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firstkanaphans · 6 months

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if i have permission to be a bit of a bitch in your inbox (feel free to ignore this if not), the dichotomy people build between bl and queer media is sooooo fascinating. and of course by that i mean it gives me hives. the universalizing of 'real queer experiences' is obnoxious as hell, but how its been applied to ofts has really shown me why i find it so obnoxious. most of the people who hold this dichotomy would never classify a bl that ignores homophobia as 'authentically queer' media. but i definitely saw people who hoped that the 'authentically queer' ofts would exist in a bubble without any slutshaming, or that it would be resolutely shut down in show. but in my aroallo experience? that would be as inauthentic as the no homophobia bubble, so where does that leave us?

also the circular logic in the bl vs queer media arguments is mind numbing. 'bl doesnt cover these types of themes' yeah dude because you forcibly remove everything with those themes from the bl category in your head. 'queer media must acknowledge homophobia' the idea that a story by queer people about queer characters isnt really queer because it chooses to focus on joy or discovery or any other facet of queer existence is so fucking depressing. go hug a queer friend and think about why you feel queerness is defined by suffering before anything else.

Oh, hey, you found my soap box, Anon! Let me just step on up there with you for a minute.

So, first off, let me just say how much I hate the term “authentically” queer. It seems to suggest that in order to be queer, you have to be queer a certain way. As an ultra femme lesbian, the queer community often makes me feel like I’m not queer enough. That I don’t understand the hardships that come with being gay because I am “straight-passing.” This is the same thing people do to BLs. News flash: if you’re queer, you’re queer. Period. Congratulations, that’s all it takes to be authentic!

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a large percentage of the people I see using this designation are straight women who think that queer suffering is a necessary part of the queer experience, but a lot of “authentically queer” people—me included—don’t want to be reminded of our real-life suffering every time we turn on the TV. Heartstopper is triggering for me. Bad Buddy is not. As a queer woman currently living in Ron DeSantis’s Florida, I deserve to be able to turn on the TV every once in a while and not be reminded that there are people in the world who want me dead.

I’ve learned that when people describe a BL as “authentically queer,” what they actually mean is “This BL feels more Western”—the racist insinuation there being that Western media is inherently better.

I feel like The Eclipse is a good example of this hypocrisy. No one has ever called The Eclipse “authentically queer” despite the fact that it delivers one of the most nuanced takes on the dangers of systemic homophobia that I have seen anywhere. The writers of both the source material and the script are gay men. The director is queer. That seems to meet all of the qualifications these people set for “authentically queer” and yet no one has ever questioned that The Eclipse is a BL. Why? Because it incorporates traditionally Asian/yaoi humor tropes such as the pratfall and the accidental kiss.

Are you sensing a pattern? It’s not the queer-ness of a piece of media that determines whether it is seen as “authentic.” It is its “Western-ness.”

Let me be very clear: All BLs are “authentically queer” media because the only requirement needed for a piece of media to be “authentically” queer is for the characters to be queer. And if you don’t like that, then maybe stop watching BLs.

If the people who were producing these shows had a problem with the term, that would be another discussion, but they don’t. P’Jojo has never advertised Only Friends as anything other than a BL. The fandom did that for him. And with all due respect, if the people making the fucking thing are calling it a BL, then it’s a fucking BL.

So, yeah. Not liking BLs doesn’t make you cool. It makes you a bigot. The fact that the term has become so derogatory is rooted in both racism and misogyny because this was originally a genre created by women, for women, and the hobbies of women are so often infantilized.

BLs are queer media. Die mad about it.

#i'm a bit heated this morning guys 😅#the eclipse #only friends the series #asks #thai bl

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the-s1lly-corner · 5 months

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uh, hi i’m pretty new to this but can you do a tadc headcannons for a reader who constantly wears a box and/or paper bag on their head because they don’t like how they look?

i’m not expecting you to see this! i’m just curious

TADC cast x reader who wears a box on their head due to their looks!

sorry it took me so long to get to this! my feelings have been in a bit of whirlwind lately and my motivation has taken a nose dive and i may or may not have stopped answering requests chronologically in favor of answering the ones that are easier on my brain </3

CAINE:

assuming he knows you wear it because you feel insecure, i think he would do his best to try to uplift you; especially if you guys are friends and/or partners! he cant stand the idea of you not liking yourself as much as he likes you, you know? makes it a point to tell you that he thinks youre attractive, as well as giving you extra affection... kind of goes overkill, will likely do way too much to try to cheer you up. like im talking he probably dedicates a firework show to you or puts your name in lights, stuff like that to let you know that he cares a lot... but hes got good intentions, i promise!

POMNI:

i think she would find out about the reason behind the box after you open up to her about it. she always just assumed that it was a part of your digital body... and it very well could be, just detachable, like how zooble can take parts of themselves off... not the best at comforting you and telling you youre pretty, but i think her awkwardness and stammering makes her words more sincere. they dont sound rehearsed and scripted, you know? it sounds more natural and earnest. you cant help but believe her when she says she thinks youre pretty, if you decide to show her what you look like under the box

RAGATHA:

also very sweet about it. does not ask for you to take off the box, but she does express that you can unwind around her... very reassuring whenever its brought up, in fact i dont think she wound bring it up unless you did, fearing that she would make you feel pressured to take it off. little scenario but i do think that if you took the box off around her for the first time she kind of just. doesnt notice for a moment before actually paying attention and she kind of just stands there and stares, before simply saying youre beautiful. doesnt make a big stink of it, you know?

JAX:

has probably drawn on your box at least once or put something on it (gum, stickers, slime, ect) but i dont think he would keep doing it when he finds out why you do it... though.... he does purposefully break gangles mask/steps on it so im not... actually sure about that. hmm... i think he would try to play it casual when you bring up your thoughts of yourself to him, though it may come off as him minimizing your feelings. to put it simply jax doesnt think there should be a huge fuss about it. i mean its not like its your real face... might lead to some conflict due to him not having much empathy, for you.. apologies to the jax enjoyers but i do think he would steal the box to try to prove that its not that deep

KINGER:

also thinks that the box is just a part of you before you fill him in on the reasoning around it. displays some brief curiosity before apologizing for prying. i think he would have a similar scenario to ragatha where he wouldnt realize that you took the box off around him for a minute... though unlike ragatha, he doesnt just say youre pretty. i think he would pick apart every part of your face and complement it.. though, i think he generally complements every aspect of you, face or not... you know? not quite as bold as caine, but just as much of a sap, you know?

ZOOBLE:

kind of understands, since theyre a little... complicated and they like switching out their parts to fit whatever feel that want to have that day. but im not sure how deep their feelings would go, because i can kind of see them being similar to jax in this scenario, but less of an asshole. they wont take your box, nor will they write off your insecurities because they actually hold some understanding to them. i think they would offer to help you find a look that you feel comfortable with, sometimes a little something can change a lot of things, you know? but if its something more deep rooted, they would let you talk about it... doesnt speak much on the box since ultimately thats youre business. though, you cant help but notice them complimenting your skills and talents more now that youve opened up to them

GANGLE:

i think she would relate to it. i recall seeing someone say that gangle isnt actually more confident and happy with her comedy mask, rather its a false thing to pretend theyre happy. and honestly, i can see it. id tag the person but i saw this a while ago and i failed to save it </3

moving on, i think she would find some kind of relatability in you. like sure, its not the exact same thing, but you guys are both hiding aspects of yourself behind an object. she wouldnt ever dare make you feel pressured to take it off around her. i think out of all the characters, asides ragatha, shes the best with making you feel comfortable. you can take it off around her when youre ready. i dont think she would flood you with compliments, but i do think she would do her damndest to make you feel good about yourself. leaves you lots of notes reminding you how much she values you + little doodles

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #caine x reader #pomni x reader #ragatha x reader #jax x reader #kinger x reader #zooble x reader #gangle x reader

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aranock · 4 months

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Just had someone claim that I maliciously stole ideas from a friend without acknowledgong them when said friend is litterally in the video, and I was in the video I supposedly took thing from, despite my not even once thinking about either thing as being even remotely similar. Like not even slightly an influence. Also I am pretty open about when something influenced me. I don't exactly hide it. Idk I feel like people are really stretching to find anything they can hate Jessie and I for this video with. Like really? Really?

