an identifiable psychopath. Chances are high that someone you know displays at least one characteristic shared with psychopaths and this doesn’t make them one.

I think what’s important about this is that mental disorders (mental illness/personality disorders/etc.) of any kind are much more nuanced than a lot of people tend to think they are. That they exist less in black and white and more in shades of grey. Jodie Comer is absolutely remarkable for showcasing that through portraying the different layers of Villanelle. Her performance is a literal gift. We cannot keep thinking and acting like we know everything about how a person thinks, feels, and behaves based strictly and entirely on one label. The thing that has stuck out to me the most, the reason I decided to even write this bullshit babble, is that one of the most searched topics about the show is whether or not it’s realistic that Villanelle cries, and honestly how sad is that? That makes me sad for V. Is it more realistic for her to develop connections and cognitive empathy if she was made into a psychopath vs if she was born that way? Is there a legitimate difference between the two? And how do we even decide which one is applicable for someone? It’s important to add that antisocial personality disorder is not the same thing as psychopathy or sociopathy. You can have aspd and not be a psychopath. Research has shown that about only a third of those diagnosed with aspd would meet criteria to be considered a psychopath. Society is not doing a great job at getting people to understand this. But to be fair, understanding personality disorders specifically has been somewhat problematic, a lot of diagnostic confusion and overlap between disorders. A LOT of work needs to be done. But as far as portrayals go, society has strictly chosen to go the route of giving us psychopathic characters and having them be inherently violent, incapable of remorse, feelings, or change. Poverty of all emotions. Subhuman. They are made out to be so abnormal and unrelatable to the point where the character of Villanelle has sparked so much debate and fascination simply because she exists in a way that actually IS relatable...and layered and beautiful and thrilling. We thought she would be the bad guy and yet we root for her at every turn, we cry for her, we want good things for her! We see her darkness and without question or hesitation we forgive it. She makes us question what we’ve previously been shown. Questioning whether or not it’s realistic that she acts the way she does is less important than questioning our own personal assumptions and beliefs and where those come from. I think that’s awesome. Villanelle is truly a gift. She is hands down one of the most well written fictional characters, which is saying a lot considering when you put something, or someone, in a box it doesn’t leave tons of room for expansion. and I honestly don’t even really need to say this, but.. Jodie Comer.

#killing eve #villanelle #jodie comer #eve polastri #sandra oh #villaneve #feel free to rb #if you want #oksana astankova

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ilikekidsshows · 3 years

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Could you talk more about Adrien and Lila being foils?

Okey dokey.

So, I haven't seen the original dark mirror meta about these two, so I might end up treading some of the same ground, but hopefully I'll be able to bring some manner of new material to the table.

Lila and Adrien are constructs of similarity and opposition. I talked before about how similar they both are in their social goals and methods for reaching them. Adrien and Lila are both "beautiful people", not only attractive in looks, but compelling, interesting and charismatic in persona. They're the two characters most likely to be seen surrounded by others.

However, the people who surround them aren't really their friends-friends, and only get to see the parts of them that they deem socially acceptable. Lila constructs fanciful tales about her wild adventures and talks about how she's oh-so-helpful without ever actually helping anyone in any way. Meanwhile Adrien is the picture perfect gentleman, soft-spoken and kind, always willing to give someone his time. They both want to be liked, but Lila wants to be the center of attention while Adrien wants to fit in. Adrien also does genuinely do nice things for others even if not always for selfless reasons, while Lila never helps anyone out in the show ever. In fact, when she was trying to win Adrien over in ‘Volpina’, she stole and dumped the Grimoire. Lila actively harms people.

Their behavior also leads to them forming parasocial relationships. Adrien gets hounded by crazed fans when he wants to do nothing more than see the rare movie his mother starred in, because they're under the impression he's everyone's friend so of course they're entitled to his time and attention at any given moment. Everyone believes Lila's stories without a speck of scepticism even as they get increasingly wild, because they have the impression Lila is such a nice, helpful girl, she could never be a liar. Lila is very much like an online influencer, who also often exaggerate or even lie about their money or social situation to appear more interesting on camera but their audience never even thinks to question it because they have this cool online "friend" who always has such interestesting stories to tell.

The most important difference between these characters, as it is the reason they come into conflict, is in their relationships with Marinette and Ladybug. While the two would eventually come into conflict over Lila being a wannabe supervillain while Adrien is a superhero, the reason they have come into conflict in the show so far is over Marinette. Adrien adores Marinette, while Lila despises her. Adrien is the one who voiced exactly how much Marinette means to their entire class in the season two finale, while Lila makes it her mission to tear Marinette and her position down in 'Chameleon'. Similarly, Ladybug is the love of Adrien's life, while she's also the single person Lila hates more than Marinette.

This show does a lot of good vs bad contrasts, and Adrien and Lila are no exception with Adrien being a chosen protector or Paris while Lila is an aspiring supervillain. However, they are similar in this too. The similarity comes in how willing they are to take on these roles. Cat Noir is a lot more hyped about being a superhero than Ladybug, from the very beginning in 'Origins', and Lila is also a more willing villain than Hawk Moth. Gabriel became a villain to get his wife back, Lila wants to become one to get back at Ladybug.

Adrien also puts other people ahead of himself at all times even outside of his role as a superhero. This is because of his abuse background, so he's basically been trained to be selfless to a fault. He has to really want something and/or have Plagg egging him on to act selfishly. This trait is what gets him chosen as a hero, since Fu sees him put helping a random stranger over his own happiness (getting to go to school). Meanwhile, Lila's first priority is herself and she thinks kindness doesn't exists, labeling kind people as either "gullible" or "stupid" in 'Chameleon'.

Also, their rooms. Adrien's is wide and most often shown fully bright or with a half-bright-half-shadows dichotomy, while Lila's is almost claustrophobic in how it’s always shown in darkness, despite being a pretty regular size. There’s also other symbolism in how light is used to depict their rooms. Lila’s room has a single window with the blinds down but not closed: she’s shutting people out but always observing them for weaknesses. Meanwhile Adrien’s large windows create shadows that make the room resemble a prison, which it has the potential to turn into, so the threat of being locked up against his will constantly looms over Adrien like a shadow.

However, there are still similarities. Adrien and Lila are both collectors. Adrien's collection is one of video games while Lila has a collection of masks. These collections showcase important aspects of their characters: Adrien values having a good time and Lila values always keeping her true self hidden. Adrien just wants to have fun with other people and loves having other people in his room to play with ('Party Crasher' and 'Félix' showcase this). Lila places value on the different masks she wears themselves. Does she even remember why she wears them anymore?

This one is going fully into wild theories territory, but Lila's bracelet looks like a friendship bracelet. I've made a bunch of these at various camps as a kid by weaving different colored strings together. They're commonly traded between friends.

Did Lila have a friend and the bracelet is either a token from one of her more memorable victims, or was this hypothetical friend the one using Lila and served as Lila’s Cynicism Catalyst?

I'll also briefly cover why exactly the story would want to use these characters as foils. That's because, ultimately, Lila is Adrien's opponent.

An important aspect of Lila and Adrien's relationship is the power games they play with each other. Each step of the way, they have been trying to figure each other out, and every time Lila is a step behind Adrien. Adrien figured out Lila was a liar way back in 'Volpina', but Lila didn't figure out that Adrien was onto her before 'Chameleon', when Adrien also started to realize the potential danger that Lila poses, which was further enforced by what he saw in 'Oni-Chan'. Then, Adrien realizes she's an actual threat to Marinette specifically in 'Ladybug', while Lila realizes that Adrien is completely capable of playing the same games she does.

Lila lets her guard down much more easily than Adrien, we see this in how she repeatedly lets her mask slip to show just how nasty she really is for Marinette and Adrien in 'Chameleon', while Adrien has never slipped with anyone to show just how damaged he is (the number one thing he is hiding). Everything he's told others is pretty innocuous stuff (e.g. "my only friend was Chloé"). Because Lila is more sloppy, she also allows herself to be smug with Marinette, thinking she has the real Adrien figured out already. However, she doesn't realize that she still hasn't figured Adrien out completely. Adrien might be wily, but he's also kind, and Lila messed with the people he wants to protect.

As we've seen from their interactions so far, ever since Adrien knew what she was like, he's been a step ahead of her. He's the one who sabotaged her original plan to get rid of Marinette (which was just waiting for Marinette to attack her publically and turn everyone against her) and he also stepped in to make her give up her second plan (framing Marinette for misdemeanours). So, while they're now focused on each other, Marinette is still right in the middle of the battle. The fight is between Lila and Adrien, but it’s about Marinette, so Marinette is still technically the main consideration in this sub plot, so it doesn’t sideline our main character entirely.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #lila rossi #adrien agreste #ml meta #ml theory #long post

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mysterylover123 · 3 years

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My Top 10 Favorite Uraraka Moments

For no particular reason I felt like making a Top 10 List of my favorite moments involving the queen of Zero Gravity, Ochako Uraraka:

#10. SAVE ALL OF THEM (Chapter 296)

This recent chapter really showcases Uraraka’s passion and competence, especially when contrasted with the pro heroes who seem bored and eager to quit. That top image of her - worn out, depressed, exhausted and frustrated - is pretty haunting and striking. You see that and it captures the essence of this arc and all she’s had to face.

#9. I’LL SEE YOU IN THE FINALS (Chapter 35/Episode 21)

This moment was one of the first that really got me interested in Ochako. Watching the Sports Fest for the first time, i was convinced her jealousy of Mei and role as a sidekick meant all she would ever do was sidekick the leads...but then this moment came, and Ochako told them she would not be that, she wanted to make it on her own. We’re all rivals, Deku. HELL YEAH.

#8. THE FUTURE ISN’T SET IN STONE (Chapter 157/Episode 76)

While Uraraka’s defeating Overhaul and saving Nighteye are both badass scenes, the real highlight of her role in the Internship arc is this moment, where she hears the prophecy of Deku’s death and fights past her own exhaustion to declare that the prophecy of doom Nighteye has given will not come true. The animation particularly on this scene is exciting, badass and thrilling.

#7. “I’LL LET MY PARENTS HAVE AN EASY LIFE” Chapter 22/Episode 14

The moment of Uraraka’s backstory is the first indication of the real depth in her character, of the person she is and just how unconventional her motivation and backstory are. This scene and everything surrounding it - her motive, her phone call after her fight, her parents giving her permission to pursue her own dream - never fails to get me all teary eyed.

#6. “RUN, IIDA!” Chapter 18/Episode 11

Uraraka’s first foray into fighting villains was a real badass move. She unhesitatingly leapt to fight the 3rd strongest boss of the villains team, saving Iida and by extension everyone through a fearless, unhesitating action. It’s the first time we see Uraraka’s determined, “leap into battle” nature in action, and it’s a hell of a momorable moment.

#5. “I want to save people” (Chapter 163/Episode 78)

The moment where Uraraka officially switches her motivation from supporting her parents financially to being a hero who saves people. She’s feeling guilty for what happened to Sir Nighteye, she’s feeling like she didn’t do enough, and she has to ask herself what it is she really wants in life, in a touching interaction with her teacher. It’s great.

#4. “Gunhead Martial arts!” vs Toga (Chapter 80/Episode 44)

Uraraka’s first encounter with Toga is the first time we get to see her new martial arts moves in action against a real villain, and it is badass. She also has however the layers of her intense encounter with Toga - Toga reading her, getting to her, and the dramatic, striking angles of Ochako being undermined by her first Hannibal Lecture villain speech. Intense and dark.

#3. “Who helps a hero?” (Chapter 212)

Uraraka both leaps into danger again to save someone with no hesitation (winning, as an aside, 3/5ths of the match in the aftermath) and in her new flashbacks (her parent scenes always make me wibble) reveals that she’s been thinking about how protects heroes in danger. Can’t wait to see this bit animated in Season 5.

#2. “She was crying…” (Chapter 289)

Honestly every scene between Ochako and Toga is intense AF and darkly dramatic. The evil parallels, the intense chemistry, the badassery of their moves against each other. But this moment is cool not just for the action, but because for just a moment, Ochako feels something - sympathy, empathy - for her antagonist, sees her in tears and wonders perhaps if she can save her. She’s so empathetic and it’s amazing.

Hon mentions

Comet Home Run

Taking out Monoma and the others in the Joint Training Arc

Vs 13

Heroes Rising

#1. “Thank you, Bakugou.” (Chapter 35-36/Episode 22)

Bakugou vs Uraraka. Not just a character highlight but arguably a series highlight for me; this intense, dramatic, and heartbreaking battle is one of the first truly game-changing, emotional gut punches in the series - a turn of events and a subversion of expectations that I’ll never get over and that in Uraraka’s story has yet to be topped. Her ingeniousness, badassery, passion and the heartbreaking nature of her phone call to her parents are one of those MHA moments that just sticks with you, doesn’t leave you and hits every single time. Beautiful.

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verryberriess · 4 years

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In Our Reverie | Feysand Oneshot

A RIVETING COLLABORATION with my bff @maastrash!! :3 This was so SPICYYY to write! I hope you enjoy Feyre’s JOURNEY<<333 I love getting deeeeep into the mind of these characters :)

masterlist

Rating: T (adult themes)

Synopsis: Why does love feel the same as fear? When Rhys accidentally slips the ‘L’ word to Feyre during an argument, Feyre needs time to rethink whatever they may potentially have between them. (CANON AU)

When she thought of Rhys, she saw his piercing violet eyes flecked with starlight. She remembered the first time they had met: how she thought that he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. And when they were flying and were attacked from below, he had wrapped his wings around her to protect her. It reminded her of how she had always felt safe within his arms. But what feeling did that recall? Rhys had opened up to her about his vulnerabilities, but why couldn’t she do the same for him?

What did she really feel? Her mind told her one thing and her heart, another. She didn’t know what to think anymore-- didn’t know what to feel. Feyre lay awake staring at the painted walls of the ceiling, her mind in mayhem as they whirled over the events every night of what had occurred four days before. She couldn’t stop replaying the events over and over in her head, messing up her emotions and her usual, cool self.

They had been fighting.

“Why do you even care? ” Feyre had yelled at him. The frustration she had felt in that moment was undeniable. “Cassian, Azriel, Amren, and even Mor, are on board. What? Do you think I’m incapable? Because I’m not. I am not weak, Rhys. ”

“What do you mean, why do I even care?” Rhys replied, angrily. He had never been this out of control with her. The words were out before he could stop them. “Damn it Feyre! It’s because I love you!”

His eyes had widened as he realized what he confessed. The instant regret was clear on his face as he cleared his throat, watching Feyre’s reaction hesitantly.

She immediately stiffened, jaw dropping in shock. The frustration that filled her moments before was gone in an instant. She was suddenly disoriented, unable to speak, to think; all of her movements rendered to a stop.

She must’ve heard him wrong.

But…

Feyre took a step backwards, clenching and unclenching her fists. Repeating the movements kept her grounded, kept her from panicking. She continued, taking another step. And another. That is, until she ran into the wall behind her. The wall seemed to have broken Feyre out of her initial shock, because she looked up, surveying her surroundings. She could see Rhys, still standing there, trying to say something, but everything seemed to be muted. She turned, horrified to see the wide eyes of Mor, Cassian, Amren, and Azriel.

She could only imagine what she looked like right now.

Without another look back, she ran to her bedroom, slamming the door shut.

- - - - -

Feyre remained locked up in her room, refusing to face reality. She spent her time curled up in bed, accompanied by a few pillows, a blanket, and a book. She would occasionally get out of bed to paint-- her favorite pastime. Painting allowed her to visually manifest her frenzied thoughts. In her current state, her fingers had physically tingled for an outlet. Only, when she did let her fingers put her into practice, they seemed to take orders from her heart. She immediately regretted the hours that she had painted from her heart. But... that time had also allowed her to put some things into perspective. Her paintings showed her what she had deeply yearned for. What she had been convincing herself otherwise of.

Once she broke out of her reverie that was her painting, she realized what she had painted on the past three canvases. All of the three paintings had one thing in common: they undoubtedly showcased her true feelings.

However, Feyre’s third painting stunned her the most. She had painted into life one of her utmost private dreams. It was a close-up painting of her and Rhys entangled with the sheets and with each other. Her arms hung around his neck, as she lazily settled around his torso. Feyre studied the gaze of the girl in the painting, whose blue-grey eyes stared at Rhys with a passionate intensity. An expression full of so much emotion, one would be considered stupid to misidentify it. It was so plain and obvious. It was love.

And the look on Rhys’ face mirrored the girl’s own. One hand held the side of her face, cupping her jaw, tilting her towards him for a kiss.

How she wished the painting was actually reality. She was envious of her own painting.

But now one thing was for certain…. And it only took her to paint what she had truly desired, deep down, what she had always known.

Feyre’s thoughts were shaken by a soft knock at the door. She persisted to lay in bed a minute longer after the knock sounded, weighing her options in whether or not to open it. She already knew who was behind the door, but she didn’t know if she would ever be ready to confront Rhys ever again.

He loved her, and she had turned away.

She now recognized what she felt for him, but she had run away. Ran away like she had always done in her life. Ran away from the person she’s finally acknowledged her feelings for because she had originally feared to face them. And yet, now she craved his presence. She wanted his warmth, the safety of his wings. She wanted to smile back at his crooked smile and to reciprocate to him all of what he’s done for her. But she was scared. Feyre was so scared she had ruined that chance with him. All because she had run away.

Ultimately, Feyre made up her mind to answer the door. She tugged herself out of the sheets and hopped off the bed, quickly making her way to the door. She leaned herself against the door, preparing herself to see him. Reaching up to the knob, her fingers closed around it, gently pulling open the door to reveal a tired-looking Rhys.

Sallow-eyed with dark circles rimmed underneath, Rhys stood before her looking much less like her usual, powerful high lord. There was no gleam to his eyes. The stars that usually flecked in them-- dead. His stubble had grown out, and his hair was so messed up, as if he had run his hands through it a thousand times in the last few days. He faced Feyre with his eyes downcast, his mouth pressed into a grim line.

