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coraniaid · 10 months

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“In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the demons, the vampires, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.”

All but two of the first eight episodes of this season have opened with these words, or with a minor variation on them. At this point the show is still somewhat finding its feet – and trying to expand its audience – and they’re an efficient way of quickly getting new viewers up to speed with what to expect from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

So, right before the opening theme plays us in, over suitably spooky establishing footage of tombstones and occult symbols, the off-screen voice of Rupert Giles lets the uninitiated know what to expect from the next forty-five minutes of television. This little speech sets out the core premise of the show, simply and plainly. Buffy is the Slayer, the Chosen One, and she stands alone. Unique.

There’s just one small problem. That little speech isn’t true.

It hasn’t been true, we learn in What’s My Line?, since Buffy’s temporary death at the hands of the Master. It hasn’t been true since a new Slayer was called to replace her: Kendra, who we meet for the first time this episode. It will never be true again. The show will run for 144 episodes in total, and Buffy will only ever have been the unique, singular “Chosen One” for 12 of them. Buffy is a Slayer. That’s still true. But she’s never going to be the Slayer again.

Kendra’s very existence represents a fundamental alteration to the core premise of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Something that forces a reconsideration of just what Buffy’s life might have in store. Maybe Buffy isn’t in this fight alone after all. Maybe she has a choice about whether she fights at all. Maybe she can quit, if she wants to.

In the middle of the first half of this two-parter, Buffy reminds Giles that “there can only be one. As long as I’m alive, there is no-one else.” But by the end of the second half, she’s learned that she’s wrong. Yes, being a Slayer is still part of who she is – she never does take six months off to go to Disneyland, the way she suggests to Willow that she might –, but it doesn’t have to be as isolating and lonely as everyone’s been telling her. To paraphrase her final conversation with Kendra: she’s still a freak, but now she knows she’s not the only freak.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the audience’s understanding of the show is completely changed after the end of this episode.

In future episodes, we will go on to meet many more Slayers other than Buffy: both previous Slayers and potential Slayers yet to be called. Buffy’s initial awkwardness with Kendra – her conflicted feelings about not being Sunnydale’s only Chosen One; their arguments over the proper relationship between Slayer and Watcher and whether Buffy is right to try to maintain some semblance of a normal life; the fact they disagree about Buffy’s romantic attachment to Angel and the question of whether the people Buffy cares about matter more than “the mission” – will turn out to anticipate so much of what will happen in the next five seasons of the show. The very spell used as a resolution of the show’s seventh season in Chosen would be unthinkable in an alternate world where Buffy had never gotten to meet Kendra and so realized that different Slayers could coexist after all.

You might think that all this makes Kendra important. You might think it makes her somebody that the show wants us to care about. You might – at the very least – hope she’ll get to appear in a couple more episodes. You might think Buffy and all the other Slayers we’ll meet down the road would talk about Kendra now and then, if – for some reason – she isn’t around herself.

On the other hand, you might have watched the show before.

So you might know that Kendra will only appear in one more episode, months from now, an episode that she will not survive. You might know that, apart from a very brief mention in a single scene of an early season 3 episode, Kendra’s name will never be spoken out loud again after the end of this season.

Of all the seven recurring human characters the show has introduced so far this season – Jonathan, Devon and Oz in Inca Mummy Girl, Larry and Ethan in Halloween, Kendra herself and sleazy bartender Willy the Snitch in this two-parter – one (not Kendra) will still be making appearances on the show in its final season. Of the ones that don’t, two others (neither of them Kendra) will still be being talked about on screen in that final season. Along the way, one of the seven will be added to the opening cast (not Kendra), one will be the center of an entire episode (not Kendra), and most of the others will appear or be mentioned in over a dozen episodes each (but not Kendra).

More than half of them will still be alive as of the show’s final episode, and all but two of them will still be appearing in the show in its fourth season, two years from now. Just one of them won’t make it as far as the year 1999. Just one of them will only appear in one episode after What’s My Line? Just one of them will be dead before the season is over.

(Whether or not there are any other noticeable differences between Kendra and these six white men is left entirely as an exercise to the reader.)

It seems bizarre, finishing a rewatch of What’s My Line? in 2023, to realize that I have already seen the majority of episodes Kendra will appear in. She does at least get to make a little bit more of an impression than some of the other Buffy analogues this season has introduced, like the woman pretending to be Ampata Gutierrez in Inca Mummy Girl or Sheila Martini in School Hard. But honestly, not that much more. Perhaps her biggest contribution to the lore of the show will be gifting Buffy her lucky stake; a sharpened bit of inanimate dead wood whose name will be spoken on screen far past the point that Kendra’s herself ever is.

Now, as it happens, I like What’s My Line? quite a bit. The world of the show feels better defined than ever, there seems to be a definite improvement in both the special effects and the fight choreography and the plot is actually rather fun. With Dru (apparently) taking over from Spike as the season’s Big Bad, with Oz and Willow finally meeting face to face and with the arrival of new writer Marti Noxon (who will go on to have a huge impact on the future direction of the show, writing several of its very best episodes) it’s really starting to feel like everything is firing on all cylinders.

School Hard ended with Spike announcing the show’s plans for “a little less ritual, and a little more fun”. After a bit of a bumpy start, I think the last few episodes have definitely given us that.

In fact I think (taking the two parts as a single whole), What’s My Line? is one of the better episodes of the show so far. Perhaps not a truly great one, but a very promising sign of things to come.

But for Kendra, at least, it’s a promise that won’t ever be delivered on. Buffy rescues Angel but fails to stop Spike restoring Drusilla, and it’s Kendra who will go on to pay the price. The writers introduce this paradigm-altering new character … and then they rapidly lose any interest in her.

