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theslowesthnery · 3 months

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spent several hours playing tekken 8 again, so here's a list of good things and bad things, as well as random neutral thoughts

good things:

the gameplay is as good and solid as ever as far as i can tell as a very casual mostly-offline player, literally no complaints there. i'm not fond of these new-fangled power up special modes like heat and rage but whatever, they're apparently a thing now so i'm just gonna have to learn to live with them lol

the game is beautiful, and i'm especially genuinely impressed by character's faces and facial animations, doubly so for the less pretty characters who are actually allowed to emote properly, like i can't help but smile everytime i see paul smiling for the camera in one of his pre-battle animations because it just looks like such a genuine human smile

yoshimitsu my beloved is beautiful and i would like to kiss him approximately a million times

tekken ball!!!

bad things:

like i complained before, the fact that so much content has been so obviously left out of the base game just so it can be sold later as DLC. namely, a lot of staple characters that many players main (so if these people want to play with their main character, they're forced to buy the DLC), and customization options. the customization mode is so threadbare - there are so few options, and they're all incredibly basic and boring - it's actually kinda gross, especially once you realize that what you see is what you get, that you can't unlock any more

speaking of the customization mode, a lot of the items you do get need to be unlocked with in-game currency you get from playing, which is perfectly fine and good. what isn't is that you have to unlock every single of those items separately for each character, even though for the most part they're the same goddamn items across all characters!

the game showers you with in-game currency but besides the few uninteresting customization items, there isn't really anything to spend it on

no fun game mode a la tekken 6's scenario campaign that you can keep playing with a character of your choice and unlock new stuff and gain in-game currency. if you're a mostly offline player like me, once you do the big main story mode and all of the shorter character episodes, there isn't really that much left to do

speaking of the character episodes, most of them are...really meh. all of them are really short, only five battles, and all five matches of most of the characters take place in the iron fist tournament stage, which gets super fucking boring to see super fucking fast. and idk i just miss the old story/arcade modes from the older games where it was like...five random battles, one specific encounter unique to each character, followed by the semi-final boss and then the final boss which were the same for all characters. it really feels like these days the tekken team puts all of their focus on the big story mode (that you have to beat with specific characters, you can't even choose the character you play, and there really is no reason to play through it more than once) and the other modes are an just afterthought

kind of a small complaint but tekken ball doesn't have a mode where you can just endlessly go against randomized cpu opponents or even an arcade mode, after each match you have to go back to character selection and choose random again and it's kinda annoying

also do the different balls in tekken ball even have any differences besides visual? my sister and i played with all the balls that were available to us (so all except one) and they all felt the same, where as back in tekken 3 the difference between the regular beach ball and the iron ball was HUGE. kinda dumb if the balls don't have any actual meaningful differences, and it makes unlocking new ones completely pointless

a lot of non-white characters are looking suspiciously pale 🤨

(my having more negative than positive things on my list does not mean the game is bad, far from it, good gameplay is pretty much all a tekken game needs to be good)

random neutral observations:

some of the characters' outfits are ridiculously overdone, like there's so much going on in them that they look like they're from another game, especially when you compare to the rest of the characters who wear at least somewhat realistic and practical clothes, or at least clothes that look like they could actually exist in the real world. lars, alisa, claudio, feng wei, jun and zafina are the worst offenders, so it's not even the newly added characters - no, reina, victor and azucena look fine to me (if anything, victor looks a little bland)

the story keeps pushing lars, alisa and claudio to the forefront and i just could not give a less of a damn about them. no offense to anyone who really likes them, but they come across as such deviantART-level "OC do not steal" characters to me, and the fact that the games insist on making these new characters (instead of the old regulars) super crucial and important and central to everything makes me like them even less

it's not like the characters' stories in the past games have been super deep and great but the fact that azucena's story - and in fact entire personality - is literally just that she likes coffee is...wow. her design is great and fighting style wise i think she's a great addition to the game, but there is literally nothing else to her character besides "i love coffee" and it makes me feel like i'm taking crazy pills

i kinda like reina? specifically when she puts down her genki girl act and acts basically like heihachi, that's very cool to me, especially paired up with her sort of powerhouse-type fighting style. i just wish she was older, i hate that all female characters in the game need to be (or at least need to look like they are) in their early twenties at most. as cool as the heihachi-like "stay down like the dog you are" attitude coming from a woman is, it is a little silly coming from what looks like a skinny teenager

some characters can wear their rival character's clothing and it is probably The Gayest Thing i have seen in these games lmao my sister and i fucking screamed when we saw that hwoarang can wear jin's outfit and vice versa

i need to replay tekken 7 because i seriously cannot remember any of the things tekken 8 claims have happened. kazuya killed heihachi? jun is alive? all i remember is leo kneeing poor yoshimitsu in the groin (in his own ending, no less!) and the cute little ghost accessory you could get lol

i want heihachi back

king needs some meat on his bones, or more specifically some fat over his muscles

i like how the game goes out of its way to not use any pronouns for leo

kazuya's character scenario ending is...surprisingly adorable. i'm surprised the games are going with him and jun actually loving each other, but i like it, it's cute :3

the moment we saw true devil kazuya for the first time in the big story mode my sister went "TOGETHAAAA" and i fucking lost it

i'm so goddamn sad that i'm not good with yoshimitsu anymore :'< i used to be actually pretty fuckin' decent with him once upon a time, but then namco gave his fighting style an overhaul and i just could never learn his new stuff. i still don't understand why they felt he needed an overhaul in the first place, it's not like he was anywhere near being too strong, so the way some of his staple moves got changed for the worse (you now turn your back to the opponent after fubuki! you can only do knee cap in the swordless stance! door knocker can now only be done while rising!) is still absolutely baffling to me, like literally why would you do this

i can't remember any of the music

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dent-de-leon · 3 years

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Mollymauk, 4, 5, 11, 13, 14, 15, 21, 22 :D (feel free to trim down if this is too many)

asksjkdf I'm sorry in advance because I got a little carried away so this got a little long, but thanks for the ask! I love any and every excuse to talk about Mollymauk...

4.) Best places to kiss on their body

I think Molly is actually very partial to forehead kisses! I feel like he uses that to ground Caleb in part because it’s something that’s always been very comforting to him--for instance, when Yasha finally gets to embrace him again, she also kisses his forehead. I think I remember Molly doing this for the twins back at the carnival too, so I feel like it’s a habit he picked up from the circus? Just the kind of little thing you do for someone to show you love them.

Aside from that, I think he would really appreciate a kiss on the neck, where most of his blood hunter scars--and that haunting red Eye--are. A bit of loving tenderness to soothe the pain.

5.) Guilty pleasures

Oh I love this pick for Molly cause boY does he have a lot of these!! He builds a life off joy and hedonism, so he’s got this in spades. I forget where, but I’ve definitely seen someone theorize before that the reason base pleasures are so appealing to Molly is because he started out just feeling like an “Empty” body, so anything that’s very stimulating on a physical level is very grounding for him? I really like the idea of that. I think wanting to feel like he was really “alive” and “whole” is part of why he gravitated towards decadence and indulgence, anything that made his heart beat faster.

The episode where we get the famous “Long may I reign” scene definitely covers a lot of his favorite indulgences. But as much as he loves being spoiled, I think he also likes making sure the people he cares about are pampered like royalty too. Taliesin mentioned before that the reason Molly likes gold so much is because he’s got this very childish perception that money is Good because you can use it to get Nice Things that make other people Happy. Since Molly’s been alive for only two years, I feel like a lot of his guilty pleasures actually stem from this sort of sentiment. The fact that he’s still so young and everything in the world is very new and exciting and he just wants to be as happy as possible--and make his loved ones happy too. It’s a very endearingly innocent sort of view.

11.) Bad or petty habits

Hmmm I feel like the one thing that makes Molly the pettiest is when someone tries to tell him his tarot readings are bullshit lmao. Even if he mostly thinks so himself, he adamantly refuses to hear it from anyone else.

13.) What gets them flustered

I think whenever someone is being very genuine and having a real heart to heart with him. Molly is perfectly at ease talking bullshit or telling pretty lies. He’s also very comfortable being very sincere and compassionate when it comes to comforting others, like the little ways he’s always trying to cheer up Jester, the forehead kiss for Caleb, promising Fjord the Nein won’t let him die, bringing Yasha a four-leaf-clover with the wish that one day she’ll feel happier.

