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#it's probably more complicated than that and they for sure don't film them in order but they did decide to keep the red shirt in for
pherre · 2 years
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bj being in his red dyed shirt from peace on us clearly shows that peace on us was supposed to go before commander pierce and yet. and yet
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mcflymemes · 11 months
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE PROMPTS *  assorted dialogue from the film series
why do you have to make things so fucking complicated?
you still don't get it, do you?
let's get lost.
can you teach it to me?
that look in your eyes is a pain in my ass. you know that, right?
i'm not going to lose you.
how many rounds do you got?
next time, i get to seduce the rich guy.
please don't make me go through you.
i need you to trust me.
you will never get what you want!
it's not a bad way to go.
it's such a nice car.
get in! they're coming!
i need to ask you for something incredible.
i'm smarter than you.
what are you doing here?
"difficult" should be a walk in the park for you.
i'm gonna miss being disreputable.
your line's not long enough!
the countdown is not helping.
we prefer to keep a low profile.
was there something more going on between you two?
you need to walk away.
did you jump?
it's good to see you, too.
well, then i misled you, or you made the wrong assumption.
let me just assure you, this won't hurt... enough.
now the world is at risk.
why won't you just die?
you'll have about five seconds.
they knew we were coming.
what are you going to do? spank me?
this is the CIA's mission.
kill everyone? that's your plan?
there's no reason to be sorry.
look at me. look at my life.
i find it best not to look.
i'll figure it out.
whatever you've heard, if it makes your skin crawl, it's probably true.
how did you get in the helicopter?
what's done is done when we say it's done.
a storm is coming.
my team had it under control.
we knew they were coming.
i couldn't face another life or death situation after that.
mission accomplished.
i think we lost enough agents for one night.
hope is not a strategy.
please don't make me laugh.
that's not who we are.
everything that happened... it taught me who i am.
so i'm jumping into an oven, essentially.
jesus, i thought you were dead.
we all have our secrets.
maybe we need to reconsider that.
you don't understand what you're involved in.
i'll figure it out.
you mind telling me why you broke me out?
this wasn't a rescue mission?
how good is your backup?
i'm exactly where i should be. and so are you.
this is a bad idea.
so what happens now?
you can fly a helicopter?
i've been ordered to take you back to washington.
may there be peace on earth.
i don't quite follow you.
how will the world finally end?
you must be new.
it's not like any mission is gonna be rougher than the last one, is it?
wait 'til you see the car.
i don't care in the least what people think or feel.
please tell me there's more to this plan.
i have arrived at the party.
the blood will be on your hands.
how close were we?
deep down we both knew that someday, somehow, something truly terrible was going to happen.
i can understand you're very upset.
you can thank them in person.
hey, how did you open your cell door?
waste not, want not.
why are you telling me this?
we have to evacuate these people!
there's no time!
you want to shake hands with the devil? that's fine with me. i just want to make sure you do it in hell.
could we get a cappuccino machine in here?
relax. it's much worse than you think.
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Can you make a fix similar to your Kit one for Tate?
I'm assuming you mean my transmasc headcanons, considering that's the only other thing I've written lol. Apologies in advance if this is too similar to my Kit one <3
Tate Langdon dating someone who's transmasc
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Warnings: slight transphobia, Constance Langdon, sexual innuendo, talk of violence/murder (it's Tate, what do you expect)
-He first saw you when you moved into the Murder House with your parents
-For the first couple of weeks, he doesn't iniate contact and just watched you from the shadows (the little creep)
-He'll surprisingly hold back, not wanting to potentially scare you off like he did with Violet
-Your first meeting will probably be in your yard, where he introduces himself as your neighbor who lives next door
-You googled the history behind the Murder House before you moved in, so you're able to sniff out his bullshit
-"Hi I'm Tate, I live next door"
-"How can you live next door if you're dead?"
-"..."
-"You're good"
-You instantly became friends, bonding over your similar taste in music and views on life
-Hanging out with each other all the time
-Until he starts distancing himself from you, that is
-You wonder if it has something to do with you until one night when you find him crying in the basement
-When you ask him what's wrong, he confesses to you that he's bisexual
-He then talks about his traumatic childhood, and how his mother would also scold him for looking at boys the same way he looked at girls
-This caused him to spiral into a pit of self hatred, which only got worse leading up to the events before his death
-You wipe away the tears running down his cheeks before pulling him into a tight hug
-"Aw Tate, why didn't you just tell me in the first place?"
-"Because I was worried you would leave me"
-"I could never leave you"
-Your relationship got much more personal after that
-You tell him you're trans shortly after you begin dating
-"Hey Tate, can I tell you something?"
-"Sure babe, what's up?"
-"I'm trans"
-"...could you elaborate?"
-"I'm a guy, but I was born in a girl's body"
-"Oh. I'm sorry about that"
-His indifference to your confession causes you to start crying
-"Do you still love me?"
-"Of course I do! I just wasn't sure how to react when you told me, please don't cry"
-He starts to cry too as he gives you a hug, not wanting you to feel alone
-Even though he accepts you, he doesn't understand everything that has to do with being trans (mostly since he died in the 90s) so you have to explain a lot of it to him
-"So a binder is something trans guys like yourself wear in order to flatten their chest and help them feel more comfortable in their body?"
-"Exactly! And it's important to not wear it for over than 8 hours, or you could cause serious damage to the muscle tissue in your breast, which can make it difficult or even impossible to have top surgery in the future"
-"Good to know! ....what's top surgery?"
-Like I said, you're going to have to explain it to him, but don't worry, you have a very enthusiastic student
-He probably goes on your laptop when you're not looking and orders a bunch of gay merch off of Amazon, which can come with complications involving your parents, especially if you're not out yet
-He promises to make it up to you later (in more ways than one 😏)
-Speaking of your parents, if you do come out and they don't accept you, the Murder House is going to end up having some more additions to it, courtesy of your lovely little Tater Tot
-That goes for everyone else who misdgenders you on purpose (*cough* Constance *cough*)
-And if he's around to see it happen? Let's just say she's going to have an appointment with a bullet come next Halloween
-On days where you're feeling especially dysphoric, he'll pop in some horror films and curl up next to you in order to distract you from it
-Tate tries to comfort you to the best of his ability, though sometimes it tends to backfire
-"I know how hard it is for you"
-"Actually it's not, that's the problem"
-"What do you mean-OH"
-For your anniversary he paints you a rose (like with Violet) in the color of the trans flag
-Making each other mixtapes, his including Nirvana songs and "Sweater Weather" by the Neighborhood
-Staying up late together talking about societal norms and the toxicity of gender roles when you can't sleep
-If you want top surgery, he'll hold off on killing you until you get it so you don't have to feel dysphoria in the afterlife
-He'll also protect you from the other ghosts so you won't have a premature death
-Honestly, he's the best ghost boyfriend you could ever have
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dystopiandilfs · 3 years
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Dream's discord podcast. Basically him answering questions for 2.5 hours. This will sort of be in order but I fucked up my notes so it might not be in order completely. (From 13th May 2021)
For reference the photos at the end are: A prototype of fidget spinner merch as loads of people asked, a reference photo of his favourite merch and a photo he sent of his hair to prove he wasn't a brunette.
•He said his teeth are mostly straight but he's thought about getting Invisalign. He's never had braces. He has a tiny gap in the left side of his mouth and his canines are longer and sharper (vampire arc). He's never had teeth surgery so has his wisdom teeth still.
•He thinks pineapple on pizza is good.
•He likes seafood like lobster and crab. He had crab made in an air fryer last night. He like peas. He thinks quesadillas are good and likes most food.
•He hates Coffee and most drinks
•The Dream Shorts team is Ken who is his personal reminder (Ken's main job is to spam him with texts so he doesn't forget things as he's got a habit of reading texts and not replying) and also comes up with a list of sets for Dream shorts. The builder is a friend and munchymc builder "his talent gets wasted on Dream's shorts but we pay him so"
•His editors are currently Dizzy, Firesale and Mjcr. Willz doesn't edit for him anymore
•The mask animation isn't done but Mask should be released May 21st. He wants to release them together as "the whole song is a double meaning and the whole nuance will be lost without the animation" but no matter if the animation is done the song is getting released on the 21st.
•He and Sapnap eat together often.
•He and Sapnap prefer medium rare Steak
•He wants a home gym it's something he's willing to splurge on. They currently have a weight rack but they haven't even set it up.
•"Eat the rich? Shut up shut up" - Dream
•Talked about money basically saying "Most people don't understand how money works I don't have millions in my bank account it's in assets like merch, land and warehousing for that stuff" (He's not in his landlord arc)
•He's been debating Pride Merch because of Rainbow Capitalism. He doesn't want it too be seen as a money maker and if he does most proceeds would go to charity. He's currently super busy merch wise with Sapnap joining and George in the middle of joining. He did say "Only if the LGBTQ+ community in this community wants it" He thinks he's going to at least change the merch website to a pride one. Sapnap wants to make pride merch including a rainbow flame on his.
•He wants to create a charity that's centered around helping LGBTQ+ one day because he thinks that there's a lack of them. He mentioned that creating a charity was expensive and took a lot and was a complicated process including a board of directors but he wants to do it someday.
•He wanted to buy a bunch of houses in Florida which was a service to house mostly LGBTQ+ youth and people stuck in abusive households for free to get them out of bad home environments. But he didn't because he didn't want people thinking he was profiting of of abuse victims and LGBTQ+ community.
•He said he's terrible with time management and replying to people which is why Ken helps him (and also helps George and Sapnap). He mentioned how Sam messaged multiple times and Dream just forgot to answer but felt bad "I feel like people think I hate them..... Cause I'd be mad if people did that to me"
•He tries to reply to a few texts a day (community number). He also can't do birthday messages everyday because you can only reply at certain times so it's not abusing the system so if you get one it's special. He said he does try but it's got a weird time gap.
•Him and the manhunt winner are trying to come up with a good time to film
•He wants to stream this MCC on twitch and says his team is good.
•He talks about why he's not partnered with Twitch. Basically Twitch has a lock rate (in which you make money) and you legally can't stream on YouTube. So legally if Tommy wanted to stream on YouTube he couldn't. Someone then mentioned how Bad is a twitch partner but still streams on YouTube "Bad streams on YouTube but he has for a while and I don't think that he cares" - Dream
•He likes to reply to every donation he gets on stream and feels bad when he doesn't so he'll turn them off when he streams and wants a platform deal where he can be payed to stream (not twitch). If he gets a streaming partnership he will stream a couple of times a week. He looked in to Facebook but they don't have an alias system meaning you can see everyone's actual Facebook account and personal info, he doesn't like seeing real names on Facebook so it would require a lot of altering if he was to stream there so he's thinking it's probably going to be YouTube.
•He was asked about if his demographic was what he expected and he said he went in with no expectations, he didn't even know what stans were, wasn't really on social media so he wasn't aware of the fan culture. "You guys are a handful sometimes but it's worth it"
•He also mentioned how he and the DreamSMP changed the twitch audience demographic. It used to be male dominated in both streamers and audience and now it's almost split which is unheard on.
•He has 5 fidget spinners in his house. Two in his bedroom. Two in his office. One in the living room.
•He likes his Minecraft skin as he thinks the arm is cook and you never see the rest of his skin really. He says it's unique and different and "me". Dream: You can't even tell half the skins apart on MC.
•He's not lost the motivation to stream. Most of the times if he wants to stream he gets George or Sapnap to do it and he just turns up. It's more beneficial to them as they have donos and subs on. (Don't we fucking know it "can you say hi to")
•He has listened to Lovejoy. Says the ep was great and they're very talented and awesome. Doesn't know what his favourite song is but probably would pick One Day because the chorus slaps.