But slowly, he looked up, “Feyre, I…” Rhysand stopped himself, seeming to choose his words carefully. “You’ve been avoiding me,” Rhysand said softly. It wasn’t a question.

“I’ve just been thinking.”

Once again, the immeasurable silence swallowed up the words of their unspoken conversation. Words had been stolen from the both of them. They didn’t know what to say to each other.

“Rhys,” Feyre felt her eyes well up, deep inside. She struggled to keep them from flowing, but she felt, too, too much. They spilt over, coursing down her cheeks, like a never ending flow. “I was thinking about when times were simpler, thinking… what if four days ago had never happened?”

Rhys immediately winced from Feyre’s words. He looked pained.

Feyre wondered how anything could ever go back to normal between them. She wished to go back to those simpler times, where she laughed with everyone, smiled so easily, and the sole thing that united her and Rhys and everyone else was their determination to save Pyrthian. But she knew how naive that was now, especially now. Although those times were only a few days ago, before Rhysand had said anything, before she had really forced herself to put her own feelings into perspective, it seemed like an eternity had passed since then.

Despite herself, Feyre realized that what she had wished for was selfish of her. There was simply no going back. Because going back to those simpler times would have meant she would be ignoring Rhys’ feelings again. It meant continuing to pretend that what she felt didn’t exist. And it meant that she would continue to hurt Rhys.

“Feyre, look at me.” Rhys called, his voice cracked.

She refused. She was scared to look up at him, afraid to see the pain in his face. Because it hurt her. His pain was hers.

Before she could comprehend what had happened, Feyre was pressed against the wall. Rhys’ arms caged her. His arms extended besides her head to lock her in place. His torso leaned onto hers, pressing Feyre into the wall further; her palms laid flat against the surface. Rhys leaned forward, his breath tickled the tips of her ears as he whispered, “I’m not leaving until we talk.”

Feyre could hear her heart raging. It pulsed in a uniform fire of rapid beats, so loudly she felt like its animated fervor would explode out of her chest. She could feel her cheeks redden, her insides getting increasingly hot. She focused on the suddenly interesting-looking ground, trying to steady herself against Rhys’ gaze. This was Rhysand’s effect on her, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

She felt one of Rhys’ hands cup her face gently. He tilted her face upwards, so she faced him directly.

“What do you want me to say Rhys? These past few days, I’ve had a lot of time to think.” Feyre started, “About how my heart beats ten million times faster whenever I’m around you. So fast that I feel like it might just beat right out of my chest.” She closed her eyes and took a breath, “That I can’t feel anything but fear whenever I look at you, whenever I’m with you.”

Rhysand narrowed his eyes at hers. He had the twinkle in them again. His violet eyes laced with stars flickered in amusement. He had the audacity to be amused now?

And now it was just them and the silence again. But… something in the atmosphere had changed.

Rhys leaned in further against her and folded his arms around her form. Feyre tried to struggle against his grip, but he was too strong. He pulled her into him, against his own chest, so she wasn’t alongside the wall anymore, but with him, within his arms. The tension in the air had been replaced with a different kind.

The navy blue chemise barely shielded her body against the rough, hard surface that was Rhys. Enclosed within his arms, her heart picked up, as if it wasn’t already so fast only seconds ago. He allowed her room to look up at him, so she met his eyes, which burned with some all-consuming fire that it was too hard for her to look away towards anything else.

He softly inquired, “Feyre darling, why must love feel the same as fear?”

And then it was out there.

Once upon a time, Feyre loved. And the person she thought she loved had loved her back twice as much, so much so that their love had mutated into something else. It had begun to poison her. At the time, she feared for her own person, afraid of what she was going to turn into. But she still slowly lost herself. Sometime in the process during those days, she didn’t recognize the girl who looked back at her in the mirror. Her loss bloomed its own ugly in her: emptiness, indifference, blindness.

The person she was now, was in thanks to Rhys, who had saved her from that terrible, deep, dark hole. In Rhys, she had another chance-- for peace, and love, that is. So, that is why she would trust him. She would let down all of the walls in her mind for him, let her invade her heart, and would honor him with her own rendition of love for him.

Feyre reached to trace the contours of Rhys’ face. Her thumb gently caressed his cheekbones, having her knuckles skim across the sharpness of his jaw. She let out a shuddered sigh, expressing, “Then I am scared of you, and in love with you at the same time.”

Rhys buried himself in her long, wavy locks, to breathe in her scent of lilac and pear.

“We can’t ever go back-- back to four days ago. Because I want to move forward with you, Rhys. ”

Feyre didn’t know who moved first, but suddenly her body was tugged against Rhys’ once more and her fingers were tangled into his ebony strands. His kiss came upon her like a storm. Their locked lips was one that evoked lust, a certain primal hunger for each other that couldn’t be sated by any ordinary means. No, she couldn’t get enough of him from this kiss alone, even when her tongue danced with his in an outrageous tango that left her unable to breathe. She silently wished she didn’t have to take these needless breaths of air-- wished she was born without the need for this suddenly useless ability that impeded her desire. They moved in a synchronized rhythm, their heads angled in a way to complement the other person, in tune with each other’s movements.

Feyre hopped up, using the momentum to wrap her legs around his waist. She clung to him as he stumbled forward to set her on the dresser. There was not one moment where they weren’t connected. They continued their reverie of kisses, but Rhys had neglected her mouth only to keep the rest of her body accompanied. He started down her lips, trailing downwards to her chin, the edge of her jaw, down to the crook of her neck to sample the flesh of her shoulders. He was relentless in his attacks; every time she needed to take a breath, she had to skip to her next gasp of air. Nevertheless, she couldn’t deny the fire in her veins. It felt as if someone had extinguished all of the dread and ugly from inside of her and filled her up to the brim with happiness and love and everything sweet. She was so alive. Feyre was home.

“I love you, Rhys,” Feyre gasped, unable to contain herself any longer. She was so happy.

Rhy slowed his movements, leaving ghosts of his kisses haunt her being, “Say that again,” Rhys breathed.

Feyre tugged Rhys’ face towards hers, beaming at him, and repeated her words, “I love you, I love you.”

Rhys lifted Feyre’s chemise from her frame, ripping the offending fabric and casting it from his path, so she was fully naked, besides the lacy underthings that she had donned earlier that day. “Again.” Without delay, Feyre had slipped off Rhys’ loose, black shirt, tugging it off his bulk, over his head. No longer separated by the thin barrier the fabrics of their clothes had unknowingly established, they were free to roam the other’s bodies, touching and feeling as if the other was make-believe.

In a whirlwind frenzy of pleasure and sweat, the sound of wingbeats boomed. Feyre opened her eyes a fraction, realizing that Rhys had let out his wings, his magnificent, glorious wings. They flapped once, twice, leaving rushes of air around them. Undeterred, Rhys advanced to lick and kiss his way all around her, and Feyre obliged him. He continued his journey down towards the apex of her thighs, carefully laying upon kiss upon kiss as if in a silent prayer to her grace. She was his muse, after all. Feyre prompted, “I’ve loved you for so long and I’m sorry it took so long for me to realize it, but I love you Rhys, my mate.”

Rhys stopped all movement. Stunned, eyes wide, he descended upon her, in a ravenous, animalistic rage, and closed his wings around them both.

- - - - - -

Tags: @maastrash @b00kworm @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln

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ceruleanwhore · 4 years

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Let’s talk about LoK’s shit worldbuilding

Technology is what I’ve seen the most people the most opinionated about, so that’s where I’ll start. Plenty of people out there share my opinion that having LoK be set in basically the American 20s is just some really shitty worldbuilding but I’ve also encountered plenty more who are of the opinion that since it’s technically possible, that means it’s good. For those who aren’t aware: just because something is technically possible does NOT make it good. AtLA is set in a more traditional fantasy world with a hard magic system where the setting, character design, and everything else are meant to feel older (even though this time it isn’t modeled after Europe). There is some technology in AtLA and what is shown works with the nature of their world and their society so it isn’t like, say, a lamppost from England being dropped right into this little fantasy world and disrupting things. The trains in Ba Sing Se are a perfect example of this with how they are operated by benders and also fit, visually, with the surrounding buildings and whatnot.

The issue with LoK is that it seems that there was no real thought around the development and incorporation of new technology in the context of the world. Instead, it’s as though they copied and pasted the American 20s in there and it’s really jarring. This would be the part where I said that just because it’s possible doesn’t mean it’s good writing- just because our industrial revolution was at breakneck speed doesn’t mean that having your fantasy world develop the same way is a good idea. For a little context, let’s compare this to the Lord of the Rings. Imagine that Christopher Tolkien one day decided to write a whole new four part series set a century after the end of Return of the King. So now, seemingly out of nowhere, boom, technology. Minas Tirith is basically 1920s Chicago, they have cars and stuff. And the thing is that there was a little bit of technology in LotR, just like with AtLA, so that is a fair comparison.

Also, like I said earlier, it feels lazy with how they’re just throwing in some of these different types of technology. For example, a glove that electrocutes people with no explanation whatsoever on how it works doesn’t make sense. Not to mention, the fact that anything relies on lightning bending, which is SUPPOSED to be super fucking rare (more on that later) is beyond stupid.

I think this reflects an ongoing issue with Korra where they clearly think that they should be trying to make things more “realistic” but either don’t realize or don’t care that in the process they’re wrecking that ‘fantasy’ feel their world used to have, which brings us to our next topic: people.

Just like how they decided to go the ‘realism’ route with a breakneck industrial revolution, they also decided to go that same route with homosexuality and, more importantly, homophobia. Friendly reminder that if you’re writing fantasy and you spice it some with some good, wholesome gay content, you DO NOT have to ruin it with fucking homophobia. It’s supposed to be fantasy, you dense fuck. It has its own problems but the Dragon Prince is an absolutely perfect example of how to write gayness in fantasy, i.e., perfectly common with zero homophobia to be seen. Writing it like Bryke did just to double down on “it’s been like 90 years since the war ended but did you know the Fire Nation is fucking TERRIBLE and Sozin is basically HITLER?” is weak, stupid, and fucking annoying.

The other thing I want to touch on is race. Basically, put whoever you want in your story and have them look however you want them to look but keep in mind that the way you do or do not introduce groups of people can affect the quality of your writing. What I mean is that with a fantasy universe like this, it’s all wysiwyg. When the gaang traveled around *the world* meeting and interacting with all kinds of people from all kinds of places in all 3 remaining nations (and showing memories of the air nomads that are now gone), that’s your chance to showcase all that wonderful diversity. By the end of the series, when their tour of the whole world is over, you should have a complete picture.

Again, think about LotR for a second. By the end of Return of the King, you’ve encountered all the different types of men that ever existed in any of Tolkien’s writings (kinda sorta including the dunedain, and there’s even a reference or two in there with Aragorn tying that in all nicely), multiple kinds of elves, dwarves, goblins, hobbits, ents, huorns, the eagles, Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, the Nazgul, and multiple maiar (some good, some corrupt). The only race that hasn’t appeared in any of this that does exist in Tolkien’s other works is the valar but, otherwise, you, as the reader, along with characters like Frodo have been introduced to each and every race in middle earth, and, frankly, the Valar can be excused because they all are in the Undying Lands (plus Manwe might have been mentioned with the eagles.) Now, compare that to LoK where, with a Rowling level of retconning, they decided to just add some more races out of nowhere with no explanation 90 years or whatever after the original series.

I just know that, for myself, I would’ve loved to see all this included from the beginning and incorporated into the original series and the travels of the gaang. Instead, we have it so AtLA is pretty set one way and then in LoK there’s just that one random dude with an afro and then, going into the comics afterwards, they decided to start incorporating different races in a way that feels like a JK Rowling tweet (“Hermione was black all along, even though I described her in the books as having light skin and picked a white actress to play her, I swear!”) So, basically, when you’re writing fantasy, you kind of have to include everything like that because that’s how the genre works and it’s not like in normal fiction where you can just have a black character without any explanation. Once again, the difference between how fantasy writing works and things being “realistic”.

As for realism, yanking the white lotus out into the open by their ear like an errant child is so unspeakably dumb and unrealistic. They’re a SECRET society who transcend the four nations and operate in SECRET jfc. After the war ended and the old folks home was no longer fighting the Fire Nation, the rest of them should’ve been able to go back into hiding no problem. But to drag their asses into this mess just to make them like Korra’s personal bodyguards and guards at high security prisons is so fucking stupid it hurts.

So then, to finish this up, let’s talk about bending. First off, there’s the issue of how bending forms have just… ceased to exist and/or been replaced with vague yet aggressive punching. Remember when Katara had to learn all those water bending stances and there was even a scroll of them? Or when Aang had to learn fire bending forms from Zuko? Well fuck that, now everyone can just punch at stuff instead. Never been able to airbend even with what should be proper form? Try waving your fist around!

The other thing is how so many of these characters are just “so naturally gifted” and can either successfully bend well with little to no experience or casually do stuff that’s supposed to be hella difficult. An example of the first point is Zaheer who just got his airbending like 3 days prior but suddenly can fucking fly and an example of the latter would be the blood bending, just all of it. That’s kind of another thing, though, how they’ve taken these things that were special and notoriously difficult and then watered them down and made it so literally everyone can do it. You know how lightning bending was a really cool thing only Ozai and Azula, the Fire Lord and princess who are both also known to be especially skilled benders, could do? Not anymore, now pretty much any fire bender with a pulse can shoot lightning out of their fingers. Same goes for blood and metal bending.

Also, can I just say that I’m mad at how pro bending was done? The earth bending stuff with the Boulder and all that worked because that framework of wrestling is really well suited to the element. Now, it’s what I’ve been saying where it’s like ‘oh yeah we can just put all the elements together in this boxing type shit because everyone in this fucking series can bend by punching, right?’ They had an awesome opportunity here to figure out different styles of fighting sports tailored to the different types of bending and they said ‘nope, fuck you’ and gave us that shit. Or just sports, in general, based around if the people playing and benders and, if so, what type of bending they have.

The last main thing with bending though is the absolute horseshit of harmonic convergence and kinda just season 2 in general. For starters, Korra getting her bending back because dead Aang was like “here ya go” was bullshit. I feel like it would’ve been better if that had been when Unalaq got introduced as her spiritual guide and, through working with him, she eventually was able to reach Wan, see his whole backstory like we got in episode 7, and then, afterwards, she could contact Raava directly and somehow with her get her bending back. Then, afterwards, she could go back to Republic City and give everyone their bending back and start helping with reconstruction from Amon. Season 2 doesn’t need a villain and it most certainly does NOT need that dumbass ‘dark avatar’ bullshit.

Also, in terms of the air bending, seriously, fuck that shit. If air bending is going to come back then maybe, I don’t know, after following my other advice have Korra realize that not only can she take bending away (like Aang) but she can also give it so she could just go around to all the acolytes and make them airbenders. Or, if that would fuck up the balance or some shit, have her go around and make all the people who lost their bending to Amon into a fresh batch of air benders. You can’t really introduce something like energy bending and then expect us to believe that the only way to bring air bending back is for Aang to fuck a lot and then rely on following generations and subsequent incest, plus hc is fucking stupid when you have a character who can straight up just give people bending.

Oh and all that convergence shit brings up my last point of discussion, the way they retconned and fucked up the lore. Just like with what they did with lightning, blood, lava, and metal bending, they also decided to just do everything they could with those fucking turtles. Just like with Azula’s lightning bending, the entire fucking reason the lion turtle works so well is because of how it is so rare and special and all that so once you take that away, it doesn’t matter anymore smh. For most peope, champagne is special. You know why? Because most of us aren’t out here drinking the shit by the gallon every day. So yeah, between that and the way they threw away already established lore (that was further reinforced by experiences of characters in the show) makes it just a big old “yike”. All they had to do was fanagle a bit to keep Raava and Vaatu but ditch the whole hc shitshow and just maintain the parts that are already established.

#anti lok #bad worldbuilding #bad writing #anti legend of korra #lok #legend of korra #avatar #lok critical #lok criticism #legend of korra criticism #korra criticism #korra critical

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khafe · 4 years

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Episode 1: Our Journey Begins

Below is a transcription of episode 1 of Kingdom Hearts: A Forgotten Era

Laina: Hello everyone and welcome to Kingdom Hearts: A Forgotten Era, an actual play podcast set in the universe of Kingdom Hearts,60 years before the events of Birth by Sleep. We will be playing Interstitial: Our Hearts Intertwined, a game made by Riley Hopkins. You can find them at @RevRyeBread on Twitter. To start things off, I would like everyone to introduce themselves, say your name and pronouns. I'm Laina. I use she/her and they/them pronouns and I will be running this game.

Isiah: Hi, I'm Isiah, I use he/him and they/them pronouns.

Nathan: Hi, I'm Nathan, I use he/him pronouns.

Theo: I'm Griffin McElroy. No, I'm Theo, I use he/him.

Rem:I'm Rem, I use they/them pronouns.

Val: Hi, I'm Val, and I use she her pronouns.

Laina: Alright, so, our story begins with our cameras zoomed out, showcasing a city built on a hill surrounded by water. The camera quickly swoops across the entirety of the city, and we watch his children run through the street, as couriers deliver mail to many of the homes, guards patrol the city, working to keep everyone safe, and students wielding strange key shaped weapons spar with each other. Our camera zooms back out, showcasing the whole city once again, and the words "Scala ad Caelum" appear on screen. The camera lingers on the shot of the city for a while before zooming into the top of the city. A large spire with blade spinning in the wind, much like a windmill. Our camera zooms in even further into an open window at the top of this building. And we see two kids playing a game of chess, one dressed in white and one dressed in black. The boy in black has lost this game but the boy in white suggests a new game when they haven't played before. He brings out five white pieces and seven black pieces. Both of the boys smile at each other and begin playing this new game. But before we see the results of it, our camera zooms back out, this time zooming in on an open clearing, where four warriors wielding keyblades are sparring against one another.

Laina: One of these keyblade wielders is in an outfit far fancier than the rest of them. Rem, I would like you to briefly introduce your character.