But whenever people are openly affectionate and trying to have an honest conversation with him? I think that makes him tense up and panic a bit. He’s not good with letting himself be vulnerable, dropping his showman’s performance. We actually see a lot of this when Molly is resurrected and starts going by Kingsley. He knows he has feelings for the Nein, but he’s definitely a little nervous and overwhelmed when he confronts that.

Several times, Caleb assures King he’s still welcome in the Nein, and that always makes Kingsley either defensive or very quiet, keeps catching him off-guard. “Well for starters, you are with friends.” “Perhaps this is your first time meeting us. It's our second time...Stick with us.” “We have a habit of taking in strays.” “This is the newest member of the band.” Being accepted just like that, loved by all the Nein so unconditionally, just like that? I think it leaves him a little shaken, because he doesn’t feel like he’s done anything to earn it. Like he doesn’t deserve to be this missed and wanted and loved.

14.) Ingrained habits/forces of habit

I think there are some nights where he keeps looking over his shoulder and feels like he’s being watched--when the Eyes of Nine start to itch and burn, when it feels like something’s crawling under his skin--and he looks at the mirror and swears he sees a face that looks just the same but somehow isn’t his. And for a while after he first wakes--and again when he’s resurrected--I think there are still moments when he’s scared or panicked and he’ll just keep repeating Empty over and over.

I also really like how Taliesin used to just pick a random card from his tarot deck to decide what Molly should do. I can definitely see Mollymauk doing something similar--just pulling a random card from his deck on a whim, trusting it’ll lead him in the right direction.

15.) What it takes to make them cry

I feel like Molly rarely cries, mainly because he hates feeling sorry for himself or ruminating on any bad memories. He’s kinda funny that way; he refuses to let himself be unhappy, especially when he feels like he’s always living on borrowed time. The one thing I can see really making him break down is seeing his loved ones hurting--he literally spits at the face of his own death, but I think he’s really terrified of losing someone else.

If there’s one scene where I can really see Molly crying, it’s when Jester falls in that final battle. When Caleb makes this desperate plea that breaks through to Molly for a single heart-wrenching moment, “You’re killing her, you’re killing her! You love her. You’re killing her!” The absolute horror of that shakes Lucien’s control for just a moment, and Molly claws at his own face in retaliation. You can just tell how much his heart is breaking just then, how scared he is, how much he must hate himself. I could definitely imagine Molly shedding a few tears right then, if he had enough control of the body to do it.

Having to watch Lucien use his body to kill Jester and Caleb, the amount of pain Lucien caused Yasha and all the others, the nightmares of his death and black chains that forever haunt him after--I think those are the kinds of things that would bring Molly to tears in his lowest moments. And when he finally reads Beau’s book and finds out about how Yasha suffered a similar fate under Obann? Yeah, I think he’d get choked up over that too.

21.) Turning points in their life

Oh, there’s so many interesting twists and turns Molly’s life takes in just a few short years. Undoubtably, I think every life, death, and rebirth left the biggest impact. The fact that he woke all alone that first time--and then found himself surrounded by so many loved ones a lifetime later--I think that had a profound impact on his sense of self worth and his attachment to others.

That first life, Molly convinces himself that he must have been someone awful before, to have been left alone in an unmarked grave on the side of the road. With no one who missed or mourned him. He believes he somehow deserves that fate. And when he’s taken in by the circus? Taliesin mentions he never spends more than 24 hours alone. He’s...very lonely, I think. Someone who can’t bear to be isolated again. So when he wakes up again to a whole family of people who love him? Who welcome him wholeheartedly and insist they’ll love him unconditionally, no matter who he is? It’s beautiful, and it means the world to someone like Mollymauk/Kingsley. “I’m looking forward to the future. And I hope to deserve to have woken up surrounded by such people.”

Molly’s also mentioned that it was the Moonweaver who helped guide him when he first woke, who gave him comfort in having a new start in life. “Can you imagine what it would feel like to not feel anything about anything that had happened to you so far?...It’s very freeing. It’s the best thing--It’s the thing that happened to me. It’s not the best thing that happened to me, it’s the thing that happened to me. I found peace in building a new person. The Moonweaver--” However he came to worship the Moonweaver, I think it was definitely one of the most formative experiences in all his lives. I also like to headcanon the woman in a red coat Molly/King met in his dream was another visit from the Moonweaver, and she was either trying to return his memories or offer him another chance at a fresh start.

22.) People who’ve influenced them greatly

Oh, pre-campaign I think Molly modeled a lot of his behaviors and mannerisms after others in the circus, especially Gustav. He’s the one who named Mollymauk and presumably the one who spent the most time raising him and caring for him in that Empty period.

Molly has his own set of morals he feels very strongly about, and it’s entirely learned from the circus, “Things came back quick, and the circus helped. They were good people. They did a lot for me, and joy can fill an awful lot of a person’s life.” “I may be a liar, but I’m never a betrayer. I’m honest in my work and I believe in doing a good turn...I stayed with that circus for two years, and I know how people treat each other. It’s important.” When Molly is resurrected again, I think all of the Mighty Nein have very much the same effect on him.

#i just...love this little tief a whole lot

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the-lupine-sojourner · 4 years

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I Promised, Didn’t I? [Traitor(?)!Reader/Izuku Commission] [Fantasy!AU]

Ta-da! Here it is at long last, @elite-guard-hardygal!! So sorry to keep you waiting so long! TT^TT

Anyway, Hardygal commissioned this fanfiction based on some ideas they had and the song ‘Not while I’m Around’ from the Sweeny Todd movie. I like the song and the idea behind the commission, so I was eager to get to work on it, but then I got distracted with work and Miraculous Ladybug cus I was too curious as to what was going on so I binged the latest episodes--anyway, on to the commission!

If you want one for yourself, all you need do is ask! Here’s Info on My Commissions.

As always, I give the word count for my commissions. This one sits at 3807-ish cus there was just so much story there, I couldn’t stop writing! XD

Ok, that’s all for now! Hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving! :)

God Bless and Happy Holidays!

~The Lupine Sojourner

(Here’s a cute Izuku GiF cus why not?)

There he was; Eijiro Kirishima, the one you’d been sent to observe and eventually turn over to your boss, Kai Chisaki.

He and his group were...less than thrilled that a rogue barbarian king named Katsuki Bakugo and his companion, Eijiro, and their group of friends had been taking down his thugs and operations left and right, and as such Kai himself had sat you down and told you about sending his stealthier cronies to track and observe Eijiro and his friends, taking note of their relationships and which member would cause the most damage if they were to be...removed.

Eijiro was, apparently, one of the most innocent and a key player in keeping another group, led by Izuku Midoriya (another target, turns out), in fairly good terms with each other.

Eijiro was also married, after a somewhat fast-paced romance, to one of the most powerful magic-wielding adventurers in recent memory, Takara Yamada.

Only Shoto Todoroki, a rather reserved fellow who ran from his princely duties to find a cure for a curse that befell him, his fiance and bodyguard, Momo Yaoyorozu, and Izuku Midoriya (who was trying to find the missing king, Toshinori Yagi) could best Takara in terms of power and the way they use it.

The Chisaki told you to help hunt down Eijiro to unbalance Takara and the other powerhouses so it would be easier to kill them.

“Hey, are you okay?”

You look up. You’d been so wrapped up in your thoughts you hadn’t realized you were standing in the middle of the street, staring into space.

“Oh, y-yeah. I’m fairly new to the area, and was just getting my bearings. I look like that when I’m concentrating.”

Eijiro smiles. “Well, um, do you have a place to stay tonight?” He asks.

You chuckle. “Yes. The tavern, for now.”

“You should stay with me and my wife instead! She’d love you!” You act like you were surprised, but thanks to Chisaki you knew this was typical for Eijiro.

He always strove to help those he could. Poor naive boy.

Well, it would provide you an in with your targets. “Oh, no. I couldn’t ask you to do that. Really, I’m fine. I’m asking around for jobs, and I’ve got plenty of money to last me till I got a steady job.”

“It’s honestly no trouble. Takara would love to meet you.” You act like you were flattered and shyly accepting of the generous offer, and you could genuinely appreciate what this meant to him and his new wife.