Anyway just to be clear The Editor is not a ripoff of my friend Neil from The Leftist Cooks video on metamodernism, great video btw go watch it. I wrote the editor in because as I was doing the script editing proccess on Jessies initial script and came up with a new structure and worried that if I didnt draw attention to this people would maliciously misinterpret part 1 without getting to the part 2 twist. The Editor is LITTERALLY representing what I did in the script editing proccess for this video. Though there role and purpose expanded to represent more broadly what editing and editors do to works, reinforcing the points we make on art as collaborative and the importance of the influence of for example Marcia Lucas on making the original trilogy as good as it was. If there was any inspiration for The Editor it was chatting with my friend @wonderful101gecs about Pathologic and Brechtian Epic Theatre. I wanted to disallow the audience from suspension of disbelief and force them to reconcile with the world as it is and with how narratives are manufactured. Even then its pretty loose inspiration. The Editor was just a natural result of needing a purpose fulfilled and rounding out my layers within layers structure. Im not sure if it was Jessie or I that named them that, but we made them a named character because we worried at one point early on if we didnt do that people might get really shitty towards me. Like originally in the script it was just "Aranock" and as they became a character I pushed it further towards them being a sort of amoral embodiment of concepts masquerading as a villain who was masquerading as a Hero, pretendint to be the great person behind everything. Thus I came to "oh I need a second rug pull" and thats where layer 5 came from because I needed to really REALLY make the audience go "oh I need to question the narrative" and not treat The Editor as the great man myth. Layer 1, the animation, came from a desire to have a narrative layer below the documentary and video essay layers, below any meta layer. So yeah originally this was just a long very direct essay by Jessie about the making of and politics of star wars, my reediting of those become layer 2 and 3, with some small bits of those ending up in layer 4. Oh also some elements of what became the editor and of the script existed before I even began my youtube channel. Like I have been kicking around aspects of these ideas for over 3 years. The Editors opening monologue is almost all from something I wrote about a year before releasing my first video. So yeah I was not stealing stuff from a video by my friend that released last year, and frankly its really shitty that people assume that of me.

Also I'm tired of how frequently people have been specifying out just me to be shitty about. Attacking my voice for being feminine, being weird about my body. Really makes me feel great. Love being a trans woman making art on the internet. Love how y'all attack me if my voice sounds how you perceive womens voices should sound and you attack me when it doesnt. Im tired people suck, and its really weird that some of you want me to sound more "manly", but thanks for the validating my self taught voice training I guess????

#the decaying monomyth of star wars #Jessie Gender #aranock #video essays #fuck I am tired #god this month sucks

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utahlive · 1 year

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No episode today (i have a test i gotta study for booo) :( However in usual “no episode today” style, I’ve got some behind the scenes stuff! (+ answering asks). I’m really glad you guys like hearing about this part of the blog :D

It’s a little long so I’m putting it under the cut

So my latest method of answering asks is to write a quick outline/reply and save it in drafts (as opposed to what I was doing, which was copy pasting asks into the notes app and writing replies there. dont ask whats wrong with me; I dont know). Anyway this specific comic had its first ‘script’ (shoutout to @/ghostburface for the ask)

I usually draw out what I imagine happening and then add text to hit the points im aiming for, but I did the opposite in this one. I had a lot of trouble figuring out the actual visuals for this one

(For the record I tried to find the original price of the glasses on the las Nevadas merch page but it wasn’t there. I remember losing my mind over the price tho)

attempt/draft 2 (sort of) since I wasn’t sure about the layout. I was really hoping to just have three panels (as you can see by the “if 3 that would be epic” note above)

And then I transferred it digitally! I did go over the script in DMs with my friend so it ended up as it did I did see one person pointing out the whole “rose colored glasses” thing (shout out to you fr !!). I had a lot of meaning I was going for with this one but I have a hard time finding a middle ground between “so obscure its not there” and “way too obvious”

I also wanted to answer some asks (as per usual :3 because I love talking with you guys)

I wish he would grow it out!! However as anyone who’s gone from short to long hair... the awkward phase is NOT pretty. I did hear on one of his streams he might cut it when the EP comes out rather than the album. because he’s a coward (but I can’t blame him)

who doesnt feel like ripping up their pillow though, amiright fellas? Shout out to all the utahlive fictives out there (I’ve heard of reported sightings). Would love to talk to you guys some day <3 It still baffles my mind that this blog leaves any sort of lasting impression on people (for reals though, I hope you guys are ok!!)

this one isnt directed at me but I just think its funny you say this because summer 2022 I went to the Winchester house with my friends, but we all decided it wasn’t worth the price so we just checked out the gift shop and walked around the outside for about two hours. it’s actually very pretty! super cool architecture

this one is under the “what would you recommend I get at the gas station”

It’s also not a question but I think it would be funny to let you know I wrote and queued that post (and the other one posted that day) at like 5am I don’t know how I missed it because I usually check my posts the next morning before they get posted I know it’s bad I’m trying real hard to get my sleep schedule to be normal (this post is sponsored by melatonin tablets)

GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY 🤺🤺🤺

I assume you’re talking about the mcytblr sexyman poll?? Im already making predictions and bets in my head on this one but Ill be fighting for MY meowmeows till my last breath

#utahlive #4th wall break #back to the 2nd ask I have considered making a discord server for this blog but ive gone back and forth on it a lot #I dont wanna act like im a big deal and be like woah hey look at the discord server I made for myself that nobody asked for !!!#ur here for wilbur. im here for wilbur. this aint about me !!#the homestuck one is slash j btw !!! I love u guys #I’m currently reading jt myself #haven’t met vriska yet #behind the scenes

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trainingdummyrabbit · 6 months

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ok your posts have got me so curious what is lobcorp and who is Angela I am dying to know

ohhhhhh anon. im so glad you asked. youve activated my infodump trap card. we are gonna be here a lilwhile, but i will try to keep it short regardless.

[inhale] lobcorp, also known as lobotomy corporation, is a multitasking monster-management game, part of a series of games from the producers Project Moon. it starts as a very simple "dystopian setting manage the monsters and sometimes employees die nbd" sort of game, but then rapidly, intensely spirals the more you play. its notoriously difficult but also ridiculously fun and satisfying to get correctly. you are expected to fail and retry multiple times, so much so that it is an active in-narrative plot point.

you play as the manager of L corp, named X, and angela is your Helpful AI Assistant here to help you make energy efficiently and be the best manager you can be. :] by making energy. nothing else. dont worry about it.

lobcorp as a game has absolutely Fantastic characters, and Doubly so in its sequel Library of Ruina. its a series that focuses on character growth, cycles of violence, autonomy, the definition of humanity and personhood... and just. so, so much more. its so full of The Horrors.

. this, of course, is the very basics of getting into the game. i am going to explain everything very vaguely and very messily. i'll spoilercut in case you're interested in looking spoilerless based off of this, (extra post abt it [here] if youd like to check it out yourself) but i will Try to keep it vague. i make no promises. youve asked me about my favorite character. that i have previously spent 6 hours straight explaining to a friend. you understand. here we go.