It’s perhaps a sign of how little the show cares about Kendra as a character or what her existence implies for the world of the show that, skipping ahead to the next episode, we’re greeted by something familiar. “In every generation,” the off-screen voice of Rupert Giles solemnly tells us at the start of Ted, “There is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the demons, the vampires, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.”

Kendra isn’t even dead yet, and already the show wants us to forget she exists.

#btvs #buffy rewatch 2023

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oneinathousand · 11 months

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In 2020, there was a documentary hosted by Viktor Andrienko called The Star of David Cherkassky which went over his career and all his projects, I haven’t found any English subtitles for it, so I don’t know what they were talking about, yet I was intrigued by one section where they showed what I assume were some Radna Sakhaltuev storyboards from Treasure Island 1988 for a scene that wasn’t animated:

So it looks like Silver finds either Flint’s actual treasure or some other treasure, he goes to Las Vegas, brings back women, money, and wine, then the pirates and heroes get along with each other?

If anyone who’s seen this documentary knows that these were for, whether it be a deleted scene, an alternate ending, a commercial, or for some sequel project, let me know. You can watch the documentary here (the part showing these storyboards starts about 1 hour and 3 minutes in): https://youtu.be/jNSEMXVkMJs

youtube

One of these days I gotta get somebody to translate the full thing cause I’m sure there’s all sorts of trivia in there. Oh, they also show some more footage from the unfinished movie “Crazy Macaroni”, so that’s cool.

#treasure island 1988 #ostrov sokrovishch #Остров сокровищ #David Cherkassky #soviet animation #animation storyboards

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moltz23 · 6 months

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Did a Potential Overhaul in the Post-Timeskip Cutscenes mess up with 3H's Development? - Development Mystery/Theory

Back in 2021, Nintendo released a video called Fire Emblem : Vol 1 to celebrate the franchise's 30th anniversary. And around 30:35, the video shows the 3H Movie "Rematch", used for Chapter 17 of the Azure Moon and Verdant Wind routes.

With a catch.

It's not the same one that ended up on the final game:

A glimpse into an alternate reality?

People went wild back when they noticed Edelgard and Claude in this version are using the outfits of their Emperor & Barbsrossa classes rather than the Armored Lord and Wyvern Master ones seen in the game we got, leading to much speculation surrounding what this meant for Three Houses. And it goes without saying that, while unseen, fans suspect that Dimitri uses his Great Lord outfit rather than the High Lord's in this version. So... The heck is up with this movie???

Well, as uncovered by VincentASM from sereneforest.net, it's highly likely this take of the movie shown in the promotional Nintendo/FE video is from an early build of the game. A build so early, that Edelgard skin and eyes were more saturated, and characters still didn't use unique palettes when using generic classes (which was incidentally used in February's JP Nintendo Direct of 2019).

Your call as for which version looks better.

It doesn't just end there though; if Three Houses' datamine is anything to go by - namely, the internal order the classes have in the code - we can find evidence that can answer why the endgame lord classes were used in this variation rather than the "middle ones" early on: simply put, Armored Lord, High Lord, and Wyvern Master did not exist during most of 3H' development. In turn, this explains why the Flame Emperor Class - Edelgard's enemy-only class for Part 1 - is internally, a model swap of her Emperor class rather than Armored Lord's: the latter didn't exist during development of Part 1, so Emperor was used as a base instead.

With this evidence uncovered and the answer giving resolution to the promotional footage shown, hopes waned down for the future of 3H, and everyone moved on.

This raises two questions I haven’t seen anyone point out before, though.

How much (if any) did this change mess up the post-timeskip movies? Is it the reason why the Silver Snow Theorem happened?

To explain these inquiries further, I'll go into greater detail about each one:

1. Two Types of Animated Movies.

Corporate needs you to find the differences between these two pictures.

Three Houses uses 2 types of animated movies for important scenes. The first one (see the one on the left), was done in-house by KT through pre-rendering shenanigans with the 3H engine. Meanwhile, the second one (on the right) was outsourced to SANZIGEN.

The distinction between both is relevant because the movie showcased in the FE Castle Conversations video - as well its final version - belong to the former category. Meaning that, should the character designs get tweaked during development, in the best case scenario, as far IS & KT were concerned, swapping models should be enough to keep things up to date, which might as well be what happened with the "Rematch" movie once the House Leader's main post-timeskip designs were swapped.

But what about tweaking the other type of movies, though? The ones commissioned to the animation studio? I can't imagine the whole process being cheap in their case, more so given that 8 out of the 11 movies commissioned to SANZIGEN feature the 3H lords post-timeskip:

What's important here is that ☆ = Doesn't feature any 3H lord in any capacity.

Granted, the smartest course of action in this instance would've been to simply commission the post-timeskip movies near the end of development to avoid consistency/revision issues, for which there is a plausible chance that’s the case. After all, in the E3 2018 trailer for the game - which was the first instance we ever saw footage of it - the only animated movie outsourced seen was the one from the intro.

But... What if that’s not the case?

Call me paranoid if you want, but I raise this worry for a reason-

2. "The Theorem of What?????"

Love this banner so much.

A few months ago I did a breakdown on how 3H distributes it's movies across routes, and if there's anything that stood up a ton besides the predictable stuff, is that the game followed a clear pattern which determined which routes would get the most movies, versus which ones would get screwed instead. In my breakdown, I coined this pattern "The Silver Snow Theorem" which proposes the following:

"The amount of movies and fullscreen CGs present in a route’s main story by Part 2, is directly and inversely proportional respectively, to how much the narrative follows Silver Snow’s story beats."