Chisaki had even told you of rumors about Takara and what would happen in around 6 months.

You hope that rumor wasn’t true. You’d hate to make a child an orphan like you were before Chisaki snapped you up.

“Oh! I just realized; I don’t know your name.”

“Oh you’re right! And I don’t know yours, come to think of it.” You give the name you were told to use, Koi Dirisk.

“Lovely name. I’m Eijiro Kirishima.”

“Pleasure.” You shake hands and try not to think of the future too much.

=#=#=#=#=

“Darling, I’m home!” Eijiro calls, smiling broadly as he walks into the house.

“Perfect time! That deer you got this morning is just about cooked.” Comes a female voice, approaching.

Then, Takara comes into your view. She was...prettier than you thought she’d be. The description hadn’t done her justice, though you suppose that was either to avoid attachments or because the Chisaki were focused on the basics rather than her beauty.

“Oh. Eijiro, you didn’t mention a friend.” She says and you can tell she’s surprised but not angry or about to throw you out.

“She’s new to the area. Her name’s Koi. I offered to save her some money until she gets her feet under her.” Takara nods, smiling warmly at you and you feel your heart clench at the prospect of what will happen. You glance at her stomach as she walks over. It was starting to show, her pregnant belly. Just enough that you could confirm the rumors about Takara.

“Well, alright. We’ll see what we can do.” The two of you shake hands and you almost feel sick at the thought of turning this young bride into a widow so soon after her nuptials. And the kid would grow up without their wonderful parents.

And yet, you had to do what Chisaki said, or you’d be the next victim of his awful magic, creating deadly spikes out of the ground or simply destroying the body from within.

You’d been a witness in many executions now, and yet you hadn’t turned him in. You couldn’t.

You subtly shake yourself as Takara offers to show you around and to your borrowed room. You had to play the part for now.

The house was amazing, cozy and charming. The perfect place for a family, complete with a room for the upcoming child.

As soon as the tour was over, Takara returned to the kitchen and finished the meal preparation.

“So what brings you into town?” That question had come up fairly quickly as you ate dinner.

“Ah you know; traveling the world, seeing the sights, getting some exploring done before it’s too late.” That was what Kai wanted you to say. You felt the food turn to dust and ashes in your mouth as you lied.

This poor family would be torn apart and they had no idea.

=#=#=#=#=

“You established contact with Kirishima?”

“Yes.” You report in a small side room in a local tavern a day or so later.

“Good. Does he trust you yet?”

“Not sure. We’ve barely begun a friendship, much less trust at this stage. We’re going to do some magic practice later. That should help.”

“Y/N, are you having second thoughts?” Kai asks suddenly, leaning over a little.

“Not at all. I just noticed Takara Kirishima is in fact pregnant. She seems to be in the first trimester.”

“Is that a problem?” You knew the right answer.

“No. Just thought you should know.”

“It’ll make it easier for us to take care of her when the time comes. Good work.” You nod, swallowing subtly.

“Right. I’ll report to you again when I find the others in the group containing Izuku Midoriya.” Kai Chisaki nods, humming.

“See that you do, Y/N.”

“Yes, sir.” You reply, knowing the right answer.

=#=#=#=#=

Things only got worse as you were introduced to Izuku Midoriya.

He was even dressed like a proper gentleman, acting so polite you felt your heart clench at having to look at him like an enemy, scanning for weakness.

And so far, his main weakness was his easygoing, friendly, fairly trusting nature. Practically as soon as you were introduced to him, he was shaking your hand and talking about how ‘any friend of Eijiro and Takara’s is a friend of mine’.

You wanted to throw up. How could these people trust you so easily? Didn’t they want to know more about you?

So far, you’d been all but blindly taken in, asked the bare minimum of questions, and accepted as a new ally and friend by these people.

You tried to just continue like nothing was wrong.

=#=#=#=#=

“You sure know how to go on the offense there, Koi.” Izuku notes, smiling that damn warm smile of his as you two sparred.

“Well, my instructor was a victim of assault. It made her paranoid, and she passed that on to me. She told me ‘end the fight before the tricks up their sleeves come out’.”

Most of that was true. She was a victim of assault, but for being a villain, not in a random act of violence.

Izuku pauses. “That’s fair advice.” He concedes. “I wish I could help everyone, you know. It just doesn’t work that way sometimes.”

“But when you see something, you do something, right?”

“Of course.”

“That’s all anyone can do, if they even decide to do anything.” You weren’t sure when you started getting emotional, but here you were. “Most people are too afraid.”

“Well, yeah, but the ones that aren’t afraid can mean a life is saved and a villain is apprehended.”

You weren’t sure, but you’d swear he was saying something between the lines. A subtle chill went down your spine. Did he know? Or was it just coincidence?

You couldn’t be sure, so you made a few solid excuses to avoid him for the next few days. You had to get your story straight in case you were questioned.

Kai was pleased you were in contact with his next victim already, and had sparred with him. “Did he have any weaknesses in his fighting style that you noticed?” You shook your head.

“Not many. He’s sharp as a sword and quick as a spooked rabbit. We’ll have to be quicker and hit harder.”

“Excellent insight, as always, Y/N.” Kai smiles, curled finger lifting your chin to make you look at him. “You know you’re indispensable to me, dear. No one else has quite your ability to blend into any role I assign them.”

You nod, forcing a smile. “I try, sir.”

“So get out there and keep trying.” You nod and leave, trying not to let your stormy emotions show. You were growing to hate this assignment with a fiery passion.

You’d killed people and betrayed many others to their deaths, but never had you had to be a part of a man’s death with a pregnant wife. Normally, it was single people you dealt with.

At night, you cried yourself to sleep as quietly as you could. Surely, there had to be some way to save Eijiro, Izuku, and their friends, right?

You couldn’t think of anything and it was tearing you apart. You hated every mission you were sent on, but what choice did you have? Kai Chisaki had practically raised you, lording that over you to manipulate you into doing his bidding.

Somehow, you had to save these people.

Gods above, they were your age! How were you supposed to help kill them?!

=#=#=#=#=

“Hey, are you okay?” Takara asks over breakfast. You probably looked like shit.

You spent too long crying and still looked like it.

“Didn’t sleep much last night.”

“Anything you care to talk about?”

For a fleeting moment, you thought of saying ‘screw it’ and telling them the truth, but that was suicide and these people would die, anyway. “Not really. Sorry.”

“No, that’s okay. It’s not easy opening up. I get it.” Takara assures you gently, smiling warmly at you. “Just know you got two ears whenever you need to talk to me, okay?”

You fake a smile and continue eating. “I appreciate that.” Unfortunately, it didn’t spawn any plans to allow everyone in this scenario to survive.

=#=#=#=#=

The cruelest part of Kai’s undercover assignments he gave you was the few weeks you were given to get to know the victims and earn enough of their trust that they’d follow you into the trap the Chisaki laid out for them.

Usually, he talked you into hating the people by portraying himself as the victim, claiming these people betrayed him and left him no choice but to seek retribution.

And you always took his side after all he’d done for you.

But now...now you weren’t so sure.

How could killing people your age, who were just settling into life and starting families, be in any way a good thing, like Kai was claiming?

He’d just given you the week’s notice so you can get a plan for how and when you would lead the targets into a trap.

“Hey, are you okay?” Izuku asks, sitting beside you in the cool evening air atop a hill. About an hour ago, you’d probably have seen a gorgeous sunset if it weren’t for the tears going down your face.

You subtly wipe them away. “Yeah. You?” He nods, gently wrapping his arm around your shoulder. Your cheeks flush a little. Izuku was so...genuine and friendly.

He didn’t deserve to die.

“I think I am. Did you come up here to watch the sunset?” He asks, and you can tell he knew precisely why you were here.

“Something like that.” You reply glumly. You’d gotten closer to Izuku over the few weeks you’d known him, and you hated yourself for getting so caught up in the part you were playing that you could almost forget why you wore the mask.

Almost.

“You know, I’ve always liked taking moments to just sit and...be myself. Everyone looks to me as a leader and I hate to let people down.”

You nod. “So you only let yourself feel things when you’re alone.” You murmur.

Izuku squeezes your shoulder gently.