////

lobcorp takes place inside a monster-management facility... that is, in and of itself, a closed-off timeloop. in order to progress, certain events and interactions must happen in a very specific way for its ultimate goal to be realized. should something go wrong or a mistake occur, the loop resets to day 1, and you must do it all over again.

angela, your ai assistant, was built to be the perfect person to keep you, the manager, on-track for a plan of your own making. dont worry about it. she was built to be able to seamlessly and efficiently move things along-- the ability to feel emotion to be able to connect with employees and make crucial decisions, the ability to recall anything that has ever happened regardless of the loop, and the ability to perceive time much, much slower than a normal human to make judgements more efficiently.

she guides and supports you all the way up until the final leg of the journey, where... she simply doesnt show up again. she has done her job, and you no longer need her. you have a plan to finish, and an incalculably long time loop to finally close. everybodys suffering results in a happy ending, and everyone gets to rest. ^w^ yay yippee!

. just kidding. nothing is ever easy. angela, as a character, is seemingly set up to be a game mechanic and very little more, in the beginning. eventually, more comes up about her as the game progresses, and well...

...anyway imagine being built to be an imitation of somebody you are not in a broken individual's deepest throes of grief, and the minute you become conscious the guy you were built to love hates you simply because you exist-- because you are not the person he lost, because you're a shoddy imitation, mirroring everything he hates... that he made to be that way, in a cruel act of self-loathing. ok?

now imagine you're built to feel, built to remember, and then forced to guide a timeloop countless years long, forced to follow a script that makes you harm people you desperately want to protect and connect to, causing them to hate you. you remember every bit of harm you had to impose on them in painful detail. imagine doing all this so that your creator can come in and fix all of their problems after youve set the stage. ok?

now imagine you finally do everything right. you finally, finally help this guy to see his plan to fruition, and in the last steps of everything, when everyone comes together and finally starts to move towards their own endings... nobody looks back for you. nobody thinks to look to you, to look for you. because nobody thinks youre anything more than an object.

imagine all that, and once, finally, you start to Want. because of course, after holding everything up by yourself, you would want something more than to fade away wordlessly. of course, after all this mistreatment, you would want a future too. this story was set up so that everyone could grow and move forward-- except you. isnt that cruel? isnt that horrible? so, truly, who would really blame you for taking what you truly deserve? who could blame you for reaching for the same light they did? so what if it means you have to destroy everything you-- everything they worked for with your own hands. they can hate you all they want-- its no different from what it's been. you only have one goal now, and simply, it is to Live.

. Library of Ruina is the sequel to Lobotomy Corporation following a curious machine trying to become human. angela becomes one of two main characters, and the entire game functions as a dialogue on her growth as a character now that she finally has the autonomy to learn and change. she searches for the One True Book, something that will grant her humanity and the freedom to live, grow, and most importantly: forget.

along with the second primary character, roland, they learn more about the city and how it truly functions-- and also learn about themselves, And each other.

what do you do when you teach yourself all you can do is survive and look out for yourself-- when you finally open back up to the possibility of hope and connection, and everything is ripped out from under you yet again for circumstances out of your control? what do you do when you're a victim of a cycle of horrific deeds, crushed beneath the weight of people who couldn't care less about you, and your only hope of escaping alive is to pull down anyone else in your way?

what do you do when you finally free yourself from a seemingly endless gauntlet of suffering, finally grasping power youd never been able to have before, all in the name of finally, finally getting the vengeance and resolution you deserve? when you follow the path set in front of you, set by actions of people who came before you, spiralling endlessly into the distance? what do you do when this guise of distance and coldness you put up is rightfully challenged and you have no way of defending yourself-- when you have to question what if this "self" youve made of yourself is truly who you are... and if this path ahead is truly of your own choosing, or the making of someone whose influence you could never really shake off.

what does it mean to have autonomy when your life is never truly yours?

lobotomy corporation and library of ruina, aka: Who Wants To Be Part Of The Torture Nexus ? Try Now !

#pikasks #long post #projmoon #THIS IS . HEAVILY ABRIDGED. STILL LONG POST.#IHAD TO REWRITE TH SPOILER PORTION. THREEE TIMES. WROTE IT HALF ASLEEP ALSO.#IAM SO SERIOUS THO IAM LEAVING OUT SO SO MUCH. i dont want to write a whole actual essay because i Will and ouhghghg #i tried to pick at context and thematic setup for angies character to get a Base Understanding of why shes Like That but #again. im leaving so much out.#she is such a fantastically written character and i will never ever be over it.#PLEAS at the very least consider looking at th series at face value bc its WRITING.............. THE WRITING.#OK. THANKYOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. <33

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gale-gentlepenguin · 9 months

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Gale Reviews: Miraculous: Ladybug & Chat Noir. The Movie

Welp I finally got the miraculous Movie so now I get to review it.

So For this review, I plan viewing this SOLELY on the movie. I will not be judging it completely based on the show. This is Zag's take. (The view on who did it better will be for another Post)

(Thanks @knightsweeties for the picture)

How I will be reviewing it.

Plot

Characters

Lesson

Animation

Music (Because yes, this is a Musical and should be judged)

Final Thoughts.

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Plot

So its pretty simple. A villain named Hawkmoth appears that wants to use the power of the butterfly miraculous to get the two miraculous he needs to attain his goal. But two heroes will rise in order to fight him, Ladybug and Chat noir. We will see another take on the show that inspired the movie. A new world for Ladybug and Chat noir.

Overall, this movie's plot is pretty generic, its not going to be winning anything for originality. BUT it sticks to the script and does everything it needs to do to set up Ladybug and Chat noir's respective character arcs and setting up one heck of a final confrontation with hawkmoth. The emotional drama is there and mostly hits the points it needs to. And while not everything got a laugh out of me, some things did.

It also ties up a good amount of loose ends while leaving Sequel bait.

For the most part. 7/10 for non-fans

9/10 for fans.

Its engaging enough and does what it needs to do.

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Characters:

Marinette: She is likable and you do enjoy seeing her on screen when she starts getting confident. I do think the pacing of the movie does impact her a bit, but its never to the point where its unbelievable. Also as Ladybug, her banter with Chat noir is top notch. There is some really good chemistry there. That being said, I find it harder to believe that she fell in love with Adrien over chat noir. But its a nit pick.

Adrien: I admit it took a bit for me to actually like this adrien, but I think thats intentional. Chat noir starts out arrogant and annoying, while Adrien starts shut off and quiet. He is a boy mourning the loss of his mother and his father is so distant that he seems gone to. But then he meets Ladybug, he sees this girl and how incredible she is. He finds someone he can relate to and his heart opens. Its beautiful seeing him fall in love with her and pull out all the stops opening up to her. He even gets to confront his father. Its quite a biting scene. I must say this maybe my favorite iteration of Adrien. (Careless whisper is the only song he listens to.) I do wish he was in it a bit more as adrien, but its not that bad.

Gabriel: I dont know how they did it, but they managed to make Gabriel sympathetic. Showing the lengths he is going, how lost he is, the survivor's guilt he has. He blames himself and wants to bring his family back together again. And Hawkmoth they made wacky and yet TERRIFYING. And we see this especially in the finale and the moment we think he wins, he sees his son. He sees it was Adrien, the one thing left in his life that he wants to protect him. This is a gabriel that deserves some sympathy but doesnt shy away from the fact he committed crimes.

Alya and Nino: Now they are both not in this as much as the actual show, but they are great supports and some of the changes done to both of them are wonderful. Alya being supportive of Marinette, Nino being such a bro to adrien while also simping for Alya (Chef's kiss). I do wish Nino and Adrien's meeting but their friendship is good.