•RIP to acoustic Roadtrip. He said instead of acoustic Roadtrip we get Mask so no losses today for Dream stans.
•"With Roadtrip I went to Parker and I said Hey I have a story I want to tell through music. I have no experience with that can you help me" He said sure. He crafted the music and melodies and how things are formed where it's catchy. I have less comfort singing that. I love the song and it's my song, it's very representative of me and I'm sure I could sing it but it's a song I'd be kinds of scared to sing live, with Mask I basically did everything. I sat there the entire time and maybe an hour out if the 100 I wasn't in the call. Dream came up with the lyrics and main melody for Mask (First one he's ever come up with) "That was just notes in my fucking voice memos"
•The clip we heard of Mask was a prechorus not the actual chorus. He thinks he'd be more comfortable to do a mask acoustic and it's more melodic than Roadtrip. The chorus also has a lot of instruments similar to Roadtrip. Mask starts of slow and guitar with minimal reverb and is more raw.
• He doesn't want music to be his main thing. It's something fun to do and he's passionate about it as it's a way to express emotions. He wants to release mask then go from there. He wants to release at least one more song but has nothing on his mind currently. His two ideas were Roadtrip and Mask.
•He wouldn't quit his job to become a pizza delivery man.
•His favourite features on himself are eyes or freckles and he also confirmed that he does have eyebrows.
•He was told that Parkour warrior would be bought back some time in the near future and he got excited for it. "Even if I don't win, which I will, it'll be fun"
•Went on about his MCC team but I'm not going to put that in as we should be getting them today. He did say he wasn't on Pink but he did sound confused. (For reference he's always in Pink as it's the last team announced and keeps the hype up by announcing the biggest streamer last)
•Said he and his mum had the Mr Beast burger. He recommends because he likes the avacado. He mentioned how Mr Beast uses "Ghost Kitchens" which is basically where he gives restaurants permission to cook his food so it's restaurant quality food.
•His favourite piece of merch is the circle smile. (The pool photo on Instagram). He said the quality was bad (he worked with a different company and didn't have his own company) and it was elasticy feeling and he's planning on re-releasing it again but with good quality.
•He's started to send merch out in custom packaging. So his bags have the smile and will mostly be green. Sapnap's has the flame and is either black or white. He's also trying to make it so every order has the sticker packs for both him and Sapnap.
•He loves the coins as it's cheaper than a hoodie but still celebrates the milestones and will last a long time. He mentioned how the old coins are getting removed off the site and how if you have any of the coins your special because only a few thousand get made. He's kept around 100 of each coin that he wants to give away in person.
•He wanted to have a cool store where you could access computers that give you access to the DreamSMP in spectator mode. But it's too costly and would require too much time and isn't safe fight now. He doesn't think it'd be worth it financially.
•Most of the hoodie are black instead of multiple colours because of limited supply and covid. Getting the colours are harder because if the pandemic which hopefully won't be an issue soon.
•He wants to do a short meetup tour with Sapnap and George with a few locations in the US (and if others nearby want to join like Quackity or Karl they can). He also wants to visit Australia, UK, Canada, Mexico and Philippines and do something like that there but definitely at least visit with George and Sapnap.
•He's never been to the Philippines but his mum has. He wants to set up a place in the Philippines where he can ship merch in bulk and it would help to reduce shipping. However it would probably be big milestone merch.
•He's not got the vaccine yet but will get it when he needs to. He doesn't leave the house so he doesn't see the point.
•He's the ideas man. George's footcam video was Dream's idea. The T-shirt video was Dream's idea. Most if not all of the Dream Team's videos are Dream's ideas.
•Said he's got a similar/the same hair colour as Froy (Dream buddy at this point the only difference between you and Froy is that one of you is dating Richard Madden /lh)
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Pedro Pascal and Lena Headey
Head to head interview
Hunger Magazine, Issue 6. Released December 28, 2014. Photoshoot October 15, 2013.
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Thirteen million. That's the number of people, on average, who tuned into each episode of the third season of Game of Thrones. Among them was Chilean actor Pedro Pascal, who was as enthralled by the sex and slaughter as the rest of us. But little did he know that within a few months he'd be pitching up on the shores of Belfast to join the cast as Oberyn Martell, affectionately known as the Red Viper. Sound ominous? It is. The Red Viper is GoTs newest anti-hero, “sexy and charming but driven by hate”. Sounds like he'll be right at home.
Pedro, on the other hand, though he looks good on paper, wasn't the obvious choice for the role. Expecting a big name to ride into King’s Landing, the show's fans took to forums to express their concerns as soon as the news broke. So is he worried? Like hell he is. “The fans had the part cast in their minds already. They knew who they wanted and it certainly was not me. But I'm not stupid, | presumed that people were going to say ‘who the fuck is this guy’. Since I anticipated the reaction it didn't throw me off.”
“There are so many different ways to go into battle with yourself when you're trying to get a job. I felt a certain amount of pressure because I wanted to make everyone happy. The fan base is so specific and, as a fan myself, I understand the relationship that they have with the show. The Red Viper is the best part I've ever played, and in season four shocks come at the most unexpected times. You might think you know, but you have no idea,” he explains.
Looks like the Red Viper could be in line to fill a Walter-White-sized-hole in television, but to test the theory we pit Pascal against Lena Headey, aka the Queen. Because if you can come away from Cersei unscathed, you can handle anything.
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LH: So, Pedro, you come into Game of Thrones in season four, playing a pretty major character. Does that fill you with joy or dread?
PP: I'd say it fills me with joy because it’s a really fucking fun part. He’s a badass. He comes up against a lot of the main characters in the show. I'm very aware of the show. I watch it like a fan.
LH: Were you a fan before you arrived in Belfast?
PP: Yeah, I was a proper fan. I was caught up in the drama of it before I even auditioned for the part. I was already up to speed.
LH: I remember meeting you and thinking, “he fucking loves the show’.
PP: I kissed your ass.
LH: Well, it worked. We're friends now.
PP: I was like a tourist visiting the set, and yet I had to act with you and be in a scene with the characters that I had such a specific association with already.
LH: So you’re saying it’s boring?
PP: No, it wasn’t boring at all. It was extremely, relentlessly surreal.
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LH: And who were your favourite characters up until that point?
PP: Not you.
LH: I realise that!
PP: There are too many characters to have a favourite, but I was fascinated by the Lannisters because they're so frightening. They scared me and then you would come in and pull sympathy from your audience somehow, and I found that rather fascinating. The Northerners were so easy to like or get behind, but it was quite something to see people sympathise with a Lannister, after you made people see things from their perspective.
LH: Speaking of being slightly ambiguous as a character, you come in as a major player and a very well-loved character in the eyes of people who read the books, and he’s somewhat of an anti-hero. Did you base him on anyone?
PP: What does an anti-hero mean exactly?
LH: It means he doesn't wear deodorant, doesn't it? [Laughs]. Someone you shouldn't champion, but you do, like Walter White in Breaking Bad.
PP: No, | didn’t really base him on anyone.
LH: Did you take anything from classic movies that you thought you could use and spin to your advantage playing the Red Viper?
PP: God, that’s a good question. I probably did subconsciously. Now I feel under the spotlight because I need to think of somebody, and I have so many in my mind! I think that’s something that is happening a lot in TV today: the anti-heroes are central to these television shows, and people are really getting behind them, even though they're not necessarily the most moral characters. So I'd say that ‘ve become more familiar with the character who's obviously very flawed but gets you on their side — you have complicated feelings about them. But I think I saw the story too much from this character's perspective to perceive any flaws.
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LH: He has some.
PP: I know, from the outside. But I don't see any of them. What are his flaws?
LH: His flaws? He's a dirty bastard!
PP: Why is he a dirty bastard? He likes to fucking fight, for sure.
LH: Back to you as an actor. You've done it for a long time and, as we all know, the path is not always golden, and sometimes you think, “fuck it” and you want to leave it and do something else. Have there been moments where you wanted to give up?
PP: Yes, there have been moments where I came very close to giving up. But I never had anything to fall back on. I think you can understand that.
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LH: Because were stupid?
PP: We're stupid.
LH: I can't even make pizza!
PP: We don’t have any other skills.
LH: None at all!
PP: And that’s the odd conundrum. You get to a point where you think, “This isn’t going to happen. This isn’t sustainable. I'm too exhausted, and it can't be good for me.” There were moments where I truly did try to formulate an idea of what I'd do. I thought I'd go back to school, start pre-med again and go to medical school or something like that.
LH: But that didn't happen, you just thought about it?
PP: Yes, I'd have thoughts, but it was still fantasy really. But at the time it felt like a practical life plan. Do you know what I mean?
LH: Yeah of course, you need to pay the fucking rent.
PP: Exactly. You just try to escape from the chaos of what you're feeling by trying to create order in your life. Order seems like a solution to save you from the pain of acting!
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LH: It's a mental pain. Who was the first person you called when you got the role?
PP: My sister.
LH: Does she watch the show?
PP: Yes, she does.
LH: Pedro Pascal... or Pablo as I called you when I had too much wine, which was deeply insulting.
PP: Even family members have done that to me! Do I look more like a Pablo? Because it happens with about ninety-five percent of the people I meet.
LH: No, I think I’m just an ignorant drunk person.
PP: No, you were an ignorant drunk person that night is what you're saying.
LH: And now I’m educated.
PP: [Whispers] But | want you to call me Pablo.
LH: Ok, Pablo! When you first arrived on set in Northern Ireland, what was your feeling showing up to a bunch of British actors? Did it feel different to doing an American project?
PP: Yes, but I loved it. It wasn’t intimidating. I found it surreal because I’d watched and loved the show. I hadn't had the opportunity to work on something that I was really familiar with before, so it was overwhelming. But it was far more delightful than intimidating. Also you guys were really cool. Everyone was friendly.
LH: Oh, that’s just fake.
PP: Well, you guys were good at it!
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LH: We know Game of Thrones is very popular obviously. Do you have any thoughts, or fears, about what this is going to bring you in terms of exposure?
PP: I have hope.
LH: Oh, God. I don’t mean to shatter that, but give it up.
PP: I don’t know really. It’s all been filmed, and now I'm back to my normal routine, so I haven't really thought about it. I remember when we finished filming and we were on our way to the airport, you asked me, “How does it feel you're all done?” and I couldn't really answer.
LH: You were quite emotional that day.
PP: I was very emotional because I’d had such an amazing time doing the part. Also just being there immersed in the experience... You described it to me best. You told me how I'd be feeling.
LH: We don't know your character's backstory when you enter the show, and you have some rather brutal scenes. Anyone who has read the books will know what I’m talking about.
PP: My character comes in, he stirs a bunch of shit up, and then he makes this fucking enormous exit. Now can | ask you a question?
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LH: What is it? I’m not going to sleep with you. Give it up.
PP: Oh, come on! This has gone to shit and it’s your fault, so good luck to whoever has to edit it! But anyway, sometimes I'd hang out with the cast members and we'd go to dinner and they would get stopped constantly. There was no denying who they played because they were so recognisable, but you got away with it because you have this beautiful blonde wig on in the show, and in real life you are...
LH: Grey?
PP: {Laughs] No! You have beautiful chestnut hair! Is it liberating to not be recognised the way some of the other cast members are?
LH: Yes, it is liberating.
PP: Liberating being able to walk down an alley in Dubrovnik without being stopped?