“You can be yourself around me, you know that, right?” You bite your lip.

“I know.” It was the right answer...right?

Izuku leans his head on yours, and you lose your train of thought.

“You ever feel like we were destined to meet?” He asks. “I mean--um...not necessarily romantically, just- -I- -ah, not that I am opposed to that, Koi! I just- -crap I made it weird…” You laugh.

“Izuku, I feel the same.” It wasn’t destiny, though; it was Kai. However, you couldn’t deny a feeling that beyond Kai, like maybe there was something there. You two seemed like strings being woven together for a tapestry.

“Oh, good.” He chuckles nervously as you readjust yourself against his strong chest. “What I was trying to say is, um…” He clears his throat, “nothing’s gonna harm you. Not while I’m around…” He sings softly all of a sudden.

You sigh. Even his voice was amazing. Honestly, given time, you may have fallen truly in love with him, but...he was a target of the Chisaki.

There’s no way he’d survive.

“I’m sorry. It’s something my mother would sing to me when I was little.” He apologizes. “It was dumb, I’m sorry.” You chuckle. Maybe, just for one night, you could let go and truly enjoy yourself. You snuggle up to Izuku.

“No, no. Go on. I’m sorry.”

Izuku starts over, and continues from there. “Demons are prowling everywhere, nowadays. I’ll send em howling, I don’t care. I got ways.” You smile, almost believing him. If he somehow, by some miracle, survived the week, you could see yourself maybe giving him a shot, regardless of the consequences. “No one’s gonna hurt you, no one’s gonna dare. Others can desert you. Not to worry! Whistle, I’ll be there! Demons will charm you with a smile, for a while, but in time...” That, you felt, was Izuku talking like he knew about Kai and your undercover work. In case he didn’t, you snuggle closer as if charmed by his words. And you were, but you were also a little wary. If he knew, it might mean danger for you, especially if Kai found out. “Nothing can harm you. Not while I’m around…”

You two sit for a moment in silence, enjoying each other’s company.

Your heart ached to tell him everything while part of you knew better so you sat there, wondering what to do. It’s then you reach a decision.

Izuku was one of the most powerful magic wielders to date. If anyone stood a chance at saving himself and his friends, it was Izuku. But only if he knew it was coming.

“Hey, um, Izuku..?” You begin, wondering how he would react. As long as he survived, though, it didn’t matter what he thought of you. You could rebuild trust eventually, but only if he survived. “I don’t want anything to harm you, either. Not...not while I’m around.” You weren’t singing, you were looking him in the eye. You had to do this. You knew it was the right thing to do. “I- -”

“Whatever it is, Koi, you can talk to me. I want to help you. Just tell me what you need to overcome.” You take a breath. “Koi, I won’t let anyone hurt you, I promise.”

He had no idea...no idea you were about to shatter his perception of you.

“I don’t want to hide anything from you…” You began. “But this...this is big.” Izuku perks up now that he’d started to crack at the armor you put around your secrets. He let you talk, his eyes betraying his eagerness to know more. You closed your eyes. “I...when I was young, maybe 6 or so, my village was attacked and burned by a villain group that was trying to get themselves started. For days afterward, I wandered around, homeless and an orphan…” You were shaking. You had never ever confided in anyone like this, and yet...you knew you had to keep going. Izuku’s warm, steady hand on yours helped ground you. You opened your eyes focused them on him and somehow found the strength to keep going. “And then someone took me in. I didn’t know it at first, but he was a villain. He wasn’t famous yet, and he hadn’t done anything flashy or impressive, but his magic was devastatingly powerful and he had convinced many people to join him.” Izuku’s eyes go wide.

He could fill in a few blanks just fine, but he kept his mouth shut, afraid Koi would stop talking if he dared utter a word.

“He told me his name was Kai Chisaki and he wanted me to be his spy, his little chameleon. I’ve been sent on many assignments, I’ve done so many horrible things to people, but I always thought Kai was right. He always made me think it was the right thing to do.” Tears formed in your eyes. Izuku hadn’t said a word. You didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing but you kept going. “But this time, for the first time, he made me go undercover with people my age, just starting out in life. I...I’ve grown to like you all a lot, even that barbarian king. You all accepted me with hardly any questions and Takara’s pregnant, and...and I can’t keep going on like I don’t know what’s coming. I made up the story about King Toshinori, and about my eavesdropping on those villains. It was a cover so I could remain a chameleon without you and Eijiro and the others ever suspecting I was the leak. You’d be ambushed and dealt with quickly so you’d stop interfering with Kai’s plans.”

You swallow. You’d done the hardest part, now you had convince him that you wanted to help him survive and protect him. “Now, I want to help you, Izuku! I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner! It’s just...Kai is terrifying! I know that’s no excuse, but…” You take a breath before you broke down in tears. “I don’t want the Chisaki to kill you or your friends. I...I want to protect you and make sure nothing harms you! I promise I’ll do my best to protect you and everyone else!” At this point, you couldn’t hold the tears back anymore. You tried not to be overdramatic, so you took deep breaths to steady yourself. “I understand if you don’t want anything to do with me, Izuku. Just know that I will protect you, no matter what. I’ll do what I can to make up for what I’ve done.”

You stood there, trembling as you waited for his reaction.

Izuku was stunned. He’d had had his suspicions about you from the time you avoided him for a few days. He checked on your excuses and they didn’t quite pan out, but he always thought maybe he was wrong. Now...he knew he was right. There was more to you then meets the eye.

But at least you had come forward and confessed in time to ensure everyone survived. That was what was important.

While he was hurt that you’d only joined his group as a ploy to kill him, he knew if he didn’t do something to make sure you knew he wouldn’t abandon you, he’d lose you and you’d think he hated you.

And that wasn’t true at all. In fact, it was the opposite. He’d grown very fond of you and was proud that you were coming forward and warning him about the impending ambush.

This way, he could be prepared and deal with the villains while still maintaining Koi- -or whatever your name was; Koi was likely a cover- -’s cover before you were found out and killed for your betrayal. Izuku knew Kai wouldn’t take kindly to his spy revealing herself to the enemy, much less getting so attached to them.

“So...what’s your real name?” He asks, giving you a small smile.

Your eyes go wide. You hadn’t expected that reaction at all.

Izuku didn’t seem to hate you for your role in Chisaki’s plan. At least, not right now.

You wipe your eyes. “W-what?”

“What’s your name?” He repeats, smiling at you. “I’m guessing Koi isn’t your real name.”

Hardly knowing how to feel, you let out a nervous chuckle. “N-no, it’s not. I’m, uh...Y/N.” You murmur, unsure how to take Izuku’s reaction.

Izuku’s smile goes wider and he holds out a hand as he stands. “Well then, Y/N, we’ve got work to do if we’re gonna survive the attack from the Chisaki group. C’mon.”

You hesitate, then take the hand, letting him help you up. “Izuku...I don’t know...I don’t want everyone to know and hate me.”

“Trust me, they’ll be thrilled you joined our side against someone like Kai Chiaski and want to help them survive. Eijiro will side with you, I know it.”

“Katsuki will kill me…” You moan, suddenly remembering the barbarian’s temper and explosive magic he could barely control. Those factors combined sent a chill down your spine. But maybe you deserved it for befriending them under such treacherous circumstances.

“I’ll handle Katsuki. He’ll be happy as long as he has villains to fight.”

While you appreciate the thought of Izuku convincing Katsuki to not kill you, you knew it was a long shot at best.

“I’ll be one of those villains.”

“No you won’t.” He assures you. “Y/N, trust me. I’ll talk to him. I know how to handle the barbarian king. You just need to talk to Todoroki and Momo, and we’ll get a plan together.”

Shakily, you nod. “I...I guess, yeah. Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“Nothing’s gonna harm you, Y/N.” Izuku says, leaning his forehead against yours. “Not while I’m around. I promised, didn’t I?”

You try to believe him as you walk back into town, hand in hand.

There were so many unknowns going through your head, but one thing was for sure; you and Izuku were going to figure it out together.