Rem: Yeah, I'm playing Aesa, she's gonna be using a custom playbook called the Henshin, it's a transforming character playbook. She's currently trying her hardest but she's not very good at this yet. She’s just kind of flailing around a little bit in her little pink hoodie with the cat ears.

Laina: Okay, so our camera pans over to the person that she is sparring with. This person is using a wooden keyblade, but that doesn't seem to be stopping her determination. Theo I would like you to introduce your character.

Theo: I would be pleased too. I'm playing Zenica, the hunted. She's dressed mostly varying shades of green. She's got a green leather jacket going, with a green scarf over top. Wearing jeans and a pair of green sneakers. She's, probably in the fight, she's probably not using the wooden keyblade as you're meant to use a keyblade, she's probably using a little bit more just like how you would use a normal stick. She's probably doing pretty good in this fight, like in a good natured way, she's not just being mean and smacking the shit out of Aesa.

Laina: Okay, so our camera pulls away from Aesa and Zenica and moves to one of the couriers in the city. This one is a man with short curly brown hair, dressed in baggy clothes. Nathan, I would like you to introduce your character.

Nathan: My character's name is Celeritas Quickfoot. He's going to be using the Knucklehead playbook, and he is just a super friendly, just the most shounen protagonist, shounen protagonist in all but the genre of thing we're doing.

Laina: Alright, so our camera pans back to the open clearing and we focus on the other set of keyblade wielders sparring against each other. This next keyblade wielder is a slightly older looking man. He is using a metal keyblade and one that is reminiscent of a rapier. I would like you to introduce your character Isiah.

Isiah: So, his name is Imber. He is the Discarded playbook. And I think right now he is sort of sparring kind of defensively looking for an opening.

Laina: Okay. Our final Keyblade wielder is wielding a keyblade that looks like a blank car or house key. Last but not least, I would like you to introduce your character, Val.

Val: My character is Milo, he is the Dark playbook, and he is definitely a more aggressive fighter. He is trying to break down Imbers defenses and, sort of, whacking determinately at the blade to sort of throw him off balance.

Laina: All right. So as each of you are going about your day you receive a message saying that the keyblade wielder, Master Nalia, who all of you study under wishes to speak with you immediately.

Laina: You all make your way to the same clearing that the keyblade wielders were training at and meet with Master Nalia. Master Nalia is a young keyblade master with pink hair dressed in the regalia expected of a keyblade master. As you all arrive, she says, "Ah, it's good to see you all. I'm very glad that you got my message. We don't know why, but many of the world's have begun to fall to darkness. And I trust that you students will be able to save them. I've arranged a ship to take you between worlds and have opened up the lanes in between. And if you are all ready to go, you can set off at once. Are there any questions?"

Theo: Sorry, what?

Rem: Aesa's gonna shyly raise her hand and be like, "Are you sure you want me to go?"

Isiah: Imber is going to raise his hand and kind of look at Milo, a little bit and be like, "Are you sure you want all of us to go?"

Nalia: I am positive. I've seen your training and I feel that you are the best picks to go.

Zenica: Master Nalia, I've been here about a week and a half, I appreciate the compliment, but I don't remember this being part of what the tuition fees are paying for. I don't remember signing on for this.

Theo: And Zenica is saying all of this with a smile on her face, but she is very clearly like, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit."

Laina: She kind of like, laughs a little bit at that and she's like, "Being keyblade wielders you are expected to save the worlds when it needs to happen. This is very much something you signed on for."

Imber: Are you sure that we are all capable of that?

Nalia: I'm positive.

Rem: Aesa tries not to look too hurt.

Nathan: Also, another important question, is Celeritas there?

Laina: Celeritas is there.

Nathan: Okay, okay. He managed to make it in time.

Theo: "Wait I need to give this again, give me like ten minutes fam." Has to go get him from outside.

Nathan: This man had to spring through the rest of his deliveries for the day to make it back to this field in time.

Isiah: Celeritas dived in through the window.

Laina: Everyone just waited for you.

Theo: Celeritas just has his head in a trash can and a mop bucket, and like, "Wait what?"

Nathan: And he still has his couriers bag with him at all times, because obviously.

Laina: Yeah.

Theo: Alright, so I think Zenica is not sure how she can nope out of this without arousing more suspicion so she's just gonna shut up and kind of look panicked.

Rem: Aesa just definitely feels like the weak link right now.

Val: Milo puffs out his chest and is just like,"All of you guys have worked with me and obviously if you guys worked with me ,you have potential, we've worked with Master Nalia, we have potential. All we have to do is follow our power and we can get through this."

Theo: Cool speech pat.

Laina: She points out at Milo and is like, "That's the kind of attitude that I'm here for."

Val: Oh, he's preening he is, he is definitely like, puffing out his chest and like looking very pleased with himself.

Theo: Zenica is definitely like rubbing the back of her neck and kind of like, kicking the floor and is like, "So are we gonna go ahead and go then? Question mark?"

Isiah: Imber goes, "Is there any more information that you can give us about what exactly we need to do?"

Theo: Nope, bye!

Imber: Want to maybe give us a debriefing?

Rem: Or a briefing.

Nalia: I need you to eliminate the heartless in each of these worlds and then seal the keyhole.

Theo: (Laughs)

Rem: Aesa is gonna summon and unsummon her keyblade a couple of times, and then say, "Yeah, we can do that."

Isiah: Imber goes, "I suppose I will do my best to make you proud."

Nalia: That is always my hope.

Nathan: Celeritas is just really excited that he gets a chance to now deliver mail across dimensions.

Isiah: You're like, "Oh boy I can't wait to deliver more things on this quest."

Nathan: Hell yeah. Courier by nature and courier by trade.

Theo: Celeritas is gonna kill the final boss of this campaign and be like, "Express shipping, two days or less. Bitch."

Nathan: Celeritas grabs a sign post, slams it into the final boss... Oh, I had a one-liner, and it's gone now. Damn it.

Isiah: “Special delivery,” and then a punch in the face.

Nathan: That was it. I was gonna say, "Special delivery." Damn it Isiah.

Theo: "Through rain or sleet or snow."

Laina: Oh I love this.

Theo: Can we just hard cut and we're walking to the gummi ship or whatever it's called?

Laina: Yeah, you can, you're walking to the--.

Theo: Wait, I have one more question!

Isiah: Just a screen wipe.

Laina: Well actually, as you all get ready to leave, Nalia stops Imber and Milo and says, "You two, think of this as a test. I want nothing more than for you to prove to me that you're ready to become a keyblade master. But I need to be shown that you have it in you to become a master. This is your chance to show me that, and I very much hope that you will succeed." And she gives you a bow and then sends you on your way.

Val: Milo is literally like vibrating and then goes still. And then he looks at Imber, and he's just like, and he's like-

Theo: That was the weirdest thing.

Val: He's like, "I get the feeling that you don't think I can do this."

Imber: I, I definitely believe that you can. I'm concerned that you won't.

Val: I don't know how to answer that, and he's going to walk away.

Nathan: Celeritas just runs up, "Hey guys what's up?" Sees the conversation is awkward, instantly backs out.

Theo: Yo, there's leather upholstery in here!

Val: Milo kind of brusquely moves past Celeritas.

Celeritas: Cool, cool, cool, picked a bad time, I'll just go that way.

Theo: There's LaCroix in here!

Isiah: So I guess, we all get to- Is there gonna be a gummi ship?

Laina: There is a gummi ship, yeah.

Theo: It's the Ebon Hawk from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. That's canon.

Laina: Well actually, technically Star Wars isn't canon in the Kingdom Hearts universe.

Theo: You're gonna have a fun job editing this aren't you?

All: (Laughs)

Laina: No, I'm keeping that in.

Rem: Oh that's all being kept.

Theo:I wanna say, the idea that I would like to put forward, just to move things along, when they're getting into the gummi ship, Zenica sees the last seat available is beside Milo, and she sits as far on the edge of her seat as she can. Casually, not making a big deal, just like, "Hey, what's up?" Kind of sitting on the arm.

Nathan: Celeritas, before going to gummi ship, went back and dropped by his siblings to tell them he'll be out for a bit.

Theo: Fucking brag. Oh.

Nathan: No.

Rem: Aesa, definitely, definitely had a moment where she didn't have any stuff to work through. So she got in immediately and in her front of the class mentality, she immediately sat in the pilots seat, looked down, realized it was the pilot seat, and got back up.

All: (Laughs)

Laina: Yeah I was gonna ask...

Theo: And then none of us sat in the pilot seat because none of us- Nalia is like, "I feel like I forgot something... Oh no."

Isiah: Which one of us is gonna be the pilot?

Theo: Wait a minute. If you have daddy issues and I have daddy issues, then who's flying this thing?

Celeritas: Don't worry guys, I got this!

Nathan: And then cuts to the outside of the gummi ship as everyone is screaming as Celeritas (inaudible).

Val: Milo is reaching forward for the controls like, "This was a mistake, this was a mistake to let you drive."

Rem: Does the gummi ship still run on smiles?

Laina: The gummi ship 100% still runs on smiles. So really, it's the best that Celeritas is driving.

Rem: Aesa and Celeritas are gonna have to fuel this thing by themselves.

Nathan: Celeritas is absolutely grinning like a maniac the whole time.

Val: Milo was feeling happy.

Isiah: So I think Imber is probably the last to get on. And I think before stepping on, he sort of like turns around and looks at like Scala ad Caelum, and the place that he has been in for so long. And he just sort of takes in a deep breath and exhales and then walks onto the ship.

Laina: Hell yeah. Okay.

Laina: So as you all get inside, the ship--.

Isiah: Hell yeah, breathing.

Laina: Hell yeah, I mean that is very important.

Laina: As you all get inside the gummi ship, the ship takes off and heads into the Ocean Between. As you leave Scala ad Caelum, you see three more worlds, and the names of each world pops up above the world. The worlds you see in front of you are called the Mystery Shack, Atlantis and the Incan Empire. Which would you all like to go to first?

Theo: Incan Empire, right now!

Isiah: I just want to say I immediately got excited by all three of those.

Theo: Yes. These are three very good pulls.

Rem: Just hard left to the Mystery Shack.

Theo: All of our characters are gonna be possessed by like unknown spirits, and yanking at the wheel at opposite directions.

Theo: But also I guess, Celeritas is the one at the pilot seat so he has the final vote.

Val and Isiah: (Laughs)

Rem: Oh shit, that's true.

Theo: We're all like, "What are these places I have no preference."

Rem: We're just gonna have that Kingdom Hearts 1 moment of fighting over the wheel and crashing in Deep Jungle.

Isiah: Of course it would be Deep Jungle.

Theo: Which ever one we pick we just end up in somewhere else.

Nathan: By virtue of my character being the one in the driver seat, Celeritas just says to himself, "Huh, that sounds fun," and goes towards the Mystery Shack.

Rem: Hell yeah.

Theo: Oh God.

Laina: Heck yeah, I was honestly really hoping that that would be the first one you picked.

Rem: I can't wait to use a transformation sequence in front of Mabel Pines.

Theo: "Wait, who's Mabel Pines?" Says Zenica, "I wonder what's at this mystery shack."

Nathan: "It's a mystery." Celeritas laughs to himself quietly.

Val: Milo is very confused and he's like, "How are we gonna save the world at a shack?"

Zenica: That's the mystery!

Celeritas: No way to find out but to do it!

Milo: Yeah, I suppose.

Imber: I wonder what kind of mysteries will be found here in this shack.

Theo: Plot twist, we're going into Supernatural instead.

Laina:That would be a twist. So, as you make your decision, the ship takes off into that direction. Considering you don't have the most training with flying a gummi ship, you make your way to the aforementioned shack and you crash into the top of it.

Rem: Oh no.

Nathan: That tracks.

Isiah: Do we knock off any letters?

Theo: It has to be while Soos is replacing the S, that has to be canon.

Laina: Yeah, yeah 100%.

Theo: He's gonna have to climb down the ladder and be like, "There, good job done." And then we drive by and it just falls off again.

Imber: Theo that was such a good Soos impression.

Laina: That was a really good Soos.

Theo, as Soos: There we go.

Nathan: You're voicing Soos from now on.

Theo: I know what character I'm being when Zenica dies.

Rem: So what I'm hearing is we're pulling a Stitch commercial.

Laina: Yeah, basically. So you've landed inside of the shack, and you hear the sound of two children screaming.

Theo: Like in fear or like arguing?

Isiah: Well, we just crashed into a building .So probably, probably not excitement, that's for sure.

Val: I think Milo immediately like, wants to react to children screaming with a like, "Oh, we gotta figure out like, like, I don't want people to be afraid. So, you know, as long as like, it's people who don't deserve to be afraid." So he's gonna try and like... Milo's got issues, guys, I think we've established this, and he's gonna he's gonna try and sort of like be the first one out of the door and see, you know what he can do to help out.

Theo: Is the door leading inside the shack or onto the roof?

Laina: You landed on the roof.

Theo: But is the door leading inside, because you said we crashed into the place.

Laina: Yeah, it's leading inside.

Nathan: Celeritas is profusely apologizing for crashing everyone into a building.

Isiah: Imber's consoling him.

Theo: Zenica's following Milo out the front, and is like dusting her shoulder, looking back at Celeritas like, "Celeritas, you're fine." Looks at the kids like, "Sup." Flips them a peace sign.

Isiah: Laina, I have a question.

Laina: I have an answer.

Isiah: Were we told to protect the world border?

Laina: Oh my god, you were not.

Theo: Cut back to Nalia, "I feel like I forgot to say something, oh no!"

Laina: No, that 100% happens.

Theo: She's like drinking a cup of tea and it's like, "Oh no, oh shit.”

Isiah: You can, you can burn a link to make a mild retcon so.

Laina: I mean, I can't burn. I don't think I can do that. That's up to y'all.

Rem: I'm sure that Nalia has links with all of us that she can burn.

Nathan: Besides, she's the GM, you're god, you can do whatever.

Laina: Yeah, that's true. I'm gonna say you were you were told that.

Rem: Were or were not?

Laina: You were told to maintain the world border.

Laina: So in front of you, you see a kid, a very slightly shorter kid wearing a hat with a blue tree on it. And next to him is a slightly taller kid wearing a pink... What's the word? Sweater. That's the word.

Val: Como se dice?

Laina: And the girl in the pink sweater is like, "Oh my gosh, are you like, are you aliens?" And you see the the boy in the hat is like flipping through a journal he has that has a handprint and then the letter three. The letter letter three?

Theo: The letter three.

Laina: The number three on it.

Theo: The letter three. That was my favorite Kubrick film.

Val: Milo is going to take stock of the situation. He is going to run a hand under his long white braid. And he's going to look at both children and say, "Yes."

Isiah: Of course. Immediately blows our cover.

Rem: Aesa has just emerged from the gummi ship, and is like--.

Val: I feel like, I feel like if they think we're aliens, I think that's better than them thinking that we're keyblade wielders trying to...

Isiah: I guess that's fair.

Nathan: Aliens is better than interdimensional travelers. That is a sentence I never thought I'd say.

Theo: Zenica just immediately pushes past Milo and is like, "Hey kids, sup? Also aliens, what are those?" I had a line and forgot it.

Laina: The girl in the pink sweater is, the girl in the pink sweater is kind of jumping up and down. She's like, "Oh my gosh, we've ever met aliens before."

Nathan: "Hello!" Celeritas says, popping out of the door. "Has anything weird happened lately? I mean, besides us."

Laina: Oh yeah, there's been there's been a bunch of hauntings around the place.

Nathan: Is that normal for here, or weird for here?

Laina: Well, we've encountered ghosts before. So it's not that weird.

Nathan: Oh, nice.

Isiah: That sounds normal.

Nathan: I was going for, you know, Celeritas was asking if anything weird has happened, and it's Gravity Falls, so.

Laina: Yeah, things are always weird in Gravity Falls.

Val: Milo is really interested in this book, and the child that has not spoken yet, and so he's like trying to like sort of like crouch because he's very tall. And so he's like trying to crouch and sort of look at the book that like the child is flipping through. And he's like, "What are you trying to read?"

Laina: So the kid in the blue hat- I'm just going to say their names from now on, even though they haven't introduced themselves.

Zenica: By the way, what are your names?

Laina: The girl in the pink sweater is like, "Oh, I'm Mable and this is my twin brother Dipper."

Laina: And Dipper is like, "Oh, this book is..." And he closes it. "It's a secret."

Theo: Zenica immediately rolls up and picks the book out of his hands and starts flipping through it. Very casually, not like a schoolyard bully, just picks it up and starts like, "Hmm."

Rem: Aesa is gonna give him back the book.

Theo: I feel like as she walks past, Aesa walks past the other way.

Rem:She's just like, "No."

Laina: Dipper kind of glares up at Zenica, and then is like, "Thank you," to Aesa.

Theo: "So, that was a lot. I only got a few pages of that. Is a kid like you old enough to be reading a book like that?" She says teasingly.

Dipper: I'll have you know that I am almost 13 years old.

Zenica: Almost 13 years old, that's a crazy age.

Rem: Aesa immediately goes into traumutizing flashbacks of when she was almost 13 years old.

Isiah: Imber goes, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but does that mean that you are 12?"

Laina: Mabel is like, "Yeah, we're 12."

Theo: The geometry gif of like, the fucking, almost 13. Uhhh.

Isiah: Imber nods thoughtfully.

Milo: It even means that they're both 12, Imber, because they're twins.

Nathan: To be fair... Oh, they did say they were twins. Anyway.

Val: Milo's gonna put out two hands towards the twins and be like, "I'm Milo"

Laina: They both shake your hand and Mabels like, "I'm Mable," again even though she already introduced herself.

Theo: Zenica's gonna hop on one of the beds, like sort of reclining, like, "So sorry to crash in like this, but we're looking for something, I guess, right?" And she sort of looks at Imber reflexively, sort of mouthing like...

Imber: I say, "Yes, we are searching for a dark forces that may have appeared recently."

Celeritas: You can't miss them, they're scary shadow monsters, they try to eat people's hearts, it's real messy.