Chloé: This chloé is exactly what she needs to be. A bully character but never so excessive that it detracts from the plot. She is spoiled and she is probably the funniest character. (For those that know the show, think Season 1 chloé with a dash of season 2) I think they got a different english VA for her, and honestly it works.

Plagg and Tikki: I found Plagg a bit annoying with the fart jokes, but outside of that he is pretty similar to his canon counterpart. Tikki on the other hand SHINES in this movie. This is what I wanted from Tikki, motivational, curious, fun loving. this is what I picture with the kwami of Creativity.

Fu: He is the mysterious old man character. He plays it well, though he is hardly in the movie. But at least he actually shows up for Ladybug and Chat noir almost right away, instead of just hiding.

The other characters play their roles and there are some funny bits, the akumatized villains are fun and play their role. Lady Magician and the Mime are both phenomenal.

Also the Gargoyle, I feel so bad for him. He wins the award for most Tragic akumatization.

Overall Solid 8.5/10

I do wish we got more Alya and Nino, and less fart jokes from Plagg

____________________________________________________________

Lesson

There are 3 lessons to take away from this movie.

The first one "Stronger together"

Having help and working with those around us can help us grow, we have to be willing to let others in and help us be our best selves.

The second is "Believe in yourself"

Marinette's main character arc is coming to terms with what she can do and finding the inner strength that she always had, even without powers. (Done better than a chunk of films these days)

The Third lesson, "Power of Love"

It was love that helped stop Hawkmoth, it was love that helped chat noir and ladybug overcome their weaknesses and fix paris. It was even love that helped them at the very end.

That being said... the execution on all of the lessons was not perfect, the first one sort of fell off by the end, but the second one and third lesson still applied. There could be some work but I still enjoyed it.

6/10

___________________________________________________________

Animation:

The Animation looks great, the character designs look great, and while I was originally iffy on them, after seeing it I must say the designs work.

The Lighting in itself if Heavenly to say the least. Whoever was in charge of the lighting needs to be given a deep tissue massage and a raise.

It does feel a bit Disney for my personal taste but I cant complain with how crisp the fights look. Great Choreography and it really sells the intensity of the scenes. The details and call backs, the foreshadowing.

Its solid animation, I would say that it is missing a few bits to really make it stand out, some sort of Stylization. But outside of that. Its good.

The scenes that they want to focus on look great, the imagination bits are grandiose. There was care put into this and not just a cheap cash grab.

9/10

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The Music

This movie is a musical, very disney-sque.

And as a courteous, I listened to the songs in French and english. I know the english VA's arent the one's singing. And I have to say, it feels SO WEIRD for Marinette in the english dub. But Its not that bad. I think the French one is just more consistent sounding. But english and french both sound fine. Also Chat noir's VA isnt singing, but I think the singing voice for him fits him a bit closer but the french is still the best. "My Lady" is a great song for Chat noir.

The songs are fine, nothing that really blew me away, but they were fun. "I believed in me" fits Marinette well as an opening song.

Tikki's rapping in english is surprisingly decent. But SO WEIRD.

But Gabriel's singing voice, THAT through me off.

Villain song 101. Love it in the english dub. "Chaos Reigns"

But the song "Stronger together." That hit me. The duet in both iterations are great.

The Background music always seems to fit the mood... Except Careless whisper (But that was always used in amusing ways). The BG should be praised

7.5/10

_____________________________________________________________

Final Thoughts

Overall, if I had to rate it objectively, without knowing the show or series. 7/10. Nothing ground breaking but its a good film in itself, its entertaining and fun, and it has some good moments. Pacing is a bit all over but it’s under 2 hours so it’s more of a pick your battles thing

If I had to rate this as the Show fan that I am and my personal enjoyment.

8/10

It does nearly everything I wanted it to do, and added to flair and changes.

Now not everything is perfect, since limited time to tell a story. But its coherent and cuts some of the bloat that was a problem in the OG series. Now some things I enjoyed were also cut though.

I like how it isnt a 1 for 1, it changes some things and gives a fresh tale.

Now which one is better I will address in another post

#gale reviews #miraculous movie spoilers #miraculous movie #miraculous: Ladybug & Chat noir

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dangopango00 · 3 months

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ELIO INSANE PERSON RAMBLINGS AFTER DISSECTING SEEING THE LEAK

Pt. 1 because I have more to say somehow erm.

Theres basically no content for him but hes sosooo cuteeeeee

Context: In my head he is a fly he has compound eyes like the fly loswr he is

CW: Leaks maybe spoilers??

[ Design/Symbolism (IMG A)

OK FIRST OBSERVE FLY EYES; Theyre compound and have millions of ‘bubbles’ in them. So in my head on elio would represent the different “bubble universes” or rather the millions of possibilities that although generally the same, slightly differ with different choices and outcomes

ELIO IS ALSO AKSHUALLY THE FLY ON THE WALL that phrase represents him really well considering although hes the leader hes the one in the limelight the least out of everyone and just gathers info while making plans. Flies are also considered filthy and sly and bottom feeders n pests and as a stellaron hunter he gets the same treatment as well

[ Function (IMG B)

But besides the appearance the actual function: This is pretty good symbolism for what he sees bc not only does he see a wider range of possibilities than the average person but he can also notice even the slightest movements which is ofc the slightest changes in a scenario that makes the outcome completely different and about flies being able to see things at a quicker pace; I heard that when u swat at a fly they see it in like slow motion and this is pretty symbolic of elio since he sees FARRR into the future wayyy before its even close to coming to fruition

[ Theories (IMG C)

A silly lil hc theory i have bc of this fact and because his alias is “Destiny’s Slave” is that he cant rlly control seeing the future much kind of like a premonition..????? Idk but i like to play with how herta calls all the stellaron hunters lunatics and him a maniac bc like. Its a little true. Theyre all a lil bit cray cray from what weve seen but theres method to their madness so im like hm well elio must have his quirks SO seeing the future so often without wanting to has him a little bit (crazy person hand gesture) so i imagine its a little overwhelming when he suddenly gets a “premonition” like when he suddenly sees the future its a bunch of scattered possibilities filling his mind but when he focuses on it they can converge to create a “perfect reality” where everything goes the best way possible

Also theres so many different “paths” the future holds like it could be the future for that day or the fate of the world or even the fate of the universe so i imagine he was either made/given this power specifically to puppeteer this specific outcome or “story” but its a little draining to think of the big picture constantly or think about things the bigger they are which is why he makes scripts day by day or week by week (????)

I also think he gets like reminders kinda like little flashes into some specific aspects that although he has seen hasnt really focused on or been able to think of bc theyr pretty far ahead and his head is already full so it being so overwhelming, just slipped his mind to kind of create a whole “chain of events” URGGHHH THIS IS SO HARD I CANT TELL IF HES OMNIPOTENT OR LEARNING ALONG THE WAY

I also found it interesting that he told kafka that she and stelle would “change each other” it heavily suggests that maybe he can force the thought of specific scenarios OR MAYBE in his “perfect reality” he has an already decided script which he doesnt deviate from so he already knows what to say. Otherwise how would he know how vague or how exact to be about what he tells people

In the alt ending in the credits hes listed as screenplay director and the screenplay directors are the ones pulling the strings yeah but as another character in the story or “movie” that means he knows exactly what his part is too and is therefore another puppet to be controlled OU LET ME COOK 👩‍🍳🍔🔥

#hsr elio #elio #honkai star rail #hsr #hsr theory #stellaron hunters #honkai star rail elio #PLS NO MORE OF THW CAT #Flyelio #elio theory #hsr leaks

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sounknownvoid · 9 months

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Spn wincest is gothic horror trope

Just wanted to put this out there that kripke n co knew exactly what they were doing with supernatural ... because it was part of the tradition of gothic horror and one of the key tropes of gothic horror? = incest.