#Fanfiction #fanfiction commissions #my hero academia #MHA #Izuku Midoriya #Izuku Midoriya/Traitor(?)!Reader #Fantasy AU #MHA Fantasy AU #BNHA Fantasy AU #Fantasy!Izuku #Eijiro Kirishima #Eijiro Kirishima/Takara Yamada #My Hero Academia OC #Mentioned but not central to the story #Hardygal

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creideamhgradochas · 6 years

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Thanks to the lovely @bitsandbobsandstuff for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about lovely Kris, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

Looking back, my first attempt at fanfic was probably when I was 11-years-old and I couldn’t wait for the next ‘Babysitters Club’ book to come out, so I wrote my own story. I think it featured Stacey McGill and horses. I really fucking wish I could find it… But honestly, I didn’t really understand the world of fanfiction until I joined Tumblr. So outside of those little forays when I was younger, I’d say it was last year when I realised it was a thing I could do and people might be interested, so let’s say my 30s.

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

When it comes to fanfic, I prefer Reader inserts. They feel more inclusive and frankly, even as a writer it can be easier to imagine myself in the shoes of the reader character (so I can understand their thoughts and feelings and motivations), if I don’t have a specific name attached to them.

5) When is your preferred time to write?

Either first thing in the morning (coffee and morning air are excellent inspiration) or Saturday afternoons.

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Constant reading. I’m that nerd at the bus stop or waiting at the movie theatre or walking down the street with my nose in a book. I also try to draw on real life experiences/ situations when I can, it gives stories more texture.

7) In your Safe With Me fic, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

I’m going to be cheeky and say it’s a tie – the dance scene in Chapter 8 and the trigger scene in Chapter 15. The realisations they both had within the few minutes of their dance together felt like such a great payoff for everything up until that point, and I loved imagining Bucky in that black suit (and I just love that song ‘Run to you’). The trigger scene was so much fun just to resurface and/ or create all Bucky’s memories, especially the ones with the Soldier…they were like mini-stories of their own.

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

Nope. Everyone has a different vision and every story is unique for a reason.

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

Clearly, I’m such a sucker for Bucky Barnes. 😊 His character has been through so many things over his lifetime, you can take him in a hundred directions and they can still feel true to source material (both MCU and comics). He can be a battle-weary soldier or a sassy little shit, and it all links back to some iteration of his personality at some point in his life – whether pre-WW2, Winter Soldier days, or now. I’d like to branch out and try others (or maybe other fandoms) at some point, but I’m content with him for now.

11) How did you come up with the title for the Safe With Me?

I knew I wanted the title to be a line of dialogue, because I like the symmetry of finding titles inserted in a story, and I knew I wanted it to be something ‘safety’ related, since that was the theme of the story. In Chapter 3, Bucky gives the reader a little speech at the end, telling her he’ll do anything he needs to protect her, and after re-working that a little, I came up with the ‘you’re safe with me’ line, and that became the title!

12) How did you come up with the idea for Safe With Me?

I wanted to try a series for a long time, but was always so intimidated by the idea - I’m blown away by the writers on here who do so many series, the time it takes is nuts. For SWM, there were certain themes I personally wanted to find in a story - what it means to be safe, how sometimes evil people can live right next to you, the importance of mental health...all those concepts were used as foundations to the story and the colour was created around them. Sometimes things went in the direction I wanted, sometimes they took unexpected left turns as I was writing - I think you really have to be okay being led by your gut sometimes. Things like lemon drug or Tony’s tech or changing the purpose of the trigger words were random ideas that fell into place. My brain is a weird place to be sometimes.

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

I’ve thought about doing something else with ‘Bless me father’ (still the strangest, weirdest, dirtiest story I’ve written) maybe a prequel or sequel, but still mulling over ideas.

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

There are so many on Tumblr I love, but three in particular I would point out.

@a-splash-of-stucky: Elsa is a literal poet. The way she writes, the images she conjures and phrases she uses, are beyond gorgeous.

@justreadingfics: Ally can set up a scene like you wouldn’t believe. I am also in continual awe of someone who can write so beautifully when it’s not their first language.

@4luvofall: Cristina nails the dialogue every single time. Her characters are always a little sassy and a little funny, and I want to go drinking with them (and her). Outside of Tumblr, my favourite book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and I would be happy to read Harry Potter every day for the rest of my life.

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

No stories, although sometimes I’ll read old dialogue or descriptions and roll my eyes a little! I think it’s important to read your old stuff and recognise how far you’ve come or how your style has changed.

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

I have a writing playlist that is mostly Sigur Ros and Sleeping at Last, with a heavy dose of movie soundtracks like Lord of the Rings. But sometimes, I put headphones in and just listen to silence.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

I’ve gotten a little emotional at points, but never full on cried. I have sobbed like a baby while reading though, good lord.

20) Which part of your Safe With Me fic was the hardest to write?

I think the club scene in Chapter 12 was the hardest. The idea was to use the scenery and secondary characters and music to build the tension through the course of the night, until everything collapsed. Finding the right flow and making sure it didn’t feel too rushed was really hard, it took me a long time to work through.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I tend to make an outline. For one-shots, it’s never long – just listing out the key points and scenes I want to hit. For SWM it was long – the outline was more than 15,000 words. Admittedly, I’m somewhat Type A, so I need structure to function. 😊

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

Probably my first Stucky story, ‘The language of a kiss’. I was hesitant to post it – it wasn’t long after I read ‘Not easily conquered’ which was one of the most mind-blowing literary experiences of my life. I love the story and have gotten lovely comments on it, but I think AO3 tends to be a better place for Stucky stories, Tumblr leans more toward Reader insert.

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

Yes! The reader for ‘Safe with me’ was based heavily on yours truly! Most of her dialogue came very easy because it’s how I speak in real life (full of F-bombs and insults that rarely make sense). Some of Bucky’s dialogue and sass was based on my husband, the way those two bickered in the story was pretty close to real life.

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

Some of the compliments I’ve received for ‘Safe with me’ have been genuinely unbelievable. Several people have said the story inspired them to write again, which I’m so excited to hear. The biggest compliment though, was probably someone telling me the story helped ease them through a depressive episode in their life. That hit particularly close to home and I can’t express how happy I was to hear that.

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction?

My husband and a few close friends. The first time I told my best friend, who is not remotely into fandom, I gave her ‘Safe with me’ at chapter 12 and she read the entire thing overnight and by 8a the next morning I was getting texts saying “are you awake and if so are you writing because you can’t do this to me.” Hearing someone with no interest in Marvel say that was pretty fun.

30) What’s you favorite minor character you’ve written?

Definitely Riz in ‘Safe with me’. I picture him hanging out in his little kiosk in downtown Manhattan, playing Candy Crush and watching the world go by. He has to have some great stories.

31) What spurs you on during the writing process?

Deadlines! I work so much better under pressure. If I ever had to write a thesis, I would wait until two days before it’s due.

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

I think it was the ‘Worth Fighting For’ series by @serzhantkris. The plot was based on Mulan, and followed the reader who took her brother’s place in the army during WW2 - she went though basic and got deployed and captured as part of the 107th. She was a feisty and amazing character, and I’m always a sucker for 1940s Bucky. The story is broken out across the three Captain America movies and it is seriously breathtaking – sweet, cheeky, full of action, and completely heartbreaking.

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

I think I’m going with angst. I like being able to dig into something and maybe cause a little pain in the process. 😉

#milestone celebration #ask the author #bitsandbobsandstuff

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johnmuffus · 4 years

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Elite Affiliate Pro Review

Elite Affiliate Pro Review (Igor Kheifets Course)

Igor is your regular YouTube making a living off affiliate marketing, and he claims to make over $60,000 every week while still having time to develop and release different courses on how to do the same.

He offers you a free course with a few strategies as a taste of his actual courses, and if you want the real “secrets”, you can then purchase his product.

If you have no experience in affiliate marketing, let me tell you that there really isn’t any “secret solutions” or shortcut method in this business. Any guru claiming that is usually either a completely made up approach that will just not work or a rebrand of some traditional method they sell with a new image.

There are new approaches, of course, and they can work. However, that’s far from a “secret surefire method to get 60k every week”. Even the best strategies still require work and dedication before generating any money.

That doesn’t mean this course is a scam or that Igor isn’t a legitimate businessman. He’s worked with recognized names like Anthony Morrison, but that doesn’t mean he can’t use clickbait to sell a course.

It’s a good sign, but it also doesn’t mean his course is good. $997 is really expensive, so make sure to read here before you decide to spend it.