Theo: Dipper, booking intensifies.

Milo: Ghosts. They are ghosts. That's all they are. Ghosts. Like you said to Celeritas.

Laina: Mabel's like, "Yeah, we have we have seen some ghosts around here."

Imber: Could you tell us anything about that? Where they were, where they went, what they did?

Mabel: They were in town. They've been kind of going between houses. They've they've been attacking people. We've been trying to do something about it, but they aren't as friendly as the previous ghosts we've encountered.

Theo: As a side note, I like this idea that we crashed into the top of the Mystery Shack, but thus far, no one else who is regularly in the Mystery Shack has come to investigate.

Rem: Soos has to fix the S again, obviously.

Soos: Aww, I can't believe it. Again.

Nathan: Stan cannot be bothered to investigate.

Imber: And Wendy isn't paid enough for this.

Theo: Grunkle Stan is downstairs like, "You crazy kids!"

Laina: Yeah, we cut to a scene of Grunkle Stan watching... Oh God, that that. Yeah, Duck Detective.

Nathan: It's Ducktective.

Ducktective, and he just kind of looks up and he's like, "Huh."

Theo: It's the episode where Ducktective shoots a newspaper magnet in the face.

Laina: Yes.

Nathan: That was one of my favorites.

Theo: That's a joke someone's gonna get. A very narrow niche of people listening to this is gonna get.

Val: I think Milo would look at the two children and sort of look around and realize like, he doesn't know where anything is in this place. He's gonna look at the two children again, he's gonna be like, "Can you lead us to where you've seen these things attacking things? I'm sure that we can figure out a way..."

Celeritas: And if not you, your parents. Where are your parents? Are there any responsible adults around here? At all?

Laina: Mabel's like, "Well, there's adults but I wouldn't call them responsible," and she kind of like, she goes, "Ahyuck hyuck hyuck."

Isiah: Can I make a link with Mabel?

Laina: Yes, you can make a link Mabel.

Isiah: I want to make a light link with her because she is so charming.

Laina: Okay, so that's 2d6 plus your light stat.

Isiah:That's 1d6 plus light?

Laina: 2d6 plus light.

Isiah: Ah, yes.

Theo: Following him, can I make a mastery link with Dipper, because I feel like Zenica is really interested in that book.

Laina: Okay, yeah.

Theo: Just once Isiah's done rolling. First good roll of the game!

Isiah: I rolled a four!

Theo: I can't believe you rolled a 16, that's not even possible!

Laina: Oh God now that means I have to...

Theo: Well, you can just change the links, you don't have to take a hard move on a failure for making a link.

Laina: Oh yeah.

Rem: You just say it's the wrong link.

Laina: I'm gonna say that Isa instead, or Aesa instead gets the light link with Mabel.

Theo: So I want to roll, I have nothing for mastery, so that's a flat 2d6.

Laina: Also Isiah, or Imber, you get a... You get a... What was that?

Theo: I rolled so good. I'm the best at this game.

Laina: Oh okay yeah, you get you get a mastery link with Dipper, and your link move triggers.

Theo: My link move doesn't normally trigger, but he gets a link with me, because that's how the success works.

Laina: I'm gonna say he also gets a mastery link with you.

Theo: He wants to know how I so smoothly picked the book out of his hand.

Laina: Yeah.

Theo: I didn't even see her coming.

Laina: Imber also gets a... I'm gonna say a heart link with Mabel.

Isiah: Sorry say that again?

Laina: You get a heart link with Mabel.

Isiah: All right.

Theo: Also I get to mark one on my hunted track. For those not in the know with Interstitial, as the Hunted, when certain conditions are met, my hunted track advances, meaning my adversary who's facing me gets closer. One of those things that advances the track? Making a link of any kind.

Laina: I forgot about that. Woo.

Theo: But it was worth it because now I'm going to learn from Dipper about monsters and shit.

Rem: So this is a very important question, does the sweater light up?

Laina: It looks like it does have some lights in it.

Isiah: I wanted to ask what the design of her sweater was this episode.

Laina: I'm gonna say that cuz I'm in a Christmasy mood, it's a Christmas tree.

Isiah: Okay.

Theo: So she's wearing a sweater with the exact same design as her brothers hat.

Laina: Yeah, basically.

Theo: That works.

Nathan: So the moment these two said that there were no responsible adults around, Celeritas immediately entered overprotective big brother mode. So I'm going to roll to make a light link with them.

Laina: Okay.

Theo: Two rolls.

Laina: Two rolls.

Nathan: Woo!

Laina: Okay, so you get a light link with Mabel.

Theo: Oh your link move triggers! The Knucklehead fucking link move triggers.

Rem: What's that?

Laina: He gets, well I'll let him explain, sorry.

Nathan: These two have instantly figured out that I am...

Theo: Well, you have to roll again, you don't get to just get two links off of one roll.

Laina: Yeah, you do have to roll again.

Nathan: I mean...

Laina: Well, I guess Mabel...

Theo: That would be so busted if you could just roll and get 30 successes off of one roll.

Nathan: The thing was, Celeritas sees them as both in the same... It's one link.

Laina: It's for them in tandem.

Nathan: Like with Celeritas' actual sibilings.

Theo: What's it gonna be back, because he succeeded, but they can't both get a link with you with one roll.

Laina: I'm gonna, I'm gonna... Rules are nebulous. I'm gonna say that he gets a light link with both of them, and they both get a light link with him.

Nathan: So, now that they know that I'm the hero of this story, I have a +1 forward to convince them or limit break with them.

Laina: Hell yeah.

Val: So Celeritas, his reaction to there are no responsible adults around here is to go into protective mode, Milo's reaction is to "Oh, so I just had to teach them to be self sufficient." He wants to create mastery links with Mabel and Dipper Pine, teaching them how to how to, you know, reach into themselves. And, you know, make sure that they can take care of themselves. Cuz as far as he knows he they can't do that yet.

Laina: Yeah.

Val: Ooh, that's a fail.

Laina: Okay.

Isiah: You can spend a link and reroll.

Laina: You can spend a link to make a link. Okay, uh.

Theo: I like to say it's dark because they see you being like, "Listen young ones, sometimes you must kill to survive."

Laina: I'm gonna say you get a dark link with them, and they get a dark link with you.

Val: Okay.

Isiah: Good start. Also...

Theo: Sometimes bees will sting you. This is alright, simply eat the bees.

Isiah: Eat the bees. I think how my heart link with Mabel manifests is when I hear that there are no responsible adults. I gain a respect for them for being able to be self sufficient in a world that doesn't properly take care of them. From my very little interactions with them.

All: (Laughs)

Isiah: I definitely think it's way worse than it is

Nathan: Despite that, Imber is the only one that gets that Nipper, Dipper and Mabel are fine.

Theo: Nipper.

Nathan: Shut up.

Theo: Nipper, that's what I got on my pectorals.

Nathan: Stop.

Laina: Okay, so Dipper and Mabel are like, "We can absolutely take you to see the ghosts, just follow us." They head downstairs.

Theo: Zenica slides down the railing.

Rem: Does Grunkle Stan see us?

Laina: Grunkle Stan sees five strangers come down.

Theo: Zenica (inaudible) like, "Sup old man, peace sign, out."

Nathan: Celeritas just says, "By the way, we're aliens, we're sorry we crashed into your roof, we'll be back eventually!" And then bails.

Isiah: Imber says, "Ignore both of them and also me and also the two other people, we'll be out of your hair soon."

Theo: Can we have the canonical scene where as we're leaving through the gift shop, Wendy's reading a magazine at the counter and ignores all of us

Laina: Yeah. 100% Wendy doesn't even notice you exist.

Rem: I can't wait to come back to see our gummi ship on a sales counter.

All: (Laughs)

Theo: We leave, the door closes, Zenica dips back in looks at a snow globe, shakes it, is enthralled, stuffs in her pocket, leaves.

Rem: Zenica no.

Isiah: Zenica just steals a snow globe.

Theo: Zenica's the cool one. But there's no weed in disney.

Isiah: Disnweed. Nope, that doesn't work.

Laina: Okay, so, you head out of the Mystery Shack and I think I'm gonna leave the session off there? If that's okay with everyone else?

Theo: I think we need a hook for like better than just, "And you leave the Mystery Shack."

Laina: You leave the Mystery Shack and you hear off, kind of in the distance towards where the town is. You hear screaming, and you all rush off over there.

Theo: We roll into action. Autobots, roll out.

Rem: We get Aesa to reveal that she has a gun.

Theo: Zenica looks at the camera and says, "I guess, this is about to get serious."

Isiah: Can we can we get like a supernatural force of Gravity Falls like having observed the scene and laughs to itself? Like like Bill Cypher is like "Aliens, huh?"

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briangroth27 · 5 years

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Dora and the Lost City of Gold Review

Dora and the Lost City of Gold is a very fun all-ages adventure! I’ve never seen more than a clip or two of Dora the Explorer, but that didn’t hurt the movie at all for me. The film starts with a summation of the cartoon’s style to get new audiences up to speed on the conventions of the show and it worked perfectly. I was in the mood for a fun jungle adventure flick, saw the good reviews this was getting, and I’m happy to report that it lives up to both those standards!

Full spoilers…

Isabela Moner more than capably leads the film as Dora, whose enthusiasm for learning, exploring, and life in general is absolutely infectious. Dora’s expertise in the jungle and her drive to find the lost city of Parapata were awesome! While her childlike enthusiasm is written as a side effect of being secluded from most of modern society to a large extent, it was refreshing to see a teenage lead who isn’t dour and down on life. Her dauntless willingness to go it alone when she had to was a relatable and realistic trait, and her acceptance of the fact that she was even stronger when she had a team backing her up was a cool message. I’m glad Dora didn’t lose her exuberance by the end of the movie or change to be more socially acceptable to her new high school friends, even if she does choose to stay and get to know them better rather than go off on another adventure. Her journey isn’t that she needs to remember to be herself regardless of whether she fits in or not, it’s that she needs to let people in to her world again, so Dora getting to remain true to herself while making new friends was very cool. Of course, it’s always great to see a female-led adventure film (particularly in this subgenre) with a nonwhite lead and cast (or at least the overwhelming majority of it) too! More of that please!

Dora’s cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg), her intellectual rival at school Sammy (Madeleine Madden), and everyman student (and impressive breath-holder) Randy (Nicholas Coombe) provided a share of challenges for Dora she wasn’t expecting at all: high school. Diego’s embarrassment over Dora’s personality felt like a realistic (though unfortunate) reaction to a younger sibling who doesn’t want to conform to high school society’s standards, while Dora’s scientific take on Diego’s feelings for Sammy was funny and built their sense of familial bonds nicely. Theirs is the strongest relationship in the movie and emotional core. I thought the breakdown of their bond felt realistic and painful (leading to Dora largely shutting everyone out as a kid and opening that wound all over again as a young adult) and that the repairs to their relationship were well-done and satisfying. I was glad Dora and Sammy’s rivalry wasn’t over some guy and that Sammy wasn’t written or performed as a mean girl, but one who was concerned about her standing in the class GPA. She also generally couldn’t understand Dora’s outlook, which is ironic given how Diego and apparently the other students at school don’t understand her, vilifying her for her outlook and “attitude” as well. The common ground she and Dora came to with Dora’s know-how and Sammy’s contributions to the quest for Parapata created a nice build to their budding friendship. I liked that Randy didn’t have toxic vibes to his crush on Dora, and he brought a nice balance of pure terror and truly wanting to help his new friends to the adventure. These kids have their issues, but none of them were ever unlikable and they all felt like real people, not caricatures or an adult’s attempt at writing “annoying youths” (or cartoons). I also liked that all four of them came together to keep each other alive and they all contributed to solving the traps protecting Parapata’s treasure. That was a cool way to unify Dora’s quest to save her parents (Michael Pena, Eva Longoria) and finish their search for the city with her arc toward sharing her life with people and depending on friends instead of just herself.

Dora’s parents don’t have much to do here, as they’re kidnapped for most of the film, but I liked how supportive they were of Dora (even if they were just as bewildered by some of her habits as her friends at school were). I really liked that they spelled out the distinction between exploring and learning vs. treasure hunting and plundering cultural artifacts. CBS’ Blood & Treasure made a similar point of noting who should get to display what artifacts (if they are to be displayed at all), and it’s good to see a more socially conscious approach to archaeology taking hold in the movies and on TV. Films like the Indiana Jones series are among my all-time favorites, but those artifacts don’t belong in an American museum, they belong to the cultures that originated them. I didn’t expect the movie to bring in an actual Inca royal/goddess (Q'orianka Kilcher) with an army to protect Parapata, but that was an excellent addition that felt totally natural with the world they’d established! I always want the supernatural stuff in films like these to be real, so seeing these people appear was very cool. It was also a neat twist on the formula (and execution of her parents’ guidelines on exploring) that Dora & co. didn’t get to keep the treasure, only increase their knowledge by confirming its existence.

Most of the villains are ultimately just muscle, but Eugenio Derbez’s Alejandro Gutierrez gets a lot of screen time thanks to initially disguising himself as a friend of Dora’s parents. He was affable enough that it was reasonable Dora and her friends would fall for his lies (particularly with the stress of their situation and his apparent rescue of them). I wonder if the more comedic persona he puts on was designed to fit with and manipulate Dora’s eternal optimism, which would be a solid take on the older generation manipulating the best intentions of the younger one to fuel their greed. He certainly uses their intelligence to further his own interests (and, depending on how deep his cover was, to keep him alive in the first place). He also personifies the old-school treasure hunter method of archaeology, contrasting him nicely with the younger, more socially and culturally conscious generation. I definitely wouldn’t have included him disrobing in front of teenagers though, even if it was caused by hallucinogenic pollen in an animated sequence.

That moment not being a great look aside, it was refreshing that like Dora herself, a modern adaptation of a kid’s property didn’t take the “dark and gritty is cool and mature” path in an effort to draw in older audiences by ignoring what made the show a success in the first place. Instead, this fully embraced what I assume is the upbeat vibe of the cartoon and absolutely ran with it. They do poke fun at some of the conventions of the animated series, like Dora breaking the fourth wall to teach the audience vocabulary and science, but those self-deprecating jokes absolutely worked and it didn’t feel like the filmmakers were embarrassed by the source material or like they were outright mocking it. It would’ve been easy to make those moments part of the video diary/podcast she has at the beginning of the movie (particularly with the popularity of Instagram and Snapchat stories nowadays), but playing them straight and just having everyone else think she’s weird was so much funnier! Her Map (Marc Weiner), Backpack (Sasha Toro), and possibly her pet monkey Boots’ (Danny Trejo) abilities to talk were played as her childhood imagination and/or hallucinations, which felt like the right balance for the very fun, heightened reality she lives in. I’m glad that they kept the talking, masked fox Swiper (Benicio del Toro) here as well: he feels like a major part of the series’ world and I’m sure fans would’ve been bummed if they left him out. I loved that the questions surrounding him from our heroes were not that he was a fox working with mercenaries, but just that he wore a mask!

While Dora works for all ages, kids are definitely the main target audience and some of the other humor reflects that. I’m not a fan of toilet humor—it’s not that I find it inherently juvenile, I’ve just never thought it was funny—but the two gags in that realm here (quicksand that sounds like farts and the difficulties of using the bathroom in the jungle) didn’t go on long enough to make it feel like this was only for kids; it felt like this was just one style of comedy at play among many. Like Alejandro’s pollen trip, I wouldn’t have included everyone running by Sammy while she was using the bathroom though. Unlike so many movies described as “all ages” but which are really just for kids, the rest of the movie’s comedy, the character development, and the action-adventure sequences totally work regardless of your age and they successfully made it feel like our heroes were on a real adventure with actual dangers. Even if “jungle puzzles” aren’t a thing in the real world, the ones showcased here felt classic and were a lot of fun to see our heroes solve. The pacing moved the story along briskly, but I didn’t feel like Dora’s problems fitting in (and letting others in) were rushed or underdeveloped. The score hits the exact right vibe for this and I liked the original song at the end of the movie too.

If you’re like me and in the mood for a fun, all-ages jungle adventure with a great cast, good action, and a solid emotional core, Dora and the Lost City of Gold will absolutely deliver! I’d definitely watch a sequel. If this one’s still in a theater near you, go see it!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

#dora and the lost city of gold

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chpinthestacks · 5 years

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In the Stacks with Lara Mimosa Montes: Wild Style

A few years ago, I attended a screening of Charlie Ahearn’s hip-hop film Wild Style (1983) as part of the Walker Art Center’s Downtown New York: 1970s and 1980s Art and Film series. The film, “a hybrid of a narrative musical and documentary,” follows Zoro, played by graffiti legend Lee Quinones, as he weaves his way through the various hip hop, break dancing, and Bronx DJ scenes in early 1980s New York.

Wild Style captures some of the funky tensions of the time period. For instance, if you were a “successful” graffiti artist in the 1980s, you were, like your peers, probably working your ass off to get your name out there, but not necessarily your face because anonymity back then was definitely an asset. However, if you worked hard and were good at what you did, then you were also probably a hot commodity, sought after by the vultures of the art world, journalists, toys fucking with your shit, the cops, and the MTA. My favorite scene in the film is when Zoro and his friends arrive at a party in Manhattan populated by rich art patrons and the like; one character, Neil, says he runs a museum called “the Whitley” while Blondie’s Rapture is playing in the background; another guy in a suit misunderstands rap music as “rat” and asks Zoro if he works in the dark, how can he see what he’s painting? While this scene is more fiction than documentary, I love the way it posits everyone as a potential insider or outsider, depending on who wants what from whom in any given exchange.

Wild Style, directed by John Ahearn, 1983. Japanese chirashi movie mini poster, 2015. Wild Style mural by ZEPHYR, Revolt, and Sharp.