LH: Yes, except sometimes | get recognised in the weirdest places. A woman was emptying my bag at Heathrow Airport's security gates and just went, “Are you the Queen?” while rummaging through my underwear. It was so fucking weird.
PP: It seems they're more respectful to you?
LH: Because they're frightened. Wait until they meet the Viper.
PP: Well, that covers it.
LH: I think we're going to get our own show out of this, you know
youtube
Interested in learning more about Pedro? Check out Pedro Pascal Unofficial on Pinterest!
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jayswritings13 · 3 years
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can i pls request staticlovetune (vox/alastor) hcs ?
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It took both a long time to even admit to their feelings.
Even then, they still denied it.
I mean, how could great enemies, Alastor and Vox actually not hate each other?
Well, not as much as before.
Because there were still plenty of arguments between to two just as before.
Alastor and Vox both have HUGE egos and often want the others to deflate theirs in order to inflate the others.
Insults are sometimes thrown around lovingly, along with some pet names and flirting.
Alastor uses any and all pet names that he can on Vox, some of which often catch him off guard.
"Darling, make sure to pick up some more peppers. Hmmm?"
"Care for a dance, honey?"
Speaking of dancing, Alastor loves to drag Vox into improv to dances all the time.
It's sort of his favorite pastime.
Plus, Alastor loves to hear Vox's demanding protests before he gives in and dances all over the room with him.
Vox may be a stubborn asshole, but is a respectable, stubborn asshole.
He made it a point to at least try and respect Alastor's asexuality when they first start to not hate each other as much, but Vox isn't going to lie, it was hard.
He was so used to hating Alastor, that it took a long time for Vox to learn how to at least respect him in the basic sense of boundaries and sexuality.
But, he eventually learned.
This, by no means, means that Vox still doesn't do shit that bugs Alastor because he does. He lives for that.
Alastor was never one for pets. He wouldn't call it a fear, but rather a disliking.
So, Alastor was less than excited to meet Vark.
"So this is my good boy, Var- Alastor, will you get back here and meet him, you spineless jackass!"
Alastor simply groans, and has to be guided towards Vark by Vox for a quick pet, before Alastor quickly pulls his arm and body away from him.
"...See?" Vox grins. "Not so bad,"
"Maybe for you." He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at the overload.
Vox and Alastor seem to disagree more on Valentino's influence in Vox's life than their actual arguments about whether Television and film are better mediums for creative storytelling than radio drama from the 1930s.
Alastor was never a fan of the moth overlord and he was always VERY vocal about that opinion.
Vox....... Well, he has had a complicated history with Valentino.
Vox can't seem to let Valentino leave his life completely, especially since they both have kind of adopted Velvet as their own.
Vox told Alastor the basics of his history with Valentino, as there was a lot to unpack there with the two of them.
"...so what does that make the two of you now?" Alastor questioned.
"Business partners. Friends, I guess...?" Vox shrugged, "I don't know.. I mean it's Hell. Does any of that shit matter?"
The hotel is also a common topic among the two, as Vox constantly questions why Alastor would even want to be a part of it.
Alastor tells Vox that same thing that he told Charlie and Vaggie, but Vox wasn't entirely sure if he believes Alastor that it's solely for that reason alone.
Vox has a theory that Alastor wanted to suck up more to Lucifer through his daughter and her little shitty hotel.
Vox knows that Alastor is old-fashioned, and often teases the shit out of him for it.
"Flowers?? Again~" Vox grinned, glancing over at the Radio Demon. "I mean, you're starting to spoil me here, Al."
"I have come to....care for you, in a way." Alastor said, "This is just a way that I show that."
Vox was a bit unsure of what to say, as that was probably the closest thing to a confession that he was going to get from Alastor.
"This may or may not ruin the nice rivalry thing we had going, but I care for you too, Al." Vox said, "But I'm running out of places to put the flowers. So take it easy, will you?"
"Yes, darling."
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lovelytarou · 3 years
Text
caffeinated love
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pairing: nishinoya yuu x reader
genre: fluff, slight angst
tags: coffee shop!au, barista!noya, noya & reader being whipped for each other
a/n: dedicated to my beautiful, loving, sweet and supportive wife @chibishae34 💖💞❤️💕 i hope you liked this surprise and i did your bb noya justice! :c
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it was a perfectly sunny day.
it was too perfect, you might add. the scene in front of you could easily fit into a studio ghibli movie, the only thing missing are the animated characters, and the soft piano music that usually accompanied the films.
you don't know what made you look at life with rose-colored lenses today, it might be because you're in a good mood, or you woke up on the right side of the bed, or the wind just brought some positive air to you. whatever it is, you're thankful for it.
you're walking around campus with a skip on your steps, a smile on your face as you grinned at the people you passed and the surroundings. to some people, it might come off as creepy, or even weird, but no one is going to ruin your mood today. not when you're so close to having your coffee.
a bigger smile tugged at your lips, looking up at the café in front you – its bold, intricate sign you're familiar with and the welcoming aura beckoning you in.
Crows' Cabin.
your favorite café that serves the best coffee ever in your campus. you couldn't have asked for more. they got your coffee right, the perfect amount of sweetness, the tinge of bitterness, and the smooth feel of the cream like a warm blanket on a cold day. not to mention, their staff is pretty welcoming and friendly, too.
what you loved most about this place is the fact that you can study in peace and the fast wi-fi that they have. it has the perfect atmosphere to do a little studying while you sip your coffee.
walking inside, you pushed the doors open, letting it emit a small ringing sound as it announces your arrival. the usual silver-haired cheery guy that greets you when you come in isn't standing in his usual post. instead, a short guy with bleached streaks greeted you with a lively energy that almost shocked you to the core.
you can't help but think how cute he looks, and walked closer cautiously to the counter.
“hello! welcome to crows' cabin! what can i getcha, cutie?” he gave you a big grin, leaning on the counter with his arm. you blinked in surprise, taken aback by his ecstatic greeting and chuckling lightly.
“hey, uh...is sugawara not here?” you probably sounded rude, but if there's a new guy on his stead, you could only guess that he's going to get your coffee wrong. at least, that's what you think.
he let out a humming sound, his face scrunching up as he thinks with his index finger and thumb under his chin. your heart skipped a beat. he couldn't get any cuter.
“i heard sugawara changed shifts because of his hectic schedule and all,” he explained, waving his arms about. “but you're lucky you're stuck with me! so, what do you want? coffee, tea, or me?” he gave you a wink after his question.
despite the nag of disappointment at the news of sugawara not being able to take your order anymore, it was quickly replaced by giddiness at the presence of this energetic boy in front of you.
before you could answer, however, the other staff with shaved hair that you quickly recognized as tanaka ryuunosuke, emerged from the kitchen and shook his head at his co-worker's antics.
“oi, stop flirting with the customer and take their order already!” he scolded, slapping the boy with the small towel he's holding on the head, earning a yelp.
“ukai-san won't be happy to know that you're trying to pick up chicks while on the job, you know.” tanaka's quip made your cheeks heat up. although, it seemed like the smaller guy is flirting with you, it was probably how he greets all the customers that comes in the café.
yet, the thought of him asking you out isn't too bad at all.
he's pretty attractive, you'll admit that. he's got mesmerizing, big, brown eyes that looks like it can pierce through your soul the longer you looked at them, and not to mention his fiery personality that greeted you the moment you entered.
“i can't help it, ryuu. they just looked so cute! who am i to deny our pretty customer our special service?” he wiggled his eyebrows at you suggestively. god, you wanted the ground to swallow you whole.
“leave the poor customer alone, idiot. look at them, they're too red already!” it definitely didn't help that tanaka made a comment on how flustered you seem to get over his co-workers flirtatious advances.
“i-i'll get the usual, please...” you managed to croak out despite the embarrassment you felt, immediately sliding the exact amount to the counter.
the boy tilted his head at you in confusion, “the usual...?”
oh, right. he's new.
ignoring your flushed cheeks and rapidly beating heart, you murmured how you liked your coffee all the while his piercing gaze is intently staring at you, giving you his undivided attention while you explain your order passionately.
“uh, no– wait, that's probably too complicated. i'll just get that one instead–” he waved his hand dismissively at your panicked ramblings.
“nah, no need. i already memorized your order, angel face.” with one final wink at you, he went to the back to prepare your coffee.
“why don't you settle in and get comfortable while i prepare your drink?” he called over his shoulder.
tanaka could only watch the commotion with fond, proud gaze as he went back to his own station.
꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎
during the afternoon, the crows' cabin don't have many patrons unlike in the mornings and evenings. usually, they were back in their classes or offices, and sometimes will only grab a quick bite before heading out.
this is the most peaceful moment, in your opinion, in the café. you hummed along to the song playing on the speakers as you typed away for your essay that is due tomorrow. yeah, it might not be healthy to cram when it's due tomorrow, but with how busy you are, can you really blame yourself?
what's important is you're doing it now instead of putting it away and procrastinating like you always do.
your fingers stopped typing as you gazed out the window, thinking of what to write next. amid the staring absently at nothingness, the boy from the counter approached you. he placed the cup from the tray beside you on a coaster.
“thanks, uh...” shoot, you didn't get his name. you don't remember tanaka mentioning it, too.
he seemed to have read your mind as he laughed, eyes crinkling at the sides as he threw his head back. you can't help but stare at him, he's such a ball of sunshine. any moment now and you're sure your heart will burst because of this guy.
“my name's nishinoya yuu, nice to meet you, uhm...” he stretched his hand out, which made you chuckle. you accepted it, shaking his hand as you introduced yourself.
nishinoya rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks flushing, “that's a pretty name.” he murmured, eyes casting off to the side as the thought of how warm and soft your hands are overtaking his mind.
before he could get carried away, he cleared his throat and looked at you expectantly.
“anyway, i'm excited about what you think of the coffee i made!” he bounced on his heels from where he stood, excitement jittering his bones.
rolling your eyes playfully, you cracked a smile at his excited expression and brought the cup to your lips to take a sip.
time seemed to have stopped as nishinoya watched you take another sip of coffee. you, on the other hand, couldn't believe that he made it just how you like it despite the first time making it for you. the slight smirk didn't escape your notice as you let out an appreciative hum upon the taste.
“so?” he leaned a little close to you, anticipation written all over his cute face.
“i gotta hand it to you, nishinoya. you did well, maybe even better than sugawara’s,” his chest seemed to puff up at your praise which you found endearing. so he likes to be complimented.
“of course! who else can make your coffee if not also the best barista in crows' cabin?” he boasted, thumbs pointing at himself. you can't help the laughter that bubbled out of you. he's such a refreshing presence in such a familiar place. and you're here for it.
he felt his heart clench as he smiled at your laughing figure, one thought only occupying his mind: he wanted to see you smile and laugh more.
he glanced at the clock on the wall, noticing that it'd be a few hours left before his shift ends and until then he still has a lot to do. even if it makes him sad, he has to go back to work and part from you. although, he hopes not permanently.
“anyways, enjoy your coffee! don't work too hard! and uh, call me yuu.” he gave you one last smile before he went back behind the counter.
yuu.
his name kept repeating over and over inside your head, a smile on your face as you looked down at your cup of coffee.
you're definitely going to keep coming back here.
꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎
the next time you went back to the café, nishinoya perked up like an overexcited dog. his face immediately lit up at the sight of you. the relief that washed over you was something that you kept thinking about as you made your way to the counter, a grin splitting your face.
why were you so glad to find out that he's here?
“hey, it's you again. how are you doing today?” he greeted, already buzzing to life at the mere sight of you.