Who’s the author?

Pat owns a popular blog, as I already told you. He’s used it for sharing reports on his income for several years, and he’s made it clear he’s making good money on affiliate marketing. One of the largest accounts tied to him is a Bluehost one earning him $110 for every person signing up, and he promotes content related to starting blogs.

He’s made more than $3.5 million in affiliate revenues as confirmed by his site, and he has a weekly podcast that’s around 400 episodes. His topics cover a vast spectrum, including Amazon and Kindle marketing, general entrepreneurship, trends, and tips.

His YouTube channel is also quite impressive. He shares videos on a lot of different content, and his has nearly 200,000 subscribers. His videos cover passive income tips, reviews, and updates on his life.

He’s also de owner of several courses on business ideas, podcasts, brand building, etc. The cheapest one is $249; the most expensive is $999.

Reviewing Elite Affiliate Pro

Main content

The course is mostly a collection of several videos covering different sides of running an affiliate marketing business.

You learn about how you can reach out to your target audience, including how to create good emails, pre-sale pages, and even advanced stuff like how to use scarcity.

You also learn how to find offers both in Clickbank and with webinars, and there’s a class on general high-conversion CPA offers. There’s one more module about how to scale your conversions by offering bonuses.

Bonuses

You get several bonuses with this course, and they’re actual bonuses, unlike other courses saying that a private FB group is a bonus.

The largest addition here is a bonus mini-course divided in 3 phases.

The first one teaches you how to plan and set up your campaigns. It’s all about email marketing, explained through 6 steps. The second phase is a case study of how Igor made $100,000 with his email marketing approach; he used a webinar to catch clients, and the following emails increased his sales. The last phase is a tutorial on how to get traffic from your campaigns; note this section is solely about paid traffic, so don’t expect SEO and similar approaches.

There are other bonuses as well, including tips for you to revive a failed email list, Igor’s recommendations regarding affiliate promotions (don’t take them as rules since they’re probably oversaturated), and some email swipes.

There’s also a bunch of templates you can use for your affiliate marketing campaigns and a list with Igor’s favorite CPA networks.

Coaching

You can reach out to Igor on his live webinars if you have any questions needing answers. It’s your gateway to solve any doubts about the contents inside the course or just about the business model in general.

The only issue about this support is that you need to schedule yourself so that you can be available during the call’s time. That can be hard while you’re starting out since you’re going through applying all the lessons, and it’s sadly the time you’re probably going to need it the most.

Final Verdict

Igor is a pretty good affiliate marketer, and the numbers he’s done speak for themselves and are certainly amazing. He’s not a newcomer or a fake entrepreneur, and you can see that in the way he speaks as much as you can see it on his reputation and occasional associates.

In fact, the content inside this course is actually good, but it feels like a random conglomerate of different lessons mashed together. It has good content, but it needs work on its structure, and its seeming randomness may be confusing for newcomers.

Finally, there’s a money-back guarantee, but it’s a bit of an annoying process. You can ask for a refund, but you need to provide your 6-step checklist as proof it didn’t work before you get a refund.

In other words, refunds are based on your performance and proving that you failed despite this course’s teachings.

It’s not as bad as not having a refunds policy or asking students to watch only like 10% of your program, but it’s definitely worth considering before getting this course.

Best Alternative

If you’re OK with the content and price, then go for it, as you’ll probably learn at least a couple new tips.

However, you can get my favorite course for $800 less if you buy Savage Affiliates by Franklin Hatchett. Unlike a focused course like Igor’s, Savage Affiliates is a single stop you can use to get all the knowledge necessary to start your affiliate business on solid footing.

Beside what you’ll learn from Igor, it also has modules on SEO, Google, Snapchat, even chat bots, and it covers both free and paid advertisement in those branches and a lot more that would take me an entire section to mention entirely.

Franklin Hatchett is also a winner from the 2 Comma Club, and he’s one of the most famous faces in eCommerce and affiliate marketing, so you’re not lowering your author’s status.

I hope you found this review useful and if you have any questions, please comment down below. I’ll be more than happy to assist you.

Once again, thanks for reading my Elite Affiliate Pro Review and I wish you the best of luck.

The post Elite Affiliate Pro Review appeared first on Only Genuine Reviews.

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operawindow9-blog · 5 years

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What’s missing from our list of 2018’s best TV?

As we wind down 2018, our best-of coverage continues with the following question:

What’s missing from our list of the year’s best TV?

Kyle Fowle

There’s hardly reason to argue with almost any year-end list these days because of the sheer number of good TV shows out there, but I’m genuinely surprised that HBO’s High Maintenance didn’t make our list. The second season of the HBO run keeps with the anthology-esque spirit of the show, but it goes deeper in ways surprising and touching. So, there’s still the random characters that populate New York and The Guy’s life, but what’s different this time around is a narrative through-line involving The Guy’s ex. That character arc, one of pain and jealousy and moving on, adds so much to a season that’s already achingly honest. Add in the fact that one of the year’s best episodes—“Globo,” reckons with the election of Donald Trump, and the completely indescribable feeling of moving through the world on the morning of November 9, 2016 in a smart, poignant, and stirring way—and you have a season of TV that’s more than worthy of any year-end list.

Myles McNutt

It’s difficult for an established reality show to make it into a best of TV list: Beyond the fact that critical conversation privileges scripted programming, reality shows are built on iteration, and that feels less novel or memorable when we reach the list-making time of year. And I’m part of this problem, because I failed to put CBS’ Survivor on my own list despite the fact that its fall cycle has been absurdly enjoyable for a show in its 37th—not a typo—season. Yes, the David Vs. Goliath theme is profoundly dumb. No, I couldn’t tell you a single thing that happened during the season that aired in the spring, so 2018 wasn’t all great for the series. But something about the alchemy of casting and game-play has created a season with a succession of satisfying twists and turns, reminding us that although we may not instinctively think of it as list worthy, a reality show 18 years into its run can still create some of television’s best drama and comedy. (I’ll never hear the name “Natalie” without laughing now.)

Eric Thurm

Making reality TV really pop is an artform: There are hundreds of hours of interactions to film, comb through, and precisely edit into a narrative that will make sense, delight viewers, and feel just slightly off, like humans hanging out too many years in the future to quite make sense to us. So every year, I become more and more impressed with the reigning queen of the genre: Vanderpump Rules. The sixth season is one of the show’s best; over half a decade in, Vanderpump Rules remains an examination of fame, misfired charisma, and the terrors of tenuous social status that would put any 19th century novel to shame. Whether it’s Jax Taylor maybe falling in love with his reiki master Kelsey while his relationship with Brittany Cartwright festers like an untreated sore, Stassi Schroeder’s then-boyfriend creating a new god tier of social faux pas by grossly hitting on Lisa freaking Vanderpump, or the slow-moving car crash of James Kennedy ignoring the “best friend” he was clearly sleeping with (not that anyone else cared), Vanderpump Rules remains mesmerizing. The cast of past, present, and future SUR employees are stuck with each other forever, and it’s incredible. It’s not about the pasta; it’s about dread.

Clayton Purdom

Aw, come on—am I the only person who thought Maniac was one of the year’s best? Well, apparently. Cary Joji Fukunaga’s 10-parter was far from perfect, but it aimed admirably high, wrangling spy action, elven fantasy, late-capitalist malaise, intense family dynamics, corporate psychotherapy and more into a freewheeling caper across several levels of reality. It also got career-best comedic performances out of Emma Stone and Justin Theroux and a fine, sad-sack turn from Jonah Hill. And Ben Sinclair! Not all of its ideas stuck, but it was messy, smart, and light in a way I’d love to see more sci-fi attempt.