And as a refresher, Silver Snow matters to the development of Three Houses because: A. That's the first route the developers worked on; and B. was used as the basis for the other 3:

Which route specifically did you create in the beginning to establish the world-building? Kusakihara: It was one of the two paths in the Empire route—the one fans refer to as the “church route”: “Silver Snow” [...] afterwards, we had Koei Tecmo’s scripting team start work on the nitty-gritty of the other house leaders and the story of their respective routes.

While Silver Snow having this much influence over the Part 2 movies is noticeable in hindsight, truth be told, I did initially brush it off as just a side effect of being used as a template for development. Looking back now though, a part of me now wonders if the Part 2 movies were first commissioned once Silver Snow was late into development and AM and VW had been already decided to borrow a ton from the route’s first half. Because if that’s the case, then there might have been cutscenes outsourced to SANZIGEN that did feature Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude with their second post-timeskip lord classes rather than one ones fans are most familiar with.

But then, it was decided during development that the house leaders would rather use different outfits instead. And this might have caused problems with budget since changing those outsourced cutscenes ain’t an easy task compared to the ones KT made in-house.

Like, seriously.

Goes without saying that all this is merely conjecture. But I feel it’s worth making the question because, to reiterate, the Silver Snow Theorem highlights that the more a route follows Silver Snow’s story beats to a tee, the more animated cutscenes (and less CGs) it gets. And given evidence points out the lord’s main post-timeskip classes fans are familiar with were a late addition… I guess y’all know where I’m going by now.

I usually don’t make threads focusing on fan theories and stuff, but this has been in my mind for a long while so I wanted to see what you guys think about it. Do you think more movies with the lord’s 2nd classes got made before the outfit swap was made? Or perhaps the issue the devs ran with that caused the Silver Snow Threorem might be due to something else entirely…? Also, what's y'all's opinion on SANZIGEN's movies compared to the ones done by KT?

#fire emblem #fe3h #fire emblem 3 houses #fire emblem: three houses #theory #fan theory #development #trivia #crimson flower #azure moon #verdant wind #silver snow #edelgard von hresvelg #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #claude von riegan #khalid

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duhragonball · 1 month

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Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth

This one's gonna be pretty quick, but I wanted to get it out of the way before I tackled End of Evangelion.

All right, so the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series (1995-1996) was a success, and there was also a strong fan demand for a different ending. I'm pretty sure fans thought the original ending in Episodes 25 and 26 was an incoherent mess, but maybe they were more supportive about it. Anyway, those two factors led to the release of the first NGE movie, Death and Rebirth, in March 1997.

The movie is actually two smaller movies and both of them are kind of bullshit. The first half, Death, is just a trumped up clip show, which is pretty rich considering how much footage they already recycled making Episodes 14, 25, and 26. The second half, Rebirth is actually all-new material that serves as an alternate ending, but only the first 25 minutes' worth of that ending. This 25 minute segment ends on a cliffhanger, and it would air again, along with the conclusion, in End of Evangelion, released in July 1997.

So really, Death and Rebirth was just an extended preview of End of Evangelion. A fan would have gone to the theater for D&R in March, and gotten a recap of the TV series, followed by the opening third of EoE. That would presumably whet the fans' appetite to come back in four months to see EoE in its entirety.

So in 1997, this was probably a cool idea. By that time, NGE had been off the air for about a full year, and fans might have appreciated a highlight reel of all the big moments from the series before diving into the next thing. And seeing 25 minutes of a new episode doesn't sound like such a bad deal either.

But, it's 2024, and from my vantage this just comes across like a cheap stunt. It looks a lot like End of Evangelion was the movie they wanted to make all along, but they couldn't get it finished in time, so they slapped together what they had and padded it out with old clips. Then they released End of Evangelion as they had originally intended, but this way they got their fans to pay twice for that same 25 minutes of footage.

Any way you slice it, there's not much of value in Death and Rebirth. The first portion is just clips from the TV series, and the second portion is just the first portion of End of Evangelion. What does that leave?

Well, a little. I think this "found footage" clip from Misato's dad's lab is new? I could be wrong. There's not much to it. You hear people talking about stuff and then everyone gets upset because Adam is awakening or something, and then Second Impact happens.

There's also a bit with Kaji and Asuka talking while they're en route to Japan. Kaji tells her that one of the other Eva pilots is a boy, but she doesn't care about boys her own age, all she wants is Kaji.

There's a framing sequence where the Eva pilots each show up to the empty theater from Episodes 25 and 26, and they prepare to play classical music. Shinji's on cello, and I can barely tell what the others are even doing. It's all meaningless filler disguised as some sort of powerful, meaningful thing.

I think this is new footage of Unit 00 removing the Lance of Longinus from Adam Lilith's body. When the lance comes out, the bottom half of Lilith expands and grows into a pair of humanoid legs, as opposed to the bulbous mass of many teeny legs.

Maybe this was in the TV episode, but I feel like I would have remembered seeing this before.

Also new, maybe? This scene of Clownshoes talking to Yui Ikari and baby Shinji. He isn't keen on SEELE and their predicted scenario of Third Impact happening in the next ten years. Yui's a member of SEELE, and she assures him that they're just trying to ensure that Third Impact happens in a way that humanity will survive and be prepared for. Clownshoes also says that he basically got an offer he can't refuse from SEELE, which is why he's reluctantly helping them. And mybe this was in Episode 21, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't because I remember wondering when and how Clownshoes joined up and being irritated that a scene like this didn't exist to spell it out.

Oh, here's that suitcase with the embryonic Angel in it, remember that? Gendo called it "Adam" when Kaji delivered it, and I didn't understand this. Then they called the big white angel on the cross "Adam", except it turned out to be Lilith. Well, what they did was they shrank Adam down into embryo form so he'd be easier to move around. This also had the benefit of keeping him hidden when the other Angels attacked NERV in search of him. We found out Lilith was kept on the cross as sort of a decoy, but where was the real Adam, then?