“i'm great, actually. and you?”
“it's been a long day, but it's all better now that you're here, cutie.” he chuckled at the way you became flustered in seconds after he called you a pet name.
“you're not too bad yourself, yuu. i'll take–”
“–the usual. i already memorized it, remember?” he replied, seeing the puzzled look on your face.
“right. yeah, sorry.” you facepalmed yourself softly, shaking your head at your forgetfulness. “it's just...i've been working too hard so i probably forgot,”
“i have just the thing, now go get cozy and i'll bring your drink!”
you took that as your cue to find your seat. today was pretty hectic for you, especially since you have to catch up to the nearing deadlines. taking a seat, you immediately opened up your laptop and began to work.
not half an hour later, a cup was placed in front of you, along with nishinoya sitting at the opposite chair which made you quirk an inquisitive eyebrow at the boy.
“what are you doing?”
“it's okay, i have my break at this time.” he then placed a bag beside your laptop, “on the house, a little birdie told me that it's your favorite,” he sheepishly rubbed at his nape, avoiding your gaze.
opening the bag, you find out that it's one of your favorite pastries inside. you can't help the soft gasp leaving your mouth at the kind gesture.
“oh, thank you so much! i've been craving these lately.” you gave him a grateful smile, biting down on your favorite treat. it still tasted just as good, but what really warmed your heart was the thought of nishinoya purposely asking sugawara for your favorite pastry and you can't help but add it to one of the things you like about him.
wait...like?
you couldn't help but choke at your own thoughts to which nishinoya shot you a concerned look. once you calmed down, you noticed that he kept glancing back at the wall clock then back at you then down at his fiddling hands.
“what's wrong?” you asked through a mouthful of food. yuu chuckled at the sight and shook his head.
“can i borrow a pen?” confused, you gave him one anyway. he grabbed the bag that your food was placed in, scribbling on it.
“thanks, i gotta go back now. break's over. bye!” he jogged back to his station and you were left weirded out by his actions. not only when you were preparing to leave the café did you notice the small note at the other side of the paper bag.
nishinoya yuu
xxx-xxx-xxx :)
you exited the café with your stomach and heart feeling full.
꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎
“do you think they liked the treat? will they even text back?” nishinoya paced back and forth in their small staff room.
“what if they didn't read the note?!” he gasped, stopping in his tracks as he bites his nails in anxiety.
sugawara laughed at his junior's predicament, “relax! of course they'd love the treat, i did tell you it was their favorite. as for the number, you should probably be a little more patient with that, noya.” he advised, placing an assuring hand on noya's shoulder.
as if possessed by a spirit, nishinoya perked up and his agitated self was replaced with determination.
“you're right. i shouldn't worry about it too much. they'll come around!” as soon as he said that, his phone's ringtone resonated in the small space.
on his screen was an unknown number and he immediately knew it's you.
without wasting another moment, nishinoya picked up the phone and answered the call.
“h-hello, y/n?” he internally cursed at himself for stuttering.
“–john? is that you? how's your mother–”
dumbstruck, nishinoya abruptly ended the call and placed his phone on the table.
“what happened? what did they say?” sugawara inquired, eager to know what happened between the two.
“it's not them.” nishinoya deflated like a balloon, covering his face with his palms.
was he reading this right? what if you don't see him that way? what if he was just forcing himself on you and in reality you don't really reciprocate the emotions he felt whenever you enter the café?
with a little more positivity from his seniors and tanaka telling him that he shouldn't lose hope, nishinoya decided to go home feeling less energetic than usual.
it was not around midnight that he received a call from an unknown number. he hated that he felt excited, that maybe, just maybe at the other end it was you.
picking it up slowly, he breathed in and out, counting to five before he answered the call.
“hello, yuu? it's y/n. sorry i called at a time like this,”
his eyes lit up at the sound of your familiar voice. even through the phone it sounded as beautiful as ever.
he almost stumbled over the scattered clothes and mess that littered his bedroom floor when it is indeed you that called him, landing on his bed.
“y/n? it's really you! uh, don't worry about it. i'm not sleeping yet...totally not because i was waiting on you or anything!”
your laughter brought butterflies fluttering in his stomach, oh how he'd love to hear that sweet sound everyday. it got him smiling too as he listened to it.
“i'm sorry for making you wait. i was just busy with my studies and all...but, i've decided.”
“decided...on what?”
there was a pregnant pause on the other end, he thought that you might ended the call or something. but then you spoke up again.
“i wanna go on a date with you.”
he must be in heaven because there is no way in hell or earth that you'd want to go on a date with him. you, who looks so pretty, beautiful, elegant and charming that he's having a hard time if you're actually real. you, who never fails to make his days a little better at work whenever you waltzed in and decided to grace him with your presence. you, with your complicated mixture of coffee that he memorized in favor of impressing you and in hopes that you come back again to the café.
he couldn't believe it.
“y-yeah? that's great! so, when are you free?”
“i was thinking maybe saturday? if that's alright with you?”
“that's fine with me! i actually have a day off on saturday. same time? at the cafe?”
he can't help the grin that's practically splitting his face in half but he's just so happy. he immediately caught feelings for you the moment you walked inside crows' cabin and he can't get you out of his mind since.
the same thing can be said about you, which the only reason you're actually studying in the café and keep coming back there was for a whole another reason other than coffee. heck, you even find yourself thinking of him whenever you drink the beverage.
with a lovestruck look on your face, you nodded even though he couldn't see it.
“yeah, that would be great.”
꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎
when saturday came, to say that you were nervous and jittery would be an understatement. you can't stop looking at yourself in the mirror or literally any surface that you have a reflection on to make sure that you looked nice and presentable on your date with noya.
and due to that fact, you didn't notice him walking up to you, all smiles and looking as cute and handsome as ever.
“ready to go?” he asked, offering his elbow to you which you gladly accepted.
“where are we going?”
“it's a surprise,” he teased, flashing you a mischievous smile.
you went along with it. the two of you walked, stopped for some food and talked about what you both liked, disliked, and how he got the job at crows' cabin.
“–so i told ukai-san that i really need the money! i was actually just saving up for the new game i saw down the street but i made it sound like it's a life or death situation if he wouldn't hire me. in the end, i loved working there. i mean,” he gestured to the two of you, “because of it, i finally went on a date with a wonderful person!”
chuckling at him, you playfully pushed his shoulder.
“shut up,” you grumbled.
you can't help but admire him. the way he animatedly tell his stories with his own sound effects and grand gestures that never fails to make you laugh and rope you in with the story. he's fun to hang out with, knows a lot of stuff about the neighborhood and won't run out of tales.
“ah! we're here!” he paused walking to stop in front of your designated place.
he brought you to the movies.
“oh, wow...i didn't expect that,” you laughed sheepishly, trying not to offend him.
“i figured we'd watch a movie. ryuu said that there's this new horror movie that's a blockbuster nowadays,” quickly catching on to his plan, you smirked to yourself slightly.
“is that so? well, i'm pretty sure you'll protect me from the scary things in there, right, yuu?”
he seemed to puff up at that, “of course i will! what kind of man would i be if i can't protect you?”
that earned another laughter from you, shaking your head as you tugged his arm towards the direction of the entrance.
he insisted that he'd pay for the tickets and the food which surprised you a bit, but you couldn't really complain since he was being nice all day to you. you decided to just pay him back later.
as soon as the both of you are inside and the movie is playing halfway, you noticed how he's the one who is more scared of it than you. he's trying to play it off by coughing when he'd accidentally yell in surprise or laugh it off when he'd jolt up from a jumpscare.
how cute.
without saying a word, you grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. the feeling of your soft and warm hands brought him back to reality, looking down at your intertwined hands. his cheeks flared up and he thanked himself for choosing a horror movie or else this moment wouldn't happen.
“ah, i'm glad that movie was over!” he cried out in relief. all throughout the movie, he kept squeezing your hand hard like a woman giving birth or hiding on your shoulder when a jumpscare comes on. you gotta admit that you enjoyed his reactions more than the movie itself.
you were both now walking home – he insisted – and your hands are still holding each other, clearly not wanting to let go. by the time you walked out of the theatre, it's already nighttime.
the skies are clear and there are stars peppering the night sky. it's quiet out with an occassional passing vehicles, or a hoot of an owl but it's a comforting silence.
“this is me,” you mumbled, stopping on your tracks once you saw the familiar street your residence was in.
noya can't help but glance at the street behind you with a sad look and down at your still conjoined hands. he knows he should, but he wanted to spend the night with you longer.
“you sure you can make it home okay?” he gave you a pleading look, hoping that you'd let him at least walk you in front of your house.
“yeah, i'm sure.” with that, he let go of your hands hesitantly, linking your pinkies as he gave you a small, content but genuine smile.
“i really had fun today, yuu.” you avoided his gaze when you saw his smile widen in satisfaction. he laughed heartily at that.
“me too, even if i hid throughout the movie.” he rubbed the back of his head, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. he kept rambling about how he probably turned you off because of that and why he shouldn't have taken you to the movies but somewhere exciting instead.
goddamnit, you can't take it anymore.
leaning in, you closed the distance between the two of you and slotted your lips in his, closing your eyes. you felt his breath hitch at your actions, his hands coming up to hold your jaw.
just like everything about him, the kiss was breathtaking.
it felt like hours when you pulled away, his eyes was still closed as he savored the blissful moment you shared.
“thank you,” you whispered, as if any louder can ruin the magic.
you pushed his shoulders away gently, giggling as you walked home. nishinoya was left there, awestruck with a dumb smile on his face as he stared at your retreating figure like he just woke up from a beautiful dream.
“huh...? hey, wait! come back here!”
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Text
It's 2007 and somehow, miraculously, Supernatural survives yet another rocky (?) season of mediocre ratings to come back for a third season, or at least, half season, but that season starts out with a real bang! Like, just a real solid trio of an opener for season three. It reminds me of all the things I love about SPN and also it reminds us of all the things that frustrate the hell out of me on SPN. So where did we leave things off?
First up, there’s Dean, who sold his soul to the devil in order to bring Sam back from the dead. Sam, you’ll remember, was part of some overly complicated ponzi scheme to find the perfect vessel to open a door - yep, open a door - and lost to Aldous Hodge who just straight up murders Sam in the season finale. So Dean get’s Sammy back, but in exchange, he’s only got one year left before he permanently moves down south. Oh! And even though they got Sam back and Sam kills Aldous Hodge (RIP pal), they neglected to keep the door from opening. The door to Hell, that is, and now they’ve allowed a shiz ton of demons out to freely roam the earth. Way to go, boys, you lost again! They are two for two on these season finales guys!
OH but they DO kill the Yellow Eyed Demon, so that’s a plus, but not before he plants the most perfect seed of doubt in Dean’s mind - “How do you know what you brought back is all Sammy?” Like, ugh, UGH, ugh!!!! What a way to drive the knife in deeper! What a way to make the heart of this show slowly start to crumble! C’est Magnifique!! *chef's kissy fingers*
So with all that emotional baggage weighing us down, how do we start season 3? How else - with a threesome of course! And also some technicolor grading, it’s wild guys.
Oh boy guys, let’s talk about this opener for a hot sec. I got into it a little bit last season, but as much as I love Dean, you HAVE to admit that that boy is gross. Just like...he’s a little gross. I’m also old enough now to see exactly how many red flags he’s raising through the last 45 episodes. Like, sorry Little Me, but he is not boyfriend material. Not to mention that all this debauchery is 1,000% him distracting himself from the consequences of his own actions, but we’ll get into that later.