Dennis Perkins

I’ll admit, I was worried going into the new, Mary Berry-less (not to mention Mel- and Sue-less), Great British Baking Show era, but I am pleased as rum baba to say that this enduringly endearing and delightfully stressful baking competition series has marched on just as sweetly. Sure, there’s a lingering bitter aftertaste to the great British baking show schism that led to those departures, but not on the Great British Baking Show itself, which rides remaining judge Paul Hollywood’s gruff charms alongside new judging partner Prue Leith and celebrity goofballs Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig without missing a trick. The key ingredient to this series’ success has always been the utterly generous heart that goes into every episode, and Fielding and Toksvig, if anything, seem more emotionally invested in the fates of the contestants they have to expel, one-by-one, from the show’s famous tent. And if Hollywood and Leith continue the necessarily merciless judging of soggy bottoms, overworked and under-proved doughs, and the occasional collapsing confectionary disaster, they, too, provide warmly constructive criticism rather than the traditional reality show scorn. A series—as the departed Berry was wont to say—“cram-jammed” with delights, The Great British Baking Show remains one of the most cozily exciting TV experiences going. [Dennis Perkins]

Alex McLevy

Maybe it’s the curse of distance that comes from being released way back in January, or maybe it’s simply a victim of the era of Too Much TV, but I’m bummed out to find the Steven Soderbergh-helmed Mosaic failed to crack our top 25. The miniseries is everything you could want in superlative television: a sharply nuanced and well-written mystery, performed by a coterie of uniformly strong actors at the top of their game (longtime character actor Devin Ratray deserves to be getting award nominations for his star turn), and an ace director brilliantly shooting and editing the whole thing into an intriguing puzzle? It’s the one thing I have felt comfortable recommending to anyone all year long who’s asked me what great show they should check out, regardless of individual tastes, and sadly, not a single person to date has responded with, “I’ve already seen it.” (Feel free to ignore the accompanying multimedia app as an experimental lark on Soderbergh’s part.) You’d think an HBO series from an Oscar-winning director wouldn’t need underdog-status championing, and yet here we are. Give it a watch if you haven’t yet—and odds are, you haven’t.

Caroline Siede

Come on you guys, Netflix’s Queer Eye gave us two full seasons and a special in 2018, and we couldn’t even give it a spot on our list?! I get that it can be hard to stump for reality TV when there’s so much great scripted stuff out there, but Queer Eye at least deserves a special award for being one of the most unexpected joys of 2018. The new Fab Five offered an updated spin on the early ’00s Bravo original, emphasizing self-empowerment, confidence, and empathy along with styling tips and home makeovers. Karamo used his vague “culture and lifestyle” assignment to deliver some really thoughtful therapy sessions, Tan invented a whole new way to wear shirts, Jonathan established himself as an instant icon, Antoni put avocado on stuff, and Bobby did five times as much work as everyone else while getting barely any credit for it. Whether we were bonding over tear-jerking transformations or mocking Antoni’s complete inability to cook, Queer Eye was the rare cultural unifier based on something lovely and uplifting, rather than dark and depressing. I’m guessing we’re still going to need that in 2019, so it’s a good thing the show has a third season on the way. Until then, I’ll just be rewatching A.J.’s episode on a loop.

Lisa Weidenfeld

I watched and loved a lot of TV this year, but it’s possible Wynonna Earp is the show I looked forward to the most, and also the one I wish I was seeing on more best-of lists this December. It’s a Western, a procedural, a Buffy descendant, a horror comedy, and probably a few other things as well. But mostly it’s fun. Its wildly entertaining third season was the strongest yet, and featured a potato-licking mystery, a Christmas tree topper made out of tampons, and one of TV’s sweetest ongoing romances—the usual stuff of great drama. The show’s mythology keeps expanding into an ever larger battle between forces far more powerful than its scrappy team of heroes, but it’s the writing and character work that make the show shine. Wynonna may be tough and merciless in her pursuit of victory, but it’s her sense of humor that keeps her human and compelling, and the bond between her and sister Waverly has provided a grounding emotional force on a show with an increasingly complex central plot. There just aren’t enough shows on TV that would work a Plan B joke into their heist sequence.

Vikram Murthi

Even correcting for James Franco’s involvement, which might put people off for legitimate reasons, it blows me away that The Deuce didn’t crack AVC’s main list. David Simon and George Pelecanos’ bird’s-eye view of the inception and proliferation of the sex industry in the United States represents some of the most mature, compelling television of the year. Simon’s detail-oriented, process-focused approach comes alive when examining a side of American culture that functions as a metaphor for everything: gentrification, the rise of cultural conservatism, urban renewal, late capitalism, and, most potently, the filmmaking process. This season, Simon and Pelecanos pushed their subjects toward broader freedoms that quickly revealed themselves to be traps in disguise. Not only does all social progress come with a price, but also it’s limited to those pre-approved by those controlling the purse strings. Yet, Simon and Pelecanos never forget that the tapestry of human experience is neither exclusively tragic nor comprehensively optimistic. Some people discover happiness, and others lose their way. Rising and falling in America has always been a permanent state because social environments and political context circumscribe life-or-death choices. It’s been a decade since The Wire ended, but its worldview lives on through Simon’s successive work: everything’s connected, follow the money, and bad institutions fail good people every damn day.

Danette Chavez

Although the show’s title addresses a certain demographic, Dear White People has so much to say beyond calling out the oblivious and privileged. Yes, Justin Simien’s adaptation of his 2014 film of the same name wears its politics on its sleeve, but they’re right next to its heart. The show is much more a winning coming-of-age dramedy than it is a polemic, and even then, it’s still miles ahead of most college-set series in both style and substance. Simien’s created his own visual language to capture both the intimacy of the relationships among the core cast, as well as the microscope they’re under as black students at an Ivy League school. And I really cannot say enough about the dialogue, which crackles and informs. Season one had such a moving coming-out storyline, made all the more so by DeRon Horton’s vulnerable performance; the new season follows Lionel’s adventures in dating and dorm sex, with hilarious and poignant results. Really, the whole cast should be commended, from Logan Browning, who provides a wonderfully complex center as Sam, to Antoinette Robertson, who may have given the series’ best performance in season two’s “Chapter IV.” Dear White People still makes a point of punching up—at racist and sexist institutions, tangible and otherwise—but many of its most extraordinary moments have come from characters like Sam, Gabe (John Patrick Amedori), and Reggie (Marque Richardson) recognizing their personal foibles. Thankfully, Netflix has already renewed Dear White People for a third season, giving you all a chance to get it together.

Gwen Ihnat

The odd Amazon sitcom Forever had a lot to say about the monotony of monogamy and marriage: Can you really stay with someone happily for the rest of your life? (Or afterlife, as the case may be.) With anyone but Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph cast as that main couple, Forever might have slowly slid into bland drudgery. But the two gifted comic actors injected a lot of life into the monogamy question, aided by a spirited supporting cast including Catherine Keener, Julia Ormond, and Noah Robbins. Sure, there are some days when you want to talk to anyone but that person sitting across from you at the breakfast table. But who else would discuss with you, ad nauseam, banal topics like the perfect way to spend a half-hour, or the best way to sit in a chair? The standalone episode “Andre And Sarah” makes achingly clear how much finding (or not finding) that person who makes you shine steers the path your life will eventually take, all in a mere 35 minutes.

Allison Shoemaker

While I’d love to praise one of the many things that aired this year that I’m sure to revisit in future—someone else is going to mention Wanderlust, Salt Fat Acid Heat, and the dazzling Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert, right?—I feel compelled to bring up a program I’m almost certain I’ll never watch again. It’s unlikely that when HBO snapped up The Tale at Sundance this year, the network was thinking of the benefits of the pause button. Yet it’s a benefit all the same. The debut narrative feature from documentarian Jennifer Fox follows a fictionalized version of the director (played by Laura Dern) as she re-examines a traumatic childhood experience she’d filed away in her mind as loving and consensual, managing to be both gentle and almost unbearably upsetting all at once. Dern’s simple, seemingly relaxed performance belies the nightmare which fuels it, and that pause button may prove invaluable to some—it certainly was for me. The Tale is a film which seems to demand that you witness, rather than merely watch it. Should you need to walk away for a minute, it’ll keep.

Noel Murray

I know, I know: At least once or twice a year someone tells you about some cool animated series you should be watching, and talks about how trippy and ambitious and strangely deep it is. But guys, trust me: You need to catch up on Cartoon Network’s Summer Camp Island. Only half of season one has aired so far (20 10-minute episodes, mostly non-serialized), with the rest of the first batch reportedly set to debut before the end of the year. It’s a show parents can watch with grade-school-aged kids or on their own—a treat for animation buffs, and for anyone who enjoys a the kind of surrealism that’s more adorable than upsetting. With its snooty teen witches, dorky monsters, and never-ending parade of anthropomorphic clothes, toys, plants, and foodstuffs, Summer Camp Island is like a weird old Disney cartoon crossed with an ’80s teensploitation picture. And it is glorious.