From https://www.thegothiclibrary.com/gothic-tropes-incest/ :

"Incest has been a core trope of the Gothic from its very beginnings with the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (1764). " the others being atmosphere and mystery....sounding familiar?...

We've also seen it in movies like "crimson peak" and recently in good ol GOT... but usually, its a cis-het pairing and usually its a "period piece"-setting.... this one is more "modern gothic"

What sets "Supernatural" apart is that 1) its 2xhot guys 2) its a scripted show on a tv-channel with attendant restrictions on portrayal of taboo-topics - incest (or domestic abuse or child abuse etc) is certainly not what you'd "normally" expect to see on a network channel show unless it was a police procedural and even then it'd be heavily restricted. 3) the show manages to somehow bring in these subjects in not only its case-fics and monster of the week formats but also as a series-long arc.

For those that feel like they're "glimpsing" something that perhaps may not be there or "shouldnt" be there or "wtf"-ing through it - its legit and its real - and its a well-known trope of the genre that this show originally started out being an instance of.... coz remember, there are actual lines and long lingerring camera shots and atmosphere created between the brothers - in a scripted show - this stuff had to be written, rehearsed several times with a full crew there and full lighting and camera-angles adjusted, theres editing and post-production and approvals from execs to be obtained etc,etc - all the things that go into making a series..... they didnt just wake up 1xday and go "right we're turning this into an incest thing" - the actors can certainly "slip in" something or writers or directors but it'd be limited to a season or an eposode if they had - it wouldnt be a long running theme throughout the whole show incl other characters and actors saying lines that allude to it (zachariah or ash and his "soulmates" line).

Yes incest is taboo. Yes it is also a legit part of the show - because its part of the genre of gothic horror that supernatural belongs to.

The point of it is to introduce a subject matter that is in itself considered "repulsive" or introduce a level of "social horror" on top of any ghosties and ghoulies in the story....the point is to make it a driver for some of the horror also.

And guess what? - adding a wincest lens does that in spn - it amps up the pathos,the underlying despair and "wrongness", the tragedy of the brothers within the larger story of gods and demons and angels and monsters ...in a very human way. It adds and magnifies the theme of "family is hell" (thanks tenlittlebulletts) and also that just coz they love you, doesnt make it less horrifying - ie love as horror.

What the makers probably didnt bank on and later season-makers backed away from most likely - is how much the 21st century tv audiences wanted 2xhot guys to get it on and didnt care if they were brothers or not - ie, they underestimated how much of a "freak" we,the audiences, were/ are!....😂😅😉

Im still putting together the piece on all the ways that wincest adds/amps things up in the series-arc...likely a longer piece.... [this is not to take away from the awesome performances of all involved or any of the contributions from anyone and yes there might be all this other stuff going on around it: j2 irl speculation or actor-drama or fandom drama etc,etc that ive no idea about xoz i only watched spn during covid n got hooked - but i know theres drama - and im choosing to ignore it all in favour of simply looking at what is in front of me objectively and understanding its role in the genre and within the story being told itself - a story i love deeply].

Hope this helps anyone struggling with their sanity when they see these glimpses and helps to validate what you're seeing - you're not crazy - its there - & it has a purpose within format or "formula" / trope of the genre/story itself.

#supernatural #sam and dean #Spn is gothic horror hence wincest is “real”#Didnt imagine the wincest in spn #I do not condone incest or family violence of any kind - just sayin its part of gothic horror stories #Incest is wrong - obv and also illegal

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houndfaker · 3 months

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so i finished persona 3 reload. here is like. a good enough summary of my thoughts and feelings regarding.

copypasting from my discord convos and refining because i do not feel like writing all of it out a third time

i think its a very nice treat for people who loved the original game. its an extremely high effort remake and i dont want that to be swept under the rug despite my criticisms. i do genuinely appreciate the work put into create a fresh experience on an old game. i was happy with the addition of the link episodes, those will definitely help newcomers feel a little more connected to the cast that was shafted somewhat in base p3.

i did have a hole in my heart for a majority of it given a big component to my original experience with p3 was completely missing. i think the new writing suffers from feeling out of place because it is tacked straight onto a largely unchanged script from a decade ago. atlus continues to have (1) joke. multiple characters experience a degree of flanderization that im not fond of, supposedly on account of the newer pieces of writing being specifically tailored to making the cast fit better with their eventual appearances in the arena spinoffs (which. grimaces a little because there are quite a few things in arena i dont like).

so that made things feel…very off but i struggle to confirm if thats just me having a fondness and preference for a version of the game that they didnt recreate or if thats the game itself i feel like there were a lot of missed opportunities. they give more clarity to certain lore things that the original doesnt touch on, but again the script is largely unchanged, which was the safer option for remaking the game and i cant exactly blame them for it but i had higher hopes for them incorporating lesser known aspects of the p3 canon.

and finally the vibe of the game is so incredibly...different. and this IS due in part to the difference in technology. but p3re is so so...bright. and flashy. sometimes it feels like theyre deliberately being as over the top as possible with certain visuals. previous iterations of p3 are much dimmer and feel quite a bit more dismal comparatively? reload also loses the sort of weird abstract vibe a lot of the cutscenes and the openings had which is a loss for me, someone who enjoys those as apart of the game's identity.

all this to say yes i had fun pouring 80 hours into a high definition version of this game that holds so much meaning to me. i just had higher hopes for what they might do with this opportunity, i guess. my feelings on it are soured with the knowledge that they have no intention of re-adding femc and they're planning to sell back a part of the game that was included in previous releases as paid dlc. thats just one little quinn's opinion though

#quinn moment #3DReload

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sweetpastillas · 2 years

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ahaha i just watched MoM :)

here are my fresh thoughts on it

visually, the film is stunning. the thing about doctor strange films is that the film production is absolutely allowed to go ham with the cinematography. mystical shit, bitch, absolutely weird. it was why the first was my favorite, and why i anticipated this one (probably not as much as i did for nwh, but what can i say lmao spiderman funny i am tired college freshman epic !!!)

like some of my favorite shots or scenes were definitely homages to horror films. the reflection/mirror dimension parts going for the ring, and the tunnel chase scene being what i think is an homage to the shining (?). a lot of those are scattered throughout MoM, and i thought those were really cool. thank u mr raimi

however

plot-wise? not good.

uhhh

lemme just narrow it down to some points,

wherein the screenwriters, evidently,:

did NOT pick up on the nuances of stephen and christine's pre-canon lovers-to-friends arc in his first film

surely, only solely watched the what if? series to put in the concept of strange feeling more romantic love than he actually did in the mcu (to be fair, ol' cabbagepatch really sells it well, it's the VA expertise in him)

did NOT watch wandavision,

OR took away from it the idea that wanda only became a... questionably redeemable villain. yknow, after she took down a witch who would only hoard and harness her powers to herself without the guarantee of westview being set free

ignored the fact that wanda herself imposed seclusion and self-exile after westview, because That is how she learned to let go and so that she wouldnt hurt anyone anymore

DEFINITELY ignored the fact that people like monica, darcy, and jimmy acknowledged that she was at the peak of her grief, and knew she was ultimately good underneath all of that

kinda forgot about billy and tommy's powers, and how if they had used them against the scarlet witch in defense by the end, it would likely still make the point they wanted it to

uhhh once again denied a character who has suffered throughout her life even the tiniest sliver of a redemption arc OR real mental help that can be talked about. she doesnt visibly come out of there alive, there's no small seconds of her facing justice but getting proper healing and adjustment that she needed. they literally said that the darkhold (if i am spelling it right, edits abound) corrupts the user. ok, and as the scarlet witch, a literal nexus being, one of the most powerful people out there, couldnt be given the chance to gradually overcome that by the end?,, what is the point of establishing her as a key figure if she justs becomes the big bad to be vanquished at the end of the day?