Meanwhile, Sam is doing something constructive and trying to figure out how to reverse the curse and save Dean’s soul. And here we have the culmination of two seasons worth of character development - faced with the imminent demise of Dean Samuel Winchester, Sam tries to step up and take care of his brother for once in his life; Dean parties like it’s 1999. There were two things I thought of during this episode - 1) isn’t this not unlike the sort of behavior you see in suicidal people who have finally decided to take their own life? Which is just, like, further held up by the fact that Dean’s big monologue at the end literally has the line “Truth is I’m tired, Sam. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” and like...dude, you are NOT ok! Why isn't??? ANYONE??? ADDRESSING THIS????? And 2) Dean is sharing a lot of similarities with the demons in this episode.
Because MEANwhile, there’s demons! So many demons! Specifically, the Seven Deadly Sins ones, but also, spoiler alert, Ruby, who is gettin’ reeeeealll into that ketchup.
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All these baddies just really taking advantage of their time topside cuz Hell is, as they so artfully put it, it’s like Hell, so they’re just livin’ it up while they still can ~almost like foreshadowing or something~?!?!?
Real talk though, it being a real long time since I’ve watched this season, it’s these kinds of details that I’m impressed with this time around. There is so much character work that goes into this show and it’s something I definitely connected with the first time around, but not on conscious level. Now I can look at it through time and experience and articulate what I’m seeing, which makes this re-watch infinitely more enjoyable.
Episode 1 of this season continues what they started in season 2 and just keeps building out that Hunter Community. Like, there really is a whole Community out there that keeps in contact and works together and makes sure everyone’s up to date on the latest hot goss, and it all makes John Winchester come off like a real creepy splinter cell lone gunman type. And that in turn makes the Winchester sons look like total, unprofessional boneheads who managed to open a portal to Hell. “UGH Great Jorb Guys, but can we blame them? They’re John’s kids,” is a conversation between hunters that I am headcannoning, but also 100% support.
Honestly, I love the idea of the Winchesters being just these real, like, b-grade, Walmart Brand Hunters that other Hunters are just SO done with. We kind of see a little bit of that with Isaac and Tamara, but by the end of the episode, the Winchesters prove that they’re...better Hunters? I hope somewhere in the next 12 seasons I get an episode that is told from another Hunter’s POV who is legitimately better/more emotionally balanced than the Winchesters and the whole episode is them just, like, cleaning up a bunch of Winchester messes like, SONuvabitch, these two ASSholes. I think we see a fair amount of episodes from the POV of people who are less qualified than the Winchesters who end up being mentored by them, but I’d be stoked for them to run into just a group of people who hate them for totally legitimate, professional vs amature reasons.
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Bobby does not count because Bobby signed up to be their Dad and so he agreed to take care of their messes when he took that job.
And then we get to “The Kids Are Alright” which showcases one of my fav changes for this season - BRIGHTLY! LIT! HIGH! SATURATION!!!! And of course, by fav, I mean, Most Hilarious.
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I do walk a fine line on this one truth be told. Like, season 1 was definitely going for A Look. It’s super gritty and high contrasty and stylized. Now, I got what they were going for but I wasn’t always crazy about it, mostly because the quality on the DVD’s was terrible. Quick tip for everyone: in order to get 2+ hours worth of content on a DVD, you have to compress the final edit of the program to a pretty small bitrate. When we drop videos onto DVD’s at my work (it isn’t often, thank goodness), the discs themselves only hold, like, 2GB worth of content and that is NOT A LOT when it comes to video files. The more compressed a video file is, the less detail you’re gonna get in the visuals. Watching episodes on Netflix (where everything’s probably at a higher bitrate and therefore is a better quality visual), it’s not bad, but on my DVDs, the compression is so heavy that we get SUPER hot highlights and SUPER crunchy shadows - what a lot of people would called “crushed blacks” because you’ve lost all the detail in the shadows and you’re left with a grainy, noisy, black hole on the screen. Like I lost so much detail in the pilot episode guys, I could not make out this guy’s face.
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A rough approximation of my DVD quality. Still recommend it over Netflix for the Accurate Soundtrack tho.
Season 2 SPN toned that Look down a lot, like, a lot a lot. Enough that you still got the general vibe they were going for but not enough that you couldn’t make out faces anymore. But through this whole process, the CW execs kept pushing for the show to look lighter, more colorful, less film noir more...well, CW. And in season 3 it finally happened!!!
I get what those execs were going for, but also, I feel like the colorists on these first few episodes just REALLY went wild out of spite. Lookit this shot from “Magnificent Seven” right before Envy causes some rando innocent bystander to beat a girl to death for her shoes -
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GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN!!!! I WONDER WHICH SIN THIS GUY IS????
Then in “The Kids Are Alright” the birthday party looks like everything is coated in day-glow neon.
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The Winchester Bros look like they just got back from 3 weeks in Aruba - LOOK at the saturation levels in these skin tones! LOOK AT THEM!!
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My screencap ability aside, only in SPN can a cemetery at night have brighter lighting than a diner in the middle of the afternoon.
This is definitely a thing I will be tracking the rest of the season because I have a distinct memory of a future episode where the brothers have been magically gifted completely different lives where they were never Hunters, they know nothing of Hunting, and they’re completely normal until the end when everything gets snapped back and the episode literally changes colors. V. Excited to see just how saturated this season stays through the end.
But maybe more importantly in “The Kids Are Alright” we learn that Dean does NOT, in fact, have a son. Not that he would be a good father...well...maybe? I mean, this Dean, this season 3, definitely-suicidal, completely-reckless, can’t-keep-it-together Dean, is not good Dad material. Later seasons Dean? Probably fine? Earlier seasons Dean might ALSO be fine? And if he’d found out that Ben was his legitimate kid, it could have made a WORLD of difference, who knows. I know he ultimately does become father-like to Ben and that gives me a lot of feelings. But this Dean is not in a good place to take care of anyone, including himself and really, someone ought to do something about that.
I gotta say, this is an actual bummer. I can’t remember if, in the later seasons, they do any clarifying on this or not, but I am legitimately bummed that Ben is not Dean’s kid and that as far as we know, Dean has no natural children floating around out there with surly attitudes and soft hearts. Dean’s motivation from Day 1 has always been family and despite what comments he may make in early seasons, Dean’s secret desire is to have the wife and the kids and the dog and the white picket fence. And honestly, we’re only 3 seasons in and I just want Dean to have nice things!!
And then guys, we come to “Bad Day at Black Rock,” and I just...WHAT a masterpiece. I had almost NO memory of ever watching this episode before and I don't understand why. What a glorious masterpiece this episode is. Let’s make a list -
More Hunters™, who should be really annoying but were actually kinda charming in a Marx Brothers kind of way
Gordon’s in jail, where he belongs, but also is masterminding a coup against the Winchesters which is A+ spooky stuff
Slapstick comedy that I didn’t know I was missing from my life
Bela F*cking Talbot
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Guys, I think this is my fav episode so far purely because I felt, while watching it, that the last 10 years of my life were not in vain and that I had in fact grown as a human person. I remembered hating Bela Talbot. Like, I DID. NOT. LIKE. HER. To the point that I questioned if her British accent was even real. It is, her mother is from the UK and she lived there for a time, but like, honestly, the audacity of Little Me.
This time around? Oh she’s defs my new fav. Just everything about her is like, A+, Great Job, Why-Did-We-Cancel-Her??? Like, oh yeah, probably because somewhere in here they try to shoehorn a romantic side plot with Dean. I don’t actually mind rioting over shoehorned romance, but also, if they’d let this play out for a season or two and then got the two of them to bone? I’m on board. I’m 100% on board.
Maybe it’s just that she is unapologetically out for herself, maybe it’s the fact that she is definitely a match for the Winchesters in a non-murdery way, probably it is both of those things. She's smart, she’s crooked, she has impeccable taste, she’s honestly a helluva lot of fun and I am so excited to see more of her and so BUMMED that she will not make it past this season.
Despite the fact that I absolutely adore all three of these episodes, they also bring up the problem that I was starting to see in season 2 - WHO is this show about? Isn’t it supposed to be about the Brothers as a whole? But the majority of these first three lean pretty heavily on Dean’s emotional arc. Granted, it makes sense. I mean, of COURSE Dean’s demon deal is gonna be the BIG thing in a season where he is literally staring down the barrel, but knowing that there’s a side plot about Is Sam Evil?? seems like...something we should really explore more? I believe it comes up in season 4, or at least, Sam’s demon-blood powers become a bigger deal in season 4, but I would have enjoyed seeing Sam have a more active stake in this season. I can see planting some weird new ticks being planted for Alive-Again Sam that just get weirder and darker and then a mid-season finale or a run up episode to the end of the season where Dean (finally) decides he needs to stop his demon deal because he needs to stick around so he can keep Sam from going completely off the rails. As much as I love Dean 5ever, I do think the show works best when the emotional weight of the season is distributed equally is all. And to be fair to the writers this season, there could have been a bigger plan for something like that but they ran out of time - their season was cut by about a third due to the Writer’s Strike.
Still, all in all, a solid opening to the third season. I want to say that these episodes feel like Classic SPN, but then I remember that this is season three out of fifteen. These ARE Classic SPN. Mostly self contained with enough emotional drama to remind us of the overarching plot. Maybe a little heavy on the emotional drama, but Dean’s only got a year to live and the show’s only got 16 episodes to resolve that crisis, so it’s fine.
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BRO I WANT A MYSTIC MESSENGER SHIP!!!! You already know my name! I always tell everyone that I am a mixture of a dolphin and lin Manuel miranda: talented but I don't shut up. Big musical energy with every genre of music imaginable. I love food and going to cool places and Disneyland! Movies are also a big yes for me (specifically marvel, star wars, disney, pixar!) I love art and am planning on getting a major in graphic design! I've been told that I am very positive and can get along with anyone
Aye, that’s my best friend!! I included details that you didn’t put down, because I love you <333 
I pair you with Zen!
He was enraptured by your positivity, and knew immediately that he was going to be in love with you. He was super impressed with your ability to get along with Jumin, even if you didn’t like him, yet at the same time, super pissed and jealous. 
 Adding on to that, he was equally happy and irritated that you got along so well with the rest of the RFA. He knows deep down that you only have eyes for him, but he’s still very insecure about it. He’s a majorly jealous guy. 
 He is absolutely glad that you share his hatred for cats. Although it may be for a different reason than his allergy, he is so thrilled that you will decline cat-related guests and try to change the subject whenever talk drifts to anything in the realm of felines.
 He is fascinated by your art, and tries to get you to teach him at first, but decides that it’s a hopeless cause. He absolutely begs you for a painting for his birthday (of course it would be of himself, because what a narcissist), and probably cries when you give it to him. Once he receives it, he will absolutely not stop hugging and cuddling you for the rest of the day. Most likely, he hangs it front in center where he can stare at it and show it to anyone who visits.
 He will get you lots of graphic design jobs by putting your name and work out within his musical community, and eventually you get many job offers to design promotional posters for musicals. Some of them Zen star in, some have nothing to do with him. He knows you are capable of finding work without his help, but he wants you to have as many opportunities as possible, because he knows what it’s like to be starting out and struggling to force your way into the field.
 This mans doesn’t hate animals, but isn’t totally in love with them, either. He had never really been around horses before, and never thought he would be nervous around them at all. But, when you took him out to the barn, he was unexpectedly intimidated by them. Eventually, he grew used to them, and would probably even ask for you to teach him to ride (nothing complicated, just simple walk, trot, canter) after learning that it’s actually good excercise. He gets really annoyed whenever they snot and sneeze on him though.