Following the Q and A with Ahearn that night, I got the impression that there were still a lot of positive feelings and happy memories surrounding the project. The affective glow that emanated from the collective viewing and discussion of the film, coupled with a revived general interest in that particular cultural moment (ie. the short-lived Netflix original flop of a show The Get Down), stayed with me. I mean, to what extent is wildstyle —the term given to describe a particularly complex and difficult to decipher style of graffiti writing—part of my inheritance, my culture, its art history? Given graffiti’s ephemeral nature, I felt intrigued by the possibility of researching this form in its early years from the 1970s-80s. What I came to know and appreciate was, yes, the many works given to us by a generation of gifted writers, but also the work done by artists like Charlie Ahearn, Martha Cooper, Henry Chalfant, Martin Wong, among others. Without them, I’m not sure how we would remember those early days of the graffiti movement. So, for those wishing to go a little deeper down the rabbit hole, below is a brief survey of some of the landmark texts that document this vibrant period in Bronx history; it is by no means comprehensive—these just happen to be some of my current personal favorites . . .

Subway Art by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant, featuring Dondi, first published in 1984.

“The bible of the street-art movement,” Subway Art was the first published book of its kind to document graffitti. Featuring full-color photographs by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant, the book contains many masterpieces by artists such as Blade, Lee, Seen, and more. A beautiful print collaboration between the two foremost photographers of the movement, you can really appreciate Cooper’s and Chalfant’s distinct approaches to shooting the trains. Also, if you’re as excited as I am for Chalfant’s upcoming exhibition at the Bronx Museum, Henry Chalfant: Art vs. Transit, 1977-1987 which opens later this year, now is as good a time as any to revisit this seminal work.

Style Wars, graffiti by NOC 167,1981. Photo by Martha Cooper.

Style Wars, directed by Tony Silver and co-produced by Silver and photographer Henry Chalfant, released in 1983, is a classic—the documentary features many a baby-faced graffiti artist such as Dondi, Skeme, Kase 2, interviews with MTA officials, Mayor Ed Koch, various masterpieces, and more. If you want to know what these young writers were up against in terms of public opinion and the MTA, definitely start here. Plus . . . Skeme’s mom: God bless her, wow.

City as Canvas: New York City Graffiti from the Martin Wong Collection, edited by Sean Corcoran and Carlo McCormick, New York: Skira Rizzoli, 2013.

I had no idea that the artist Martin Wong was a known collector of graffiti art until I had come across this book, published in tandem with the Museum of the City of New York’s exhibition City as Canvas, and yes, I am very sorry I had not seen this show back in 2014 before I left New York. For those skeptical of graffiti’s transition from subway to canvas, this book really made me rethink my assumption that graffiti is graffiti because it lives on in the streets and on the trains but never in a gallery. In addition to color images of works on canvas, archival exhibition shots, and some recollections contextualizing Wong’s relationship to the graffiti community by artists Lee, Daze, and Charlie Ahearn, also featured are images of drawings from various artists’ blackbooks: gold.

Tag Town: The Evolution of New York Graffiti Writing by Martha Cooper, Poland: Dokument Press, 2007.

Before there was wildstyle, there was tagging. Some cool shots of tags by Taki 168, Julio 204, Barbara 62, and even Basquiat, among others. Another great monograph by Martha Cooper, who in an interview said, “I shot tags because I wanted a record of them. . . mostly I just wanted to study what they looked like and to allow others to study them in the future. I was using my camera as a very efficient tool to make a record of something that would otherwise be lost.”

Classic Hits: New York’s Pioneering Subway Graffiti Writers by Alan Fleisher & Paul Iovino, Poland: Dokument Press, 2012.

Classic Hits features photographs by Alan Fleisher, Robert Browning, and Jack Stewart. Filled with an assortment of early masterpieces by writers such as Stay High 149, Blade, Super Kool 223, and others, alongside artists’ recollections. I like this book because it showcases an earlier generation of graffiti writers from the 1970s before things really got wild. Similar to Cooper’s Tag Town, I was able to gather from this one a more expanded appreciation for the evolution of the form.

Dondi White Style Master General: The Life of Graffiti Artist Dondi White, by Andrew “ZEPHYR” Witten and Michael White, New York: HarperCollins, 2001.

OK, so graffiti legend Dondi wasn’t born in the Bronx—he was definitely a Brooklyn writer. Nevertheless, his influence on the larger writing community was so profound, his relevance cannot be understated—it went to the Bronx and beyond. Includes black-and-white and color photographs, early sketches, never before seen collage works as well as works on canvas, and reminiscences by the artist’s friends. Unlike some of the other texts on this list, this one is unique insofar as it’s a book assembled by another well-known graffiti artist, ZEPHYR, alongside Dondi’s brother, Michael, so the insights and anecdotes presented here, especially those from Dondi’s closest friends, really provide a window onto the world of the artist. RIP Dondi, you gave us so much.

#lara mimosa montes #chpinthestacks

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birbliophile · 6 years

Text

The Incredibles 2 was awesome

And here are some of the parts I really liked/noticed about it:

*SPOILERS BELOW*

- HELEN PARR. Absolute badass, amazing mother, all around a force to be contended with, I LOVED every one of her battle scenes and how it showcased her skills and intelligence, an icon.

- Violet using her force fields to power crush debris

- Dash saving an elderly woman

- Tony looks different and actually seems more interesting, given that he has a little more screentime than in the first movie. Bit of a dork, seems like a pretty nice guy. At the beginning with Rick he said something about how “not that I don’t like strong girls (reffering to Vi), I’m alright there...uh, masculinity-wise.” Thought that was interesting, nice to know Tony is a decent human.

- someone save Rick though the man has been through a lot

- Lucius’s offer to have the Parrs stay with him and Honey. Just seeing the interpersonal relationships really adds a lot to it, I feel.

- Wait, what does Lucius even do for a living? He has a fairly nice apartment, so it must be decent work...

- The fight scenes were really amazing, it was so much fun to see them all in action, especially the new supers. Plus there’s an interesting aspect - they falter. They slip, they trip, they miss the mark, but they adapt, and that adds levels of suspense and a feeling of realism, like when Helen skids her motorcycle on a railing but quickly gets back on track.

- Helen had a mohawk?

- Evelyn and Winston’s introduction was kind of interesting, in the way that it sets up Winston to be the supposed not-completely-trustworthy business and sort of puts Evelyn to the side as his techy, but not as shrewd sister, who’s a little clumsy. Of course it becomes rather obvious later on, but for a moment you can almost miss who the big bad is gonna be. Now that I think about it though, the foreshadowing was pretty clear.

- Dash being excited about their new house and launching himself into the pool, messing with the remote

- Violet I really don’t think writing your new address on his locker in sharpie was the best idea, sticky notes exist in 1962 right?

- Bob making the effort to stay up and study Dash’s textbook so he can help his son on his homework.

- Bob asking Rick about Tony made me laugh, not every dad gets his secret government lawyer to tell him info about his daughter’s boyfriend that he accidentally erased too much of his memory from

- The scene at the restaurant...poor Violet. Bob’s trying, he really is.

- Jack Jack vs the raccoon was hilarious, the baby associates the mask with the robber on the tv...

- Helen being so happy and excited about getting to be a hero again

- Bob admitting to Violet he’s sorry and he just wants to be a good dad, and Violet hugging him and getting him a blanket when he falls asleep

- Bob insisting that he has everything under control and Dash and Violet being all like yeah no we’re calling Lucius

- The fact that Lucius and the Parrs are close to the point that the kids know to call him if something’s wrong

- Lucius’s reaction to Jack Jack’s powers

- The ice ball he made for the baby (speaking of which, that was a perfect sphere, just how flexible are Lucius’s powers?)

- Jack Jack calling his Mama when he sees her on the tv, adorable.

- Edna’s back! And ticked off that Helen’s new suit wasn’t one of hers.

- Speaking of Edna, I loved her and Jack Jack, and how she granted the baby clearance to her design lab. She just loves a challenge, Edna. And the device she gave Bob, I mean this woman does a ton, inventing new materials that are not only indestructible (yeah your garbage disposal isn’t gonna work Violet), but comfortable and fashionable, and then that machine that LITERALLY SEES INTO OTHER DIMENSIONS TO FIND JACK JACK. No one beats Edna Mode.

- your sole personal designer until the end of time and space

- Aunty Edna

- The flame retardant is edible

- Tiny Edna-Jack Jack...

- No shooting the laser baby in the house, kiddos

- How many of the trees surrounding the house are crisped?

- Dash being excited about his dad’s cool super car, “aren’t you gonna go steal your car back from that rich guy” and messing with the remote (boy loves fancy gadgetry it seems)

- Voyd is precious and relatable, I too would be stammering all over the place if I met Elastigirl. Also she has some really neat powers.

- The Screenslaver had this really creepy feel to him, nice on the character and set design for that

- Bob, maybe you shouldn’t just walk into a (very) dark room where you’ve only been told your highly combat capable wife is being held after having an “encounter with the screenslaver.” But I guess if you didn’t there wouldnt be plot, so it’s all good.

- ASAP

- Side note I’m highly upset that we still didn’t get to see Honey’s face >:/

- Lucius’s handling of the mind controlled supers, taking it slow so he can get the jump on them and get the kids out of there. I like that we get to see how both he and Helen perform as supers, as professionals.

- Voyd’s powers are really something though, she’s a formidable opponent for sure when she has the confidence to apply them (or when being mind controlled)

- Dash summoning the Incredimobile and it crashing through the wall

- The fact that Lucius has voice access to the Incredimobile

- Lucius doing everything he can to protect the kids until he gets...uh, bespectacled?

- “Uncle Lucius!”

- Jack Jack almost warping the car into another dimension

- Dash ejecting them from the car before Violet can even react

- Helen can drive anything???? Plane, motorcycle, helicopter, cruise liner...well I mean I guess she couldn’t fly a rocket but that’s besides the point

- Violet vs Voyd, amazing. Also showcases that Vi has enough strength to face an opponent that’s a bit bigger than her in size.

- Giant Jack Jack

- Jack Jack looking for his mama amidst all the chaos and being chased by his siblings

- Evelyn’s black and white coat gave me a sort of chessmaster kind of vibe, like how she refers to using people over getting rid of them, keeping all her pieces in play.

- Winston dramatically leaping out of the escape jet and crashing about ten feet onto the boat instead

- Jack Jack saving the day because Evelyn didn’t know how to react to a baby and pulling off Helen’s mind goggles

- Big heckin fight on the boat!

- What do you do when your brother got taken by a bird man? Shoot down the bird man with your laser brother

- Voyd being nervous when helping Helen out and doing her best to get her safely aboard the jet

- Voyd saving Helen and Evelyn just in time

- Violet making the decision to stay on deck in case her force field is needed

- Lucius really made a lot of snow to cushion the boat, you could see him straining his powers

- Tony meets the fam...and then they immediately have to leave. He seems non judgemental enough, though.

- Also the Bao short at the beginning actually moved me to tears. I don’t know what it was about it, maybe it’s because I grew up in an Asian household too, but it was an emotional experience. The mother and son reconnecting at the end was really sweet and nice, and the girlfriend impressed everyone with her bao making skills, which was cute.

EDIT: I forgot - that moment where that one guy has a fanboy panic over Lucius (also relatable) and the breif shot of Voyd and Violet having a friendly conversation. I feel like having a friend like Voyd would be good for Violet, like a sort of big sister super that she can talk to about things she wouldn’t know how to express to her family (although to be honest the Parrs are incredibly supportive and wholesome, but sometimes you just need a friend outside of that, you know?)

#pixar #the incredibles #the incredibles 2 #spoilers

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sandflakedraws · 6 years

Note

Hey so I've been considering checking out abot for a while now. But before I do, I wanna know what the draw is for you. What do you like so much about it ?

Strap yourself in, we’re about to go through one longass hell of a ride. Fair warning that this gushy love letter has a good chunk of spoils for canon mp100 and abot alike, so do with that what you will. (though i keep most of the spoils to the earlier chapters so i can leave some firsthand experience left)

ABoT has 5 main (not all) attractions for me, most of which are incredibly personal :1. nuanced, actually mature depiction of abuse2. lack of a ‘perfect savior’3. plotting cause+effect4. scene setting (okay this one is more a taste thing that i happen to really love)5. incredible writing all around

Part 1. Nuanced, actually mature depiction of abuse.

I was an abused and neglected child. As such, it’s very easy to see where some of the appeal of this type of fanfic would come from. Course, I’d encourage a looksie regardless because it’s written with respect to the subject matter, and because fics like these have great potential to expand on human understanding and empathy.

THAT SAID ! In order to talk about the depiction of abuse in abot, I first need to talk about the abuse in mp100 canon.

To be frank, I think phantomrose96 handles it better than mp100. Especially the execution and aftermath of said topic.

For comparison I’m going to use the Mogami arc (an arc i do like, perhaps less than the majority of fandom, tho this’ll likely shed a light on why)

The depiction of abuse between abot and canon have some similarities. In both cases, Mob is uprooted from his foundations of support, and the strain goes on for a lengthy amount of time. Canon!Mob’s experiences are 6 months long, and abot!Mob is 4 years. The differences start hereafter, though.

For starters, with canon!Mob, we learn about his torture mainly through his own POV, with Mogami making commentary. His firsthand experience is bolded and put at the forefront, and functions as the end note of the scenes which feature them. Mob is isolated, ostracized, and bullied. He is beat up at several points. One such instance sees him lose a tooth. His bullies torture a cat to death, smash a brick on his head, and stab him with an exacto knife.The ‘maturity’ of canon!Mob’s abuse comes firstly from the severity and cruelty of it. And secondly, for how it could drive him into using his psychic powers against people willingly. It highlights that one can be as shaped by their surroundings as by their choices.It’s dark, and it’s weighty.

However, the abuse in the arc is used a mechanic, and is glossed over once its primary use is over with. No abuse in this vein crops up after this arc.

The point of it’s presence is to raise the stakes, to showcase “this is fucked up” and then move on when the lesson is learned. We only get 2 peaks that Mob even remembers it. Once is with Mob acting quite fearful when Mogami shows up again, and the other when Mob goes to help a cat off a pole.

Still, the fact remains that it’s never mentioned for the rest of mp100.

And thusly, Mob is presented with no means to process or deal with the trauma other than to, presumably, remain quiet about it. Or otherwise, for the reader to assume that the experience was relegated to subconsciousness. After all, we’re told expressly with Minori that the memory begins to fade as early as a day after.

This stance can be detrimental to those who experience abuse, as it can imply that no help exists for the survivor to seek. That it’s better to simply forget about it, and move on without guidance.

Which, y’know, could work fine if it was ONE’s intention to showcase that some people don’t deal with trauma outright, keeping it hidden.

But there is a difference between “purposefully writing someone to seem unaffected when they really are” and “purposefully writing a macguffin to clear the way of an old arc to make room for a new one"

I love ONE’s writing, I do, but it seems very clear to me that he was giving himself an out for having to write long reaching consequences of such a brutal arc going forward. Folks can get from the arc what they want, and that’s hella valid. I mean, shit, my trauma was never front and center either when I was Mob’s age.

However, there’s a clear delineation between coincidence and intentionality.

By having the abuse all happen in a dreamlike world, he gives himself an out. The characters are more or less able to skirt around the issue, or otherwise forget about it.ONE thereby dodges having to write further complications to the story he wants to tell.

Enter A Breach of Trust.

In Abot, the aftermath of being abused is a part of Mob’s day to day life, like actual trauma do. And here, the process of dealing and coping with said abuse is the main function of it’s appearance in the fanfic.

The four years Mob spends on his own are broadly covered in a punchy ~1k words at the beginning of chapter 4 (the fic is 133k words long, for comparison). They are to let you know the nature of Mob’s problems, without lingering unnecessarily on them, exploiting them, or making them voyeuristic. And in fact, Mob gets out of the Mogami house in chapter 8 (again, in a fic 24 chaps long).

The rest of the chapters where Mob makes an appearance are about addressing what he went through, and trying to help him.

As opposed to mp100 canon, we learn a lot of information as to the nature of what mob experienced through Reigen. He often has sad or horrified responses, as one could expect to have in his shoes. But his response is not the end note of the scenes which feature them. Instead, it’s the actions he and Mob take, in equal turns, to bring about change which gets the end note.

I’ll use the milk scene in chapter 11 as an example.

Reigen learns a piece of information about Mob’s life, namely that he was denied milk:

“You have milk?”

“Uh…yeah. Not even expired. I bought it like two days ago.”

“But Shishou said…” Mob swallowed the words. His breathing picked up, eyes flickering across the single carton of milk in Reigen’s fridge. Slowly, his voice almost choked, Mob answered, “Yes, yes please…”

Reigen’s response:

He couldn’t fathom what sort of world the kid had just escaped, but he knew now he didn’t want to. And he didn’t want to make Mob relive it, not if it was something so horrific that a single glass of warm milk could move him to tears.

The end note of the scene (literally the last line):

“Here,” Reigen said, sliding his mug across the oaken table. “Have mine too…”

Abot, unlike a good chunk of media, seeks not to use traumatic experiences as a throwaway mechanic for a separate, main focus. Or as a stand in for faux character depth or grittiness. I’m lookin at you Kaneki Ken. Or worse, as an inevitable reality. No.

The actual maturity of abot!Mob’s abuse, which I’ve been hootin about with the title card, comes from its application to Mob.

It will not be brushed off as a bad dream. It will not be relegated to subconscious, or forgotten. It is not a ‘shortcut to coolness’, or a ‘dark history’ to earn abot!mob some tragic backstory cred. Nor will it be “solved” with a single long talk, or hug, or even to just put Mob back in his house.

Abot seeks to offer a more layered, real world approach to it. That trauma, fictional or not, does not make you cooler. That it takes several, seemingly small steps to start on the path of recovery. And that there is no reaching your “before” status, but just changing the shape of your “after”.

For that matter! Mob also has agency of his own. It is not Reigen that springs Mob from the Mogami house, but rather Mob himself, taking matters into his own hands.

There was no plan to it. Mob moved. He raced to the door and the inky world beyond. His feet collided with cold stone. Stone became grass, which sheared away before each footfall, leaving wet pulp and mud beneath his beating steps. The vastness of the open sky and the world stretching off in all directions, even after four years, could not overwhelm him more than the image of his dead Shishou scorched behind his eyelids.