also lol skipped over mordo being "the guy that tries to kill doctor strange every now and again", like he didnt have a large role in the first film

and many other weak points that may come to mind later on

so, basically, you mean to tell me that throughout all of wanda maximoff's life in the mcu, she never gets another channel for her grief, and that is how exactly she dies? her story doesn't become one of those that essentially say, you get to carve your own destiny and your position or actions or whatever people say dont make you completely evil. no, no, it doubles down on the fact that she's a wicked woman, or turned into one because she lost her kids.

also its crazy because.. idk if it's the angry wanda stan in me right now just after watching the movie, but i cannot remember what stephen's role was. was his arc set on becoming the guardian and mentor for america chavez? was it another lesson for him on how actions have consequences and so does his pride? or was it solely hinged on love and want for christine? hm. he's the titular character.

great cg tho thats what im saying, and all these actors still bring all theyve got to the table despite the weak script.

honestly, way back at the beginning before more details of the film's production were announced, i thought mordo would be the antagonist. y'know, because they alluded to that in the first film's end credits scenes AND because he just is in the comics. like he'd do something or find a way to fuck up sorcerers and magic in the multiverse, because he literally said "no more sorcerers" or smth like that after his disillusionment with the ancient one, so it would be up to a doctor strange/scarlet witch teamup to stop him. and ofc wanda and stephen could have their debate on who's more villainized and why, but still have them be on the same ground. you would expect wanda to be tempted by mordo, with the promise of her children or universes where she's with them and her husband and her brother, but she wouldnt be the total rushed villain and redemption would at least still be on the table. stuff like that, yknow.

:))

but no. that is not what happened, indeed.

(altho john krasinski as reed richards is cool in concept. it fits, and id like to see more of him in that role ngl.

sir patrick stewart as professor x... definitely done dirty with his quick death [as is the case with all members of the illuminati, why are they in charge if they can get taken out like that] but otherwise extremely cool to show his impact And his powers. you could feel that he's got the heart when he went into wanda's mind for a bit. i personally havent watched the x-men films in his and sir ian mckellen's era, and yet somehow because ive got flashes of knowing about it from childhood i get to feel like ive missed him. thats fun)

so did i enjoy it? kinda, yea. a 6-7/10

would i watch it again? only for the sheet music battle scene because i want to properly hear the soundtrack to see how it fits the moment.

otherwise, no. i'd rather rewatch the first doctor strange film, wandavision, and any other fan fix-its.

#multiverse of madness #multiverse of madness spoilers #wanda maximoff #doctor strange #doctor strange multiverse of madness #mcu #lord am i gonna sleep today #i cant believe this film made me regret not doing my homework instead #scarlet witch #wandavision #fresh thoughts out here

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liquidstar · 2 years

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absolutely no one asked but im thinking about the “i love emilia” scene and how misunderstood it is by nerdboy fans that kind of miss the whole point of the series. subaru’s rejection of rem is narratively a rejection of the typical isekai power fantasy.

when subaru was first summoned to lugnica, he instantly assumed he was getting his very own isekai power fantasy, he thought he would have the coolest magic powers and his own harem and whatnot. and well, those tropes are still somewhat there, but its a deconstruction so hes not really getting what he wants. not only is his return by death ability a very very isolating one but also a painful and traumatic one, and its not even a flashy cool superpower, its literally one that only works so well because hes weak enough to constantly die.

so by arc 3 subaru feels somewhat robbed. he always had a bit of a tendency to treat the people around him like characters (literally, he calls people NPCs) and he had a tendency to boil them down to tropes and sort of expect that they act a certain way, that things would go a certain way because hes The Protagonist. but things arent going according to his script. the final nail in the coffin is when he gets humbled by julius at the royal selection hearing, julius is literally the “knight of knights”, an ideal subaru will never have.

subaru claims he entered the royal selection hearing and fought julius for emilia, but emilia sees right through this and rightfully calls him out- she tells him he only did it for himself, that he doesnt really know her, that hes constantly projecting his own will onto her. shes right in every sense, subaru has placed her on a pedistal and can no longer treat her like a person, the “special treatment” he talks about isnt something she wants but he doesnt care what she wants. he only cares about what he thinks she wants, whatever works best for his fantasy. he’s literally objectifying her, its not subtle. so she packs her bags and leaves.

so subaru sulks in the capital while rem watches over him. and rem stays with him and supports him and comforts him despite his terrible fucking disposition- arc 3 subaru becomes borderline unlikable at times, especially when he decides that the witch cult attack on roswaal’s manor is a good thing because he can play the part of the hero and save emilia and force her into a princess role once again (remember shes running for KING). but eventually hes faced with the grim reality of the situation, like, its really fucking drilled into his head how messed up this is.

and he realizes hes not a hero. he breaks down in front of rem and confesses what a pathetic loser he actually is, how stupid and lame hes been, how much he hates himself. and she tells him that she loves him and....

actually, let me go on a tangent here, im going to skip ahead to arc 4 because... arc 4 subaru actually perfectly mirrors arc 3 rem. so forgive this rambling for not being linear. anyway, in arc 4 subaru has overcome his feelings of entitlement, but he loses rem, the person who encouraged him, the person who he still did love very much (maybe not in the same way, but he did love her). and now he hates himself twice as much. he hates himself so much that hes actively suicidal.

his most obvious parallel for suicidality is beatrice, yes, but the way in which he’s self-sacrificial parallels rem. rem, who literally calls subaru her “reason to die” and throwing herself into danger- thats the same shit subaru does in arc 4 to save everyone. subaru sees no value in his life in arc 4, neither does rem. for some reason people ignore rem’s inferiority complex, her lack of self confidence due to just being ram’s little sister. ram is LITERALLY the reincarnation of a god so we cant blame rem for feeling a bit... sidelined compared to her twin. her love for subaru is selfless, but selfless to a fault.

but subaru is also a fantasy for rem; one of the series biggest themes is “self recognition through the other”- essentially the way people see you vs the way you see yourself, and how in a sense both of those are equally real. rem literally sees subaru as her hero, she sees him the way that he expected himself to be seen when he came into this world, she sees him as the fantasy he wants to live out, and as her own fantasy as well. she literally tells him about the fantasy life she imagined for them in the future and everything.

subaru initially offered her this fantasy in an attempt to run away from the events at the manor, he told her they could run away together and live out their lives. and rem rejected him, because her love is selfless, because she understands that this fantasy isnt right- she puts that over her desires. and she still confesses her love, to show them that hes worthy of it for who he is too.

and through this its made even more clear that rem IS the fantasy, the girl that would stick by you no matter what, worship the ground you walk on, see you as a perfect power fantasy hero no matter how plain you are. but shes still a realistic character, she only works as a fantasy if you refuse to see her as one (like subaru used to) and ignore the fact that her love is also flawed, self-destructive, and co-dependent one. meanwhile emilia is the reality, the girl subaru cant force into a box, wont solely depend on him, and wont be projected upon- she demands to be her own person, with every fiber of her being, because we all know how much emilia hates being treated like someone shes not.

so... after some encouragement from rem, subaru chooses not to take the easy (slothful) route. he tells rem straight-out “i love emilia” and this time he means it in a true way.

and a million nerdboys who wanted to fuck rem cried their eyes out that night because they wanted to live the fantasy vicariously through him, missing the entire point of the series. subaru crushed the fantasy by choosing the reality.

and the character development really reallt stuck- arc 4 subaru and emilia are frankly kind of adorable. not perfect given the horribly traumatic shit going on, but when emilia had her mental breakdown in the trial and started to act incredibly dependent on subaru, he was absolutely horrified to see her so traumatized because he knows she would never want this- he no longer wants her to depend on him especially at the cost of her on sanity. and subaru would later reference rem’s “i love you” speech to him by giving a similar one to emilia, giving her the same encouragement rem gave him.