Uh, in this guy's hand? I guess? They never show whose hand this is, but it just occurred to me that Gendo always wears gloves, and there were a couple of battles in the TV show where things were looking pretty dicey and he got up to leave his command post. Maybe he was trying to keep Adam away from the intruding Angel during those moments.

We also get a clip of Kaji greeting whoever shot him, but instead of the gunshot we hear a slap, and then Shinji telling Asuka that Kaji is gone. She refuses to believe it.

After that, things pretty much wrap up with the final battle against the 17th Angel. That segment is basically a quick rundown of Episode 24, but the stuff before that is a jumbled collage. I think they tried to organize it thematically. A bunch of Shinji stuff, then Asuka moments, then Rei moments, and so on. When I first learned about this movie, I assumed the Death portion was like an abridged treatment of the TV show, but it really isn't. This would be a terrible way to introduce a new viewer to the franchise. All the big important story beats are included, but in a jumbled order, often with no context. It's designed for a fan to watch and go "Yeah, I remember when that happened."

Anyway, the kids wrap up their music practice and exit the stage. Whatever.

Then there's an intermission clock before the Rebirth feature starts. Cute. I made sure to take a screenshot of the clock on 4:20, because that's the weed number. Ha ha, can you imagine what it would be like if everyone in Evangelion was high? On weed? The NERV logo would be green, and instead of a maple leaf it would be a marajuana leaf, because that's the weed plant! And when they get in their entry plug, they would be full of bongwater, and it would be green from all the weed molecules in it. Instead of LCL fluid, they would call it "THC fluid", amirite? Also Shinji and Asuka would be a lot less upset all the time.

After that, Rebirth starts, but I'm not going to get into that here. We'll save it all for End of Evangelion, since the whole thing is supposed to be there. It might take me a little longer to write that up, but I'm sure it'll be ready this weekend. Doncha dare miss it!

#neon genesis evangelion #2024ngeliveblog #death and rebirth #shinji ikari #asuka langley soryu #rei ayanami #yui ikari #clownshoes #yeah i guess that's about it

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starseneyes · 1 year

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Chenford REWIND- Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 5 - Ep 1

That's right, folks, I've been talked into going back to the beginning of Season 5 (which is when I was first talked into watching this show... I'm sensing a theme, here).

SPOILER ALERT: This is going to spoil the entirety of Episode 1 of Season 5, and may reference past The Rookie episodes and Chenford moments. Please abandon ship NOW if you don't want spoilers.

Episode 1 of Season 5 was juicy, but it was also heartbreaking in a number of ways. What do I mean? Well... I'll tell you... after the "Keep reading"...

Previously On... Snogging Your Boss

To catch everyone up, Season 4 ended with Tim and Lucy awkward with one another after they lip-locked while attempting to get under the skin of their alter-egos, Dim and Juicy. That was a delicious scene, but we're in Season 5, now, so let's see where Lucy is...

Dreaming of Said Lip-Lock

Lucy is smiling in her sleep thinking not of her "work in progress"... but of her SO (who she wants to be her SO... if you know what I mean).

I've gone back and forth on whether this is an un-used take, or whether it was shot for the episode. Perhaps one of y'all can illuminate, if you know.

But with the track-around shot being so bloody perfect, and no signs that this alternate angle was used in any of the footage that we see in Season 4's finale, I keep thinking it was shot just for Lucy's dream.

Lucy Chen is having a sexy dream about Tim Bradford. (that one's for my Miggy mutuals out there).

Not only that, but she's making him a little more assertive in her dream... cupping her face with his hand, pushing the kiss deeper as her lips part. Lucy wants Tim to take charge. Yowza!

The knock at her door coincides with the door-interruption in her dream, and Lucy wakes rudely, shaken from the very nice feeling dream. (and then she shakes a very flimsy bed that will need an upgrade if Tim and Lucy are ever to share it... just sayin')

Tamara opens the door (can't believe Tamara c*ck-blocked Chenford in two different episodes in two different realities back-to-back), and steps in. She's worried about her Mom/Roommate.

"I could blow off class, if you want. We could go shopping. See a movie." "I'll be fine. I'm not going to be anywhere near Rosalind. Tim and I are station-bound waiting for the phone to ring." "On your undercover thing?" "Yeah, the original go-time fell through and it's just been radio silent ever since."

Thank you, expositionary dialogue, for helping catch us up. Look, it's one of those necessary evils, sometimes, when you're trying to quickly bring viewers up to speed. Some people can do it well, and some people really can't.

My husband is a huge Star Trek fan. I mean, I'm a fan... he puts the fanatic in fan, if you know what I mean. He has a USS Hood hoodie, for goodness sake.

Anyway, he once learned that there were certain actors who were given all the expositionary dialogue on Star Trek: The Next Generation because others totally botched it. I'll let you figure out who.

Here, with confirmations, affirmations, and back-and-forth dialogue, we've gotten through that a little smoother than if one person monologued it for us.

"This the same undercover thing you and Tim were discussing the other night?"

Mom just got called for making out with her "friend" by her daughter. Yikes! And while Lucy's face screws up trying to determine which emotion to display, Tamara watches, the teenage snark at the ready for anything her Mom uses to deflect.

"I already told you, that kiss didn't mean anything." "Right. Right. It was for the case! Make out. Stop crime. That totally tracks."

Thank God I wasn't drinking anything the first time I heard this line, because I would have spat it clear across the room in a fine spray of incredulity.

Because Tim and Lucy weren't just kissing, there. That kiss had several distinct mouth movements of deepening from lips colliding, to smoothing into it, to a breath of air before diving deeper for more.