Mob will fight on matters he considers important, calling the cops, for example.

Mob’s jaw moved, his wide eyes steeled over, harder now, resolve tight in his face. He looked up to Reigen. “I…wouldn’t like that, Mr. Reigen.”

He’ll voice his own opinion, draw his own conclusions, set his own goals.

His hands twisted in his lap, eyes dropping to them for a moment before they flickered up with new, burning resolve. “…If you could teach me…”

“Teach you?”

Mob nodded vigorously. “How you’re getting rid of it.”

And Mob is not relegated to cowering at all times either. He’ll enjoy things he likes, build himself up, amongst other things.

The rain drenched him. Through the blues and pinks, water could pass. Water wasn’t living, so it wasn’t stopped, it wasn’t shredded. But it felt alive enough to Mob. It felt like something that wanted to reach him, and could.

Mob shut his eyes and smiled. Even if he couldn’t suppress the barrier now, that wasn’t reason enough to give up, not this time around. This time was different.

Rest assured that this journey is as much an active choice on Mob’s part, as it is Reigen’s. Reigen is simply a guide for Mob. And he’s meandering through his guidance half the time, which brings me to part deux.

Part 2. Lack of a perfect savior

I will be the first to admit that Reigen is hilariously flawed. Abot!Reigen likewise. And yes! This is another reason why I like Abot ^^

Preface in place before I talk about this, I am. a tough ass customer. We just had a whole previous section of analysis to illustrate that (which confession time, i cut that down by half), but to go more in depth - It is extremely easy to take me out of a story. And this is because, ironically, I love storytelling.

For better or worse, when I’m consuming media, I cannot turn off the storytelling part of my brain. Ergo, if I see something that can be improved, I’m launched back into a 4th person perspective, no longer engaging directly with the content. Sometimes it’s minor enough where I don’t mind any. But unfortunately, more often than not, it’s enough to get me to drop things when too many instances pile up.

And as one of those Hoity Toity Connoisseurs of the hurt/comfort genre, the human version of the Messianic Archetype™ is both a common occurrence, and a surefire way to get me to drop your story upon first sight.

I cannot engage with media that have regular ass people know exactly how to react, what to say, what to read into, on the first try, when the nature of human existence so chaotic and varied.

Maybe that kid is hiding under the table because you’re wearing fuchsia, maybe it’s because your voice sounds like someone they had a nightmare about, maybe its because the lights hurt their eyes, maybe it’s because they feel safer in cramped spaces, maybe they’re eating ants. You don’t know. They don’t know. Getting things wrong is as much a part of the process as getting things right.

SO!!! ONCE MORE WITH FEELING!!! ABOT!!!

Phantomrose makes it clear, as early as Reigen & Mob’s first meeting, that we’re dealing with a regular ass human fuckup, even in the midst of the rose filter from Mob’s POV.

In the scene, Reigen is presented as being undoubtedly ignorant as to the true nature of what the hell is going on. He, mistakenly, does not believe that the barrier is real. All he knows that is Mob has come from some Yikes and needs help. Oh, and in Reigen’s limited knowledge, he thinks there’s a confirmed Dead Man off somewhere too.

And yet, despite the pressing circumstances, or y’know, having a presumed corpse he should probably mention to somebody, Reigen does not call the cops.

“Okay. Okay… Do you—just—do you want to come to my house? Just for tonight. It’s…late. Don’t feel like dealing with any more police officers tonight anyway. Maybe we just…go sleep. Get you some clothes or, a shower probably. It’s…I’m tired. You’ve got to be tired too.”

We get an explanation for this later on, in chapter 14…

What if he ran off again, back to his dead Shishou’s basement…?

…but. Were the audience not clued into Mob’s circumstances, one would argue that though well intentioned, Reigen’s messing up. And despite the many things Reigen does to help Mob (which he does, he really does) this motif continues throughout the fic.

With Reigen sometimes saying insensitive things to Mob.

“No, I’m…” Mob paused. He hiccupped, voice still hitching, body still trembling. “I’m sorry Shishou is dead. I did something to make him kill himself. I know it.”

“Good, Mob. Good…”

Mob stared up, jaw slack, baffled.

With Reigen often acting as much as his own interest as in Mob’s.

“Toast, Mob, it’s going to be toast. And eggs. And yes. This is breakfast for both of us, and you’re going to help.” Reigen looked the boy over, and the feeling in his chest was almost manic. He was looking at something maybe he could fix.

Where Reigen will make logical assumptions, but false ones nonetheless.

“I’m going to grab just a handful of things from those aisles, okay? Not going far. I just want you to stay here, with the paper, and pick up our order when it’s ready. Okay? It’s another exercise. I’m still here. I’m still suppressing the barrier. I just think you’re strong enough to stand here for a moment by yourself. Can you do that?”

–carved things up, sliced them, killed them…

Mob’s mind filled with static.

He nodded. It was the only thing he could think to do.

Reigen smiled, and stood up from his crouched position. He turned on his heel, toward the left side of the store. He rounded the edge of the counter, and suddenly he was gone.

And yes ! As a survivor, this shit is important to me.

These scenes showcase that comfort does not have to be found gift wrapped, pure and untainted, and delivered by an angel spluttering down from the shiniest parts of heaven. No. It can be found in people who are flawed and sometimes selfish and who are just trying. It can be found in folks like abot!Reigen.

In folks who weren’t predestined by some holy undertaking, but rather who are just making the best of the circumstances they find themselves thrust into.

SPEAKING OF WHICH,

Part 3. Plotting cause + effect

I’ll be honest and say this is something I learned very recently from Phanrose.

From my creative perspective, as long as an action is in character for someone, I can find a way to make it happen. A good showcase for this is, ironically enough, Attic Au, and it’s many incarnations. I can adapt to circumstances to cause what I want to happen.

This is, again, a tie-in to the way I rationalize the chaotic nature of human existence. Sometimes shit can just do, and as long as you pull hard enough emotionally, you can get people on board. So I spend a lot of time on the “why”, with my “hows” remaining fairly lose and interchangeable.

Abot takes this in the opposite direction. She says ‘okay but what if I use the chaotic nature of human existence to cause everything to bump into eachother’.

And honestly I’m kinda tripping over it ?? Like it’s extremely fun ? Connecting all these dots? And it doesn’t feel convenient either. It feels like a logical progression.

To use early examples, as I have been for the most part:

Jun hires Reigen to investigate her husband Tetsuo disappearing at weird hours.

“That’s really all I want from this.” She looked up now, palms in her lap, eyes set to Reigen. “I want you to just figure out what’s going on because I can’t.”

Reigen then discovers that Tetsuo is being possessed.

A thousand memories assaulted him at once, tainted with the raw smell of incense, the grittiness of salt between his fingers and under his nails, dimmed lights and candles and incantations and that dread in the air, like pressure, that he felt whenever a Spirits and Such case turned out to be real.

Reigen decides to confront Mogami 2 different times. The first time he learns his identity, and the second time Reigen gets too close to hitting on Mob’s presence for Mogami’s comfort.

“Why did you buy cough syrup today?” Reigen blurted out. “You miss that taste too? Tetsuo doesn’t have a cold. It’s not for him. You got other puppets I don’t know about?!”

Mogami threatens to kill Tetsuo and take Reigen, so Reigen makes a bargain (with newly cut up hand to make his 1 sigil out of 1000 work).

Reigen thrust his hands down and out, body displayed unprotected. Sweat slid down his face, soaked through his suit, mixed with the blood in his palm. “Come possess me! Space for rent right here, y-yeah? Yeah! Not gonna resist. Not gonna fight. All I’m gonna do is slam you with these tags if you get too close!”

The tag works, banishing Mogami. Mob notices the lack of Mogami’s presence, and goes looking for him.

Even when Mogami left the house, his aura only ever grew fainter, steadily diffused as Mogami established distance between himself and the house. It was an easy blip to detect at all times. It was a constant thrumming presence in Mob’s life for the last four years.

And it had vanished in an explosion that left Mob’s psychic core ringing.

“…Shishou?” Mob called through the door.

Upon finding Mogami’s corpse in the attic, Mob makes for the streets, thinking Mogami has freshly killed himself and that he can no longer stay there.

Mob shot down the hall, took the stairs two at a time with his hand skimming the banister. His mind wasn’t clearing. His thoughts weren’t forming. The reality of what he’d seen beat in heavier against him with each passing second. Mob let out another keening crying, finding no response in the black house.

Another brush of wind, Mob turned toward the foyer. He’d been right—the front door had been left open.

This makes for a wonderful storytelling device. Firstly, it makes the audience both wary and excited for the consequences of any actions in the future. If any action can seemingly build off one another, what’s to say a throwaway moment wont come back to haunt us?

Plus! Aside from making scenes engaging, it also subverts some tropes while it’s at it.

Reigen, despite literally being a PI, does not find Mob on a missing person’s case. And does not discover Mob either of the times he followed Tetsuo into the Mogami house. Instead he only finds Mob by the boy crashing into him. Which only happens again because of a set up in chapter 3.

This carries on and spills over into Ritsu’s plotline too! Which nbnmbxn, I haven’t touched on as much in order to leave a good chunk of story there to peruse as you will.

I’ve learned a lot just from watching pr96 chisel out a story. And you wanna know what else I’ve learned?

Part 4. Scene setting

OKAY I FESS UP THIS IS JUST ME HAVING A THING FOR SETTINGS BEING INCORPORATED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE SCENE OKAY, OKAY.

With that out of the way, she’s damn good at it yall.

Phantomrose96 likes to employ what I call mood scenery. Where the physical objects present in a setting take a backseat to how the characters feel about it, and therefore flesh it out all the better.

Compare how Reigen sees his apartment:

Reigen cringed a bit as he looked about, taking in, remembering the mess decorating the living room. The ashtray on the table overflowed with cigarette butts, staining the wood around it with sooty acrid residue. Three empty plates were pushed to the table’s edge, scraped of food and left to stagnate for…how many days, Reigen wasn’t sure. Empty beer cans gathered in a herd near them, a few on the floor, leaving sticky coagulated rings around their rim and smelling of staleness, of stagnant fermentation.

With how Mob sees it:

Mob’s apprehension eased off. The look was replaced entirely with something like confusion. He pulled out of his blanket cocoon, let his eyes rove over the apartment in full inspection. The confusion never left his face.

“It’s so much cleaner than Shishou’s house.”

Scenes like this are peppered and expertly handled throughout the entirety of abot.

As a comic illustrator, I often struggle with coming up with backgrounds that tell you a bit about the circumstances of the people who live there, and about the mood of someone viewing it. But Phananarosa does it.

And, like. every setting is like this. Instead of getting fatigue at scene changes, I eagerly dive in because what’s not to love !!! It captures just enough details that it can be fleshed out, without boring the audience with a surplus of inconsequential details.

Teruki walked past the rows of lockers. Further back were bathroom stalls. Three sinks lined up beneath a wall-length mirror. This area existed as its own pocket, seemingly separate from the rest of the lockers, and the light only scarcely touched it. The shadows grew heavy along a gradient, the farthest sink half shrouded in darkness. Even farther back, crowned by a single burnt-out hanging light, was a row of four showerheads, no curtains separating one from the next.

It is no coincidence that some of the backgrounds I consider to be some of my better ones, are ones I made for abot.

It’s very apparent that Phanro9 knows what she’s doing with the words she chooses to dress these with. And, you guessed it, TIME TO SEGUE INTO

Part 5. Incredible writing all around

Okay now I can just gush about some the extra little details that GhostFlower96 uses that just make her tale that much more fun to read.

Amazing dialogue. Especially in Reigen’s case.

“Gottaswirl the eggs to seal in the moisture. Gotta just…put extra butteron the toast, I guess, so you don’t taste the black part cuz that’sprobably bitter, so you—never mind I’ll make different toast thatisn’t burned, gimme your plate.”

You ever tire of reading fics where the characters sound the same ? Spectreblossom has got you covered!

He thrust a hand out, palm open to Ritsu. “My name is Teruki Hanazawa. I’m the esper who’s better than you.”

Ritsu stared at the offered hand. He fought the instinct to step back. “The spirits didn’t say anyone owned them.” He paused, and weighed his options. “And who says you’re stronger than I am?”

Say you wanna feel ur heartstrings tugged because god oh god he’s a mess but he’s still good for something. we got a fresh supply

Beside them, the rice pot boiled over, glutinous water dripping down the black pot’s side and charring against the newly cleaned grating. The sauce bowl sat stagnant and undissolved, a colloid of new and stale ingredients perhaps unsalvageable for the recipe. Broken spoons, filthy sponges, open containers of starch and sugar and soy sauce littered the counter tops, the smell of something burning lingering overtop.

And at the center of the mess, Mob sliced the knife clean through the red bell pepper.

You wanna be haunted by singular closing lines? Already on it.

Thebarrier swept back around Mob, like the curtain drawn at the close ofa play.

Kids ? Being written like kids ? In phantomroseyboboeybananafanafofoseyfiphimomoseyphantomrosey’s fanfic? It’s more likely than you think!

“After this, can we go back to the park?” Mob asked. He wobbled, tilting his head over his shoulder to ask Mogami directly.

“We go to the park every day.” Mogami answered. He walked the sidewalk, thin silver hair catching sunlight and twists of icy wind. The hollow pockets beneath his eyes were deep, but not unkind, intently watchful of Mob who dipped and wavered with each balance-beam step.

“Yeah, because I like it.”

You want some de-glorification of teenage violence? Boy have I just the thing.

He felt 9 again, scared, weak, unsafe, and he cried quietly while he watched the consciousness leave Teruki’s body.

Limp and loose, Teruki’s hands dropped from the tie around his neck.

You like metaflours and symbopolism ? WE GOT THAT TOO

Reigen looked over his shoulder. Mob shut the door behind them, turning to investigate the apartment with wide captive eyes. “…It’s warm,” he muttered, and stepped in line behind Reigen.

You wanna feel like you got punched in your chest ? Even on things you knew already ? Even things you had every tool in your belt to see coming?

Reigen stopped. He lost track of his own words as his focus fell entirely on the sight in front of him. The kid was standing halfway between the bathroom and the living room, his hair still a bit wet, and his borrowed clothes soft and loose. He stood a head shorter than Reigen, and his wide eyes stared back, lost, waiting for instruction. Waiting as though he needed permission to even get his sheets and go to bed.God, it really was just a kid…

fuck ing , d we . g o t tHat t o o goddammit

If you wanna read, you can start here ! Or here, on tumblr.

#anon #joey babbles #abot #long post #long long post #cw: blood #for canon mob #mp100 spoilers #abot spoilers #?#well i'll tag it anyways

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luckycheesefoodie321 · 5 years

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I have no recollection of this existing but here it is...straight from the cave that is my drafts...a review on You’re All Surrounded...

YALL...I GOT SOME SH*T TO SAY ABOUT THAT ENDING!!! AND THE SHOW OVERALL SO SPOILERS AND LONG POST

Ok first of all:

This DORKUS MCBEAN MR LEGENDARY DETECTIVE IDIOT BOX...came to the final fight with a FRIGGEN BB GUN AND A STRAW HAT!!!! Why were you in a straw hat Seo Pan Seok??? And a friggen B.B. gun??? The boi bursts in with his gotdang BB gun to a situation where the main baddie has his gun pointed right at Dae Gu’s head with Dae Gu yelling at main baddie to shoot bc he’s already live-streamed everything and main baddie was gonna go to jail anyway...but when asked about how and when he got there, this idiot box just makes a weird noncommittal “I dunno” sorta grunt and shrugs??? Dammit I love him but this idiot. Glad he’s enjoying life as a local police.

AND THEN:

(I legit can’t find any other gif of this dude but CREDITS TO THE OWNER)

CHA TAE HO CONTINUES TO PROVE HE’S THE BEST FRIGGEN CHARACTER:

The dude is loud and abrasive and aggressive and a n g e r y like all the time and believes Team 3 has such bad luck he tried to exorcise them with red beans...but when the Chief gets run over by a truck and he hears that it was attempted murder; does he bat a f*cking eye?!?! NO HE IMMEDIATELY STEPS TF UP WITH HIS BUSTED FOOT AND ALL AND OFFERS TO HELP THE INVESTIGATION AND SUPPORT TEAM 3 NO MATTER WHAT

Seriously what happened to Im Won Hee during filming that busted his toe??? They brushed it off as his superstitions regarding how bad luck the Criminal Investigations Department was

He sent off Pan Seok with a small charm baggy of red beans for luck. If that ain’t love idk what is

THEN OF COURSE THE MAIN ORDER OF THE DAY:

That scene. Those who’ve watched know what I’m talking about. It was so goddamn powerful and the acting delivery was actually incredible. Go Ara conveying every inch of Su Seon’s desperation as she struggles to get back to Dae Gu, declaring her love and demanding he stay alive. And then Lee Seung Gi, he didn’t say a friggen word but his facials and his body language all screamed with Dae Gu’s agony, watching the woman he loves be dragged away as she’s saying she loves him, and just desperately wanting to go to her but knowing he can’t bc he still has a job to finish. If Su Seon hadn’t been there, begging him to stay alive, who knows if he would have gone ahead with shooting himself, or actually allowed the main baddie to kill him...the look on his face when he was bargaining with the Assemblyman showed that he was prepared to follow through bc the footage was live-streaming anyhow, so even if he had died, he knew that Yoo Moon Bae would be caught...but seeing how desperate Su Seon was and hearing those words may have pushed him to see through the mission alive...it was a great scene. I think, despite more focus being on the mystery plot, the slowly growing admiration, affection and then romance between Su Seon and Dae Gu’s was nicely developed. Could’ve been better but the romance wasn’t the focus so I can forgive that. We got an incredible intense scene showcasing just how great their love has developed as compensation so I’m cool with that.

