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deer-carcasses · 2 months

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"Great Alastor, altruist, died for his friends"

a deeper look into Alastor's solo part of the final song

The entire soundtrack has been stuck in my head since the show ended, but Alastor's part of the final specifically has been playing on a loop in my brain since I first heard it.

The slow downward pan from the Vee's feeling like they are now finally able to take over the city to the upward pan with Alasto's song starting was a fantastic choice, the contrast in their emotions, in the music, and still it all fit perfectly together.

"This place reeks of death," is such an underrated opening for this song in my eyes. We know Alastor is a cannibal, we've seen him eat a dead deer before, [^1] which would point toward him not having a problem with the smell of death and decay, but he goes out of his way to mention it smells of death. I don't think he truly meant the smell of death in this scene though. He might be talking about the death of his career if he had gotten killed in his fight with Adam. The line "Great Alastor, Altruist, died for his friends" is not him referring to himself as an altruist, it is the headlines he already sees if he truly would have died, seemingly for his friends, for the hotel. The way he follows it up with "Sorry to disappoint, this is not where it ends" shows this. It's him stating how absurd it is, but that this would be the story everyone would be thinking should it have happened. But I also feel like he says it because he knows there's the tiniest of truths behind it. Why did he fight Adam alone? Why did he fight in the first place? For the hotel, for his friends. As much as Alastor hates to admit it, he has gotten closer to the people in the hotel for sure, especially when we look at how he interacts with them all. He seems friendlier, even if it's just for show and to keep up his facade, but he truly does act like he at least cares a little but about them. The look he has while even saying it speaks volumes, he looks truly terrified of the implication that hell could see him as an altruist in this fight.

At first, his smile was an angry snarl, aggression about being humiliated by losing this fight clearly written all over his smile. But then it turns genuinely afraid like he fears the mere concept of being seen as a decent person, not even a good person, just decent enough to fight for the people in the hotel.

He digs his nails into his scalp, dragging his hands down the side of his face, but not at the prospect of dying, but at the idea of what would've come after he had died. [^2] At the idea that all of hell would know he not only died but died for someone else. Before this thought of what other people in hell would think of him, he looked more angry, enraged that Adam even dared be an opponent that Alastor had to run from in order to get out of there alive. His reaction is surprisingly human considering how Alastor normally holds himself. Sure he was alone ignoring the eyes following him around his destroyed radio tower, [^3] There's no one here that he would have to lie to, but he knows better than anyone that you're never truly alone in hell, so it still surprised me how honest he was with the viewers in this moment. It's the most we see of him that doesn't seem to be a character, a facade.

His whole persona is this blatant mask he wears constantly, obvious to everyone who knows him. He even admitted to Charlie that his smile is not real in the slightest. But it works. Every scene where Alastor was talking before his Breakdown Ballad in the finale, I second-guessed every single word that left his mouth. Wondering if it all is a performance. I see a lot of people online with the same thought, looking at everything he says twice, trying to see any hidden meaning, any clue as to what he truly wants to say behind words that, if said by any other character, would've been the least interesting thing ever. And even then, his fake smile keeps in place, even if the actual emotions behind it are clear as day, while alone in his destroyed tower. It might be to fool himself like he fools others, but I think his smile is not able to be dropped, let it be part of his deal or part of his punishment, Alastor will never be seen without his smile. [^4]

Overall i feel like Alastor does care about the Hotel staff and guests to a certain extent. I can't fully trust it, and I'd be less than surprised if I were to be wrong, but there are scenes where he seems too much like he cares.

Moving along on the song, the next lyrics are rather straightforward forward "I'm hungry for freedom like never before. The constraints of my deal surely have a backdoor" circling back to what I mentioned above. His current goal is to escape this deal that is constricting his powers, powers that would most likely have saved him from the injury he sustained. The next and final lines"Once I figure out how to unclip my wings. Guess who will be pulling all the strings?" strongly point towards how he is unable to use his full strength, that his full potential can't be reached while he is still under this deal he made. The thought of Alastor not being at his full potential in his fight with Adam is on some level truly terrifying, a Sinner can reach these kinds of powers in hell that he is able to fight someone like Adam, the first man, someone with approximately the same amount of power Lilith must have? I've just today talked to a friend of one about it. Yes, Alastor lost the fight, but he held up quite well and was a worthy opponent to the point that Adam had to seriously take a second, stop joking around, and concentrate on the fight to get a single hit on Alastor. All of this while Alastor also got a few hits in, not as strong as the ones he had to endure later on, but still. They were hits.

Regardless, in the end, Alastor came very close to dying, and that was for a cause that wasn't just for himself. Seeing what Adam did to the Hotel (or Sir Pentious while we're at it), Alastor has to honestly be glad he even survived that blow directly to his chest. There surely was some plot armor behind this decision, but it's still believable when we trust the theory that Alastor made a deal with someone far more powerful than anyone expects.

This show, and Alastor specifically, has taken over my thoughts completely.

[^1]: in my eyes his being a cannibal points to how he has a need for superiority. To always prove his worth. In his days alive he was a serial killer, a hunter, and now in hell, he has aspects of a deer, a prey animal. The cannibalism is purely to show that he is still on top, that he is superior even to those similar to him, to those that are the same as him. He might have characteristics of a prey animal, but he stays the hunter.

[^2]: this strengthens my theory that Alastor is also afraid of dying whiteout escaping the deal he is currently still bound to. I touch on it in this post a bit more clearly, it's almost at the end of the post.

[^3]: I'd like to link everyone to this post for some thoughts on the eyes in this scene. It's incredibly well written and I couldn't have phrased it better.

[^4]: the closest we ever get to not seeing him, or more part of him, not smiling is shortly before he vanishes from the fight with Adam. His shadow can be seen frowning in the background before quickly correcting itself. It's a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of situation.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel spoilers #hazbin alastor #alastor the radio demon #the radio demon #Alastor's breakdown song #i took those few lines apart like this is getting graded based on word-count #theory #hazbin hotel theory #hazbin hotel song #hazbin hotel song analysis #i just like talking about one red deer #sometimes i worry about myself #and then i stop because this is great and I'm having fun

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cannibalismyuri · 9 months

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People aren’t obligated to reblog your fanfics if they don’t enjoy the writing. You don’t get as much attention because you’re not as known. You haven’t been publishing as long as the “big authors” you pretend to love but then bash them immediately afterwards. It sucks, but you can’t buy people’s affection. You pretend to be more humble than everyone else but then get pissed so easily because you don’t have bragging rights.

i never said everyone has to enjoy my writing. also the Thing is; these big authors have been publishing for longer yeah !! and their writing is absolutely marvelous and i genuinely adore them. but. they also are popular bc they're seen as Better than other creators and put on a pedestal. which is both uncomfortable for them and Highly discouraging for others. and this is due to a cliquey mindset. it Is. as much as u like to pretend it isn't, it rlly rlly is. people can be just friends. there is nothing wrong with supporting ur friends' work more or being more invested in ur friends' work. the problem lies in the fact that many people just disregard other rlly talented creators in favor of the already popular ones (who are popular for a reason. their art / fics / wtv Are really good and i read their stuff too! not trying to put them down here, just trying to lift other people up) which makes for a fandom that is going to die out. and dont u fucking dare bring my fics and my engagement and me into this. maybe i was petty abt that before and i acknowledge that. but i haven't made a single post abt how my fics are getting less engagement in Months. the post i did make and the one ur probably so butthurt abt wasn't even initially abt cliques. it was just saying that we need to rb more and be more vocal of our support of creators in the tags or - wherever. NOT underrated / underappreciated / smaller / less popular creators. i was Very general abt it. creators. period. the talk of cliques came into play when i peer reviewed someone's tags on that post. bc they were extremely real and the problem of less vocal support affects "popular" creators too! ive been noticing that they're also getting less engagement. but mostly the people affected by it are creators in the fandom with no prior popularity. and it is an actual issue. also when the actual fuck have i ever bought someone's affection?? im too broke for that, my dude, i struggle to pay rent most months. and i've Not acted humble or holier than thou. the reason i have so many moots and friends is bc im a genuinely nice person who wants to support and uplift EVERYONE in this fandom. i do have personal beef with people, but im civil to Everyone. thats the reason i have friends. unlike you, i dont send anon hate bc im butthurt over one (1) post <3 hope that fucking helps <3 also the post wasnt even abt ME. bc i genuinely dont give a fuck abt people seeing and liking my writing anymore bc i have Grown Past That and just... adopted a give no fucks mindset. the post was abt the fandom slacking and not appreciating creators (PERIOD.) enough. it was never abt me. also bragging rights? babe nobody's bragging abt how they get more interaction. that's rude asf and entirely out of the question. and those popular writers ur talking abt who Could brag if they wanted to DON'T. bc they aren't despicable human beings who love to put others down. i'm Friends, or at the very least, friendly moots w the writers ur talking abt. and im not trying to put them down. im trying to lift other people up, which is smth u just Don't understand apparently. i even contributed in a whole ass event to shine light on talented, less popular writers in the fandom. bylerficrecweek? u might ive heard of it. it helped, or i like to Think it did, with helping people branch out, but the problem wasn't completely solved. people who are equally as talented as the already popular creators have talked abt their experience with engagement in the exact same post that ur so pissed abt. im going to put tags from various people under the cut so that u can see exactly how much people are affected by the prominent clique problem in the byler fandom. hope u have a good day and u wanna kiss me so bad it makes u look stupid 😚

THIS is the post im talking abt in question, the og post along with denise @bylertruther 's tags. i'm going to be putting screenshots of people's tags on this post with due credit. (to any of the people featured here : if u want me to remove ur tags feel free to say so!)

via @holyvirgilscriptures

via @runninguplenorahills

via @unwisewizard

via @apatheticlexicographer

via @fireflywitch

via @hawkwidows

via @sandinmybed

via @katimanki2

ANDDDDD thats it! hope u fucking realized that i was speaking generally and also Many people face this problem. kiss my ass 💋

#sara's asks #anon 🤪🖕#fandom critical #discourse

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gayforrenee · 1 year

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My ratings on how emotional some of my favorite EAH duos would make me if they played marbles (the thing from Squid Game!!!) (also I just kind of want to give everyone my take on how I think it would all happen and who would die)

Before I go any further, mb for just dipping on y'all. I just left the EAH fandom and then got back into it. And I actually HAVE started writing All I Want again (weird that it was so sudden but whatever)

This is from the least emotional (still cry-worthy fs tho) to the most emotional (literally screaming and sobbing). 1 and 2 are actually tied because I couldn't decide which was worse. I struggled rlly bad on some of these so just because I put one higher doesn't mean I wouldn't fucking lose my mind for the lower one

8. Daring/Rosabella

Y'all. I'm sorry. I do love them. Don't get me wrong. They're just at the bottom. They were actually the only duo that I was even close to being sure about. I genuinely like them and if they had to play, I would be shedding tears. I feel like a lot of people would instantly go for Rosabella because of her like savior type of attitude sometimes, but I'm gonna be fr with y'all. I think Daring would actually lose. I think he would find a way around letting her lose. I know he's made out to be selfish sm, but then in the last season he kind of has that redemption arc and I actually start to like him. I think that Rosabella would try to fool him into winning, but he would possibly see through her playing with him and end up ultimately losing. It would definitely be emotional, but I feel like he would take it bravely. That might not be quite the right word, but I can't think of another good one rn so whatever.

Survivor: Rosabella

7. Darling/Daring

I KNOW. COME AT ME. This one would definitely be rough. The first thing I thought of when I saw this was that Daring would try to be the brother in the situation. He would try to protect, but I think he would fail. Darling can do anything she puts her mind to, and if she really wanted herself to lose, she would make it happen. That's just the tea y'all. I feel like there would be a moment where it looks like Daring's going to lose, and then Darling swoops in and takes that spot right out from under him. I think he would be really hurt, and I think he would feel a lot of guilt afterwards because he let that happen to his sister. There's a possibility that it could be him instead of her, which would take the path of him acting like the brother and taking the fall for her, but I just feel like she would end up losing.