 He could be convinced to get a dog, and whenever you were off staying the night visiting family or friends, he would cuddle with it as much as possible because it reminded him of you. Plus, he would take it out on runs with him whenever he couldn’t sway you to go.
 He knows that you hate running and hiking, which are two of his favorite hobbies. He’ll try his best to get you to go on walks, maybe even a run or hike if you’re really feeling generous. He rarely succeeds, but when he does, he’s usually met with complaints throughout the activity. 
 He absolutely cherishes the chill nights he spends with you watching movies on weekends. Although you both love your friends in the RFA, you haven’t exactly been innocent of cancelling plans with the group on Friday nights to stay home for cuddles and film. He always teases you for your youthful taste in movies, but deep down those are some of his favorites, too. 
 If you two ever showered together, it would be 100% just singing show tunes together. Broadway is his passion, and he was even more smitten with you when he discovered that it was yours too. His favorite to perform with you is Something Rotten, because not only do you get super into it, but he loves the aesthetic and vibes of that musical. Whenever you two sing God I Hate Shakespeare, he is totally thinking about Jumin the entire time and you think it’s hilarious.
 He knows he could never be as good as Alex Brightman in your eyes, but desperately wants to be at least your second favorite musical actor. At first he was jealous, but eventually just gave up and accepted it as reality. You made him promise that if he ever did a show with Alex Brightman, he would get him to meet you.
 He secretly has a fund that he puts a little bit of money into every month in order to save up to take you to Disneyland. He knows you’re obsessed with the place, and since he’s never been, he knows that you’d be the best tour guide. He loves all the rides, especially the ones that go fast, bonus points if they remind him of riding his motorcycle.
 You had to give him a full on lecture of the importance and greatness of food. The minute you discovered that the only thing he had in his fridge was beer and the occasional convinience store salad, you knew there needed to be a change. He constantly reprimanded you about some of your food choices not being healthy for the skin, but after weeks of ignoring those comments, he decided that they weren’t doing any good. He tried to cook for you, but was really bad at it.
 He could never be convinced to go to any of your favorite fast food places, such as Taco Bell, so you would have to go with Yoosung or Seven if you wanted to go with company. Seven was always down to go, but you would tire a little of Zen bombarding you with questions about if Seven did anything weird afterwards. However, Zen loved going to Whole Foods with you. The two of you could spend hours in there.
 You would always introduce him to new music, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He often wanted you to make him playlists, and you were always happy to oblige. One of his guilty pleasures was Fifth Harmony, and once you caught that you would not let it go. Whenever you didn’t have guests, the two of you would perform your hearts out to those songs. Zen insisted that you could have a career on stage if you wanted it, but you declined immediately every time.
 If the two of you knew you would be having a late night, or if you guys just couldn’t sleep, you would pull up bootleg musicals on the tv and watch them together all night. You two would sometimes watch the bootlegs of his own musicals, which would spark old memories from him, and he would begin to tell stories of crazy interactions with the cast and crew of those shows. You would have to beg him to play his oldest content, such as his debut in Thai’s Tea Leaf and Cube World. He would cringe at his old performances from his teenage years, and although you would poke fun at him for a little bit, by the end you were showering him in love and affection. Your favorite thing was to play Seven’s video that got Zen famous in the first place.
 The two of you always praise each other all the time. It eventually will escalate to a full blown war of love and affection, and at some points it would get so extreme that the rest of the RFA would have to step in. You two were each other’s biggest fans, and would make sure the other knew it. Zen treats you like a goddess at all times, absolutely no exceptions. 
 He would make an attempt at quitting smoking if you asked him to, and would try so hard. He loves you more than anything, and understood that it was for his own health. 
 He wants to show you off always. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to him, and he wants everyone to know not only that you are his, but that he is yours. Lots of PDA, this boy can’t help it. Nothing too intense, but lots of handholding and cheek/forehead kisses because he can’t contain himself.
“This couch isn’t big enough for the two of you! Why are you even here?” Zen raised his voice, desperately trying to drag Seven and Yoosung off of your couch. You only watched from the safety of the wall, stifling laughter.
“Because we know you two have been cancelling plans to watch movies! So, we figured we’d have to invite ourselves over for movie night if we ever wanted to see you again.” The redhead rolled his eyes, making himself comfortable. It was clear that he had no intentions of leaving anytime soon.
“I could report you for breaking and entering, you know.” Zen grumbled, while you sighed and put the movie in, knowing that you would be joined by two extra guests that night.
“But you won’t.” Seven stretched out even more, pulling Zen down next to him. “Move, it’s starting.” Infinity War began blaring through the speakers as you made your way back to the couch, not even caring who was with you as long as Zen was there and you got to watch Marvel and see Chris Pratt on screen. 
“Oh sorry, Elise. There’s not room here. Yoosung, Seven, one of you two idiots, move to the floor-”
“It’s fine!” You smiled as you interrupted him, but it was a troublesome smile. The kind of smile that Zen had come to learn would result in mischief. 
“Are you sure? Because there isn’t any room to sit down right now.” He looked at you, red eyes filled with caution while Yoosung was immersed in the beginning of the movie. Only Seven seemed to be aware of the situation, and was smirking while trying to hide a chuckle.
“Sure there is!” You were able to make yourself a seat without kicking anyone off the couch by planting yourself right in Zen’s lap, leaning back against him knowingly. Although you couldn’t see it, you knew his face was bright red. If it were just the two of you, he wouldn’t have cared in the slightest and would have even encouraged it, but the two dorks of the RFA were sitting beside you two.
“Elise, come on-” You held a finger up and shushed him.
“Zen, I swear if you interrupt Chris Pratt with a lecture on your ‘beast’ or whatever, you’re sleeping alone tonight.” That shut him up immediately, and he suffered through the entire two and a half hour long movie, despite his legs going numb halfway through.
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keyboard-smashed · 5 years
Text
The Storm That's Brewing
Summary: first glance of restaurant
Warnings: food/eating mention
(first, previous & next chapters linked at bottom)
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Chapter 5- The Mind Palace
The car journey wasn’t great. Patton called shotgun, so he sat up front with Roman (who, for the record, was a terrible driver). The pair ended up singing the whole journey. Logan inquired about whether it was best for Roman to be wearing out his voice before a performance, but Sir Sing-A-Lot argued that he was warming up. Though, Virgil knew that there were better ways to warm up your voice than failing at rapping Nicki's part in Bang Bang.
That left the two less enthusiastic singers in the back trying, failing and eventually giving up on holding a regular conversation. Luckily, the car journey was pretty short- lasting only four songs (two of which Virgil, the emo he was, didn't even recognise).
From outside, the restaurant didn’t look like anything special. The white paint on the bricks was peeling and the whole place looked quite small. The door was painted dark blue, with several darker panels painted in, and white squares at the top that reminded Virgil of the TARDIS. When he walked inside the restaurant, he found out why. The place was a lot bigger, and a lot cooler, than its outside suggested.
The entire restaurant was a mix and match of seats and sofas from various film and television shows' sets all centred towards a small stage in the middle of the back wall, between two closed off rooms Virgil assumed to be the kitchen and perhaps a storage or changing room.
Immediately next to the entrance was the iconic couch and table set from Friends. There sat five girls; one of whom didn’t look completely dissimilar to Phoebe, with long blonde hair and hippie clothes. Virgil thought that perhaps it was on purpose, or maybe just a lucky coincidence. Although Virgil didn’t quite believe in coincidences. He chose instead to believe that figures, like the Fates from Greek mythology, liked to sit around and decide on fun ways to mess with Virgil.
Behind the Friends set up were four wooden tables with benches on both sides. They were relatively big; Virgil thought that with a squeeze, each bench could fit about eight people, meaning a table could seat sixteen. When the group walked a little further in, he saw four prominent, coloured banners hanging on the walls above the tables: yellow for Hufflepuff, red for Gryffindor, blue for Ravenclaw and green for Slytherin. Hanging above the tables were electronic candles. They weren’t on at that moment, but Virgil still thought they looked extremely cool, and it was a great detail to throw in.
Further back was a dark oak door. There was a sign on it, but from the distance, Virgil couldn’t make it out.
A small, dark wooden corner bar sat at the edge of the room. Over the top of the bar was a sign that said 'Puzzles'. Virgil couldn’t figure out what the bar was a reference to. To him it was, well, a puzzle. Virgil internally groaned. He’d been spending too much time with Patton.
In the centre of the room stood six circular tables with white table cloths covering them. Each table had a set of menus in the middle, accompanied with a small pink lamp on one side and a vase of (probably fake) roses. It was very cliché. Very romantic (not like Virgil would ever going with a date). Very tasteful. The whole set up gave Virgil a French vibe for some reason. Those tables definitely had the best view of the stage, but each only seated two people.
The stage itself was not very big. However, in the pretty small restaurant-café-bar-hybrid it looked bigger. It was clearly supposed to be the central point of focus. Red curtains hang open either side of the stage, although Virgil wasn’t sure if they were functional or not.
The whole place felt like someone at the movies had eaten a pick 'n mix bag of fandoms and then thrown it all up. In other words, it looked quite like their side of Virgil’s mind. The place was called 'The Mind Palace' after all.
Confirming all earlier suspicions, Roman's manager was very surprised to see him arrive early, even more so when he said he was there to help set up the stage. Turns out, they never actually put the equipment away since they had live music on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and karaoke on Sundays. Virgil made a note in his phone about never going to the restaurant on Sundays.
With almost an hour to kill before Roman's performance, all four got a table. Well, shared a table with some strangers. The only tables left that could fit them all were the Hogwarts tables. Everyone agreed that Roman could pick the table so of course he picked Gryffindor which was the busiest.
Roman and Logan sat on one side, Logan wedged between Roman and a stranger. Roman insisted on sitting on the edge so that he could leave quickly to sing. Virgil sat on the end for the same reason, minus the singing. He also didn’t like the idea of being sardined next to a stranger. Logan wasn’t particularly fond of it either, but he knew that he’d have more space once Roman left, unlike Patton and Virgil who’d remain squished, so he didn’t complain... Much.
The menus were presented in rolled up scrolls. Virgil thought that was a nice touch. Roman informed his friends that each section of the restaurant had a specialised menu themed on what fandom they were from, except the Hogwarts section where the food was a big mix and match of everything. Roman's boss was the coolest.
Roman only ordered a drink, yet his still took the longest to order as his drink order was so unnecessarily complicated: warm milk with about one eighth of a cup of honey, a spoonful of sugar (a line that he sung, to which Virgil commented about how he really chose to be as extra as possible whenever he was given the opportunity), 3 drops of vanilla extract and several drops from a fresh lime.
The waitress sighed, "Roman, you know we don't stock any limes."
Roman smiled and threw the waitress, Mandy, a lime he brought out from his pocket. Seriously, what? Where did he get the lime from? Had he bought it before his manicure and had it in his pocket the whole time?
Mandy laughed, pocketing the lime. She continued to take their orders as if this was normal.
Mandy seemed to be used to Roman's stupid antics. If Virgil got a customer as annoying as Roman, he'd probably quit right then and there. Roman claimed the drink readied his throat for singing which was fair, except Virgil was sure plain water or milk would do fine. He was just being fussy.
The two vegetarians with glasses both ordered salads and vegetarian burgers. Logan ordered a green tea too. There was some boring reason for his choice that he'd explained to the rest, and the waitress, but Virgil had been really interested in his napkin while he was explaining and missed it.