NOW TO COMMENT ON THE FRIGGEN SQUAD DYNAMICS:

I lovvvve me a good ensemble. Especially “reverse harem” types with the one girl and a bunch of dudes. (Though there were 2 other strong women figures but I’ll get to them in a bit). Su Seon wasn’t the main main character, so it’s not the typical reverse harem ensemble where it all revolves around the one girl, but that being said, I got a nice taste of it during the arc where Su Seon’s mom got attacked and all her boys stepped UP. Su Seon was in distress and all her boys were there to take down the problem no matter the cost or the opponent. This was during the period where Dae Gu’s affection and crush was levelling up to genuine romantic feelings too so even better. Best was when the mum called the boys her sons and subsequently ignored the fact that she had an actual son who never visited to check up on his mom??? But anyway, when they all just quietly watch over Su Seon while she cries in the dark, and get outraged just looking at the bruises on her mom’s face??? Ugh yes. And this is just where Su Seon was the focus. When Dae Gu got attacked and his true identity and past revealed and everyone was just doting on him and helping him without smothering him and then the same thing when Tae Il got stabbed and he told them about his brother and family. And the genuine camaraderie between them felt so natural, teasing Dae Gu about being the youngest among them, hanging out and eating ice cream together, and convincing Su Seon’s mom she lived with them, and drinking together, and helping Su Seon move out of her tent. Of course the two dads of the Rookie Squad can’t be forgotten, always there as guiding influences despite the rocky start. Detective Lee and Pan Seok unashamed to dish out the compliments on Su Seon’s looks. And Pan Seok’s reactions every time he saw Dae Gu and Su Seon kiss. Ughh yes squad was real and I loved it.

oh apparently I was gonna discuss the two women??? but it’s been too long sooo: one was a badass detective who was head of Missing Persons...but she was kinda defined by her relationship to Pan Seok looking back...but they did well in establishing her character...that said she got in the way of my boy Tae Il being the true queer I wished he was...but alas no...his brother was, and it brought about a really dark reflection on the reality of the lgbt+ community when they come out to their families...but then the brother dies???? I’m not down...what happened to his husband???

but anyway, the detective lady was great but not a main sooo...and I can’t remember the story as well now being quite a while since I watched the show...the other strong female figure was the captain (???) who was also a pseudo-antagonist...I liked that she was morally ambiguous and also a woman in power but lame she was still subject to the whims of some asshole male politician...but this leaned into the overall message of how women can be treated in the workforce, and society in general, and that’s what she had been fight for and had gotten lost along the way...

idk what else to say bc again this was a post from months ago soooo:

CHA TAE HO FOR THE WIN!!!

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eggoreviews · 6 years

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MCU Villains RANKED

I finished watching all the MCU films a few days ago (I have too much time on my hands) and, as a first Marvel list, I thought I’d rank all of the main villains in terms of how cool/powerful/how generally good I think they are. Come and see where your faves have placed in this messy, ill-informed list!

This list includes all of the main villains for every film up to Infinity War (Ant-Man and the Wasp isn’t out yet so it’d be difficult to include Ghost in here) with a couple of side villains that I felt needed a spot in the list. Enjoy! (Also, possible spoilers ahead for basically any MCU film)

Disclaimer: My opinion will probably, definitely not be yours

23. Whiplash (Iron Man 2)

Oh God.

I’m pretty vocal about how much I’m really not a fan of Iron Man 2 in general, but one of its worst aspects is a totally forgettable and laughable villain. I mean, I think at some point he has a subplot about his dad or something but most of the time he’s whining about his ‘bord’ and building shitty whips with his tech rather than something useful.

22. King Laufey (Thor)

I mean, sure. I guess this guy wasn’t supposed to act as much more than suitably evil looking blue person for Thor to fight. What puts Laufey ahead of Whiplash is pure cool factor, like I wouldn’t mess with this guy. He’d freeze me or somethin’.

21. Abomination (The Incredible Hulk)

Honestly, this is probably a higher ranking for Abomination than any other list I’ve seen. My only issue with this guy is that he’s a bit eh. Despite being played by Tim Roth, a brilliant actor who appears in multiple of my favourite films, his character is just one dimensional, sweaty soldier until the end when he turns into one dimensional, sweaty green monster. Again, his minor redeeming quality comes with his raw strength (say what you like about the Hulk film, that Harlem fight at the end is well worth watching the other hour and a half), but he’s very much let down by an underdeveloped character and a completely absent motive for anything.

20. Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3)

Okay, now we’re getting into the villains that sort have a motive at some point. Personally, I didn’t hate the whole ‘Ben Kingsley isn’t the Mandarin’ twist, so that’s not why he’s placed so low. I’ll agree that that Guy Pearce plays a decent villain here, but the film itself is so messy and full of subplots that Killian sort of gets lost in it and never really develops beyond angry rooftop guy who can set himself on fire.

19. Malekith (Thor: The Dark World)

I thought Thor 2 was pretty damn okay and not the horrendous mess people make it out to be and I’ll defend Christopher Eccleston’s Malekith just as tentatively. Malekith’s only downfall is a non-existent character beyond cool looking menacing elf dude. We know that he wants to make everything all dark again for reasons that aren’t quite clear, but that’s kind of it. Again, his slightly higher ranking is more the cool factor.

18. Darren Cross (Ant-Man)

Cool suit by the way my dude.

Corey Stoll’s Yellowjacket is a pretty by-the-numbers MCU villain. He has his moments, particularly the Mexican standoff during the presentation of his suit, but he’s a pretty okay aspect of an otherwise great film. He holds his own as a decent villain, but his backstory and motives borrow a little too heavily from Iron Man’s Obadiah Stane. And he doesn’t quite pull off the disgraced CEO as well as Jeff Bridges.

17. Ronan (Guardians of the Galaxy)

I loved Lee Pace in the Hobbit films, so the fact that Pace plays Ronan well isn’t in question. The thing about Ronan is that it seems like putting the heartless genocidal racist at the centre of a comedic superhero film about a group of misfits acts as a pretty jarring tone shift. It sort of feels like Ronan was stuffed into the wrong film here (But maybe that’s why he’s having his second round in Captain Marvel next year). Ronan isn’t exactly forgettable, but when surrounded by such rich and interesting characters, his destructive plans and endless angry monologues just sort of melt into the background.

16. The Black Order (Avengers: Infinity War)

I sort of lumped these guys all together purely because I don’t think any one of them shines out as more developed than another. They act as cool, menacing underlings to the purple fucklord that is Thanos and I’m almost kind of mad they didn’t make it to Avengers 4. As little development as there is, you can tell each one of them plays a specific role (Cull Obsidian is obviously massive brawn thing, Ebony Maw is the clever one, Proxima and Corvus enjoy stabbing things etc), which means the only thing that’s really stopping these guys from appearing higher is lack of screen time.

15. Ultron (Avengers: Age of Ultron)

Age of Ultron, like Thor 2, is often crapped on just as heavily for reasons I don’t think are hugely valid. And, like Thor 2, its villain is often the centre of the crapping. Ultron’s motives are relatively clear throughout the film and he feels central enough to be a genuine threat. I also like the plot arc that Ultron is the Avenger’s (particularly Tony and Bruce’s) fault, so that gives a whole new dynamic to his character. My only issue with Ultron is how odd his humour seems at times, as if he can’t quite decide whether he wants to be the serious villain or the funny villain. I’m all for villains showcasing both of these traits but, in Ultron’s case, he seems conflicted on which he’s trying to be.

14. Alexander Pierce (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

Robert Redford plays the creepy Hydra dude very well and there’s something genuinely sinister about Pierce that especially comes through with his willingness to kill twenty million people. Pierce’s only downfall is that he’s a non-enhanced villain among many super-powered heroes and villains. So for all his sinister acting, Pierce just comes off as a little bit powerless. Not that this at all negates Redford’s performance or the strings Pierce pulls within SHIELD, it’s just that his lack of genuine power is something you can’t help but think about.

13. Justin Hammer (Iron Man 2)

I maintain that the only saving grace of Iron Man 2, aside from the newly cast Don Cheadle as Rhodey, is Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer. He brings genuine humour to an otherwise joyless film and acts as a worthy adversary to Tony Stark. Also, his dancing during the Stark Expo? Worth watching the film for. I’d be very happy to see him return, although it might be a little late due to the fact that Iron Man may be about to make his exit in Avengers 4. RIP Justin, maybe another time my dude.

12. Obadiah Stane (Iron Man)

Here he is, the villain that started it all. Jeff Bridges’ Iron Monger makes for a genuinely chilling, unsettling villain whose calmness is probably his most terrifying trait. At the centre of any good film, especially a Marvel film, is a good, compelling villain and Bridges manages this with ease. Unlike the two Iron Man sequels, this is an Iron Man villain who genuinely feels like he’s up to taking down Stark.

11. Kaecilius (Doctor Strange)

Kaecilius is yet another chilling villain played by the brilliant Mads Mikkelson who, much like Stane, feels like a match to the protagonist. But what put Kaecilius ahead of him for me is the fact that he believes what he’s doing is completely right; he thinks he’s granting everyone eternal life, rather than enslaving them to Dormammu (who won’t be included because of his lack of screen time/only redeeming quality being his massive face). This alongside some kickarse magical abilities just puts him up a bit more. Time for the top ten!

10. Helmut Zemo (Captain America: Civil War)

Daniel Bruhl goes full Bond villain for this one. Civil War in itself is a movie packed full of conflict at its core, so it takes a pretty memorable villain to make a mark on a film like this. Bruhl’s Helmut Zemo pulls all the strings behind the Avengers’ downfall and does so with a lot of sinister energy. But at the same time, we’re compelled to feel sorry for the fact that he lost his family in Sokovia during Age of Ultron. I think we’re probably going to see this guy making a return in future.

9. The Grandmaster (Thor: Ragnarok)

I love Jeff Goldblum. Everyone loves Jeff Goldblum. And while he plays more of a minor villain role in Ragnarok, I think he made much more of a mark and delivered a more compelling, genuinely funny performance than any other Thor villain. So it’d be pretty amazing to see him come back for a future film. Especially if Taika Waititi has something to do with it.

8. Ulysses Klaue (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Panther)

It’s pretty rare to see Andy Serkis in the flesh in a film rather than behind a lot of CGI and this character couldn’t have been played by anyone else. With Klaue being the second of two minor villains in this list alongside the Grandmaster, Klaue most makes his presence felt in Black Panther where he more than holds his own alongside Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger (who we’ll get to later). Andy Serkis brings a hell of a lot of humour and genuine manic energy to this role and this is near enough his best performance. It’s just a shame that Ulysses Klaue is unlikely to return, considering the fact he was a shot multiple times during Black Panther.

7. Red Skull (Captain America: The First Avenger)

Here is a villain that more than deserves his spot in the top ten. Arguably one of the most memorable villains of Marvel’s first phase, Hugo Weaving plays the angry clever Nazi scarily well. What makes him so great is the fact that he’s the complete antithesis to Captain America, which just makes the conflict between them seem more interesting. Plus, come on, it’s Hugo Weaving. He’s in every good film ever. What a guy.

6. Ego (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)

Kurt Russell’s Ego places this high for many reasons, mainly the fact that he doesn’t present himself as the villain until towards the end of the film and yet the film functions perfectly without a central antagonist (I love Guardians 2 a lot. This will become obvious probably). Ego even retains the parts of his character that you originally related to before he goes full bad guy and tries to cover all the planets in blue marshmallow fluff. Other than a couple of misplaced jokes (’I’m gonna go take a whiz’), Ego is a near-perfect Marvel villain.

5. Vulture (Spider-Man Homecoming)

I struggle to call this guy a villain, even though he undoubtedly is. Everything he does is out of a place of concern for his family and the only murder he commits in the whole of the film was an accident. Okay, so this doesn’t necessarily make him a good person, but what makes him any better than the Netflix Punisher? Or Deadpool? Anyway, kind of irrelevant, Michael Keaton plays his second bird super-character in the same way he plays all of his roles; amazingly. One of the main elements of Homecoming that made it such a genuinely good reboot was an interesting, relatable villain that you struggle to hate (apart from maybe when he’s pummeling Spidey into the ground at the end, that hurt my feelings).

4. Loki (Thor, The Avengers)

You can’t really call Loki a villain anymore, similarly to Bucky, M’Baku and Nebula (her especially, if she isn’t a full time guardian by the third one I’m not gonna be happy), he’s undergone a redemption arc that hasn’t negated his mischievous behaviour, but just makes sure the good parts of his character shine through a little more (that’s why I’ve only listed the two films in which I would class Loki as a villain). Tom Hiddleston plays Loki in a very sinister way, but more importantly with an overriding sense of fun. He perfectly strikes a balance between being a funny villain whilst still maintaining his sense of power.

3. Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War)

Speaking of sense of power, it crushed my heart a little to see Loki get so easily offed at the beginning of Infinity War, making Loki’s usually undeniably effective plots seem like cheap parlor tricks (to be fair, all he did was pretend he wasn’t going to stab him, but I guess if Loki’s desperate, you know everyone’s fucked at that point). Aside from all that, Thanos easily is the most terrifying character in the MCU, purely because of sheer power. Josh Brolin plays him (and Cable too) with overflowing gravitas and a threatening aura that seems to be present in everything he does. Even if he is inevitably defeated in Avengers 4, the mark he’s left on the MCU is gonna sting the survivors for some time (Sidenote: if any Guardian turns out to be permanently dead, I will officially never get over that. Yondu was bad enough).

2. Hela (Thor: Ragnarok)

Cate Blanchett as the first central female MCU villain (as well as the goddess of death) is iconic. Hela presents the same threatening, overly powerful aura that Thanos has and does every despicable act with a sense of sadistic humour. If I had the choice to bring back one villain, it would be Hela, because I very much doubt she died when Surtur squished Asgard, so her lasting mark may end up being equal to Thanos’. Or maybe she’ll turn out to be Lady Death? So many possibilites but to be honest, as long as they bring her back, I’m up for anything.

1. Killmonger (Black Panther)

Who else was it going to be? Black Panther in itself was an iconic film, not just for its cultural significance, but also for breaking the usual Marvel mold with its narrative. And at the centre of all this is Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger, who perfectly strikes the balance between someone you love to hate and hate to love. But most of all, Killmonger’s death holds the most emotion of any villain-centric moment for me, as the ever brilliant T’Challa takes him up to see Wakanda’s sunset before he dies. But overall, what puts Killmonger ahead of all the others is the fact that everything he’s doing could easily be seen as morally correct, just not in its execution. All Killmonger wanted in the end was to arm and support his oppressed brothers and sisters, which highlights the film’s political message. Among irrelevant whip-wielding Russian scientists and endless business people in metal suits, Killmonger stands out as a villain you can side with as easily as the hero and is a villain I find it the most difficult to show any dislike for. (Totally not relevant, but Michael B. Jordan plays a good character in a cool indie film called Chronicle that came out a few years ago. If you're planning on watching a film anytime this week, I highly recommend you watch it, it will blow you away)

Phew. That took a while. Thanks for reading if you made it this far and feel free to let me know your top picks for MCU villains! If I do another Marvel list, will probably be the actual films next.

Have a good day/night my dudes

#films #marvel #mcu #avengers #infinity war #avengers infinity war #captain america #iron man #tony stark #steve rogers #eggoreviews #black panther #killmonger

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dropsofletters · 6 years

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i might like you too

Title: i might like you too Pairing: Mark Lee/Reader Genre: Soulmate!AU. You hear your soul mate’s thoughts inside your head since the moment they/you are born. Summary: Mark is young, to the point he doesn’t really care much about soul mates and the entire concept behind them. However, once he realizes that his soul mate might be closer than he thought she was, he starts to wonder if he wants to meet her or not…yet, there was still a problem: they could hear each other’s thoughts. Note: I do not write for NCT in any of their units, not because I don’t stan them (because I absolutely do) but because I don’t think I know them enough to write about them, so this is (most likely) a one time thing. This is a back-story of one of my chaptered fics lost thoughts and Mark just happens to be a character of said fic, so people seemed to be interested in his character and I took the opportunity to write this. However, I had @byunists in mind when I thought of this idea and I wanted to give her something as a lil gift, so here it is~

Numbers were confusing, much more when they were all over the whiteboard and the teacher kept talking and talking to no end; it was only the beginning of the school year and he was already making everyone sweat with fear for the upcoming exam. Mark doesn’t absolutely hate math class, he is pretty great at it…in the sense that he doesn’t know what he is doing, but he kinds does and he remembers things five minutes before the exam is over, but it’s enough to have him pass the exams and ace them, so he is more than happy that his brain decides to work that way. His fingers were playing with the pencil on his hand and he tapped it against his notebook, creating a rhythm of a song he heard on the radio as he sees yet another square root in the mix of all those numbers, making him stop his beat and scribble down in case he got lost in the middle of the problem. His lips let out a sigh, wondering what his friends must be doing right now, probably being on Physical Education class for he was separated from them in this new year of school. Perhaps, he needs his friends to annoy him and keep him entertained, but most of them were either on a lower grade or simply in another class.

Then, he hears someone groaning. A feminine voice, quite close, definitely unknown, but it makes him perk up and look around. It’s weird because he is absolutely surrounded by males from all sides and all the girls were on the other side of the room, probably far enough for him to stop hearing their voices altogether. That’s when he remembers that he had a soul mate, somewhere along this world waiting for him...and that was cool, in all the sense of the word. She didn’t talk much to him because they were both too shy, but he had heard her voice once or twice, and he could say that it was really soothing, even when she said she didn’t like it.

“I don’t understand shit about math.” His dark eyebrows frown when he hears those words. Sure, soul mates technically shared a same vision of life or their souls connected in one way or another, but what are the odds of someone having math class at the same time as him, let alone his soul mate? He looks around once again, stretching a little bit to see if there was someone that could possibly be having a hard time with math. Most of the class looked like they did, so it was useless. “Like what even is that? Why is the answer forty five? God, I need to pay attention unless I will fail at life!” Mark immediately widens his eyes and they roam towards the whiteboard, seeing the teacher’s big handwriting showcasing the number forty five. His heart begins to race and he tries to talk to her, but he feels like he needs to think this through. Maybe she isn’t even in his class; maybe teachers along the entire world used the same problems for students in his grade…

“Mhm,” Her attention is caught when she hears her soul mate humming and she looks up from her notebook to look around. Still, it felt odd that he was talking to her at this time –let along forming a complete sentence. Mark, he was called, she knows it because he had introduced to her when they were kids and accidentally talked to one another through their minds, but other than that she doesn’t know much about him. “This is odd; you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but is your teacher called Mr. Park?” A quite gasp leaves her lips and she looks around the room, biting her bottom lip before sighing.