Survivor: Daring

6. Cupid/Blondie

People don't talk about this ship enough, so I'm going to. Anyway, I love them. I think they're adorable and would've made a great couple. Thinking about them playing the marble game makes me want to kms bc I think it would constantly be them going back and forth and trying to get the other to take their marbles. I think Blondie would eventually convince Cupid that she needs to lose and not Cupid, and despite Cupid trying to beg her not to, Blondie lets Cupid take her marbles and she loses. It would honestly be hard to watch even though I have it at six. I would for sure cry a lot, and it would be really heartfelt. They're both just so soft when you take away their sassy and sarcastic moments. One of my favorite underrated ships.

Survivor: Cupid

5. Holly/Poppy

Just want to say how much I love these two. I love their personalities and just everything about them. I do feel like both would try to save the other. Again, it would be a back and forth battle between who's going to lose. I think that Poppy would end up being the one to lose. Holly would just give up because she sees that she's getting nowhere with Poppy. It would be extremely bittersweet and she would be nonstop crying. She would try to reason with her, but it wouldn't work. Poppy would be determined to let Holly live, so she would let herself lose.

Survivor: Holly

A/N: Here's the good shit y'all. Everyone is going to fucking HATE me. I'm so sorry in advance. My imagination really said fuck you once I got to like 3.

4. Apple/Raven

...

So. I feel like it would be giving Dragon Games LMFAO. No bc like it would be super angsty and sad. They would be fighting for each other to survive until the very end. There would be a lot of tears and a lot of just meltdowns over it. Despite the whole thing about how Raven is portrayed as the more selfless one in the friendship, I'm just gonna say it rn. Apple stopped being selfish (... only partially because she DID get herself killed to save Raven which only hurt her more but it's fine)

APPLE LOST.

She definitely lost. Raven didn't see it coming, and it just happened. Apple accepted it and that was it. Raven definitely walked away from this with guilt for the rest of her life. She would never be the same. I think she would always feel like a part of her was missing.

Survivor: Raven

3. Darling/Apple

I'll just start by saying that Apple dies. I'll explain why. LET ME EXPLAIN. PLEASE.

My take on this is, of course, that Darling loves Apple more than she will ever realize (literally no fucking shit). Everyone is made to believe that Darling is going to be the one who loses. Even Apple believes this. It makes sense that Darling would be the one to die. She's the knight in the relationship. Literally. Anyway, it just makes sense. How she is would just make complete sense. You're made to think that in the end, it's going to be Darling. It almost is. Apple really has her mind set on it being herself, but she just has a feeling that it'll be Darling. She thinks that Darling is going to find a way to lose her marbles. Then they start to get close to the end, and it clicks in Apple's mind that she can't let Darling die. She refuses to let her go. So she does what any good girlfriend would do.

Apple lets Darling get all of her marbles before Darling even realizes what Apple was doing. The minute that Darling has Apple's last marble, she just stares at her. I think she would silent cry and Apple would try to be optimistic. It would be so fucking emotional. I don't know how well I would handle it.

Survivor: Darling

2. Maddie/Raven

Banging my head against a wall because the way I would cry. I feel like everyone knows who would die. Let's just be fr. It's Maddie. Y'all can come at me, but it's Maddie. I know she's like goofy and crazy most of the time, but when it comes down to it, she absolutely loves her friends to the ends of the universe. She would do anything for them. I love her relationship with Raven, and I feel like going into it, Raven would already know that Maddie was going to lose. She would try to deny it, but she would already know. It would be gut feeling that she couldn't shake. She would try to draw the game out so that she had more time with Maddie, but it wouldn't matter because Maddie was going to die sooner or later. I think Maddie would be cracking jokes and trying to make Raven smile until she was finally killed. She would definitely know as well from the beginning that she would be the one. It wouldn't be that Raven didn't want to do it, because she really did, it would just be that Maddie felt like it should be her. Maddie wanted to let Raven live even if meant that she couldn't. This would make me bawl fr.

Survivor: Raven

2. Kitty/Lizzie

I actually just put this one on the list of ships to do, so here we go. This would be super fucking angsty. Both of them love each other a lot and don't want to watch the other one die. They know that one of them will have to die, but they want it to be themselves. It would be horrible to watch because I feel like, and don't get mad because I actually struggled to think about who would die, it would be Lizzie who lost. I can see it being Kitty. I definitely can, BUT, there's just something that makes me believe that it would truly be Lizzie in the end. I think both of them would hold it together for the most part until the end. Kitty would finally win and completely lose her shit. Lizzie would accept her fate but continuously apologize to Kitty for letting this happen. I think Kitty would tell her "it's okay" and just try to make her feel not guilty. Kitty wouldn't come out of this okay at all. I feel like she would actually go insane after watching the love of her life die.

Survivor: Kitty

A/N: GOD I FUCKING HATE MYSELF FOR DOING THESE LAST TWO. I love y'all but here comes, in my opinion, the ones that would make me want to break shit and kms. They're the full-on mental breakdown ones.

Ashlynn/Briar

I'll start this one by apologizing because I'm going to be dead serious right now. I would literally have a meltdown over this. I wouldn't be able to handle it. Their friendship is wholesome and they love each other so much that it hurts. And for the love of FUCKING GOD I AM SO SORRY BUT ASHLYNN LOSES.

I'm leaving that there.

This one is bad. It's definitely a lot of crying and "I love you's" because who doesn't lose playing a game where one of you has to die and the other has to live with that guilt for the rest of their (very possibly short) life. Briar definitely goes into the game convinced that she's going to do it. She prepares herself the entire time. She loses her mojo a few times because she feels bad that Ashlynn is crying so much and is just an emotional mess. It just reminds her of how Ashlynn would be if Briar actually lost. This one would be hard to watch. I think there would just be constant crying on both sides if I'm being completely honest. I think that everyone would seriously think it's Briar, and then you realize that it's going to be Ashlynn. There would be that moment of "wait, what the fuck did she just do?" It would be gut-churning honestly. Ashlynn was honestly always too nice, and this would be the moment when she needed to not be. Briar would tell her she needed to just let her lose so Ashlynn could walk away from this, but Ashlynn wouldn't want that. I think the second that Briar realized that it wasn't going to be her that lost, she would try to push herself harder to get rid of her marbles. In the end, it would be Ashlynn that got killed. Briar would take it really hard and she would struggle afterwards with the death of her best friend.

Survivor: Briar

A/N: ON GOD THE ONE I'VE BEEN WAITING TO TELL EVERYONE BECAUSE I WANT TO CRY RN THINKING ABT IT

Briar/Faybelle

Shaking. Crying. Screaming. Throwing up. Sobbing.

This would be really bad.

Absolutely fucking horrible to watch.

Writing the part of how this happens, I'm still unsure as to who I'm going to go with on losing, so we'll see as I keep going.

God, this is fucking hard. I can imagine it and I don't want to. It would be super angsty. Like screaming and fighting. A lot of crying. I know Faybelle normally hides all of her emotions on the show and whatever, but this would be that time that she just lets go. Going into the game, they both wanted themselves to die. It's hard to think about because on one hand, you have Briar who is the more soft one in the relationship and wants to let Faybelle survive because she loves her, but then you have Faybelle who feels guilty about how she's treated Briar in the past and she doesn't believe at all that she can continue her life without Briar. It's mostly the latter, but those are just two major points. I think that the idea of the other dying would be the fuel for wanting to lose their own marbles. They would be going back and forth the whole time. I just feel like the angst would be what hurts everyone. It would be so much screaming and crying of how they can't live without the other. We would also see a side of Faybelle that's never even been grazed, and I think that would hurt even more because the fact that Faybelle would let herself act so desperate and be so vulnerable would be an eye-opener. It would be like "oh shit, Faybelle actually fucking loves Briar and literally is about to let herself die just so she can survive." And then you have everything from Briar's pov which is "I can't live without Faybelle so I'm going to lose and she'll learn to live without me. She'll be okay." Both would have similar outlooks on it, but in the end, I genuinely believe that both would die.

Briar would let herself lose first and Faybelle would just fucking lose her mind completely. I think Faybelle would literally be on her knees and begging them to just kill her. If they didn't, she would find a way to do it herself because she can't live without Briar.

Very sob-worthy if you ask me.

Anyway, they both die. End of story. Not really but I don't want to actually write something abt this bc I would cry before I even got one paragraph in

Survivor: Neither bc I'm a bitch

#eah #briar beauty #faybelle thorn #ever after high #bribelle #dappling #clondie #ashlynn and briar #rapple #kizzie #maddie and raven #darling and daring #rosabella and daring #holly and poppy

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stormyoceans · 11 months

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As someone who doesn't like vice versa I dare you to try make me like jimmysea

SKFGDSKFGSKDGFSKDGF I—i mean if they're not really your thing i doubt anything i could say is gonna make you like them but YEAH OKAY SURE WHY NOT I CAN TRY

let's meet our boys separately first!!!!

jimmy. actor, doctor, babygirl. frankly has my undying admiration even just for being able to juggle his acting job while also studying to become a dermatologist and somehow succeeding at both literally could never be me. people tend to dislike him for his role as wai in bad buddy, but you only need to watch any bts video from the show to see how much he is adored by everyone and if anything that should be proof of the absolute range he has as an actor. avocado enthusiast and self proclaimed extrovert (is he tho. is he really), don’t get fooled by his quiet and responsible appearance, he’s actually the most deranged man in the industry. i still remember the day an anon told me he improvised nomming on his co-star's face and using a pillow to suggest stripping said co-star down and eating him out all in the name of Acting™ because i've never been the same ever since. the me before and after i was given this information are completely different people

sea. actor, athlete, dog dad. you won't get a single objective thought out of me because i am: Disgustingly Fond. debuted with a killer performance in the show 55:15 never too late as a supporting character, the fact that he's somehow still so underrated when he's one of the best actor in GMMTV makes me want to bark bite maim kill. he is an actual ray of sunshine with a smile that could light up the entire world and also the perfect example of an introvert: he has the innate ability to somehow disappear from any social gathering, but if he wakes up in a silly goose mood you will find him shamelessly twerking in front of everyone and being an absolute goofball. he's also a great singer and goes along with everything jimmy does because he is a big Simp™ (who's more deranged, the one who noms first, or the one who noms back, this is the question)

and now onto them as a pairing!!!!!

jimmysea. with a 5 years difference between them, they are actually the pair with the biggest age gap in GMMTV, which could have come in the way of their on- and off-screen relationship, but from what we are privy of i think you can see in every interaction they have that they clearly adore and are incredibly fond of each other. maybe it's because they share the same kind of derangement, or maybe it's because they both are very hardworking and humble boys who always try to give their best, but somehow they work. as the older one jimmy is always there to help and guide sea however he can, but when he needs it sea is ready to step up and carry the weight for him. they may not possess the kind of chemistry that's all sparks and fireworks, but they have a quiet gentle intimate one that makes them look like they've been married for years, which is also helped by their insane ability of looking at each other with so much love and adoration in their eyes it feels like your heart is getting curb stomped against the sidewalk. they don't really know what fan service is and they can go weeks without seeing each other (the drought eras), but when they do hang out they usually go out to eat and swim together (preferably at the pool in sea's condo after jimmy drives him back)

..not sure why this came out as a sales pitch tbh ;;;;;; honestly there are a lot of things i could add and if i were to convince you to like them i should probably send you links to videos and stuff like that but. im not really good with this sort of things ;;;;;; (i guess i could still suggest you to watch their praew interview to have an idea of their dynamic)

in the end all i can tell you is why i personally like them, which is mainly because what transpires of their relationship feels very genuine to me and they seem to be really sweet boys who just stand in their introverted corner minding their business doing their own thing portraying high romance and giving incomprehensible levels of adoration derangement goofiness talent ability skills. THEY ARE JUST SO COMFORT SHAPED TO ME IDK WHAT ELSE TO SAY

#me looking at myself in the mirror every single morning: today you're gonna be normal about jimmysea and vice versa and last twilight #me every single day without fail: [is embarrassingly deranged about them]#BUT IDK I FEEL LIKE I DIDN'T REALLY DO A GOOD JOB BECAUSE I SHOULD HAVE PROBABLY PULLED OUT VIDEOS AND PICS AND EVENTS BUT #can't believe i failed both my boys and anon #if anyone wants to add anything to this please feel free to do it!!!!#jimmy jitaraphol #sea tawinan #jimmysea #m: ask

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charlieconwayy · 7 months

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What are ur issues w Hulu Futurama?