A.A. Dowd

Mike Flanagan is a Stephen King guy. You could guess that from his adaptation of Gerald’s Game and from the news that he’s doing King’s Shining sequel Doctor Sleep next. Or you could just watch his work and marvel at how plainly influenced it is by the author’s, at how well it captures that signature King touch—the division of perspective among multiple characters, the interest in history and trauma, the graceful juggling of timelines. There’s much more King than Shirley Jackson in Flanagan Netflix take on The Haunting Of Hill House. The miniseries didn’t scare me as much as it seemed to scare a lot of my friends and colleagues—while well-executed, its jolts were mostly of the familiar James Wan spirits-slithering-up-walls variety. But I loved the intricacy of the storytelling, the way Flanagan moved fluidly from the childhood scenes to the adulthood ones and back again, mapping the entwined lives of these damaged siblings to suggest the way that our past and present remain in constant conversation. (It’s memories, of course, that are really haunting the Crain family.) In the end, I found Haunting Of Hill House a better, more spiritually faithful adaptation of It than the real one from last year. Guess that makes me a Mike Flanagan guy.

Erik Adams

The contents of The Big List demonstrate that it’s a great time for television comedy of all stripes: Animated, musical, workplace, detail-oriented genre parody, surrealist examination of the agony and ecstasy of existence. And while I would’ve liked to have seen some notice for the humble charms of NBC’s Superstore or a nod to that episode of Joe Pera Talks With You where Joe hears “Baba O’Riley” for the first time, I’m surprised that we didn’t heap more praise on another Michigan-set cable show co-starring Conner O’Malley. Like Myles with Survivor, I’m willing to accept that I’m part of the problem: Detroiters didn’t make my ballot’s final cut, despite all the hearty laughs, shoddily produced TV commercials, and General Getdown dance routines (“He’s a general—he’s the best”) the Comedy Central series gave me this year. Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson’s love letter to their shared hometown will always be powered by the stars’ explosively silly onscreen connection, but season two did some stellar work at fleshing out their characters as individuals, whether it was Sam reuniting with an ex to record a sultry grocery-store jingle or Tim (loudly) grappling with the family legacy of Cramblin Duvet Advertising. If nothing else, these episodes proved that when it comes to comedic news anchors, sometimes the inspiration for Ron Burgundy outstrips the legend himself.

Source: https://tv.avclub.com/what-s-missing-from-our-list-of-2018-s-best-tv-1830979080

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emilymulleraccd · 6 years

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Westworld

Part I: Title Sequence

I don’t know that I really pulled a whole lot out of the sequence in terms of meaning and themes. Mostly we’re seeing extreme close ups that you really have to think about to identify. We see individual parts of miscellaneous things being made – a string being stretched inside a piano by a robotic arm; the magazine of an oldschool revolver; the iris of an eye (reflecting an image of rock structures you’d see out in the desert of Arizona, etc.); and white, tendon-like threads that are later revealed to part of a running horse and skeleton hands playing the piano. It’s as if these things are being fabricated together, in relation to each other: there’s the progression of the piano, then the hands while they’re on the piano; the running horse, then a person on the horse – the machines are still present while these things are being combined.

The shot of the fabricated woman sitting on the running horse, pointing the revolver, is a classic wild-west shot. This kind of sets the stage for the world we’re about to enter (wild-west combined with androids is quite the theme). We also learn the piano is playing itself, based on the sheet it’s been fed.

The ending shot of a fabricated man being submerged in resembles Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. The text on the drawing is often referred to as Proportions of a Man. Referencing this implies great care was put into the design of the androids to be as human-like as possible, and possibly even a more perfect version of a human than a real human.

What’s weird is that the horse, woman’s face, and submerged man aren’t complete; we see bones poking out in places as if their skin had been peeled away, or in this case, not formed at all. Does this imply that even the perfect androids aren’t perfect, that they’re a work in progress? Or does it mean something else entirely?

Somewhat as an aside, the West World logo finishes off the title sequence. For some reason it reminds me of the logo for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Probably random connection?

Part II: Episode I

Same thing as with Black Mirror, I hit so many points as I was taking notes along the way, condensed and clarified to what’s relevant. A lot of the questions about how the world works were answered as it went along.

· “Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality?” “No” – Is he trying to see if Dolores is aware she is an android? Update: at the end he asks if she’s ever lied to them and she says no but how can you trust that?

· “The newcomers are just looking for what we are: A place to be free, to stake out our dreams, a place with unlimited possibilities.” This is so deeply ironic considering the androids are the complete opposite of free.

· This already makes me think of The Matrix because of the question of reality.

· The concept of Westworld vaguely reminds me of Burning Man.

· Where do the hosts think the guests come from? Dolores makes it sound like they’re just new to town.

· It seems like Dolores has feelings… she has a very human logic and mannerisms.

· What we’re watching is what happened before Dolores got reset right?

· “What if I told you you were wrong? That there are no chance encounters?” Again, very Matrix-y

· He’s telling her that she’s built to please humans. Why is he telling her? Don’t they want them to not know?

· The newcomers are somehow immune in this world?? How??

· “Winning doesn’t mean anything until someone else loses” - bad guy. Interesting theme that I wonder if they’ll explore more?

· How is she so programmed to have an automatic response about the newcomers but yet has such genuine feelings about her personal relations? Is that just how in depth her programming is?

· Why is this restarting that same day? What does that piano cue have to do with things?

· “…at the end of every narrative…” So basically each android lives multiple iterations of their life over time. How often do the narrations start over? Do they wake up the same way every single day? Or are we just getting more details of what happened the first time? How are some things happening the same and some things happening slightly different?

· Traces of memories = similar to subconscious. Like it’s never fully wiped. This is interesting to look at in humans too because we might not consciously remember things from our past but they’ll still come up to the surface given the right set of circumstances (usually trauma-based).

· Female programmer kisses female android in test room – what are the rules on being gay in the real world?

· Storage in Sublevel B83 – looks like an abandoned mall (I know where they shot that - in real life it actually is an abandoned mall nearish LAX I happened to randomly study) In terms of production design and storyline why is that what the storage place looks like????

· Is “deeper dreamless slumber” a code word to put them asleep? Update: Yes, yes it is.

· Are they programmed to go through the same motions until otherwise stopped? How does that even work? How do they have feelings then and how does homeboy being gone have anything to do with anything? Update: it is part of his storyline. Teddy didn’t actually leave at all. He must ride in on the train with the guests. Smart because it lead the audience to believe he was a human until he got shot.

· The fly landed on the guy’s face and he started malfunctioning. There was a fly on Dolores’ face in the empty room.

· How do they get them in and out of the land without guests noticing? How do they control the storylines?

· There’s a fly on Teddy now what’s going to happen to him?

· They can think critically enough to realize that the picture a tourist left was from ‘another land’ - wait, actually no just the father did.

· Is bad man after a real human or what is he coming to this world for? Update: He’s trying to learn how the world works. But why? Insider trading? (That’s a joke. Kind of?)

· Can the guests kill each other? Can hosts kill each other? Update: Yep.

· Ah, here we are with the da Vinci thing from the opening – seems like some sort of coating after they’re woven together?

· Natural selection, overstepping evolution: “We can cure any disease, keep even the weakest of us alive . . . do you know what that means? It means that we are done. that this is as good as we’re gonna get.” This seems to be a really big underlying theme. Something about humans trying to control everything, I think. At least partly.

· So now the humans sent in to kill the affected androids are killed themselves by androids and humans. Or was it just the humans? How many real humans died, just the two outside or the two in the bar that the prostitutes shot?

· Why did the father get affected by the picture but not Dolores? Update: I thought it was because he lived in different storylines, but apparently Dolores is the oldest host so she has too.

· What is the significance of the fly on all the people? What is the significance that she killed the fly on her neck? Because she said she’d never kill a living being and then she did?

To acknowledge the other questions on the prompt: I have no estimate on year, I missed what the malfunction was 30 years ago though I remember them mentioning it, and I am bad with names so I have no idea who Arnold is.

Lots to think about with this one, am eager to keep watching it!

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