“Yes, Mr. Park. Short, quite old, also I think he stinks…” Mark immediately recognizes the same teacher that was giving the class and he swallows thickly, stuttering in his own thoughts because it can’t be possible. His oldest friend, Kim Minseok, had met his soul mate a lot after people normally would, even some met them before their deathbed, but now he was there…in the same class as his soul mate…and he felt scared. Surely, being a soul mate didn’t immediately mean that they were meant to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but what if she didn’t like him? What if he was not her type? What if’s often crossed his head and then she clears her throat. “Mark, stop fusing over small things.” Damn, he had forgotten she could read his mind and now he was embarrassed, his ears burning with a vibrant red on them. “So, are you in my class?”

“Teacher, I have to go to the bathroom!” The tall teenager stood up from his seat and almost all eyes turned towards him because of the screeching of his chair when he stood up too quickly. The teacher pulled down at his rounded glasses and she looked at him. She hadn’t noticed him before, because she hadn’t spent many days there, but the school uniform looked absolutely adorable on him and his cheekbones were the slightest bit lifted because of his face shape. “Mhm, I drank two water bottles before I came to class so…” That was a lie but he couldn’t possibly keep talking to his soul mate because he was scared. He didn’t want to pressure her into anything; much less he wanted the stress of wanting to know what a person thinks of you. That’s the reason why Mark hates crushing on people –it was annoying.

“You can go.” She trails her eyes over the cute guy that had stood up and walked out of the classroom, running his fingers through his soft hair as he lets out a raged sigh. Maybe he really did want to pee. At that time, she plays with her pen and tries to talk to her soul mate once again.

“We were interrupted, but are you really here?” Silence, that’s what welcomed her and she tried calling his name various times, but it was useless. She rolls her eyes and bites the inside of her cheek, she didn’t have the time to play games and if he wanted to ignore her, then so be it. Who was that Mark guy? She doesn’t remember and she doesn’t plan on remembering. Today or ever, truth be told.

But it still felt necessary, how she wanted to know who her soul mate was and why he was there. She wanted to see his face, even when she had a tiny crush on him without looking at his real face, she just heard his thoughts –mostly saying he wants to pursue music instead of going for any other career, how he has his friends and he loves them a lot and she knows he’s hardworking, he really is. Yet, if he didn’t want to talk to her, then she might as well go for the good-cheekbones guy that just went out of the classroom, he had made her giggle and he was cute…that was enough to get over her soul mate, right?

Ugh, she hates this.

Minseok was really good at literature, the man was his tutor ever since Mark was really young and he had grown fond to his friend, but right now…he couldn’t give a shit about grammar or whatever some author said a hundred years ago. The black haired male was looking down at the book as he explained to Mark but he was too immersed in his own thoughts, hoping that his soul mate won’t be hearing him at that time. He had embarrassed himself in front of the class, he surely did, but he had seen Chenle do far worse things and it didn’t bother him as much, but it did irk him that she wasn’t talking to him ever since that day. Absolutely, they didn’t talk daily like most soul mates do –for example, Minseok- but he missed her, he missed hearing her talk about her day and what bothered, sometimes rambling and other times simply stating that she doesn’t care anymore. Perhaps, he did something wrong on not telling her who he was, but he was absolutely frightened at that moment and he doesn’t understand how to deal with this. The only time Mark had a girlfriend was back when he was eleven and they broke up after a week, he wasn’t even faced by it! But now, he felt like he couldn’t do it.

Soul mates were hard to understand.

“How do you make a mad person talk to you?” Minseok lifts off his gaze from the book and he raises an eyebrow. Mark was often really participative and attentive when it came to his tutoring, but he seemed out of it this week. Perhaps, he had maddened someone, from what he just asked a few minutes ago. Surely, whenever he had made one of his ex girlfriends mad…he ended up talking it through. Minseok wasn’t a fan of apologizing just for the sake of it, but if he knows he is not correct, he apologizes. Mark then bites his bottom lip, looking up at his friend before smiling guiltily. “I was talking about the book…the protagonist was absolutely mad…I wonder what he will do…”

“How is the main character called?” Mark falls silent and he shrugs his shoulders soon after before releasing a sigh. That’s why adults told teenagers that they should wait to date; he can’t bear the constant nagging inside his mind that is telling him that he is the one at blame. He doesn’t like it; it’s like an internal parent constantly reminding him of his mistakes. “Mark…” Minseok trails his voice and the kid shakes his head, answering him silently that he hadn’t listened to anything he said. Mark was really patient when hearing his classes but whenever something was on his mind, he never let it get to him academically. Hardworking, that’s what Mark Lee was and to say the least, Minseok was surprised that the teenager was not even paying attention. “Who is mad at you?”

“My soul mate.”

“Do you even know your soul mate?”

“I think I do.” A hiss leaves Minseok’s lips and Mark starts playing with the eraser on his pen as he bites his bottom lip. Minseok hadn’t taken a lot of interest on his soul mate when he was a teenager, but knowing how Mark was…he probably liked being the popular type of guy, that person that everyone loved and if his soul mate hated him then Mark might just lay in bed looking up at the ceiling, waiting for acceptance. “The thing is…she is at my class, right, but I have no idea who she is and when she asked me if I was in the same classroom as her, I got scared because she is always so quiet in her thoughts and I don’t know if she doesn’t like me or-”

“Maybe she is just quiet.” Minseok tries to reason, shrugging his shoulders the slightest because it was a possibility. Just like people didn’t like talking, perhaps they closed their thoughts so their soul mate wouldn’t hear. Maybe she was shy, just like he was sometimes, but Mark doesn’t think that’s a possibility. Perhaps, she already knew who he was, the Mark Lee guy who is always teased by his friends, the one who always has older friends than him. What if she just knew?! “Besides, you chickened out, meaning you could have told her who you were and she would have checked to see if she liked you.” Mark rolls his eyes and he extends his legs under the table.

“What if she doesn’t like me?” Mark asks lowly and then he leans forward a little bit. “Because yes, I know that soul mates are not always meant to be together, but we are always going to be linked and if she’s freaking gorgeous then I might as well throw myself to the Sun because I can’t lie to myself and believe that someone with that sense of humor is not pretty-”

Minseok presses his palm to Mark’s mouth and he looks into his wide eyes before chuckling. “Mark, you’re rambling and I am sure it’s going to be okay, just don’t ignore her if she asks who you are.” Mark nods his head when Minseok pulls away but when he was about to open his mouth to speak once again, his older friend places his hand on the back of his head and presses his nose to the book before sighing. “I want you studying instead of thinking of your soul mate, your grades will drop and then you’ll be whining, so read the next paragraph.”

“Okay, I will!”

Thankfully, reading said book had taken his mind out of the whole soul mate situation.

Did he previously say that he had gotten over the situation with his soul mate? Well, it mostly lasted around two days until she decided to let him hear her thoughts again. It was a brief thought, but it was surely a powerful one that had Mark throwing the ball at the basket and landing a point, making everyone cheer but he looked at the bleachers to see the girls that were waiting for their turns on the game. Then, he looked at the boys in the other team and he recognized the face of one of his friends. Renjun had a pretty youthful face, his thin features and tiny nose were ones that were often complimented by other people, even the tacky P.E class uniform that they had to wear looked great on him and when his soul mate talked about Renjun, Mark felt himself lose it. It started out as a small Renjun looks so great when he is playing and then he was fuming, obviously not against his friend, but he was mad at his soul mate.

“Stop looking at Renjun like that, we are in class.” Mark thinks bitterly as the teacher writes down the names of whoever was getting out of the game and who was getting in. A small scoffs is heard around his head and he knows that it was her, probably getting happy over getting him riled up. After all, he was the one who ignored her first and he was paying the consequences.

“So you’re also in this class?” She asks and Mark hums, making her extend her neck a bit to look around the people laying and some of the guys that were on the bleachers. Some were crossed out of the list because she had already talked to them and they didn’t sound anything like how her soul mate did. “You know, it isn’t even your business who I look at or don’t-”

“You’re just doing it to make me mad.”

“And why would you be mad?!”

“Because you are my soul mate, not Renjun’s, and I would like to think that you find me cuter than him.” Those words make her smile because that guy being jealous must be so cute, but she perks up when he hears her name being called as well as Ten’s, who stands up from his seat. The teacher looks down at her notebook before shouting her name once again.

“Go to Mark’s team, the other guy, go to Renjun’s team!” She stands up from her seat and she hears her soul mate trying to call out her thoughts, but she didn’t respond to any of them. Once she was standing by this Mark guy, the same one who had drank two bottles of water, she placed her hands inside her short’s pockets and she paced a little bit back and forth. Truth be told, Mark thought she was pretty, with a few strands of her hair poking out of her ponytail and her eyes boringly looking around before she spoke to him.

“Hey, do I go to your right or your left?” She asks and Mark immediately widens his eyes, realizing that her voice was exactly his soul mate’s. The tone of her voice has him turning around to look at her and his mouth stayed agape as he looked at her. He was one of the two guys named Mark that were on her class, both had the same opportunity to be her soul mate but this one looked like he had seen a ghost the moment she talked to him, so she touched his forearm with her index finger before repeating her question.

“I heard you.” Now, when he speaks, she can hear the same voice that had been inside her head her whole life. It was a sweet tone, altogether, also a little bit stylish and for a moment, she was about to smile at him, but she stopped herself to look at him with recognition in her eyes and her arms crossed over her chest. So this was the asshole that ran away from her. “Stay to my right,” He instructs her and then the sound of the game starting follows the sounds of people’s footsteps and he takes a moment to look at her as she moved from side to side lightly, trying to protect people from getting near their basket, so Mark took this time to talk to her. “Stop looking at Renjun like that.” A smile appears on her face when she hears those words coming from his lips and she shrugs her shoulders, looking at him from the corner of her eye as she steps forward, taking the ball from someone’s hand and running towards the opposite basket, hearing Mark’s footsteps right beside her as she ran.

“And what can you do it about it?” She asks with a raised eyebrow as she tosses the ball to one of the team’s members that were closer to the basket. Mark looks at her with his eyebrows frowned and she smiles at him lightly and he thinks she might have the most beautiful smile he had seen in his whole life. “You were the one that ignored me when I asked you if you were in the same class as me.” Mark moves a little bit to the right and she follows after him as they try to keep their minds on the game.

“I told you my name was Mark!”

“There are two guys named Mark in our class!” When someone passes by them, she starts running after them and she takes the ball from Haechan before throwing it towards Mark and he starts rushing to get another score, which his team gladly did and had the people at the bleachers screaming at the top of their lungs. The tall teenager goes over to her and he raises an eyebrow before he raised his hands up in the air. “You did great,” She tells him as she high fives him and when she was about to pull away, his hand remains interlocked with hers and he chuckles lightly when embarrassment covers her face. “This doesn’t change the fact that you preferred to make a fool of yourself in front of the whole class than talk to me.”

Mark shrugs. “Even if you hate me, I am still your soul mate.”

“That doesn’t mean a thing.” She tries to tell him but Mark can tell that there is a smile lingering at the end of her mouth. Of course, like everyone else she had hoped to find her soul mate someday and even when things weren’t quite as clear at that moment, she still thought that it was nice to have such a nice looking guy as her soul mate, and he was also incredibly adorable when he was jealous, that’s a fact. “But…you know what?” She stops holding his hand to hide hers behind her back and she sees the teacher calling a few people over, mostly girls which was a little bit easier for her. “Let’s have fun with this.”

“Oh, right!” Mark says and then he rubs the back of his neck, patting her head lightly as his cheeks turned a flush red. “It is nice having you as a soul mate, you know.”

“Don’t get sappy now.” She jokes and nudges his side, bumping her hip with his soon after. “I said fun, not romantic.”

However, with how much he blushes when he is around her…she might as well take that into consideration. Romance, although it was something that she wasn’t thinking of much because she was still young with big dreams, but maybe it wouldn’t be half as bad as she thought it would be.

A soul mate was really fun, the two of them had noticed after a month hanging around one each other. Mark was the type to try to tease her but he would get teased first, so she loved spending her days with her when they had at least five minutes to walk each other to class, departing once their friends arrived in case anyone suspected anything and the two would text one another once they reached their houses. That one morning, she was looking through her pockets to find the usual money that she was given to buy lunch but as Mark spoke about his favorite rappers and songs at the moments, she kept patting her pockets only to feel nothing there –she even got out a tiny bit of paper, but it wasn’t money-. Her soul mate realizes how she was fidgeting a lot as they walked and then he stopped talking, looking at her with a smile over his face that made his cheekbones look much more prominent as he laughed soon after.

“Why do you keep touching your pockets? Is it some girl group’s dance you are trying to do?” Mark asks and she stares at him, shaking her hand as she looks over at the food he had on his hand, munching on the salty lunch that he had brought with him. Truth be told, she was hungry and she had forgotten her money somewhere, so she didn’t care if Mark was making fun of her. “Hey, why do you look so embarrassed?” He tries to poke her cheek with his sauce covered finger but she stopped him, taking his finger in between hers before shaking her head.

“Don’t you dare touch me with your filthy fingers,” She threatens but he only laughs, as lively as he always was. At this point, he had learnt how not to blush around her and make her blush instead. Which is what happened at that exact same moment as she dropped his finger and looked down at her moving feet before sighing. “I forgot my money somewhere and I don’t have lunch to eat, so…” Mark nods his head and then he shrugs his shoulders, leaning a bit to feed her some of the burrito he was eating, making her look up at him as she stopped her movements altogether. “You aren’t going to give me that!”

“But you’re hungry and it’s delicious-”

“But-”

“Just eat.” Mark tells her seriously and she opens her mouth a bit before taking a small bite, making Mark smile as they continue walking and he takes another bite of the food before giving it over to her to share with him. “See? You actually liked it.” Her face told her that she wasn’t about to give him the benefit of letting him know that he was right and even when most people thought they were only best friends, she was scared of actually thinking that their souls were connected in any other way even when they were so young. However, when she leans a little bit to take a bite of his food as it was on his hands, they hear someone whistling loudly and then other person wrapped his arm around Mark’s shoulders, making her pull away with a mouthful of food and her soul mate’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red. Seniors, often loved by the youngest of the school, but also people that hung around with Mark a lot and they were cool, but also really teasing. She recognizes the guy that whistled once he is standing in front of them, having already stopped their movements, it was Johnny…one of Mark’s closest friends and the one with his arm wrapped around Mark’s shoulder wasn’t actually a senior, it was just Haechan from her class. Two idiots, as well. “H-Hi, Haechan, Johnny-!”

“Mark,” Johnny starts as he leans forward to catch Mark’s face in between his bigger hands, making his cheeks look fluffier as he nodded the best he could in that position, looking up at his taller and way more childish friend. “You and your girlfriend are so cute.” He tries to mumble but she can hear him loud and clear. As a scoff leaves her lips, she takes the burrito from Mark’s hands and gives it a big bite as she stands by his side. She wanted to see how Mark would react to this before she stepped in. “Right, Haechan?”

“You need to see them in class, they are always staring at each other-”

“No, we are not!” Mark interrupts quickly and his ears turn a deep shade of red before he looked over to his side, raising an eyebrow as he looked into her eyes. “Save me over here, Johnny is about to ask relationship questions and I need you to help me!” Thankfully, they were soul mates and they could speak through their thoughts, so she smiled sweetly before wrapping her arm around Mark’s arm, bringing her a little bit closer to her side and making Haechan’s arm drop from Mark’s shoulder. “This is just going to make them believe we are actually dating!”

“Mark Lee, shut up for a motherfucking second.” She thinks before smiling sweetly at Johnny in front of her. “Listen, if you guys came here to stop us from being together in our break because you actually don’t have anyone to be with apart from one another, then you can join us, if you want.” Those words made the two of them gasp loudly and she saw Mark smile widely as he thinks that maybe he should let her take care of the situation a lot more. As always, she was witty and really funny, while Mark was the type who let his friends make fun of him because he actually laughed at those jokes, even when he did get embarrassed a bit. “But I am here sharing a burrito with my soul mate because I forgot my money at home, so if you want to squeal about us being cute, you can…but be aware that I will kick your asses after.”

Johnny widens his eyes. “Soul mate?!”

“Yep.” Mark pops the p in the word before looking over at her, biting his bottom lip before nodding his head towards his friends. A very good soul mate, he might add. “But we were about to take a seat nearby…so if you want to come with us-”

“And feel bad about myself because I actually don’t even know if my soul mate exists?” Haechan asks and then he wraps his arm around Mark’s free arm in the same way that she had done, before winking at Johnny and speaking to Mark’s soul mate. “If you don’t know, you have to share Mark with me because I was in his life first.”

She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t mind,” She tells him and then, when they start walking, she feeds Mark what was left of his food before pecking his cheek softly. Why had she done that? She thinks, she always pretended she was confident in front of everyone else but in reality her heart was racing and she heard Johnny mumble something about the two blushing madly and- “Thank you.” She tells him and when they take a seat, he starts talking to his friends and she actually listens to their conversation, but she couldn’t keep her mind off a thought she heard from Mark’s head as Haechan was talking to him about this video game-

“I like you.”

The words weren’t loud or clear, perhaps he said it without knowing she had heard, but she remained quiet, waiting until they had to go to class once again. Once the bell rings, Johnny stands up to follow after his girlfriend and Haechan left the two alone –for some reason-. Mark stands up from his seat and he is surprised to feel her fingers interlocking with his as she stood up, swinging their hands together before thinking the words that she could never say out loud.

“I think I might like you too.”

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