tbh when it was announced i did have excitement in me about my number one show ever returning, but then i remembered all the bullshit that i hated in the cc run and i was just immediately skeptical and for good reason bc i am usually right. i will say that i rly am a fry/leela as characters and as a couple girlie so i am being insanely biased (my man stays dragging me saying i need to put more energy into other aspects of the show lol) but i do like other characters if the show cares about them. but that's the main issue with this revamp. the show put care into literally EVERYONE except fry and leela who are the MAIN characters. (i do think a lot of the weird "there's no main character" kinda stuff was due to bendergate - and yes i am annoyed that dimaggio allegedly has billing over billy who plays the LEAD as well as two other main characters - but it's also strange that w all that fuss, even if it was just for publicity which i doubt at this point, that bender didn't rly do all that much either?) i started noticing like two series rewatches ago that as we get later into the series, we get more planet express crew centric episodes rather than fry/leela/bender episodes, and i'm fine with that for the most part bc i adore amy and hermes, but it feels weird that they kept so much of the vibe of the cc stuff in the show considering how much most people despise those seasons.

to answer simply, almost every episode was either bad, boring, far too fanservicey (looking at you pointless parasites lost "sequel" bc how dare u shit on that episode's legacy so fucking badly), or just forgettable. the episodes i genuinely liked were children of a lesser bog, related to items you've viewed and i know what you did less xmas. i found all of those to be enjoyable and everything else to be complete and utter shit. COALB honestly surprised me bc i have never cared about kif/amy bc the show didn't rly ever care about them (always felt soooo bad for their shippers w the zapp shit and then the bender shit), and i rly rly like that they did a major status quo shift by letting them have children and actually letting those children be a part of the cast. lauren tom is mother and she killed that episode and i am so happy for her that they allowed her to show her acting chops bc i think her line delivery is insanely underrated in general. (off topic but anyone complaining ab them switching leo's voice actor to an asian man needs to grow up, that should've been the case from day one.) i knew i would enjoy RTIYV bc it was a freela status quo shift but i actually also really enjoyed the momazon plot and found it amusing/funny. very very odd that there wasn't any~major freela moments in their ONE focused episode, but w/e. it's a mixed bag bc i also would've literally died for the cc seasons to give us background stuff w them. i do love that they kind of threw back to the fry/leela/bender days with this, it felt nice and nostalgic. the xmas episode was GREAT esp bc i always hate the xmas episodes (the first one has a special place in my heart bc you're lonely and i'm lonely but together we're lonely together <3), it was so fun getting to see everyone as a family (SO happy they're acknowledging dwight and cubert exist again even tho canonically they should be grown men by now lmao) and the bender/zoidberg stuff was surprisingly sweet (honestly when they give zoidberg an ep where he bonds w any of the pe crew it's enjoyable, the hermes episode was good, the professor episode was good, now this episode is good)

now to get to my issues. i don't want to say that they shouldn't have listened to fans and given us what we want to see, but i feel like there was so much weird shit that no one was asking for? parasites regained is the most egregious example bc who tf was like "omg we need to see the worms again but this time in a gross out potty humor episode!" no one. they need to STOP with bringing back every fucking character too, like barbados slim is a good example of this. he's been used so sparingly that he is pretty loved in the fandom, but w them making hermes/labarbara an actual stable relationship (a good thing that they then immediately ruined for jokes no one finds all that funny) it was SO weird and annoying for them to play back into the "haha labarbara is cheating on hermes!" schtick again. why was the whale biologist back? why was the time machine brought back?! like i know i said i liked the xmas episode but certain things are just so iconic to the show that they need to remain untouched. pissed me off. why can't they give us shit we actually want to see? robot devil song and dance number. zoidberg/marianne (just give her another fucking voice actor if they can't get emilia clarke jfc). hedonismbot as long as he's not overused and just given a few one-off lines (did we even see him????) hmmm idk the main thing a HUGE majority of fans have been asking for for twenty fucking years in a SEQUEL TO THE WHY OF FRY????

also did anyone think it was odd how after the cc seasons cramming zapp down our throats every other episode we barely saw him?? even in COALB he was kind of irrelevant. my guess would be they didn't want to over exert billy but the professor had a ton to do so ???

there's so much else that i could probably complain about and go into but i will leave it at this: i do not like the cc seasons BUT i am glad they exist bc of the late philip j fry which is not just a perfect episode of futurama, it's a perfect episode of television. until the hulu seasons give me a TLPJF than they don't have a reason to exist. this sadly just felt like a money grab and yes, i will admit that there were good moments/episodes but as a whole, it did not need to come back. i'm hoping they're saving the masterful writing that i KNOW they can do for the next season (look at season 4! banger after banger. kif gets knocked up a notch, jurassic bark, the why of fry, the sting, the farnsworth parabox. three hundred big boys, the devil's hands are idle playthings) but tbh i feel like that fire/spark is just gone from the production team.

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desmondkane-of-ao3-fame · 1 year

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Hello, it’s me, the guy who asked what if Skara was in thanks to them, any chance of a sequel to that with “For the Future”?

Your chances are so good I’m about to make them 100%!

I remember that prompt, and after relooking at it, I’m still pretty happy with it, with one exception: Using my power as the author to retcon, Skara will no longer be dressed as a Bard, but as an angel, both to work opposite Willow’s demon motif and because it’s cuter.

Aside from that, again, this isn’t a full rewrite, simply an integration of Skara into the story (or better into the story, since she’s actually in FTF, though not nearly enough if you ask me). If you’d like to see the original post for the ‘Thanks to Them’ version of this, click here!

Skara is there with the rest of the Hexsquad members at the start of the episode, wandering the forests and being grateful to be home. When she see’s Willow with the plant illusions, she’s the one who smiles, entranced, before the birdsong startles Hunter, and the four catch up with Amity, Luz, and Camilla.

At the Owl House, Skara hangs around downstairs with Camilla, Willow and Gus. When Willow and Gus tell their story to Camilla, she’s enthralled and laughing. When the three leave to help Hunter, though, Skara see’s Willow’s vines grow where she steps. She’s confused, but doesn’t say anything for fear of making things more awkward.

In Bonesburough, Skara is the one to grab Willow when she runs to talk to her dad.

Since Skara wouldn’t be in New Hexside, her role in the original episode is replaced with the Abomination student with the giant horns. IDK why, I just think it be cool to have her say stuff. She’s an underrated design, ya know?

When they reach New Hexside and Willow gets pulled aside by Viney, Skara joins them, hugging the two together in a bear hug and grateful to have the EE-Girls back together again (she immediatly realizes that name is terrible and vows to never use it again).

When Skara learns Boscha’s queen, she’s the first one to call hogwash on the whole thing. She begins to rant about how terrible the idea is, so much so that ‘Miki’ has to drag her out while she’s still ranting.

When Willow’s looking at the photo of her and her dad’s, Skara notices and places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

When Willow leaves after seemingly making Hunter feel worse, Skara follows her to try and help, though Willow doesn’t acknowledge her. When Boscha calls Willow out, Skara tries to get in between the two, but Boscha pushes her aside, before the two are knocked out.

Skara wakes up in the pit as the others are tossed in. She gets seperated with Matt and Amity, and Boscha begs them both to join her again (making Boscha not only a confirmed toxic sapphic but also a polyamerous toxic sapphic). However, Matt accidentally makes a hole with his Construction magic that Skara falls into.

(For this bit lets rewrite it so that Willow is somewhere further undergroud and that Hunter, Gus, and Skara have to fall further down so they can see her so we can get both the Boscha scene and this).

Skara slides down the tunnel, collapsing on top of a pile of vines near Gus and Hunter. As Willow’s power grows less stable and her panic worsens, Skara is able to wiggle free, summons a harp, and in true Steven Universe fashion, is able to help her calm down with the power of soft, therapeutic music and words of affirmation. She tells Willow it’s ok to feel how she feels, but that she’s one of the most genuine and wonderful and kind and pretty and strongest Witches she knows, and nothing Boscha says to bully her can change that! She helps try to soothe Willow, who lets all her emotion out, which still causes a cave in that Hunter can save them from, though with Gus on his back and Skara in his other arm. Willow hugs Skara and tells her she’s grateful for her, to which Skara blushes, but hugs back.

Luz’s “I MISSED A LOT” moment here is Skara smashing a guitar into Kiki’s head as she yells “DON’T YOU DARE SHOOT MY WILLOW”

When Boscha and New Hexside joins to help take down Kiki, Skara thanks Boscha for doing one not entirely evil thing in her life. Boscha rolls her eyes in response, but still says ‘Thanks.’

At the Titan’s Skull, Skara guesses Luz’s Palisman is gonna be ‘something weird and awesome,’ which she is correct about. She reacts to Stringbean the same way Luz originally redacted to King, with the Palisman reacting in a similar manner.

As Gus and Hunter do something brotherly, Willow jokingly asks Skara if she really thinks she’s pretty. Skara’s response is to take a deep breathe and say as quickly as possible “YESANDIREALLYLIKEYOUIHAVESINCEBEFORETHEENTRAILSANDITHINKITBESUPERCOOLIFAFTEREVERYTHINGWEGOOUTSOMETIME!!!”

Willow’s response is slight surprise, followed by a smile, and a confirming hug.

And that’s it; the Skarlow rewrite for For the Future! One of two, anyway! Someone asked for one from the perspective of if Skara had stayed behind, and I’ll probably be doing that soon. But in the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed, and I hope I can do this for ‘Watching and Waiting’ as well!

#the owl house #skarlow #willow park #toh skara #headcannon #toh #willow park toh #cute #for the future rewrite

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pilarsofsalt · 2 years

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who will survive and what will be left of them (2003) is such a wild album like...yes the devil brings all this horror and destruction to the town but like, the evil was there before him. He gets shot in a gun duel by the protagonist and when the businessmen find out that he bleeds oil they let him bleed out for the sake of their own personal profit. The imagery of they surrounding his deathbed with buckets for collecting oil is something i think about so so often.

and upon hearing that the devil has survived despite the greed and anger of the town, the protagonist walks all the way back to the town “ninety days of sweat and dirt” while he “drinks whiskey instead of water” and the whole time he knows what he will have to face, knows that its his own fault for shooting the devil, knows that he will likely be unable to stop was has already started happening to the town

as we see what the devil has brought to the townspeople, his human appearance is so important. he is a man like the rest of them, and his own evil is, like i said earlier, equally present in the town. everything becomes so hopeless, and then we just get this lovely little instrumental intermission?? (which is super underrated btw) before returning to see the protagonist preparing for a second face off (the reference to roulette is so???) (sorry this is a rly messy infodump) and then there’s the trick where a few townspeople sacrifice themselves in hopes of luring the devil to the flames but they just burn away themselves, and some take their attempts at redemption (out of selfishness from knowing they’ll have a better chance at survival, because how dare any of these characters be genuinely good people), and the little church as a last ditch attempt at keeping hope, but they all know what’s coming. they all know this is the end

so they wait

pillars of salt is obviously my favorite track from this album, seeing as i got my username (and actual name i guess) from it, but i don’t got much to say ab it today other than that it’s one of the most beautifully devastating songs i know

end of the line is nearly 10 minutes long and every second is worth it. we never see what exactly becomes of the rest of the town or the protagonist, but they head into battle headfirst and determined, despite their poor chances of winning. this is the end, sure, but they are stronger now.

#salt's music propaganda #murder by death #murder by death band #Who Will Survive and What Will be Left of Them #alcohol tw #suicide tw #death tw #i plan on reading devils (dostoevsky) soon so i might as well get this brainrot out of my head first #themes of evil and corruption and capitalism and death my beloved #and religion #oh yeah #religion tw

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hyperfixationtimego · 3 years

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which is your favorite ship of each Danganronpa?