Tim was about to go fishing for Lucy's tongue if that door hadn't opened.

Lucy has a lot going on. We know from end of Season 4 that she's aware of her growing feelings for Tim. Watching him fake his engagement struck an unexpectedly dissonant cord.

But that doesn't mean she's ready to face them. Tim having Ashley and her having Chris helps create a boundary... right?

"Go to school!" "Okay. Well, have a great day. With your boss. Who you kissed."

Lucy can try to deny it all she wants, but when Tamara walked in the other night, Lucy's hands were on Tim's chest. Her eyes were closed. His hands were on her arm, and they were decidedly not sharing a peck. They were snogging, and it would have been a while before they stopped—if they stopped—had Tamara not walked in.

And Lucy's been trying not to think about that. Look at how she squirms when Tamara walks out.

Because, while we know that Tim had his Moment of Realization when he left Lucy's sight, she has no idea about any of that.

She knows that they tried to talk about it at work the next day, and he didn't mention anything between them. So, she's compartmentalized that it's all in her head... not knowing he's done the exact same thing.

Because while Tim and Lucy can be very different people, there are places in their lives where they align like mirrored puzzle pieces, designed to fit together, yet unaware until they shift into the right positions (heh).

Both of them are rationalizing, burying, and trying to pretend it meant nothing. For one thing, they're both with other people right now, and neither is a fan of cheating. Secondly, this is a big deal.

Tim hasn't dated within the Station since his wife, and they were Rookies together. Lucy hasn't dated within the Station since she dated Nolan and she swore off cops as potential partners.

Not to mention their friendship that has built over the years. They're finally in a good place. Do they really want to risk this comfortable place where they've finally arrived? Is it worth it?

They don't know, yet. So, they're both spiraling.

"You kissed Lucy?"

Let's not pretend Angela doesn't know what's up. Girlfriend is a detective and she happens to be Tim's best friend. When he was spiraling because Caleb took Lucy, he called Angela. Why? He needed to talk it out.

And much as Tim used to complain about Lucy doing it in the Shop with her love life, he does the same thing... when it comes to Lucy.

Angela knows that Tim needs to talk it out because he's spiraling emotionally, and he doesn't handle that well on his own. So, he needs an outside perspective.

Keep in mind, this is days after their kiss. Tamara said, "the other day". So, not yesterday... but sometime in the last week or so. Tim hasn't been able to get Lucy's lips (and their taste) off his mind in days, so he is finally cracking and calling in Angela for the assist.

"No. No. Dim kissed Juicy. Okay? Or, Jake kissed Sava. Whatever."

Tim, honey, there's a river I need to tell you about... It's one I feel like you must've visited before called... DENIAL. You can't rationalize away feelings, Timmy, my boy. It doesn't work that way.

Angela's smirk game is PEAK at this moment. This is all she needed to know that Timothy is getting in his feels about his former Boot. And, let's be real, Angela knows a thing or two about feelings that can't be denied. She'll be the least judgy about all this... but she'll also be the most brutal in her teasing.

"The point is, we had to be comfortable going undercover, so we practiced being a couple." "How much did you practice?"

Angela Lopez, te amo. You are now my hermana and we're going to get along famously because you called Tim out so effortlessly. I always knew I liked you!

Tim is not happy with it. He really wants someone to agree with him and help him rationalize what he can't loosen from his head (and heart).

Kissing Lucy felt good. Kissing Lucy felt right. He didn't want to stop. He wanted to keep kissing her. And when Tamara walked in, he felt like he'd been caught. Why does he still feel that way?

Why can't he loose the feel of her arms in his hands, the smell of her skin to close to his, the taste of her mouth... and why is he still craving it?

The two of them faced a scare like this at the beginning of Season 4. Presumably, he wasn't dating Ashley, yet, when Lucy spent the night (or half a night) after Jackson's death and Angela's kidnapping.

He'd held her in his arms, then. And even when they'd separated, his left hand was still rubbing up and down, offering comfort as she looked up at him with those big eyes.

Feeling her breath on his neck, he'd abandoned ship faster than Billy Zane's character in Titanic. But he'd thought of her. Heck, we don't know if he might have been on his feet walking to her when he got Wesley's call as she was on her feet coming to him.

But that time he was able to push it down. Kissing her awakened something that's refusing to silence in his brain... an anxious hum that only quiets in the peace of her presence, her arms, her embrace.

Damnit. He never should have taken that UC assignment.

"It was just a kiss. Not that big of a deal." "Then why are we talking about it?"

He's begging her to say the same thing. This is the equivalent of Lucy's "Right?" when she really needs affirmation.

I mean, he doesn't even have a ready answer when Angela asks... and he deflects. Hard.

"Because, what if it wasn't just a kiss for her?"

See? I'm thinking about her not about me.

"You think Lucy has feelings for you?" "No."

And he means that. Tim Bradford doesn't believe Lucy could have feelings for him, that she could love him, that she would ever want to be with him.

And he's never thought about it seriously before, himself. But now it's getting harder and harder to ignore.

"Then she probably sees it how you do—just a weird thing you had to do for work." "Right."

And that's the part he didn't want affirmed... that Lucy feels nothing romantic for him, and it's all in his head.

That's what he believes. Tim has spent his life thinking he was un-loveable. First, my an abusive father. Then, a wife who abandoned him. A girlfriend who chose her dream job.

And, even now with Ashley, it's all wrong. He hates the beach and he's dating a lifeguard who wants to vacation at beaches.

He's trying to make it work because it's the most stable relationship he's had in a while... but it was always rocky and the cracks are becoming more apparent the more he ruminates on this Lucy situation.

Angela notes every second of Tim's discomfort.