Patton also ordered a regular burger for Virgil and hot chocolates for the both of them. Virgil had actually wanted a soda, but Patton thought a hot chocolate was more appropriate for the late hour. Virgil wasn’t going to protest.
The restaurant began to fill up in anticipation of Roman singing, but their food still came relatively quickly. It was delicious too. Everybody wolfed down their food and was finished before Roman's performance, except from Roman
"Logan, what time befalls us?" Roman asked dramatically, pointing at Logan's watch, as if he didn't have his phone in his hand.
"This watch shows the time in Greenland which I doubt would be of much use to you, however..." Logan briefly brought out his phone, "In our current time zone, the time would be four minutes to nine."
"Thanks teach." Roman said, sliding himself of of the bench. He slid his drink over to Virgil, "It's best when warm but I'm sure you'll still love it. Enjoy!"
Roman pranced off behind the bar and through a door before Virgil could protest. Virgil looked cautiously at the drink. Who knew what illness that drama queen could be hosting? Still, Virgil was curious.
He picked up the mug, discreetly warming it in his hands. Then, he sipped. Admittedly, despite being as obnoxious as it was, it was really good. Sweet enough to satisfy Virgil's sweet tooth, but not so sweet that he thought he'd have to schedule a dentist appointment straight afterwards. That lime really added a nice tang.
Virgil was brought back to attention by a gentle tap on the shoulder. Patton barely touched him, yet still received a static shock and shocked (in the less literal sense) Virgil. 
"Sorry," he whispered, "But look!"
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Taglist: me, myself, I
Chapter 1:
Chapter 4:
Chapter 6:
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gplusbfics · 7 years
Link
Came across this excellent short essay I’d bookmarked on the episode “Inquisition” as well as Alexander Siddig’s role as Julian Bashir and the several ways DS9 was ahead of its time. It’s over on AO3, as part of a long series of reviews, and I’m linking to it, but in the interest of having it shared and discussed here on Tumblr, I’m posting it in its entirety below.
- Wendy 
I Read It So You Don't Have To: Book Reviews, Television and Film Ratings, and Short Media Essays by tb_ll57
Chapter 9: Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (Series 6, Episode 18)
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You know, I once spent money on DVD sets. It's sort of annoying that it's all on the internet now. I mean I bought it for the Extras, and joining all the dots it's a good thing I had the DVDs as those VHS tapes really didn't last too long, but still.
Anyway, it's incredibly refreshing to watch a show like DS9 and realise how amazing and thoroughly good television can be. DS9 has a lot of the usual Star Trek faults in its early series, but something happened to it around Series 4. It transformed into a heavily serialised, character-orientated storytelling and cinematic art form. Each episode became a mini-movie; the production values are fantastic, down to the carefully plotted camera shots, the rhetorical flourish of the snappy dialogue, the narrative that built larger and larger arcs and yet was never afraid of a call-back. There's very few shows on today that match the quality of those 1990s types of shows; the sheer dedication long-form narrative is probably unparalleled in today's mainstream television format. It requires and expects a commitment from the audience that producers seem to fear these days. The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, and other American cable series are reaching for the same thing, but it's almost quintessentially anti-British. I imagine it has a lot to do with budget, but it also seems to be a cultural artefact. British television lends itself well to shorter series, episodic plotting, and set-pieces rather than long-form character development. When we try to go American, we end up with Downton Abbey, and I'm sure I speak for many at this point in time when I say we quite wish we wouldn't.
Then, too, DS9 was politically prescient. Did you know that DS9 invented both the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act (UK)-cum-Patriot Act (USA) and the rendition of Arab men to black-site prisons? It's true. I'm talking about, of course, the excellent episode 'Inquisition'. 'Inquisition' is one of the best of DS9's episodes, reaching almost unsurpassed heights of tension, character development, narrative twists, and sheer Aristotlean prowess of conflict creation.
It builds on a character who'd been a little lost in previous series. Dr Bashir was hardly a cypher, but he was more archetype than fully-fleshed human being until about Series 5. 'The Wire' explored Bashir's humanity-- his expansive compassion, with all its consequences and its personal costs-- but we essentially hadn't learnt anything new about Bashir since the pilot. He's a good doctor, he's a nice guy, he's a little arrogant in his abilities and intellect, he's both open-minded and naive in that way of liberal bleeding-heart Star Trek heroes, and... that's about it, until the Series 5 revelation that he's genetically enhanced. Suddenly he's not just those things-- he's those things and a fraud. A liar. A man who's hidden a dangerous and explosive secret for thirty years, perhaps so deeply that he himself didn't even think about it most of the time. But the intimation that Bashir had any kind of depths to him created instantaneous layers. Suddenly the slightly contradictory facts of his childhood come into focus. Suddenly the blank slate of his life previous to his post on DS9 is deliberate, not careless, writing. His friendship with Garak, the consummate outsider, becomes a desperate search for personal truth looking into a mirror of a future of a exile, not a foil of Otherness.
And most importantly of all, Bashir's history of questionable decisions must come into new light. He's not just a naif with a youthful zeal for saving life in all its forms, even his enemies. When you wrangle with that amount of genetically enhanced intelligence, you have to anticipate that he weighed the consequences and chose his path knowing more than you did about how it might end. That's where 'Inquisition' is so brilliant. Julian Bashir is not an easy character-- he was hard to love in the beginning, then hard to beat, and suddenly he's hard to accept as part of the Star Trekparadigm. To confront him within the bounds of that very paradigm-- that truth, that justice, that very rigid moral code that demands an odd kind of obedience to a uniform way of life-- Bashir suddenly looks suspicious.
'Inquisition' took everything we knew about Bashir and re-interrogated it. Why is he so dedicated a doctor? Is he really saving lives-- or is he just trying to be better than all of us? Does he express such compassion for aliens and enemies because he views all life as equal, or because he's secretly in sympathy for their Otherness? And for being different, Bashir is interrogated, stripped of his rights, treated like an outsider, vilified by his own command. His Captain, that father figure Sisko, doesn't believe him when he says it's a frame job.
And the show very deliberately puts the audience in the dark. Our sympathy is always with Bashir, but we're allowed to doubt him along with his friends-- to the point where Julian even doubts himself. And suddenly the colourless world of Star Trek has a dark-skinned man being accused by white police of complicity in a war with religious and imperial overtones; he's a spy, he's a liar, he's taking advantage of our open society to bring us down from within. Julian Bashir becomes a literal darkness within Star Trek's pristine lightness. The layers in 'Inquisition' are amazing. Remember, too, that this was written in 1996. An Arab character gets accused of being a sleeper agent and, when the accusation builds to the right pitch of hysteria, the white policeman accusing him uses an executive order of unimaginable reach and power to remove Bashir from his right to counsel and protection to a secret prison to undergo enhanced interrogation techniques. Damn, Star Trek.
But that's not the end. Bashir's innocence is perhaps never truly in doubt. While we wonder and while we view him in a new light and while Bashir himself is pushed, eventually, to admit that he's made decisions that he wouldn't take back but which understandably place him outside the realm of Star Trek's bright moral universe, we know in our hearts he's not an evil man. So the revelation that he's actually innocent is no real shock. What is-- and here's where 'Inquisition' goes from good episode to great episode-- is that the same qualities that cast Julian into shame and doubt are the qualities that make him a perfect spy for real. Julian gets an offer to join Star Trek's equivalent of MI5, or the KGB, or the CIA-- and being the wonderful Julian Bashir that he is, he of course refuses.
And then-- when this goes from being a great episode to a fantastic episode-- his captain orders him to join them anyway. To spy on them from within as a double agent.
It's important to remember that the Original and Next Generation Star Treks would never have risked something so dark, something so grey-edged, and something that implied such serialisation. Picard would have thundered and clashed with his admirals and reamed them all out at episode's end. Sisko admits that Section 31 exists and decides to go after it-- but not on his own terms. He puts his crew in danger to do it. And Julian is a particularly vulnerable character, for all the reasons 'Inquisition' has just explained. There's very little protection for Julian if he does as he's ordered, and his grim, confused expression at the end suggests he knows it. And knows that for all the reasons he's vulnerable, he also has to do as he's told. He's too suspicious if he doesn't provide his commanders reasons to trust him.
Alexander Siddig has gone on to play a range of Arab-ish baddies since he's left Star Trek, in the post-terrorism age. It's interesting to look back at Star Trek and recall that he was cast not as an Arab doctor, nor even as an English one; in the peculiarly American slant that Star Trek always had, Bashir was merely a little exotic, but almost blandly so, a little high-class but not identifiably so, a little foreign, but still totally familiar. And he was cast in foil to Elim Garak, the most obvious 'Outsider' that ever was, so the image of a brown-skinned doctor born to lower-class parents who enhanced their physically and mentally retarded child is all too easily lost against the background of aliens and lost souls. But I think Bashir was one of Sid's best creations: someone fully human, maybe even super-human-- enhanced, yes, but also superlatively sensitive to the demands of humanity because he knew better than most how easy it is to be stripped of that humanity. In the most haunting line of 'Dr Bashir, I Presume?', Bashir says to his father, 'You're not my father. You're my architect.' 'Inquisition' preys on every fear we have about our own foolish youth, our rash actions, our innermost doubts about our identity and our inclusiveness and our ability to be related to by our fellow humans. At the end of the day, we want to be believed in. It's all too easy for that facade to crumble.
[ original source: AO3 ]
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amorremanet · 7 years
Note
10 facts about meme: Lucy? And Adelaide, if you don't mind doing two?
send me one of my oc’s and i tell you ten facts about them
This is the shitty, “I fell asleep instead of doing this last night, and then, when I was almost fucking done, trying to make tumblr instant messenger stop doing something made it decide to click over somewhere else, and Firefox apparently doesn’t let the Lazarus extension work anymore, so I lost everything and am completely skimming out of frustration because the original was detailed and cool, and I lost basically all of it” version
LUCY
1. Has never completed a Pokémon game with a grass or water starter. She just doesn’t bond with them as much as she does with the fire starters, and any time she tries to pick a grass or water starter, she inevitably gives up, restarts, and picks the fire starter instead.
2. Since she turned 18, she’s made a point of giving blood as often as possible, because she’s type-O negative (the universal donor), and the Red Cross is pretty much always running short on blood, which can leave a lot of people totally screwed when they need to get transfusions.
3. Doesn’t believe in astrology and dismisses most of things in that vein as a cold-reading scam that’s based on exploiting people’s ability to project themselves onto anything…… but she does have an interest in dream interpretation.
4. She finds recipes confusing, and is even more befuddled by the Food Network and, “how to make [x baked goods]” videos on youtube, to the point that she finds them more stressful than getting a, “We need to talk” text from her parents. And yet, she is not confused by instructions in a chemistry lab.
5. She loves her red hair, but hates being called, “ginger.” It’s not that she thinks the word is offensive or anything; she just thinks that it sounds weird and slightly disgusting.
6. One of her favorite forms of, “teenage rebellion” was watching televangelists (or more accurately, having them on while she did other stuff because it’s really easy for Lucy to tune them out), which Lucy wouldn’t have liked so much if she’d actually paid attention to any of them (because of how televangelists exploit their viewers’ pain and suffering, get rich off of it, and don’t have to pay taxes on most of that money because they call it, “religious donations”) — but it did successfully annoy her very Catholic parents and very Catholic, “he’s a legit priest and everything” uncle.
7. A horror movie can be as political or politically coded as it wants. Unless it does something truly novel with the genre, like Get Out, then Lucy will probably just roll her eyes, complain about how many people value, “edginess” over quality, and then go watch The Great Mouse Detective for the umpteenth time. It’s not even that she gets squicked by horror movies, because she stops at dismissing all of them as edgelord garbage and doesn’t give them a chance.