HAHA OH WHAT AN ASK

I yearn so much,,,,,,,too much perhaps

Because of this, my ships make no sense <3 yes I will be attempting to explain, but no they will not be coherent in the slightest <3

Trigger Happy Havoc

Favorite Ship: Makuwata (Makoto Naegi/Leon Kuwata)

OKAY SO-

When I first began playing danganronpa, Leon was INSTANTLY my favorite character. Call it the punk aesthetic, or the voice, or the bright colors, or the emotionally-driven personality; I just thought he was neat ❤️

Because the first interaction he has is with Makoto, it sort of solidified in my heart during his introduction! Introvert x extrovert ship dynamic my beloved,,,,,,

And I just think that Leon calling Makoto his “soulmate” is pretty poggers. Like the man really did have to consciously choose that word!!!!! And he did!!!!! + Makoto being patient with him and the whole “still, I think it’s impossible for me to hate him” just makes me [flappy hands] because god I kin that punk dumbass SO MUCH so I simply would like for Makoto to givb him a little kissy. just a little smooch on the cheek :)

Goodbye Despair

Favorite Ship: Komahina (Nagito Komaeda/Hajime Hinata)

I will be honest, the fact that I like this ship at all is mind-boggling to me. It is literally the ONLY protag/antag ship that I enjoy!!!

But, see, I think the main reason I like it is because Nagito never seems actively malicious during the main game (aside from chapter 4, but even then, he’s not being actively malicious towards Hinata. A lot of people misconstrue his behavior, I think, as being harsh and cruel, when in reality what’s happening is that he simply isn’t worshipping Hinata anymore. He’s being actively cruel towards the rest of the Ultimates, but we actually see him talk about how he and Hinata are pretty similar.

He’s not being a jerk during chapter 4. He’s been genuinely shaken to his core because of the horrific discovery of the fact that these people he cares about, these people he’s spent so much time with, these people he considers his friends, even if they don’t like him, are, in actuality, the personification of the only thing in this world he truly, and utterly, DESPISES.)

Nagito my beloved,,,,,,,ugh he is so Mentally ill™️ ❤️ (I SAY THIS AS A MENTALLY ILL PERSON ASKJDMSDN DON’T KILL ME) There’s also so much queercoding!!!! Of his character!!!!!! They really had him say the romantic I love you to Hajime,,,,,,,they really gave him and Mikan the solidarity during chapter 3!!!!!

And don’t even get me started on the fucking tragedy of him existing at all!!! It fucking hurts!!!! He’s so ashamed of everything about himself!!! He hides the fact that he’s sick and lonely!!! He’s afraid of dying alone!! He’s afraid of people not caring about him, but it’s essentially a self-fulfilling prophecy because of how hard he tries to push people away!

So long story short I just think Hinata would see this man and go “I could fix him. But first I’m gonna kick his teeth in.”

Ultra Despair Girls

Favorite Ship: Tokomaru/Syomaru (Toko Fukawa/Komaru Naegi/Genocide Jill)

YES I know this one is a bit of a cheat out, but I wanted to include them anyway!!!! Toko getting the love and appreciation she deserves???? Toko recovering from being continuously abused and ignored????? Her and Jill as a system being given the respect they BOTH deserve???? FUCK ME UP UGH

Blease,,,,,,Toko and Jill choosing Komaru over Togami,,,,,like canonically??? I’M OBSESSED

And Komaru’s little “Thank God I met Toko!” Voice line fucks ❤️

Also Toko 🤝 Jill

getting their girlfriend’s name wrong on purpose solidarity

Killing Harmony

Favorite Ship: I HAVE TWO FOR THIS GAME BECAUSE IT SLAPS SO HARD!!!! They’re Saimota (Shuichi Saihara/Kaito Momota) and Gontaguuji (Gonta Gokuhara/Korekiyo Shinguuji)

My explanation for saimota is literally just the canon game ❤️

ALSJSLSJD I’M JOKING BUT THEY’RE LITERALLY SO FRUITY /POS

and the love hotel scene,,,,,,,oh my god. “Nobody has ever made me want to stay in one place for so long.” said no straight man ever and “I understand, Kaito. I hold the key to your heart, but…” and also HOW SHUICHI LITERALLY FORGETS WHERE HE IS WHEN KAITO CLOSES THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM. HE TALKS ABOUT HOW KAITO IS SO CLOSE AND LOWKEY PANICS BECAUSE OF IT. TRY AND TELL ME THESE FUCKERS ARE STRAIGHT I DARE YOU. I DARE YOU.

personally,,,,,I believe they are underrated ❤️ another extrovert x introvert masterpiece, this time with the added benefit of best friends to lovers!!!!!!! PLEASE I love them so much oh my GOD

As for Gontaguuji,,,,,,,,heheh

traumatized bastard x traumatized sweetheart

They complement each other SO WELL and the fact that they have basically no canon interactions aside from Hair-Raising Panic is fucking CRIMINAL ❤️

Gonta having been raised by wolves is a rare anthropological opportunity for Kiyo!! Of COURSE Kiyo would go out of their way to interact with him and learn more!!!

Gonta is also a huge softie!!! Just a big ol’ affectionate lug!!! Literally everything that Korekiyo has never experienced before; straight up just a man that would put Kiyo’s well-being before anything else 😭

And Kiyo is extremely intelligent, literate, and patient! Like straight up please just imagine Gonta going up to Kiyo because he’s one of the smartest people Gonta knows and being like 🥺👉👈 “can Kiyo teach Gonta how to be smart? Gonta not want to be idiot….” And Kiyo sitting with him and explaining that he’s not stupid, it’s just that he’s a product of a society that is too impatient to appreciate the ways in which Gonta is actually able to express his intelligence.

THINK ABOUT THAT FOR TWO SECONDS AND TELL ME YOU DON’T THINK THEY’D BE GOOD FOR ONE ANOTHER

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softbean · 2 years

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“capable of such magic”: cherry magic and Adachi’s ordinary power

Good day! I’m here to write a short essay on Cherry Magic after briefly ranting about “(extra)ordinariness” on twitter. I’ve once written my many thoughts about this series into a fic, but I wanted to elucidate some points about the show that are important to me and point them out exactly as they are, and present my interpretation of the show through something tangible, so here I am!

Here is my thesis. Are you ready?

Adachi is ordinary, but more incredible than he gets credit for, and in the same way, so are every one of us that identify with him.

Sections

1. Introduction 2. Adachi’s Self Perception 3. Adachi’s Courage, Honesty, Confidence 4. Audience Perception and the Point of it All

Introduction

When I first started watching Cherry Magic, I felt myself immediately pulled into the show because of Kurosawa. Machida Keita is just so good at embodying charisma in his role! Together with his kindness and gentleness, Kurosawa really felt like the ideal partner someone can have. On the other hand, at least with the way the “30 year old virgin” trope initially frames it, Adachi seems to blend into the sidewalk, have no outstanding qualities, and his virginity at 30 is actually supposed to add burden to his character.

Now, after finishing the show (4 times), stewing on it a bit and trying to understand why I loved it so much, I can say that Adachi is my favorite character hands down, and based on what I’ve seen, I have a feeling that Adachi’s character is actually hugely underrated. Hence, I am here to write an essay standing up for all the ordinary ways Adachi is incredible in my eyes.

We know that over the course of the show the perfect boyfriend/undesirable loner trope is actually flipped on its head. Repeatedly, the show challenges Adachi’s assumption that he shares nothing in common with this person he perceives to be in a different league from himself. Kurosawa and Adachi share the same interests, they both sometimes feel disappointed in themselves, they both feel anxiety and fear and uncertainty, they’re both genuinely good people, and so on. The gap between ordinary and extraordinary is bridged, and I think that’s the whole point of the show as I’ll explain in the rest of my essay.

Adachi’s Self Perception

As consumers of media, we are not aware of it while immersed, but our opinions of characters are subtly influenced by the characters’ own self perceptions. This often prevents us from seeing a character clearly and developing accurate judgment about what kind of person they are.

Adachi is one good example. Adachi is always putting himself down with thoughts like “I don’t have Kurosawa’s positive traits”, “I shouldn’t try things I’m not familiar with because I’ll fail”, “I run away all the time”, the list is so extensive that by episode one, we have a good idea what kind of character trope he’s supposed to be, and along with this understanding we attribute traits of this trope onto him, whether they are accurate or not. Let’s take a look at the text for a minute. Adachi always blames himself for being a coward and not daring to take a step forward, but is that really true?

There is a certain degree of truth to Adachi being inclined to avoid scary or difficult situations (he does, after all, run away a couple of times). But the truth is, so do most people. That’s how people are built: to feel fear, which tells us to avoid some kind of danger or potentially undesirable outcome. Adachi fears Kurosawa’s feelings, but more so than that, he fears his own feelings, he fears what would happen if he did return those feelings, and fears he will disappoint Kurosawa if they were to get together, and so on. But these are normal feelings that, when put into words, most of us can relate to, especially in a situation with so much uncertainty and so little experience to support him. Adachi may consider running from Kurosawa “chickening out”, but isn’t it normal to hesitate when getting closer to someone you know has complicated feelings for you?

In other words, Adachi has a tendency to take normal human flaws and make an identity out of them. Because he’s so attached to his identity as a loser, we see him through this colored lens.

What, then, about the continuous effort Adachi makes to to open himself up to Kurosawa, the effort to give Kurosawa a chance, the moments when he doesn’t run away, or the moments when he proactively seeks Kurosawa out?

These are moments of courage that Adachi doesn’t credit himself for.

Adachi’s Courage, Honesty, Confidence

One of the themes of the show is that mutual love makes two people better people together. Being loved gives you confidence, having someone else behind your back makes you more courageous. Adachi himself attributes his change in character to two things: his magic, and Kurosawa, but he neglects the role played by himself in carrying out these feats.

Kurosawa gives Adachi encouragement, but I wonder if it’s possible to give someone courage, if there was none there to begin with.

When Fujisaki is in trouble, despite almost peeing his pants wanting to run, with his voice cracking Adachi would stand and defend her. When Kurosawa is in trouble over the mont blanc, Adachi steps in and reads Hashimoto’s mind to save him. Despite thinking competitions aren’t for him, Adachi applies. Instead of pushing Kurosawa away after finding out his feelings, he works up the courage to get closer instead and eventually the courage to confess, despite how extremely difficult it is for him.

We also can’t forget about the times Adachi’s courage to be honest has saved lives. When the aromantic Fujisaki is troubled by her mother’s expectations to date, Adachi speaks up to encourage her that she’s doing well exactly as she is. When Rokkaku has the thought that he’s lame for giving up dancing, Adachi speaks up to encourage him that there’s nothing wrong with changing one’s dream. when Tsuge is having a hard time believing in himself and his chances with Minato, Adachi speaks up honestly about his relationship with Kurosawa to encourage Tsuge that he can do it too.

And, of course, the start of it all, years ago when Adachi recognized Kurosawa for the person he is and not the appearance he was born with, and made Kurosawa feel seen and fall in love with himーspeaking his mind honestly there was an act of courage.

Not only courage, but Adachi also has a degree of confidence in himself that easily gets overlooked. Like an average person, Adachi doesn’t hate himself, but it’s hard to say he loves himself either. Still, when he hears Kurosawa’s thoughts of praise when getting the scarf wrapped around him, his reaction is not to dispute any of the praise that is being said, but to feel overwhelmed that someone else is seeing him for the first time. That means that he does see his own strong points, his attentiveness, his care, his hard work and self-sacrificing nature. To a degree, I imagine, these traits must also be important to him, something he puts effort into expressing instead of something that just happens to be.

Adachi has his own life philosophy, as we can see from him telling Fujisaki about the romance part of it. He tries to live in a way authentic to himself and what makes him happy. This is why I believe that Adachi tries his best to be a person that he himself can approve of, and why being acknowledged for his efforts feels so satisfying. To this extent, Adachi must have some confidence in the way he has chosen to live.

He has confidence, has dignity, in his way of living without romance.

He doesn’t let Urabe push him around when it comes to his personal choices. He doesn’t succumb to societal expectations, and that shit is heavy in Japan.

And so, with all these instances compiled, is it really fair to say that Adachi is the kind of loser he paints himself to be? He’s got a comfortable amount of confidence, is able to speak up to help others, and has acted out of courage many timesーso what kind of a person is he, really?

Audience Perception and the Point of it All

Something I’ve noticed here and there, and just always assumed (based on how gender works between female audiences and BL tropes) is that a lot of viewers, especially women, tend to identify with Adachi much more than they do with Kurosawa. One, given the demographics of BL drama viewers, this makes sense. Two, all demographics aside, it still makes sense, because the average person probably relates to the ordinary Adachi more than they would to the extraordinary Kurosawa. Kurosawa tends to be seen as the prize, the “what have I done to deserve him”, and Adachi is seen as the undeserving self, lucky as if he had won the lottery.