"Timothy... do you have feelings for Lucy?" "No!"

Have we ever heard Tim's voice go that high? I'm struggling to remember, but I laughed aloud the first time I watched that and had to rewind to see the rest of the line, which is really all another rationalization.

"No, I'm dating Ashley, and Lucy is with Chris, and I'm her Superior Officer, so..." "All true. Not what I asked."

Because she doesn't need to ask. Angela knows why they are having this conversation, and Tim's growing increasingly frustrated because he wants to believe he doesn't have feelings for Lucy.

But he does... and it's getting harder to deny.

"What'd I miss?" "Nolan got a Golden Ticket."

Now I know Tim Bradford is in love because there was zero commentary on Lucy being late to roll call!

"Your lady squared away?" "Hell, no. You think we don't got lives of our own waiting around on some mystery gig?"

It's the debut of Lucy's take on Sava. Assertive, just like Nova. Just like Lucy.

"Yo. Davion's money." "Davion's handsy. Get someone else."

This isn't Chenford directly, but I love seeing how Tim's not as on top of the UC thing as Lucy. It's not a ding on Tim. It's simply a reminder that Lucy is a natural at this, and that she can manipulate the situation as needed.

Is it always successful? No. But she knew how to keep Tim and Jackson alive during the op when she was pulled over, and she's trying to spare them getting made here.

"Oh! Looking good, Juicy."

Look, I know it's Aaron saying it, but Tim's reacting, too. Look at his face, taking her in.

And it kills me that we don't get a good reverse on his reaction her thong comment. Kills me. I'd love to see Tim "No, I don't have feelings for Lucy" Bradford not react to the idea of the thong she is currently wearing.

"Airstrip. I thought this job was local." "It's not. That a problem?" "Yeah, that's a problem. I travel with three suitcases minimum. It requires precision to look this good."

Again, it didn't work, but Lucy was quick on that response. Lucy, maybe you should really pursue this UC stuff. You're pretty good at it!

Dim and Juicy Roll Up in Tamara's Car

The music's blaring, and Tim and Lucy have left themselves behind. They've slipped into the skin of two flirty, horny, lust-distracted ne'er-do-wells, and I am here for it.

Look, I know we all laughed at the beginning of their kiss scene because Tim and Lucy were so uncomfortable. Now, those who were still alive by the end of the scene know they are perfectly capable of getting coupley with a little prodding.

"You're late." "Yeah, well, our quickie wasn't so quick."

Lucy winds an arm around Tim's waist, and he wraps an arm around her shoulders, fitting against one another as though they'd done it a thousand times.

Tim is completely in her space, and though the clothes and personalities are borrowed, we get a sneak peek into a future Chenford. They just fit together so well!

"First, cell phones."

Lucy's POUT and how Tim immediately snaps to her. I'm convinced half of the reason he's so bloody convincing during this whole episode is because he's completely under her spell.

Yes, he did well running solo. But can you imagine if he'd run this op with Nyla or Angela? He might've pulled it off, but not to this degree of believability.

Tim and Lucy turn over their cell phones, and then they're right back to one another's embrace as Dim and Juicy forget anyone else is there.

And this is yet another glimpse at Tim and Lucy's future... Because some part of them is aching for this.

Right now, they can live vicariously through Dim and Juicy and pretend it's completely on the level. "It's not really US. It's THEM! We aren't doing anything wrong."

But it's all about how they feel, and that's quickly catching up with them.

Hands. Hands. HANDS!

Look, the scene where Lucy hands Tim a glass of champagne and drapes herself across me is choice. Lucy drapes herself over him, he wraps his arm around her waist, settling on her thigh, and she places her hand over his.

As he talks and his hands move, hers move with him, like a magnetic pull. They never practiced this. Because the second Tim and Lucy let go and give into the couple shtick, it brings out their natural rhythm.

"Rosalind Dyer escaped."

Sava disintegrates and Lucy is left stunning, sitting atop Tim's lap. Tim notes her shift immediately and grabs onto her hand, much as she grabbed onto his when he pulled her over during her first solo UC op. It's comfort.

While Lucy has led the way for their alter-egos, it's now Tim who comes up with the perfect excuse to get her alone (*ahem*) and invites Juicy to join the Mile High Club.

As the baddies roll their eyes at Dim and Juicy's antics, Tim gets a barely-held-together Lucy into the bathroom and away from their gazes.

Let's be real, any one of us would be reeling, too. The one time Lucy and Tim were in the presence of Rosalind Dyer together, that woman had Lucy spinning out in seconds. It took Tim—her fierce protector—to snap her out of it and silence the singing.

Now, that same fierce protector has to snap her out of it so they don't get massacred above the clouds. It's not a time for kid gloves... it's a time to get her head in the game, or cut their losses. He's not willing to risk Lucy's life for an op*.

*Keep this in mind later in the season

"I'm fine. I can do this." "No. No, you're not. I'm pulling the plug as soon as we land."

Because he knows her. She can't play him, anymore. Yes, there was a time she could get away with it, but he's staring in her eyes and he can feel the fear and anxiety flowing off of her.

"No. Look, the stakes are too high. This is our one chance at Madris. The news threw me for a second, but I'm... I'm fine. I can do this."

And while we all know (Tim included), Lucy is far from fine, he believes she can get her head in the game enough to see this through.

And we all know that's because he is helping her. She always knew that when it was too much for her to deal with, he'd be there to help. Maybe he didn't believe it at the time, but Lucy did. And she was right.

"Okay. Lucy, if you change your mind, you just say the word."

Tim is so commanding in this moment. It's not anything he's lording over her, no. But he's reminding us that he's the Sergeant in this situation, and he is not going to let her go down for an op.