8. She has even less patience for the films of Christopher Nolan, and literally the only one that she doesn’t go in too hard on is The Dark Knight, which only gets any consideration because Heath Ledger died not that long after making it, in ways that were pretty heavily associated with the movie in popular culture.
Not that she really cares about Heath Ledger, or even about the taboo on speaking ill of the dead, but she figures that he isn’t Ronald Reagan levels of terrible, or worse, so it’s easier to just not get into it with people over Heath Ledger when all that she wanted to say was that The Dark Knight isn’t actually that great
She will, however, talk shit about Ronald Reagan pretty much any time she’s given an opportunity, and especially if her Mom and Dad are around (because they were big Reaganites, back in the day, and annoying them with her hatred of the Gipper keeps them from paying attention to things like how her, “best friend” Sara Grace is actually her girlfriend)
9. Her answer to the question of whether she prefers cats or dogs will probably be something like, “iguanas” because she hates the assumption that it’s not possible to love cats and dogs more or less equally, but she also has better things to argue with people about.
10. She can’t whistle, she’s not really a very good dancer, and the last time she tried to tie a cherry stem in a knot with her tongue, she wound up swallowing it.
ADELAIDE
1. At 5’11”, Addie is taller than her big brother and their Mom (who are both 5’10”), and when standing up as best man when Max and Linda got married, she didn’t try to make him feel short, but she did wear a nice pair of heels and didn’t really go out of her way not to make him feel short, either.
2. By all rights, Addie probably should’ve been diagnosed with ADHD a while ago, but because her childhood and adolescence lasted from about 1986-2000 (when she turned 18), and because in 2017, ADHD is still badly misunderstood and under-diagnosed in AFAB kids, Addie got missed and made it to 33, thinking that all of her ADHD symptoms are just personal quirks or failings.
3. Her favorite color is purple. The darker the shade, the better.
4. Her ability to interpret song lyrics is often questionable. Like, on one hand, she’s totally made the mistake of hearing, “There’s a bathroom on the right” instead of, “There’s a bad moon on the rise” during the chorus of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising”
—and on the other hand, she completely missed that most of Missy Elliot’s “Work It” is explicitly about cunnilingus until Pete asked her what the Hell she thought the lyric, “Go downtown and eat it like a vulture” was referring to, especially given its proximity to Ms. Elliot talking about shaving her chocha. (All Addie has to say for herself is that she got caught up on the, “Girls, girls, get that cash / If it’s 9 to 5 or shakin’ your ass” verse.)
She also thought that Spice Girls were singing about group sex in “Wannabe,” rather than singing about making sure that your significant other can get along with your gal pals, and she kept thinking this until mid-September 2012.
5. As far as her family knows, Addie almost got arrested on her 18th birthday and had to run from the cops while she and a few friends were kinda drunk and screwing around in New York City. What really happened was that her birthday was on a Saturday, so they signed themselves out of school for the weekend, went to NYC, and saw the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar because her parents bought them tickets.
Then, they used fake ID’s to get some alcohol and got kinda drunk. Then, while they were screwing around in Brooklyn instead of going to cousin Jeremy’s place and crashing for the night, they wound up going by a gay bar, where Addie tripped over her own feet and got caught by a cute butch lesbian who happened to be dressed as a sexy cop for a themed party at said gay bar and had gone outside for a smoke break.
Then, one of Addie’s friends mistook this poor woman for a real cop and insisted that they run, and despite putting it together in the cold, sober light of day that there had been no actual danger, Addie told Sebastian the, “We so totally almost got arrested” story because she thought it sounded cooler, and at this point, it’s been 15 years, and she doesn’t see a point in correcting her family when her younger cousins get the, “Don’t get too rowdy on your 18th birthday or you may end up running from the cops like Adelaide” cautionary tale.
6. She would probably try to play real-world Quidditch, if she could get anyone to play with her, but that’s not going to happen, because everyone who knows her also knows that Addie is competitive as fuck, and that playing “muggle Quidditch” with her is a good way to get at least mildly injured.
7. She can see where the dislike that a lot of people in her life have for the All-Stars comes from, but personally, Addie doesn’t buy into it herself. She doesn’t really care to defend them, either, but at this point, she feels like most of the world’s problems can’t be solved with super-strength or heat vision, and they’re more complicated than the All-Stars’ image would allow them to handle, so it’s best to see the All-Stars as entertainers, rather than actual heroes.
Not that she begrudges anyone their annoyance with the fact that the All-Stars make, “we are actual heroes” a cornerstone of their so-called “brand,” but if you ask Addie, it’s not all that much different from how U.S. politicians lie up one side and down the other about basically everything, and how much of U.S. politics is increasingly little more than a theatre spectacle to cover up what’s actually going on
Oddly enough, Addie is accidentally on to something with that, because a lot of the supervillains in this universe are not truly participating in any shadowy conspiracy…… but they are being manipulated by members of one, and alternately being used as a source of talking points, or as distractions, so that the folks in said shadowy conspiracy (who are a mix of mutants and not) can push through their own agendas and try to secure their own power at the expense of anyone who gets in their way
Not that it’s really here or there at the moment, but this is totally going to bite them in the ass, partly from the people they’ve been exploiting and screwing over for decades putting shit together and pushing back, and partly because they decide to bank on installing a puppet who isn’t as easily controlled or as easily made to serve their agendas as they think. Anyway, as I was saying.
8. If Adelaide hadn’t gone into the family business and started vying with Max to see who’s going to become CEO when their Dad retires, she probably would’ve gone into advertising. If not that, she most likely would’ve gone to law school.
However, despite the fact that her Mom and several of her cousins are lawyers, Addie’s notions about how being a lawyer works are mostly derived from Legally Blonde, Ally McBeal, and Law and Order: SVU, so it might be a good thing that she has no idea what she’d actually want to do at law school.
9. Popular wisdom holds that she only isn’t the worst driver out of her siblings because Sebastian is the one who should’ve racked up multiple DUI charges by now, by all rights shouldn’t have his license anymore, and rarely uses it these days anyway because he, “doesn’t have PTSD, he just doesn’t like driving okay, it kinda freaks him out” (…which it does because of the PTSD that he allegedly doesn’t have but that’s another matter)
Addie holds that this popular wisdom is misogynistic bullshit being passed off as familial teasing, because actually, she’s a much better driver than all three of her brothers (with both cars and motorcycles, though only she and Seb have ever driven one of those, so it’s a little unfair to Max and Ambrose)
—and she may not know how to fix more complicated car problems, but she can at least get a better grasp on what might be wrong than, “I don’t know, it keeps making a thunka thunka thunka sound if you go above 60 mph” and she has more than once fixed something for her brothers that turned out to be something like, “You were driving with the parking brake on, dumb-ass”
10. Her go-to karaoke night songs are Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” — the latter of which would be funnier to Adelaide if she’d intended to sound hella bi when she first started doing it, rather than picking it because she was kinda drunk and knew all the words, then getting really into singing it and having no conscious idea where those emotions were coming from
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I just read Barry is supposedly going to ask Snart for his help to defeat Savitar. Now I would like most of all for Barry to clearly save Len from the occulus explosion. But I don't think it will be that for the simple reason that Len planted his gun on Mick. So if they saved him he still wouldn't have the coldgun to help. Sure Cisco could make another but then why save Snart if all they need is the coldgun. I can only guess this means we're getting a past!Snart.
-_____- honestly, the Snart-baiting on CW is so ridiculous and I will never understand it. If they wanted to bring Snart back a couple times each season, why not just have him NOT die at the Oculus (or bring him back in Legends S2)?? And then have actual Snart making sporadic appearances like he does in the comics rather than, as @coldtomyflash puts it, force the audience to play Snart bingo. It would be so much less complicated IMO and make for much happier fans (I would be happier, anyway)
I would also like to see Barry/Team Flash saving Snart from the Oculus explosion (or had Eobard doing it in Legends); it’s probably the least hand-wavey of all the hand-wavey things they can do. The problem I have with it is that Barry/Team Flash have never been to the Vanishing Point, and it’s not exactly an easy place to get to. I’m more concerned about the logistics of how they would get there than his lack of Cold Gun at the time lol. (As we’ve seen in S2, Cisco can build a cold, heat, and gold guns within a day, so I don’t think that rebuilding it would be a major issue for them.) So it’s not impossible and probably one of the more sound options than some others in terms of ways to bring Leonard back, but it’s a little too shaky for me to get excited about. They’d have to have the team know where the Vanishing Point is, know how to get there, know the exact time of the Oculus explosion (which is iffy in itself, seeing that time doesn’t “exist” there like it does other places), and have a way to keep the failsafe trigger down that doesn’t make the Legends team look like a bunch of idiots; it’s too many variables for me lol
The other problem I have with that is that Caitlin’s full manifestation as Killer Frost just happened; I think rather than save Leonard in order to use the cold gun (which, like you said, Cisco can just build and they don’t technically need Leonard for it, not that that kind of logic has helped them in the past when fighting Eobard/Zoom -___- ) they’re much more likely to convince Killer Frost to turn good again in some big “friendship conquers all” moment and use her cold powers to stop Savitar. That’s just my opinion, seeing that Caitlin’s been fighting her dark side all season, having her win over it in the end seems like the way they’re going to me.
I’m also not crazy about the idea of Leonard being saved on Flash and not Legends, especially when they just had the Legends finale a couple weeks ago that dealt with this exact thing. I mean, that might just be the coldwave shipper in me, but it feels wrong to bring Leonard back with Mick still effectively MIA, seeing as he seems to be stuck on Legends for at least the next season. Like, I would love to see the Rogues as the main villains next season, love it; but do I want to see the Rogues with Leonard but no Mick? Idk, it would be kind of bittersweet for me :/
So yeah, I think past!Snart is an option. That or I could see maybe Barry and Savitar ending up fighting within the speed force, in which case speed-force!Snart could also be the reason Wentworth was filming for the finale (speed-force!Len also has a cold gun that seemingly works). Or maybe the Rogues are really going to be the big villains next season and they have Snart appearing at the very end of the episode without an explanation. At this point I’m so desperate for Snart to return, I would probably take whatever hand-wavey stunt CW decided to throw our way. Just so we could have him back and move on from all of this flashback/hallucination/past-version BS :P
(sorry this got suuuper long!! I may have gotten carried away XP )
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saltandlimes · 7 years
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You know what I want? I'd like to see the movies address the fact that most of the people in the First Order that are under 40 have probably been indoctrinated almost from birth to believe what they're doing is just and right. We don't know yet how Finn was able to stave off a lifetime of training in order to defect (I'm guessing a Force sensitivity that makes him more empathetic to others' pain) but I'd love to hear them admit that, for most, it wasn't a choice to join the Order.
Well this is something that I’d argue SW is usually pretty good about discussing, especially in new canon. I mean, I’m thinking of one of the central moral problems of TCW - the clones. It’s a serious question for the series, and I think that hints at the fact that there will be discussion of FO indoctrination somewhere in canon. It might not be in a film, just cause of the constraints of the medium, but I bet we’ll get it somewhere in canon.
Beyond that - I’m not sure I agree with you about the idea of choice. There’s an entire complicated question of culpability here, and in a way, Finn is the very proof that’s needed to suggest that rather than being institutionalized cultural values that allow the actions of the FO, it’s a process of education that thus does not relieve the FO participants of moral responsibility for their actions. We could talk further…
Let’s talk about your SW headcanons!
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