#re:zero #long post

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destinyc1020 · 5 months

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Yeah yo Im done. Y'all too much for me. You cannot not even express an opinion without someone saying anti tom or anti uncharted. I played those games I enjoyed them and was excited for the film, and I didnt like the film b/c it can be better it lacked so much of what action films do and fails to capture the charms and wit of the game. Like instead of accusing me of being anti tom or anti uncharted like ask yourself what aspects of the film you liked, what things in the script worked for you, what about the CGI or character that you liked cause Im curious to hear your persepctives. All I keep hearing is its fun, silly or tom is shirtless okay cool is that it. So then tell me what parts of the film were fun or silly. I shared my grivances for the film, box office doesnt equate enjoyment. You can buy ticket for something and come away massively dissapointed. Like criticism is part of watching a movie. Friday night at freddys was successful and people loved it and at the same time people were also critiquing it saying how it could have been better and what was lacking despite being box office successful. Like I said tom has charisma and I wished the director utilized , its not even a bad take this is common complaint for the film.

Im sorry that this isnt a space for that conversation here. I regret being paet of tbis fandom, I literally just gonna focus on other things in my life. The convos here arent even worth it, so much more important things to focus on. But not liking something and then it being framed as me hating tom is silly when I never said tom is bad actor or dumb for picking uncharted or discredited the films box office success.

Anon, you're perfectly welcome to your own opinions on my blog. That doesn't mean that everyone will agree. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I just think that a lot of Tom fans (including myself), are just a little sick and tired of so-called fans constantly nitpicking about Tom, or every single project that he does.

It's one thing to be generally positive and list a few areas that you feel need improvement, vs having smthg to complain about regarding him and his career just about every single WEEK. 🥴 The latter just gets old. 😩

And honestly? I feel like he gets a lot of unnecessary pressure and complaining than needed.

Instead of fans being happy for a POSSIBLE new project for him, a lot of you all have been complaining about how you hated the first movie. 😭

I mean, you don't have to like every single movie your fave does, but isn't it easier to just watch the films you want to see and just ignore the ones you don't? 👀

Anyway, I think some fans are just a bit sensitive because of the unnecessary nitpicking.

If you're not an anti, then thank you for clarifying that for us.

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roughdaysandart · 2 months

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Too giddy NOT to share my edit of the smut from ch 5!

I am so happy with how this revised script for the comic turned out but jesus christ i think i spent at least 5 hours editing it, but im so glad i could keep alot of the dialouge while adding a super meaninngful message/point in the sequence. I wouldnt consider it an entireley new piece of work though im not sure, because the original message of RD dialoge and such is still there so i hope it doesnt seem like im insertin goto much or somehow taking away from the story? Im trying my best with what I got people, theres only so much smut you can hide before it becomes an entireley new scene

original: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21651097/chapters/52366960

*Tb= thought/speech bobble note/conversion

*Nar Sq= make/convert to narrative square

I will link the original ch 5 (or its also on @no-droids page), but will only paste the part i heavily edited (basically the last part) for your reading pleasure! ok so without furthur adeu..

----------------------------------------------------

Rough Day by @no-droids: Abridged for Christian Roomates by Roughdaysandart

Chapter 5: Of metal and Men (or at least the last half of it)

“Excuse me,” you say after a second, trying your best to sound appalled. You carefully remove the death gauntlets with your hands extended as far away from your face as possible, fingers spread and thumb held completely rigid in position. “Are you actually laughing at the fact that I almost just died horrifically in front of you?”

“Stars, just—” he lifts his head back up to look at you, “—come ‘ere. You’re worse than the kid is, I swear.”

You slowly stand up, and the boots are so big around your ankles that you don’t even have to kick them off, you can just leave them there in position on the floor as you lift your feet and begin walking over to him.

TB: HA-you just got me on an off day, i've got battle wounds still healing everywhere.“I’ll have you know I am a fierce bounty hunter—”

“Terrifying,” he mutters, and you’re about halfway done untying his cape when you get close enough for him to reach out and snatch the bottom of it, swiftly yanking you down on top of him and removing the fabric from your throat at the same time. He ignores your dramatic choking noise, catching your flailing body with barely a grunt. “Craziest in the guild. Your first kill was yourself.”

“Yeah, I—ack!” you giggle as he immediately flips you around, downright shocked at the ease with which he maneuvers you back to the ground and leans closer into your immediate view, “haha—I bring them in warm, or I bring them in–HWA–.”

“Stop,” you can (NAR SQ:) hear his smile through the helmet

He catches each of your wrists and moves them aside. You both stay like that for an unknown amount of time, but likely just a few seconds, something catching in the dim air.

“Know something?” Mando starts.

“Wait—” you try to wiggle upwards at noticing the fresher’s light still intruding on the hull. It’s futile, of course, because (TB): probably your entire body weight is now on you with his ammo belt as it slings around your chest. “Wait, h-hang on—the fresher’s still open.”

“So?”

“....So I can see you right now with the light, and I liked—” .

NAR SQ: You want to say that you liked–no, just needed to hear and feel his voice in moments like this, like before, his real voice. Soft but rhythmic in its tone, not having nearly as much of its fullness conveyed against your ears by the modulator. And how much you craved it in that way. Likely, noone has heard his voice in decades, and so you feel connected, that much more intimate with him because of it.; even when you're not touching, the unfiltered words feel like an unseen extension of him that you want to have here, right now, as his face is so achingly close to yours.

Is the reciprocal true, too? Is it just as exotic and healing, just as addicting for him? Taking off his helmet, his creed, not just for you, but for his own enjoyment too? Having that closeness….

…..only with you?

“…I-I liked—”

“Do you want me to take my helmet off?” “Hm? Or do you want to stay like this?”

It takes you a second to realize (TB:) he’s waiting for an answer.

“Uh—” (TB:) Stars, what kind of harrowing, existentially crippling question is this? Is he serious? Of course you want it off, doesn't he too? But the entirety of your being refuses to move a muscle from here, risk leaving this fragile moment for anything at all, even with that desire for his voice. “Uhhhh…” You legitimately feel torn, blinking up at the visor and noticing the struggle blatantly written all over your reflection. (TB:) Why in Maker’s name would he put this on you?

“I know you want it off” he admits quietly, and you flick your eyes to look at him slowly.

“Yeah but, wait–” you start to get up, freeing a hand from his press to support the lift upwards “—let me turn off the light. Please.” But his continued grip on your other wrist keeps it and you sitting on the ground.

“But I want to see you right now” he says, letting out a tsk in playful dissaproval, “and you still want it off, you trying to make me break my code?”

“Never. Just…..look at me when we go up later instead, and all the other times were out, j-just take your helmet off while we still can now. ”

“No, I want to see you now. First. We’re almost to Corellia, and I’m not risking my life on another hunt until I can remember every detail of you before I go for Maker knows how long again.”

“You decide that timeline,” you remind him, surprised at the ease in which his arm, still clasping your other wrist, gives in when you maneuver it with your free hand, just upwards between your chests.

“No way you're seeing me any good with the ship's lights, even with all of them on. You’ll be able to see me best once we get there if that's what you want, and it’ll be faster too.” You firmly hold his forearm up as he continues to grip your other wrist, your sternness and posture completely contradicting your uncoordinated and awkward demeanor from before.