"Wait." "What?" "We're supposed to be hooking up in here."

And that doe-eyed boy truly has no idea what's flying his way.

I'm reminded of Cary Grant's line to Audrey Hepburn in Charade. "When you come on, you come on."

That's Lucy. When she's ready for something, she commit to it completely. Whether it's a moment or a lifetime.

And right now, she's committing to this moment of her lips on his lips, her hands on his body, and her mind on something besides the anxiety and fear filling her from Rosalind's escape.

Lucy grabs ahold of Tim's face with both hands and lunges herself at his lips. He reels back, nearly falling onto the counter behind him. But as soon as his brain begins to process what the hell is happening, his hands easily reach for her.

Tim doesn't waste time, this time. He didn't know if he'd have another chance to kiss her, and he wants this more than he'll admit.

Now, in both kisses, Lucy has her arms between them. So, their bodies aren't pressing together, and that makes Tim's hand placement a little more awkward.

Could be an actor choice. Could be a directing choice. Could be a writing choice.

Whatever the reason, Tim's options are more limited. But as his hand runs up her arm, it becomes less timid, and more sure. He pushes back against her kiss and she moves with him, letting him take point. She needs this.

Lucy could have smeared her lipstick on him. She could have rumpled his clothes. But Lucy needs something to center her right now.

She needs another emotion to draw from besides her fear. And while she doesn't know how Tim feels about her, she knows that kissing him feels good, and right, and comforting.

They transition from Lucy sucking on his top lip to his bottom lip, and her hand finally drops away, giving Tim the space to put his hand in what I believe to be his favorite place—her face.

He wants that skin-on-skin connection. He wants the romance. Tim wants every second of this kiss.

Which is why he says, "More" when she pulls away. Turn up the volume and watch that boy's lips. Tim Bradford is GONE, my friends.

And Lucy's shaking. Melissa O'Neil, herself, confirmed that this was a planted callback to Lucy's hands shaking after Tim resuscitated her in the desert. Lucy's a bloody mess, but she wants to make this work.

Oh, what about Tim? Tim's in bloody shock. Each kiss is progressively worse for his ability to shove those emotions back down. Now he's the one who needs to get his head in the game.

Luck Be A Lady Tonight

I love the glances to one another in the car... the subtle check-ins. These two are such soul-mates.

"Hello, back off." "Must be the new skank." "Who are you calling a skank? You better get the hell outta here. If I see you again, I'm gonna rip this janky ass hairpiece outta your head. Hm?"

Tim and Lucy had no idea that Jake would have a connection at this casino, and getting made is the worst thing that could happen. Lucy leaps into action, and I really think Tim is impressed... and a little turned on.

"She's solid."

We've talked before about how Angela is a good detective, but she's going with Tim's gut on this. And Lucy knows the weight of it. She's not going to let Tim down.

"You're really good at this, you know? The whole Undercover thing." "Thank you."

Tim doesn't give out a lot of compliments, but he's seen Lucy in action, today, and she's been amazing on-the-fly.

Sure, he's watched her undercover ops from afar (and that one time he pulled her over), but this is different. He's been in the moment with her and seen her make moves he'd never think to make.

Also, I love that her way to prove to Tim that she could handle Undercover was to fake her feelings for him. And today's op has been all about embracing those feelings under the guise they are fake.

Is that the definition of irony? I'll have to ask my English-teacher husband.

And I find it fascinating that this praise doesn't activate her Praise Kink. Perhaps it's her aching head or the stress of Rosalind, but she seems more... confused by Tim's compliment.

Maybe she thinks he's complimenting her kissing skills... because, yeah, they're fire together.

"Uh, do you mind if I take the first shower?" "No, it's fine. Hey you hungry?" "Yes! I would get some french fries if you're ordering.

Tim looks up just in time to see Lucy's shirt swish off of her, revealing a bare back. Can you imagine the neurons firing off in that man's mind right now? Now he knows she wasn't wearing a bra the whole damn day.

Tim backs up like he's been struck by something heavy and he turns away, trying to get his brain to start firing and his secondary brain to stop revving its engine.

He mutters about fries as he sits on the bed, trying to focus on the menu in front of him.

But half-naked Lucy is right there, and his eyes drift back to the door, just in time to see her whisk past. He looks away, again... Then back, again.

And, let's be real. If he was struggling not to go after her when she was fully clothed on his couch, imagine how hard he's struggling not to imagine Lucy in that shower... and imagine himself with Lucy in that shower...

And... maybe y'all need a cold shower by now. You good? Good.

But Tim Bradford is far from good. He's so far from good that he turns on sports, and rather than getting lost in the game and upset about any interruptions, he's begging the game to take him away from the thoughts running through his head.

Because he never thought it would come to this. He never thought she would kiss him again. He never thought he'd be in a position where he would have this beautiful woman right there who might possibly feel what he's feeling.

And so Tim Bradford does something I never thought I'd see him do... he takes a leap.

"What?" "Do you want to talk about it?" "About what?" "The airplane bathroom... your apartment... Look, I don't know, call me crazy, but it just doesn't feel like pretend."

Remember I said this episode was heartbreaking? Here's why...

Lucy thinks Tim is calling her out on her feelings for him.

Tim thinks there's something between them and he wants to know if she has feelings for him.

And because Lucy feels caught... she deflects.

"It's an intimate act. We'd have to be dead inside for it to not trigger something, right? It's basic biology."

Tim Bradford took a leap... and then he took a fall. And it kills me every time to watch his face as he takes the rejection. Lucy doesn't want me.

Oh, poor Tim Bradford. He's been rejected over and over by people in his life. So often, he's the one who finds himself broken because nobody sticks around for him. Nobody puts in the effort for him.