I hope that after my previous sections you’ve come to appreciate the strength behind ordinariness a little more, and that the gap between Kurosawa and Adachi feels a little smaller. Actually, the whole point of me writing this essay is that I wish more people loved the ordinariness that can be found in Adachi and within themselves!!

And this strength isn’t dependent on magic. In fact, I would argue that the message being sent by the show is that none of us need magic to become the person we want to be. All it takes sometimes is for someone else to believe in us, and most importantly, for us to see that there is no real distinction between us and those people we perceive to be extraordinary and alien from ourselves. Adachi was able to believe in himself because he saw the vulnerability in Kurosawa, realized they are both human all the same, and started to believe that maybe he can possess the same positive traits too. It wouldn’t be too far to say that the entire story revolves around empathyーthe magic of being able to read someone’s mind is the power of empathy...but that would be an essay for another day.

Think about it another way. If the storytelling in this series is really as good as I think it is, then The Magic doesn’t happen arbitrarily, it comes and goes with a purpose. I think of The Magic as a gentle guiding hand. It’s a hand that believes in the power of empathy, in this case, empathy that is shared between a romantic relationship. Assuming virgins like Adachi have never experienced this wonderful feeling because of a difficulty with connecting and communicating (I am rolling my eyes a bit, yes), The Magic allows them to get a taste of this connection by giving them access to knowledge about other people that they would otherwise have to work to obtain themselves. And, if losing one’s virginity is any indication of having successfully connected with someone (XD?), then The Magic calls it a day and leaves because its work is done.

Its work isn’t to make relationships work for you. It’s to make you realize you can make relationships work. Isn’t the point of having magic in the show so that Adachi knows, with or without it, he can be this powerful, because he’s already experienced what it’s like? Adachi may have visualized these new and scary situations going poorly for himself, and his perception of himself makes it difficult to believe something like being loved is possible, but when he has experienced it in his own body thanks to magic, then it feels real, then it feels achievable.

The magic vanishes, yet rather than disempowering Adachi, it leaves him with a craving for more, as if it’s introduced a whole new world of possibilities to him. It makes him want to “ask for the moon”, to aspire towards things that had felt impossible for him before. Having magic has taught him that he can read the hearts of others and get closer to them if he just had the courage to try.

And that’s what I think we should all take out of this series, on top of a wonderful love story. That by opening ourselves up to understanding others better, we start to see the rigid divisions between self and other dissolve, and things that we feel we lack that others have start to feel a little bit less unobtainable. As a side effect, we soften our hearts towards others too, because we feel their joy and their pain, and in so doing we find ourselves with more and deeper connections than we’ve ever had before.

In the end, we are all ordinary. You are more powerful than you think, if you believe in yourself, if you see the ordinary power you possess, if you see yourself for who you really are.

///

Thanks for reading my essay! If you enjoyed it, I’d appreciate any kind of engagement. I’d love to hear your thoughts or further this discussion if anything sparks an idea. If you’ve never seen Cherry Magic (!) I highly suggest watching it, or if you have, why not watch it again!

Have a great day!

#cherry magic #adachi kiyoshi #kurosawa yuichi #essay #oh...if you liked this maybe check out the fic I wrote! link at the top

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sebstanseabass · 3 years

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Afterglow (A Bucky Barnes AU fan fiction) - Chapter 16

Afterglow chapters

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The sun glared through the thin sheet of the tent, making your listless self stir beneath the blankets draped over your naked body. Cautious not to wake Bucky, who had his arms wrapped around you, you carefully buried your face deeper in his neck but he wasn't that much of a deep sleeper as you thought he would be.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." He said, pulling you closer.

"G'morning." You replied, smiling against his skin. "Have you been awake this whole time?"

"Yes. I didn't want to wake you. You looked so peaceful sleeping."

"Someone tired me out last night."

Bucky chuckled, sending a low vibration on top of your head. "Hmm, how was he?"

"He's pretty good in bed." You chuckled. "But pretty creepy when he refers to himself in the third person."

You stayed right there for another hour — in each other's embrace, in heat, in thin sheets, in profound silence, still taking pleasure in the afterglow of what had transpired last night: the intimacy in each other's skin, of each other's mouths, of each other's everything. A kind of intimacy you never dared share with anyone, not even with your serious ex-boyfriend.

Before the both of you got up and headed down the fire escape and then to the apartment, you had looked at him one last time and asked yourself the same question you had asked Bucky the first time you were here on the rooftop:

"Have you ever felt that kind of feeling?" You asked.

"What feeling?"

"The afterglow feeling."

Was this the kind of afterglow you sought after?

You shook your head, suddenly feeling ridiculous. Perhaps it was the sex; just that. The most amazing, mindblowing sex I ever had in my life, you thought. The more you described it that way while descending down the stairs and entering the apartment through the window (while wearing Bucky's shirt which looked huge on you, by the way), the more you believed it was just because of that. Besides, it was something that had given you sweet, sweet pleasure, something that made me feel like you were high on drugs, something that made you feel alive, something that made you feel things you didn't even know you could — the after of it all, of course, was worth so much more.

You both went straight to the bathroom to wash your faces and brush your teeth as soon as you got in. Of course, you took way more time than he did. He soon went to the kitchen to prep breakfast. You approached him afterwards, his bare back exposed to you while cracking some eggs into a bowl.

Without any hesitation at all, you wrapped your arms around his waist, resting your head on his back. You caught a whiff of his scent, even though he reeked of sex, the vanilla-lavender hint never faded.

"Whatcha cookin', good-lookin'?" You asked, taking a peek on the table.

"I was thinking of making you Japanese omelettes today." He stopped whipping for a second to face you. He placed a finger on your chin, tilting it upwards, and proceeded to kiss me.

"Have I told you you have the softest lips?" He whispered after.

"Yes, you did." You laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck. "And you kept reminding me last night."

"Good. You should be reminded of all the beautiful things you possess." He rested his hands on your hips. You wanted to shy away from the mention of the word beautiful but you didn't.

You have always received compliments, yes, but you never learned how to respond to them unless they tell you how to: "Oh for god's sake, just say thank you." Most people compliment you just because they have to, because social convention dictates them to (especially when you're at a party). Some, perhaps only five percent, genuinely compliment you.

But the spontaneity of last night — all the compliments Bucky kept giving you, all the "beautiful" being said over and over and over, were playing in your head like a broken record. Even after he saw all the folds, the rolls, stretch marks, scars, and acne marks.

It wasn't just that. He admired every single one of your photos down at the bar, photos you worked hard for, photos people kept neglecting. He talked about them like how you imagined someone actually talking about them. He talked to you about the beauty of art like how you wanted to talk to someone about it (Weirdly so, you picked friends you had nothing in common with: Nat just wanted to gossip, Steve preferred to be mysterious, Peter was all about business, Wanda was the one person you could talk to about these but you chose not to anymore, and Nick... was just Nick). It was like reading each other's minds.

You treated each as a compliment.

The five percent you were talking about? Bucky was it.

He pulled you out of your thoughts by sliding his hands to your ass, squeezing the cheeks for a bit, then placing them on the back of your thighs. You smiled then jumped, wrapping your legs around his waist. He placed you on top of the counter next to all the ingredients he had prepared.

He grabbed your face and continued to make-out, leaving the eggs on the bowl raw and unwhisked.

"You should," you said in between kisses, "go back to cooking. I'm starving."

"Y'know, you could just eat me."

"Sorry, I want cooked eggs."

He pulled away from, yet his hands stayed on your waist. With a cute pout on his face, he said: "Mean."

You broke into laughter after that and you watched him cook this Japanese omelette he kept talking about.

"I would make you the most amazing Japanese omelette — and the most complicated one, by the way. It took me months to perfect that — but I'm too lazy to prepare the rice." He chuckled, grabbing an apron. "So, I'm just going to make you the normal one. It's called Tamagoyaki."

"Hmm, interesting." You commented. "I just do mine sunny-side up. Crack an egg on a pan. That's it. It's an underrated hack, really."

He laughed. "It's a good thing I'm here then." He proceeded to heat the pan, and throw some butter on it once the heat was good enough.

"You told me you only know how to cook breakfast, right? Why is that?"

"The same reason why you cook your eggs sunny-side up."

"It's easy?"

"Not just easy." He replied. "It's the easiest of all meals! Toast, eggs, bagels, bacon — see, they're pretty easy."

You frowned, tilting your head. "You know, most times, you say the most profound things but you do say the weirdest, silliest things sometimes."

It was like two people were fighting against each other inside him: the child, and the man.

He laughed at your comment and said nothing further as he concentrated on cooking. You watched him move around the kitchen as the minutes passed by. And while you talked about the small things in life, you couldn't help but wonder how this Bucky, standing right in front of you, kissing you, holding you, was much more different — way more different than the Bucky you knew in Peter's stories.

The thing you liked about it though, was that both versions excited you. You longed for spontaneous adventures, ones that you’d keep forever, ones that would remind you of the days of your youth, ones you too stuck up to do, and you longed for conversations like this, and the ones you and Bucky have had before, conversations that made you see more of life's beauty and appreciate it.

That same afternoon, you spent it lying down on a couch in each other's arms, watching a movie he guilted you into watching: Roman Holiday. You made side commentaries while you watched, how lame the lines were, how cheesy they all sounded, but at the same time, amazed at how things have changed since then.

"Ugh, I love me a vespa." You said, watching the vespa speed away on the streets. "I would just love to ride around New York city in a vespa and just pull off some Roman Holiday in this bitch."

"I have to admit, that does look fun."

And somewhere halfway through the film, when Bucky was making small circles with his finger on your waist (igniting fire within you, and at the same time, making you weak on your knees), you ended up making out, grabbing and touching each other beneath your clothes, and taking them all off, sending them flying all over the living room floor, and repeating what you did last night — except it was in broad daylight and Bucky dominated over you, over and over and over, flesh on flesh. You kept screaming each other's names. He kept fucking you into oblivion, taming the mad woman in you.

You laid there on your back, pulling down his neck with your right hand, making your foreheads touch, locking your eyes together, telling him to go "faster, deeper", digging deep and scratching into his back with your nails, making him hiss out your name, and at the same time, crying out his name repeatedly like a chant, making you forget your own.

You felt the droplets of his sweat on your skin, mixed with your own. You watched him ravish you, watched the pleasure consume him wholly, and watched his eyes roll back as he came inside.

"I really can't get enough of you, babydoll." He growled, and kissed you one last time before you showered and headed down to work.

"You look different." Nat observed, sitting on one of the high stools across you. "Did you do something with your face?"

"No, I didn't." You grimaced, shaking your head.

"Then, why are you glowing?"

"Quit staring."

She chose not to listen to you and kept on following you with her eyes as you moved around the counter. "Oh my god, I know what it is — "

"Goddamn it, Nat — "

" — you had sex!"

She cackled, gesturing you towards the booth with a sharp tone: "Booth. Now."

You followed suit. It was crystal clear in that moment that you had no other choice, that she held the upper hand in this friendship. You were starting to think that perhaps this friendship you were pursuing with Nat was a mistake as she kept on berating you about the information she just acquired.

"There's no way in hell I'm telling you all about it." You huffed, sitting across from her.

"I'll tell you one thing, though," she said, "I'm a fucking prophet."

"Don't be such a smug bitch." You rolled your eyes. "No one likes a smug bitch."

"What did I tell you about this Bucky thing, huh?" She smirked, ignoring you. Again. "Come on, spill the beans! I wanna hear everything!"

You shook your head unamused. "Nope. No way."

She groaned. "Please? Nothing exciting is ever happening in this bar but now I have this! You!"

"How about you and Steve humping each other like bunnies?" You bit your inner cheeks to prevent your lips from smiling. "That's gotta be exciting."

"Let's not talk about me and Steve."

"So, it's okay if we talk about my sex life but not yours?"

"Exactly."

You frowned. "You're a weird friend."

"No." She leaned in. "I'm a miracle-worker that happens to be your new best friend, by the way — "

"Parker's my best friend — "

" — and you should at least thank me. I am more than welcome, by the way."