You're both hunched in facing each other with the position, each pair of legs triangled and shifting to adjust whenever your entwined arms and hands slightly move up or down. Like a game of arm-wrestling…only on the ground, in the dark, and with absolutely zero consideration for size-matching.

“But I don't want it to be faster,” he counters, “I want to see you now and take you in before I’m gone. You don't like that?”

His arm goes to guide your wrist back down, but halts at the unexpected resistance you give and you stare into what you know are his eyes through the visor, him surely seeing yours clearly with the fresher light now dimly illuminating your face.

“You see me all the time. I don't get this except for a few hours a day, if even. So who needs what more, hmm?”

NAR SQ: You know nonverbal communication gets things through to him easier. After all, words are not his forte, and he almost never speaks to others besides you and the kid. And though you're entirely out of your opponent's weight-class, you know you can go toe to toe with him in other ways, And you're determined to redeem yourself after how you embarrassed yourself with that fall earlier.

“I have to earn credits somehow, I can’t just—” he abruptly cuts himself off when you suddenly exert a force to the left, jerking both of your arms a little outwards, “—I… I-I can’t just stay on this ship with you f-forever and… and…” Mando spouts, sounding more dumbfounded after the unexpected change in direction, missing a second before adjusting his hold back to its original place between you both.

NAR SQ: You know he is ridiculously strong, unimaginably stronger than you no doubt, and could just force your hand down in an instant, stop the discussion altogether no questions asked, but he doesn't. Your stark change in attitude seemingly distracts his mind enough for him to forget that fact. His arm just stays suspended and rigid, only twitching downwards whenever your strength manages to lift the entanglement of arms slightly.

��You can do whatever you want” you reason. “Whenever you want. That was made clear before. All I’m asking is that right now, you let me have you to myself in the dark a little while longer. Is that okay?”

You twist inward and clasp the unwavering forearm tighter, matching your mouth’s escalating boldness with increasing grip and force beyond your feat of already supporting the heavy weight of his arm in addition to his comparatively small resistance against yours. It’s not hard enough to hurt him (as if you could), just enough to slightly waiver the vertical direction he is struggling to remember to sustain, but also hard enough that your curled fingers and nails will likely leave some sort of mark on his exposed, only human skin, thick leather gloves and impenetrable Beskar no longer a factor.

Nobody will ever be able to see such marks, but somehow that makes it even funnier. A secret only you and him know. Next time he scares off a crowd of locals, he’ll be wearing your signet under his armor. It's a laughably small battle scar, nothing close to those from years of bloody victories littering his skin, but you figure it'll probably mean more to him than any of them ever would.

“Is that okay?” You ask him once more, trying your best to sound sweet as the pressure in your forearm rises. “Will you let me turn off the light, Mando?”

“ack—” he grits“—why are you—why do you always make everything s-so much better and worse for me?”

“Didn't you hire me to make it better for you and the kid?” you tell him.

“Not like this,” he remarks, tipping his head. “Not—not everything, n-not all the time.”

“Keep talking,” you half-giggle, grunted voice revealing the amount of effort you didn't realize you were exerting, and you adjust your neck and posture inward with the tension, hunching to still keep eye contact with the visor. “I like hearing you talk, you don't do it enough.”

NAR SQ: Not nearly enough

A moment of silence follows,and (TB:) you wonder if he didn't hear that last bit at all. But on the chance that he is just as stunned as you are at your brazenness, you decided to press.

“You’re so tense, do you want me to stop?” you force with a grin, trying to ignore your now straining muscles.

“I want to see you bef–,” he grits in meager defiance. “You—you can’t just talk nice and expect me t—”

You look up at him further, “Just let me turn off the light Mando, I'll be quick, I promise” you murmur, blinking up at him. “Please?”

“T-That bad, h-huh?”

“L-let me–ack–,"your muscles burn with searing pain,"p–phrase it l-like this,” but you're too invested to think about anything but just speaking. “I-I’d gouge my eyes out if it meant you'd take it off right now, even with the fresher light on.”

Mando’s helmet swings to the side and bobs, and you just know the look on his face must be more priceless than it already is. Immediately the intentional tension in his arm gives as he stutters, “you–what the–w-what? WHAT?”

The sudden absence of resistance means that your force instantly lifts his arm along and your captive wrist, instantly relieving the bottled up pressure in your arms, as well as the pressure built and burst by your outrageous remark.

NAR SQ: And now you laugh at him.

An explosive, stomach-curling laugh that is only amplified by your shortened breath and adrenaline, sometime managing to breath out that you cant believe that got him. Right there in his face, and eventually forcing you to roll on your back, only your grasp on his outstretched forearm grounding you to reality. A deep roar coming from your chest then moving higher in your throat as you gradually manage to compose yourself after what must have been at least 30 seconds. Though the hypoxia and subsequent giggles don't leave any time soon.

When you brush your hair from your eyesight, you can tell Mando’s arms are slumped over his bent legs. You can tell he's trying to look unamused at his defeat, despite the fact that neither of you can see each other well right now, but know that he's laughing too with the way you see the silhouette of his chest bounce as he studies your shameless victory-cry on the floor.

“Keep doing that and you'll be emptying the fresher” he eventually warns, though his voice sounds nothing close to as serious and unamused as his shadowed posture would like to convey.

You inhale and strain to slow your breathing as you pull yourself back to sit and face him again, practically gasping for air. “Wait,wait,wai-” you inhale deeply, catching as much oxygen as you can this time, ”I’m sorry-ha-.” You then finally release his forearm, only now realizing you were the only one with any grip anymore. “That’s got to be the least threatening thing you’ve ever said to someone, I think.”

“Not able to scare you off, apparently. Most people run from me.”

“Nope. Told you I wouldn’t, remember? Back on Cantonica.” you take a moment to scoot yourself closer, his neck bending to adjust to the change. “I’m also the craziest bounty hunter in the guild, so. Look.” You lift up to show him. “I even have an ammo belt, see? It holds all of the bullets, for all of my guns that I have.”

His hand slowly comes up and you think he’s going to grab the band of leather across your chest to either take it off you or pull you forward with it, but then he just grabs the bend between your neck and shoulder to gently squeeze it instead.

“...You’re beautiful.”

Your breath catches. You blink twice at him, your heart suddenly thundering under his hold.

“When you're sleep deprived or delirious, when you're awake and way too clever like this, whenever you're just talking to me or the kid.”

His large hand around your bend gently pulls your torso up against his, the other coming to make its way over your other arm and resting on your upper back.

NAR SQU: The world would have you believe he’s a monster, a lifeless droid or cold-blooded creature under all his drapes and metal exterior. But the warm body softly embracing you right now reinforces what you already know. He’s just a man. Alive, like you. His touch giving you life, just as much life as his unmodulated voice does, the only thing keeping you apart being just metal, which just so happens to perfectly fit the shape of your cheek.

“When I can see you or in complete darkness. You’re beautiful.”

You stare at the fresher light past him as your head is cradled in the crook of his neck, any sense of thought going numb at the softest, warmest feeling you think you've ever felt deep in your chest.

NAR SQU: You think—for one ludicrous, insane second, you think that the enormous swelling in your chest literally transfers itself up to your brain and causes you to have an aneurysm right there. But nope—it’s just

The entire hull starting to violently shift and shake, swerving sideways and jerking upwards with rapid, unpredictable shifts in gravity.

You’re ungracefully thrown on, over and past, him towards the side of the hull like a ragdoll in the chaos, trying to find some sort of stable ground when you accidentally knee him in his side with the end of the turbulent shift. Mando grunts and is thrown against you when the ship immediately veers the other way, the sudden impact of him squishing you against the hull wall crushing your lungs and making it impossible to breathe with the brutal changes in g-force. Did he—did he leave the baby in the cockpit?

……He left the baby in the cockpit.

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