"Nat, if you don't stop I swear to God I'm gonna out you and Steve to the whole ass bar." You groaned, knocking your forehead against the table. Coincidentally, you could actually out them of the closet knowing they were actually doing it in one of the closets here in the bar (yes, you found a condom wrapper lying around one time. Knowing what had transpired in that small space, believe you me, you sprinted the fuck out of there).

"Ugh fine, fine." She said, making you stop banging your head and forcing you to look at her. "Just tell me this... Was it good?"

You rolled your eyes. "Fine, yes, it was good."

"Just good?"

You sighed in defeat, leaning back on the cushioned backrest of the booth. "It was the best I ever had." Nat bit her lip, hiding a squeal. "There. Ya happy?"

"Now, I'm curious! Please, y/n, you have to tell me. I gots to know! Okay, tell me, how big was he?"

"What?! No, I'm not gonna tell you that."

"Come on, I'll trade you Steve's."

"Ew, Nat! Gross!" You cringed. "I don't wanna know that!"

Then, she proceeded to move her hands in the opposite direction slowly, "tell me when to stop." You shook your head and just watched her in plain amusement as she continued to do it. Her jaw dropped. "Oh my god, this big? Seriously?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

"Come on, you told me about the time you kissed!"

"That's different." You scoffed. "This one's... intimate."

"Ooohhh, intimate. Well, I've never heard anyone describe sex that way."

"It was just different, okay? Good different." You replied. "And that's all I'm telling you."

She heaved a sigh, finally accepting the fact that you won't go anywhere past what you just told her. "Okay, at least you gave me something. Do you mind if I ask you something real, though? I swear this is the last time. It's not about sex, I promise."

Convinced, you nodded. "Go ahead."

"So, are you guys dating now? Or is it just, ya know, fooling around?"

You sat there, undoubtedly floored by the question. You had never even given it a thought. It never crossed your mind until Nat just made you realize the consequences of yesterday, last night and this afternoon, the inevitable. Were you dating? Will you ever talk about it? Is he even considering it? Or will you just continue to have sex without ever talking about dating?

"I, uh, I don't know. We didn't talk about it."

"Well, clearly there's gotta be something, right? That it's not just fooling around. I mean you said it was intimate, that it was good different — whatever that means." said Nat. "There's gotta be something deep?"

You looked at Natasha with astonishment, baffled by the things coming out of her mouth. Apparently,you were still on cloud nine to think about any kind of repercussion, to think about what could happen next to afterglow.

"I guess?"

"Do you like him?"

"Clearly, I do."

Unlike Nat, you were stunned by your answer. You answered that question faster than the speed of light.

She smirked at you in response. "You are so gonna fall in love."

"Shut your hole, Nat."

The door flew open suddenly, revealing Bucky and Sam, which got you up your feet. Instinctively and ignoring Nat, you approached him halfway and greeted him with a kiss which he gladly reciprocated, all the things you and Nat just talked about disappearing into this sweet, sweet kiss.

"Hey you." You breathed after pulling away from his lips.

"Hey, babydoll."

"Oh hey, Sam."

"Hey, babydoll." Sam mocked, a smirk playing on his lips. "That's a cute name. What is that? French?"

Bucky smacked his friend on the stomach, making Sam groan and glare at him. "So, it's not French?"

"Sam." Bucky warned which Sam only found funny.

Bucky kept his hand on your waist as you approached the booth, with Sam behind us. Nat, who was still sitting on the booth, cocked her head on the side and eyed Bucky up and down. "Bucky, Sam... This is Nat from the night before." You introduced them to each other before you made them sit in the booth.

"Do you boys want anything to drink?" Nat asked.

"We'll have scotch." Bucky replied, giving Nat a friendly smile. "On the rocks."

"Actually, I don't know how to make drinks, I just asked to be nice."

You rolled your eyes at Nat, laughing lightly. "Don't worry, I got them." You approached the counter and prepared the drinks while Nat followed your trail.

"Babydoll?" She asked. "Steve doesn't even have a nickname for me."

"Okay, I have to ask this since you already did it to me anyway." You said, pouring scotch on the glasses. "Are you and Steve dating? Or is it just, like you said, fooling around?"

"We're friends... with benefits."

"So, just fooling around then?" You asked.

"Yeah, you can put it that way."

"Aren't you worried he might want something more than that? Like a relationship? He does seem like a man who wants to settle, y'know."

"Aren't you worried your new boy toy might want something like that too?"

You fell silent just as you were about to finish the drinks. You weren't worried about that, no. You were worried about you, wanting something more, something you haven't had in a long time, something Bucky hasn't had.

"The chances of me and Steve getting even serious are very slim." She whispered. "But you and Bucky? Now, that's a big fat chance. It doesn't even matter how long you guys have known each other. If there's chemistry, then you can't do anything about it, and the way you described your whole thing with him? Babydoll," she smirked, proud of herself, "if that's not chemistry then I don't know what is."

"As far as I can remember, you're the one who told me to just 'go where the river takes you' and now you're confusing me with these things!" You hissed, looking over at the booth and making sure Bucky won't hear your little banter.

She rolled her eyes at you. "Okay, okay, okay... Allow me to paint you a picture, y/n."

"Paint me a picture — ?"

"Do you know where the river takes you? A waterfall." Nat cut youoff. "Now, right now, you're still on a boat, just gliding through the river, going where the flow takes you. Then some time now, you're gonna hit a fast stream until boom, waterfalls, and when you reach the top of the falls, inevitably, you're gonna fall... fall in love, that is, with the hunky rich man over there. See? Painting a picture. I can be smart too."

You kept Nat's words in the back of your mind until you gave Bucky and Sam their drinks, saving them for later. Nat had to go out for a while to smoke outside, leaving you, Sam and Bucky in the booth, discussing the project you had with Sam's line, updating you with all the dates and details. Seeing as you'll soon be leaving the bar by the end of the week, you offered to start first thing next week.

"But I could actually give you a little pitch presentation just before we start shooting," you added, "idea decks we can work with, like styles, and some mood boards that fit your whole apparel aesthetic. But first, I need to know your brand bible, like your target audience, the tone of your business — stuff like that — just so I can prepare for the presentation."

"Wow, you know a lot about the business industry." Sam replied, amused.

"I used to major in business and finance." You sighed. "It does come in handy with my photography."

Under the table, Bucky reached for your hand, interlacing your fingers together and squeezing your hand three times which elicited a smile.

"Oh, I can give you a tour!" Sam enthusiastically said. "We can go to the office and to some of the stores; maybe the one in Fifth Street. We've actually received the shipment for the new designs. We could discuss everything then. How does tomorrow sound? Bucky can come with ya."

"Tomorrow works, yes! Tomorrow's perfect." You agreed.

You broke out in a smile, leaning on Bucky's side who was more than glad to see you discussing with Sam about the project, squeezing you hand once more, three times.

"Then, it's settled!" Sam boomed. "Now, where's the toilet? I think I got a little too excited."

You threw you head back, laughing. "Right down the hall over there." You pointed.

As soon as Sam was gone, Bucky turned towards you and held your face with his hands, planting a soft kiss on your lips. "You sound so hot talking like that."

You chuckled, sliding closer towards him, your thighs brushing past each other. "You and your weird mind, Bucky I swear to God."

With his lips pressed on yours, you didn't even notice the door open, didn't even notice Steve walk in. You pulled away, hearing Steve clearing his throat. With your hands still on Bucky, you turned towards Steve, who was clearly entertained, and sent him a huge smile.

"H-hey, Rogers." You chuckled nervously. "You remember Bucky."

"Mr. Barnes." Steve nodded at Bucky.

"Mr. Rogers."

You frowned at their formal exchange. "Bucky's actually here with his friend, Sam Wilson. I'm starting a project with him for his business that'll start next week. We were just, uh, discussing the details."

"In his mouth?" Steve smirked.

"Steve." You hissed. "Not cool, man."

"So, where's this Sam Wilson?" Steve asked, looking to his right.

"On your left."

Steve turned around on his left at Sam's voice. Both men stared at each other for a while before introducing each other and shaking each other's hands. Weirded out, you turned to Bucky and asked if they knew each other, if the three of them knew each other (as you now remembered that time when Bucky and Steve met here in the bar).

Bucky shook his head no. "Maybe he's just one of those familiar faces you see on the street." He whispered, but as Steve went straight to his office, and as Sam got back in the booth, a weird tension surfaced that was cut off by Nat entering the bar, together with some customers who were more than happy to be the first ones here.

"That's my cue." You sighed, standing up and letting go of Bucky's hands before going to the counter and greeting the customers.

You felt your phone vibrate against your back pocket after a few seconds. You opened it, and on the screen was a message from Peter:

Sorry couldn't get to you sooner. Lost my charger on the way to the cabin! Schmidt didn't want me to borrow his until I did everything he told me to. Everything's great! I'll send you pictures when I can.

Hope Bucky's taking good care of you. Miss you, y/n. I'll see you in a few days!

Your fingers hovered on the screen as you glanced at Bucky who caught your eyes. He winked at you while taking a sip from his drink and licked his lip afterwards, eyeing you up and down.

Tell Schimdt I'll beat his ass when he comes back. See you in a few days, Parker!

A series of what happened between you and Bucky flashed in your mind, making you bite your lip.

And don't worry, Bucky's taking good care of me.

... such good care.

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wheredemdokis · 3 years

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[tastebreaker review] Law School (no spoilers)

Sometimes, I wish I could have a shrine for all the cerebral media that I consumed, because it definitely is my favourite archetype. Death Note was a masterpiece that I hungrily binged in one day - similarly with Psycho Pass (though I haven't watched the second season due to most of the reviews I have read). This extend well into non-anime media for me - State of Play (with Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams) remains one of my favourite movies, Inception and, well, honestly anything by Christopher Nolan, and I have recently began watching The Matrix as well.

And so, the thirst for real mystery and brain games was quenched when I started watching Law School, with Kim Myung-min, Kim Beom and Ryu Hye-young, directed by Kim Suk-yoon. Needless to say, throughout the whole trip, I was hooked, counting down days until the next episode came... but towards the end - an unpopular opinion - I was actually quite disappointed.

And so, before you start your cross-examination, allow me to present my findings first.

- How did I start watching this?

My friend and I were looking around for something to binge on Netflix and forget about COVID-19. This series popped up, and the moment I read the title, my sapiosexual senses were tingled.

- And how was it?

Very good!... until the ending came. ;w;

- Genres & overarching themes?

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Psychological

Overarching themes: murder mystery, law vs justice, intelligence (as in, the characters are all really smart hahah)

- Plot: 4/5

It could have been a high four, near five if it wasn't for the ending, frankly. The first episode started out with Professor Seo Byung-ju of Hankuk Law School dead, and the spotlight shines on Professor Yang Jong-hoon (the man in the poster above), the first suspect. But was it really him? From then, the mystery unfolds as our favourite study group (who shall be very well elaborated on later in this review) launches itself into investigation for true justice.

The series started out extremely strong in my opinion, with its first few episodes filled with twists and sub-plots that were waiting to get wrapped up. Every episode just leaves you gripping on the sides of your seat in suspense. It really makes you doubt every single person that appeared on-screen and watch out for anything that happens - the show uses the Chekhov's Gun trope really well. As the knots become unravelled, we gain more depth into the characters. However, as we near the end - about two-three episodes for me - the show started to lose its thrust, falling into a comfortable stereotype that made things rather frustrating.

One of the major advantages of Law School, in my opinion, is its ability to twist and turn everything. It prompts the viewers to realize that when the case is really examined in a whole different angle, with more and more evidence coming to light, everything changes. The use of different suspects' stories being told in each episode is a pleasure to watch - the viewers feel like an omniscient judge, overseeing the motives and evidence to draw out a conclusion for themselves on who might be the murderer. The series prompts the viewers to think, which is a trend I really like. It's also interesting to question why characters do certain things they do. Professor Yang Jong-hoon (my favourite character!), for example, is a very... chaotic (haha) character, who keeps on surprising people with his actions - yet, his actions are all elaborate executions of his strategy, a whole plan that he has concocted which accounted for multiple steps ahead, thanks to his extremely sharp vision of what could happen. Thus, it is extremely satisfying when everything falls into place as Yangcrates (a nickname he earned due to his Socratic teaching) explains everything that led up to a particular tense moment where the truth was unveiled.

Yet... this very trope had its downfall near the end. The murderer was so heavily shadowed on in the beginning that the viewers would have expected the murderer to be someone else completely unexpected, a mastermind that pulled the strings behind all the proceedings. Yet, the murderer and the mastermind behind the murder were someone so... I dare say, unimpressive. I mean, this particular 'mastermind' behind the murder fell into so many traps! The murderer was definitely my major disappointment - the villain was a weak character, an unsatisfying antagonist that the intelligent heroes, once having figured who he/she is, didn't even break a sweat to bring to light. The last, final twist that was supposed to be the most glamorous of them all, completely knocking the viewers off their feet, fell completely flat.

Secondly, whilst having a lot of sub-plots still remains a favourite trope of mine as I'd expect everything to wrap up nicely near the end... well, it didn't. Whilst most sub-plots were hastily answered, there was one particular sub-plot which was just left completely unaddressed (for those who have watched it, it's about J****s), and unless they're hinting at a second season where this would be further elaborated on, this was a dead-end sub-plot, a plot with no elaboration or continuation whatsoever.

Overall, the plot was breathtaking in the beginning. It lost momentum very near the end, and wrapped everything up with an anticlimactic last episode.

- Characters: 4.7/5

Definitely the strongest set of characters I've seen in a Korean drama, frankly. All characters were so well utilised, each having their own quirks and flaws which were delightful to watch. Everyone was so, so intelligent, that they honestly were the main fuel to the series, our main stars.

Allow me to first start off with my favourite character, Professor Yang Jong-hoon. Stoic, yet with an extremely savage side that he does not hesitate to show to anyone of any ranks or social standings, Yangcrates carefully plots everything, always thinks, questions, and then thinks even more. Intelligence-wise, this man is most definitely the smartest on-screen persona I've seen in the Korean drama franchise - able to see miles ahead and figure out all the answers down to their root, he is someone that definitely earns all the respect he has, from both his students and viewers alike. Personality-wise, this man is equally interesting as he is smart. With a cold exterior, Yangcrates does not take any bullshit (cue a particularly funny water spitting scene), and does not hold back harsh words to point it out. Yet, underneath this cold exterior is a burning desire to find the absolute truth, which would in turn bring justice to ones who have been wronged (refer to a particular lecture-like speech he made in episode 10), and a passion for teaching his students. He secretly cares for his students a lot, and expresses it in his own way.

Next, our favourite study group - a group of capable, enticing individuals. Firstly, we have Han Joon-hwi, a complex character that always pursues justice and fairness. His intelligence shines through with the way he, firstly, is able to take advantage of his sharp understanding of law into the case, and his careful processing of the evidence he gathers during investigation. Whilst he always keeps a cold head when needed, he has an equally warm heart, genuinely caring for wronged and innocent people. His expressions were all extremely raw and did not feel fake at all - really, props to his actor. More on this later.

Then, we have the two girls - Kang Sol A and Kang Sol B. Don't be fooled by their names - they are very much polar opposites. Whilst Kang Sol A is excitable and wears her heart on her sleeve (sometimes a bit too much), Kang Sol B always keeps a cool head, sometimes taking it to the extreme. I do admit that if I had to pick out of the two, though I love both of them very, very much, I'd probably lean a bit more towards Kang Sol A - even though she definitely gets on my nerves sometimes because of her overload of emotions that could be disruptive, she has her frequent bouts of creativity and "a-ha!" moments that display her underrated intelligence (I'm always soft for underdogs that are underestimated by everyone, only to turn the table on them later). She is also an extremely loyal friend and a very generous individual that isn't afraid to place herself in danger just to help others - overall, a very warm person. Kang Sol B, on the other hand - perhaps due to her family environment - does not really taking other people's emotions into consideration, though I really, really admire her for her intelligence, her ability to always keep a calm head (making her the blue counterpart to Kang Sol A's red), as well as her straightforwardness which has proven many times to be necessary to push the case forward. She does have a soft spot, though - a very adorable one at that. These two make an extremely adorable pair of friends.

My favourite student of the study group must be Seo Ji-ho. I'd say he's a less intimidating version of Kang Sol B hahah - cool and composed, Ji-ho is a reliable member who always pursues logic and reason first. He is also driven to achieve his goal and, like Joon-hwi, utilizes his deep understanding about law very well to solve his own case, his sub-plot. Though his sub-plot eventually was wrapped up as an open ending, it was a nice sub-plot to watch. Not to mention his dynamic with Joon-hwi is very adorable as well - the two really balance each other out.

Other students also have their own quirks and flaws, but for the sake of this review's length, I won't elaborate them as much - but I will say they are all a delight to watch, adding their own personal elements to the overall study group. I will definitely miss this set of characters so, so much. ;-;

- Acting: 4.4/5

Frankly, perhaps because of some K-drama series I have watched, I had a problem with acting in some K-drama series - the actors and actresses did not feel genuine, and they either overacted, pushing their expressions to the extreme, or underacted, simply being way too... stiff (some of my personal favourite actors and actresses so far are Kim Seon-ho, whose theatrical experiences probably really helped with his very natural acting, Jo Jung-seok, and Kim Hye-yoon, an actress who impressed me with both of her most popular series - hope to see her versatility shine through with more diverse roles though). This series, however, is a definite favourite of mine in terms of acting. Firstly, Kim Myung-min is a veteran actor that deserves so much respect - he basically morphed into Yangcrates. I absolutely loved the way he delivered his dialogues - very long ones! - without even so much as taking a breath in between - it was smooth and the flow was excellent.

Kim Beom also became one of my favourite actors after this series - the way he handled his role was so good, his expressions, actions, everything. I noticed that he's very good with his eyes, if that's the right way to put it - he is very good at displaying emotions with them, all emotions ranging from sadness to adoration (towards a particular someone *wink*). It's a top-notch skill, really, and I'm glad to have seen him on-screen. Similarly, Ryu Hye-young impressed me so, so much that I shall add her to my list of favourite actresses as well - I can't spoil, but she is really able at... altering her vibes, yes. She seems to have studied her character really carefully too, being able to bring all Sol A's quirks to real life. Other actors and actresses were amazing, but for me, these three definitely shone.

- Doki moments?

Ah. Definitely some between Sol A and Joon-hwi, as a lot of other people have commented. From the way they tease each other to the way he cares about her every little thing, the way he stares at her, the way his whole demeanor just changes around her and the way she unknowingly influences him so much - they do balance each other out really well, Joonhwi being the cool to Sol A's warm. I do find myself thinking Sol B and Ji-ho would be rather compatible as well (also, them being study rivals in high school? My rivals-to-lovers side is ready).

- Enjoyment: 4/5

Again, could have been higher if it wasn't for the ending! But yes, overall, a whole trip worth embarking on.

- Overall: 4.2/5

Really, could have been higher... but yes, still an excellent show. I just hope they could have had more episodes to really wrap everything up nicely and maybe throw us one final, absolutely ground-breaking twist.

- Watch it or neh?

Yes, please do watch it! And let me know how it goes, too. ;3

#jtbc law school #law school kdrama #kdrama review #kdrama recommendations #kang sol a #han joon hwi #solhwi #kim beom #ryu hye young #yangcrates #kim myung min #kdrama #kdramanetwork #mystery thriller #crime thriller #psychological #mystery series #school life

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passionate-reply · 3 years

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This week on Great Albums: a stupendously underrated classic of queer punk meets synth sophistication, and an album without which we wouldn’t have Dare by the Human League: Homosapien, the 1981 solo opus of Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley. Find out more by watching the video, or reading the transcript below!

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! Today, I’ll be talking about one of those albums that isn’t necessarily the most acclaimed or best remembered work of its period, but nonetheless played an important role in history, and remains unrivaled for its uniqueness: Pete Shelley’s Homosapien, first released in 1981.

Shelley has historically been chiefly remembered as the frontman of the punk act, Buzzcocks. But, despite punk’s reputation for simplicity to the point of obnoxiousness, Shelley was one of many musicians to come from the punk scene with a penchant for experimental or otherwise ground-breaking music. His very first solo release, 1980’s Sky Yen, features little more than a brash wall of oscillating electronic noise, not unlike the earliest provocations of industrial artists like Cabaret Voltaire.

Music: “Sky Yen (Part One)”

Subsequent generations of critics have gone great lengths to coin and define terminology, in the hopes of breaking this period down into constituent parts, but the more I study it, the more I’m inclined to view it as just a huge soup. There was, quite simply, a lot going on in Britain’s underground in the late 70s and early 80s, and in practice, the lines between punk, post-punk, industrial, synth, noise, and other avant-garde miscellany are frequently illegible. As an artifact of this era, Homosapien resonates with all of the contradictions this melting pot would imply, fusing emotional rawness and pristine production in a way that never quite settles down and feels comfortable.

Music: “I Don’t Know What It Is”

“I Don’t Know What It Is” served as the opening track of the album’s second side, as well as its lead single. With a bona fide guitar solo as well as a propulsive, and truly soaring, chorus, it somewhat resembles that most 1980s of art forms, the power ballad. It is, ostensibly, a love song, and is revealed to be one quickly enough, but its portrayal of love is far from kind. While a real power ballad might take the concept of love for granted, “I Don’t Know What It Is” seems to portray it as something mysterious, inscrutable, and dangerous. And I can’t forget to mention just how much Pete Shelley stands out as a vocalist--his high-pitched, perhaps even fried or shrill vocals add a great deal to the song’s sense of unease, and really sell the idea of someone who’s being overtaken by an uncontrollable and dominating force.

Of course, perhaps the most noteworthy thing about Homosapien’s sound is its fusion of the hard, driving acoustic guitar of punk with the electronic sensibilities of its producer, Martin Rushent. I wouldn’t say this combination is ever terribly cohesive in its sound, but I think that’s why I find this album so interesting: there’s a tension that permeates each track, a feeling that things don’t fit together. While Homosapien is a pioneering work of electronic-centered production, enough of the pieces are still in place that you can certainly hear the shape of music to come as you listen to it. It’s not just the synthesisers, but also the use of electronic percussion here--it’s difficult to overstate the impact that so-called “drum machines” had around this time. While reviled by many, both then and now, rhythm machines were undeniably “instrumental” in changing what popular music sounded like. Even synthesiser-based electronic acts like Gary Numan, OMD, and Kraftwerk often relied on traditional percussion, so this genuinely was pretty shocking at the time.

Perhaps the most important element of the legacy of Homosapien is the fact that Martin Rushent would go on to use the skills he honed here to produce one of the most influential albums of the 1980s, and perhaps of all time: The Human League’s Dare, which would go on to cast an enormous shadow on nearly all popular music to come, after playing an enormous role in instigating an era of popular dominance of synth-pop. In that sense at least, Homosapien is certainly a very historically important album, and for that reason alone, I think it deserves a fair bit more attention than it gets. Still, for as much as the electronics might be the most forward-looking element of this album, one also can’t deny that it remains full of aggressive and perfectly punk overtones, as on the crass or perhaps dismissive screed of “Guess I Must Have Been In Love With Myself.”

Music: “Guess I Must Have Been In Love With Myself”

While Homosapien has many moments of seemingly being too thorny to get a good grip on, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t also times in which it can feel like a bit more than the sum of its apparent parts, as on its most narrative-driven track, “Pusher Man.”

Music: “Pusher Man”

“Pusher Man” is one of, if not the, most synth-centered compositions to be had on Homosapien, but its insistent pacing and neurotic portrayal of the “low life” theme of buying illicit drugs mean you’ll never confuse it for run of the mill synth-pop. Moreso than anything else the album offers, this track reminds me of the sort of “synth-punk” that American acts like the Units and Crash Course In Science would put forward at around the same time. “Pusher Man” was, at the very least, a sufficiently experimental track to earn the honour of being cut from the US release of the album in order to make room for some non-album A-sides, as happened to many albums at the time. But hey, that’s enough beating around the bush. Let’s talk about the real crown jewel of this album.

Music: “Homosapien”

If you’ve heard anything from this album before, chances are, it was probably the title track, which proved to be quite the commercial success--despite being banned by the BBC on account of its homoerotic content. Given that this very same year, they also came after OMD’s “Enola Gay” for its obviously nonexistent reference to homosexuality, one might be forgiven for thinking that a tune called “Homosapien” was simply misinterpreted. The title track isn’t terribly explicit material, but its clever wordplay nonetheless deals quite deftly with issues of sexuality and personal identity. In the earlier verses, Shelley introduces us to typified roles of gay male sexuality--the “cruiser,” the “shy boy”--only to seemingly doff them with the tune’s defiant refrain, asserting that the only truly important identity a human being has is that of “Homosapien.” Far from being an unfortunate coincidence, the similarity of “Homosapien” to “homosexual” is being employed here completely deliberately, particularly with it being mashed into a single word and thus gaining a greater resemblance to the word “homosexual” in print. It not only allows Shelley to belt out a borderline dirty word, but also creates a sort of unconscious syllogism, suggesting, in a sense, that homosexuals are people too.

With elements of both unapologetic pride in one’s own queerness, as well as the uncompromising assertion that humanity is something much deeper than that, the title track of Homosapien is one of the most fascinating and inspiring queer anthems of its time. Its artsy slipperiness has prevented it from feeling more shallow with time, and its straightforward or raw quality, intensified by that constant acoustic guitar, has kept it sounding equally sharp. It genuinely does surprise me that this album isn’t at least a little bit better remembered than it is. Outside of the title track, most of this album is currently not available on services like Spotify and YouTube Music at the time of this writing, and I actually struggled to present musical examples here. That’s really a pretty high level of neglect in this day and age, and I hope it can be rectified in the relatively near future.

It would be no exaggeration for me to say that Homosapien features some of my very favourite cover art of any album. Homosapien’s sleeve design sees Shelley occupy some sort of sleek, but hollow hyper-modernist office. Geometric forms suggest the world of the artificial or ideal. An Egyptian statue beside Shelley is a reminder of history, and the idea that even the greatest empires must eventually fall. Likewise, the telescope and early computer positioned nearer to Shelley are evocative symbols of science and technology--but in context they seem more sinister, being juxtaposed against a phrenology bust, which evokes the ways in which our attempts at science have caused misunderstanding and great human misery in the past. The central scene is framed in with large areas of black, which make the space feel even more claustrophobic and uninviting, and Shelley appears to be pushed into the background, almost belittled by the inanimate objects. Overall, I think it’s sort of funny that this album’s cover is perhaps more iconally “New Wave” than the music itself ended up being, particularly with Shelley clad in this somewhat foppish white suit and bow tie--certainly a big change of attire for a former punk!

Given the experimental nature of the collaboration between Shelley and Rushent, you might be surprised to learn that Homosapien actually wasn’t a one-off. Just two years later, Shelley would release a follow-up LP, XL-1, which was also produced by Rushent and largely continues the same ideas. While Shelley would never see the success of “Homosapien” again, the XL-1 single “Telephone Operator” would also chart to a lesser degree.

Music: “Telephone Operator”

My favourite track on Homosapien is “Qu’est-ce que c’est que ça,” which closes out the first side of the album. If you’re familiar with my other work, you probably already know that I’m coming at this as someone chiefly interested in the electronic side of things, and I think that of everything on this album, “Qu’est-ce que c’est que ça” is the closest to being convincing as a synth-pop tune. With a bubbly, synth-dominant sound and lyrics that are more contemplative than aggressive, it’s much closer to the mould of what I usually listen to for fun than a lot of the other tracks are. That’s everything for today--thanks for listening!

Music: “Qu’est-ce que c’est que ça”

#music #great albums #album review #album reviews #pete shelley #buzzcocks

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succubusted · 2 years

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GIVE ME UR RWBY BLORBO/ETC

dsfsakjk

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

hhhhh probably Weiss now that I think of it, she has such a satisfying character arc.. ughhhh but I really love Nora too, especially with the development she's gotten. and I don't want to think of them as a unit, but I really really REALLY love the development that Blake and Yang have gone through too, both individually and as a pair. AND baby Ruby ofc, her gaining confidence and staying the course..... learning to navigate Scary Adult Problems at such a young age. RWBY, betcha can't just have one fav.

crunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

OSCAR!! OSCAR PINE IS BABY!!!! Ruby is a close runner-up, followed by Penny

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

uh, probably Ruby, actually. I don't see a lot of people saying that she's their favorite, but I do like the fact that we see facets of her anxiety and inferiority complex underneath the projection of steadfast leader she gives off

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

did you mean any of Team SSSN? actually it's Team FNKI, I went APE when we saw them again in v7 and v8. and the fact that we got to see K and I???!? but didn't get an introduction!! HOW DARE THEY HONORABLE MENTION to Professor Oobleck. his monologue in v2 gives me chills man,

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

Hazel. my man................... a genuinely good man that let himself be led along by his heartstrings second place taken by the Man, the Myth, the Disaster, Qrow.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

I'd say Tyrian, but the weirdo would enjoy it too much. Watts I think deserves more plinko

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

Dumpster Fire Princess Cinder goes in the Grimm Wiggler to atone for her sins

#khi asks #hail the shattered moon

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hpanddisney · 4 years

Text

Ok, so, nobody asked for this, but I wanna write it anyway. I feel like this is super underrated but in important part of the book, and I’ve always wondered how Ginny reacted to it. So here goes nothing.

She grabbed her stuff and started shoving it into her bag. Nothing exciting has happened in particular during this class, just a lot of confusion. Lately, she’d been feeling quite conflicted. She was with Dean, and there’s nothing wrong about him, but something felt weird, not right. She thought she had gotten over Harry ages ago but apparently not because he starting to pop up at her thoughts and dreams more often then she’d like to admit. She’d gotten over her fan girl crush on him, but now she developed a different kind of crush. A crush on to the person that he actually was. The sweet, dorky, awkward Harry.

Of course, he’s been more on edge in the last two years because of everything that was going on but it didn’t change the way she felt toward him. Every time someone brought him up it angered her. They didn’t know, obviously, but it just ticked her off because she was annoyed at herself. This wasn’t fair to Dean but she didn’t know how to break it to him and she didn’t want to break up with him because she didn’t think Harry would ever like her back and Dean, most of the time, made her feel loved and appreciated. He made her feel like someone you would actually want to date and not someone you could just continue to ignore and only think of them as your best friend sister

As she walked out of class she was surprised to see Luna standing out there with one of the biggest smiles she’d ever seen. She assumed it was because some kind of creature that she found, but Luna was rarely ever this excited about anything. It wasn’t that she wasn’t a happy person, she was, but never THIS happy.

“Ginny! Oh Ginny! You’re never going to believe what happened!” said Luna more excited than she had ever seen her

“What is it Luna?” She said ignoring all of the stares she was getting for talking to her, she had never minded it. Luna was a great person even though most people couldn’t see it. Ginny enjoyed having her around and would Bat Bogey Hex anyone that insulted her.

“I was invited to a party! As a friend, of course, but I’ve never been invited to one as a friend! I’m so excited!”

Ginny couldn’t help but smile. She’d never seen Luna quite so happy, she had no idea who would ask her to a party but she was so excited that somebody did. She assumed it must’ve been Slughorn’s party, because she couldn’t think of any other ones that were going on. She started to think of who would be inviting her, who wouldn’t have a date, and who would like her enough to bring her along and not go alone. Then, it hit her. Although she was pretty sure who had asked Luna she still decided to ask, hoping that it wasn’t him.

Putting on her best excited voice trying to hide really bothered her she said “Who invited you?”

”Harry. Although I don’t know why, I’ve always liked him though. He’s a nice person, and I’m glad I’m going with him.”

Of course it was him, stupid, noble, kindest person she’d ever met, Harry Potter. She wouldn’t have expected less of him. It was one of the reasons that she liked him so much. He probably could’ve asked anybody in the school and they would’ve gone with him but no, he asked Luna. Someone that no one would take to go to the party with. She couldn’t help but smile at her thoughts of how kind he was to ask her instead of anybody else. But still, as happy as she wants for her best friend, there was a small part of her that was jealous.

She got a little bit of déjà vu from back in her third year when Ron had suggested that Harry take Ginny to the Yule Ball and he never openly objected the idea. Unfortunately, Ginny already had plans at that point. Yet another missed opportunity was occurring before her. She tried really hard to be happy for her best friend a part of her really wanted to be Luna in that moment.

‘ You’re being stupid’ she thought to herself. ‘You’re dating Dean. You’re going with him. You shouldn’t even be considering going with anyone else. What is wrong with you?’ All is these were valid points. She has had internal battle going on for the past couple of months when she realize she liked Harry still. How could you not? He was an amazing person. But, she didn’t think he would ever notice her so she gave up. But now that she thought about it, she wasn’t sure if she ever did. He was always there, in the back of her thoughts, no matter what she did to try to stop it, she didn’t think she would ever get over him. And now she felt guilty about dating Dean when she still kind of liked a different guy. She didn’t hate Dean, she kind of liked him, at least she thought. She quickly ecsaped her thoughts after realizing that Luna needed a response

“Well that was nice of him, I’m glad your excited” she smiled at Luna, hiding her true feelings

“Yes I am so excited. But you don’t seem to be, is something troubling you?” Luna said concernedly. She’d always been good at reading people’s emotions but Ginny wasn’t sure she was ready to reveal that particular secret yet.

“Oh nothing, just tired” she smiled at Luna even though she knew that Luna knew she was lying. Luna didn’t take the point further, clearly getting the hint that Ginny didn’t want to talk about it anymore. They walked down the corridor together to dinner while Luna explained in detail how Harry had asked her. It wasn’t exactly romantic, but it was better than Ginny had ever gotten. Dean and her just knew they were going together so he didn’t even bother saying anything about it.

The more she listened to Luna, the more she thought it was sweet that he had done it. She didn’t even think her own brother would’ve asked Luna even if she was the last girl on earth. Most people wouldn’t, but Harry wasn’t like most people. Despite all the horrible things that happened to him in his life he was still super kind, and never criticize Luna for anything. He treated her just like anybody else which was amazing because he was one of the few people that did it. Nobody asked him to, nobody even expected him to, he just did it, he just treated her like anybody else, if anything he treated her better than just anybody else. She had even heard from Luna about him telling off group of girls on the train because he wanted to sit with her and Neville.

As they enter the Great Hall Ginny immediately tuned Luna out and stared down at the boy with the messy black hair sitting next to her brother. He didn’t notice that she would come in and was in a deep conversation with Ron who looked flabbergasted at something that Harry had said. She assumed that he had probably told Ron that he was going with Luna. It hurt slightly to see that Hermione wasn’t with the two of them because of the whole thing going on between her and Ron. She never did get to ask Harry about how he felt about that but she was sure that it wasn’t great. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor dude. He was going through enough right now without having to worry about his two best friends hating each other. And from what she heard from Luna, they had another row today. Leaving Harry most likely another bad mood. As she passed she heard part of the conversation.

“You could’ve taken anyone! Anyone! And you chose Loony Lovegood” Ron shouted in disbelief at Harry. She wasn’t sure how he found out, either Harry had told him or he had heard it since it seems like the whole school had heard the hot gossip of Harry and Luna and was also in disbelief.

Ginny looked to her side I see that Luna had left and joined the Ravenclaw table. She paused behind Harry leaned over and snapped “Don’t call her that Ron! Im really glad you’re taking her, Harry, she’s so excited”

And with that she went off down the table to go sit with Dean and the rest of her friends. It was all she could say to him, she couldn’t bear to think more about the fact that Harry was going with her friend instead of her.

She knew she had no reason to be mad, and she wasn’t mad at Luna, she was genuinely happy that he had asked her because she knew how happy it made her. She just couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy hidden deep within her about the fact that she wouldnt be going with him to the party.

She sat on the table and began to eat stealing glanced at Harry whenever she dared. Harrys relief when she had defended him and his silent thankfulness had not gone unnoticed. If there’s anything positive she could take from this besides Lunas happiness it was that Harry seems to be quite appreciative of what she had said and maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t just Ron’s little sister anymore.

#ginny and harry #harry and ginny #hinny #hinny fluff #hinny-headcanon #luna lovegood #horace slughorn #professor slughorn #hp and the half blood prince #hinny au #hinny fanfic #missing moments #ginny and luna #harry and luna #harry potter #ginny weasley

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