It doesn't take a traumatic childhood to make a person feel unworthy of love, but Tim has that and more.

And Lucy doesn't even know how he feels. She has no idea. This was a speech uttered to cover her own growing feelings. But the unintended consequence is that she hurts Tim.

"So you're saying it's not a big deal. Doesn't mean anything." "Right?"

It's a confirmation of what Angela told him at the beginning... Lucy doesn't want me.

And it's not that his whole life was hitched on this notion, but it's yet another rejection in a long, long string of rejections. And Lucy doesn't even know that's what she's done.

The phone rings, deflecting the conversation, and a dejected Tim picks up.

"I'm just alone with Lucy in the hotel room" "Uh-oh."

Literally the last thing he needs to hear right now. But, Angela doesn't know he was just struck down. She's all for some Chenford Sexy Time.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Tim slams the phone down faster than the remote when the Rams toss an interception. Lucy rushes back to the bathroom, and the moment she goes, Tim shakes his head. It hurts.

Tim took a leap. And Tim fell. And now Tim has to add it to his layers of scars.

"Remind me not to take a guy out while I'm wearing a robe. I showed him the entire world right now."

First off, I love that Tim was the damsel in distress in this scene that needed Lucy's rescuing. Second, I believe this is when she starts to think there's something physical between them.

Let's be clear. Lucy has feelings for Tim, but she doesn't think Tim has feelings for her. She thinks he's attracted to her, though. I mean, look how she watches him as he shakes his head. And while feelings are tough for Lucy (more than she'll admit), sex is easy.

"I can nott wait to get out of these clothes." "Yeah. I'm not gonna miss that hair." "I kind of like yours." "Thank you... thank you for walking me up." "No problem."

Let's be honest... Tim is walking Lucy up because he knows as soon as he walks away, they won't have the excuse to be this close together, again. And even though she rejected him (in his mind), he wants to be close to her.

"So, I guess this is it. Tomorrow we are back to being us." "Right. And everything that happened undercover, we will just leave behind." "Right. What happens undercover stays undercover."

I'd shake my head at Tim's comment, but the boy's doing a good job shaking his head at himself. "Why did I say that?" Lucy, however, is ready to test a theory... about Tim's attraction to her.

"You know, in a sense, since we haven't been debriefed, we're still undercover." "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Tim doesn't know where she's going, but Lucy offers a pointed glance at her apartment door. Tim doesn't bite.

Why? Because he's ruled it out as a possibility. He doesn't believe there is any scenario where this is really happening. She already rejected him, right?

Lucy registers his lack of comprehension, though she doesn't realize the reason.

"Do you want to come in?"

Tim is flabbergasted. He doesn't believe what he's hearing, and that man literally short circuits at the realization that this moment is happening. Heck, I was short-circuiting. I thought the fans were making something up when they started tweeting about him accepting an invite to go inside.

Like, is this happening!?

Tim cycles through shock, acceptance, fear, and ultimately lands on right and wrong. He is dating Ashley. And he's not a cheat.

"I shouldn't."

It's not that he doesn't want to. But for so many reasons, he shouldn't go in. Lucy nods, accepting his answer. For her, this isn't a personal rejection (because she doesn't even think that's on the table). It's a sexual rejection, and that's fine.

But as she opens her door and walks in, the light from the door strikes Tim's face. When he looks back, he sees light... and Lucy.

And much as he wants the full relationship... this is what she is offering here and now. And who knows if he'll ever have the chance to be with her, again?

There are no thoughts of Chris and Ashley, right now. The two of them are looking at one another—Lucy on one side of the threshold and Tim on the other—and they are considering this moment and nothing further.

So twice in one episode... Tim Bradford takes a leap.

He crosses the threshold into her apartment, and she closes the door, sealing them in. Tim's eyes wander to Lucy, hesitancy rushing through him. "Should I start? Will she start?"

Lucy has twice jumped the man, but even in her state of wanting him more than thinking about right-and-wrong, she offers him a drink.

"I'm good."

Because up until this point, he thought this was impossible. And now that it is possible, he wants to be completely clear-headed so he doesn't misinterpret anything.

Lucy moves to set her purse down and we finally see... Chris. Lucy opens her mouth as Tim looks to the sky and curses it for this f'ed up situation... only for Lucy to realize Chris is bleeding out.

Tim calls it in without hesitation, and the last thing we see is a terrified Lucy calling out to her greatest comfort (even if she's too scared to admit it)—Tim.

Looking into the Future (since this is a REWIND Meta)

Now... am I glad they didn't start their relationship like this? Hell, yeah. I love that they had the time to step back from this and get to a point where they realized they both wanted it all.

It's not about sex. Yes, that's a part of it. But, this is about two souls crying out for one another and not yet speaking the same language.

They've spent years learning, but that type of love is a lifelong pursuit... and you have to get on the same page, first.

Lucy and Tim aren't there, yet, in this episode. Yes, this episode pushes them closer to one another and those moments to come. It's essential to the development of their relationship. It's another step on their path...

As always, thanks for reading (and persuading me to do this... I do love writing Metas and Chenford make it easy!). Hope to see you on the next!

#Chenford #Tim Bradford #Lucy Chen #Melissa O'Neil #Eric Winter #Lucy x Tim #Tim x Lucy #The Rookie #The Rookie Meta #Chenford Meta #Am I Mad For Doing Another One Of These

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beheworthy · 1 year

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Thor Love and Thunder deleted scenes - 1 & 2 These 2 scenes show that Zeus visits Thor and Jane in the hospital to give Thor the thunderbolt. He advises him on how to use energy for thunderbolt and gives directions for Eternity. Jane makes the choice to go with Thor. Out of other options, they use the goats to travel there.

It's nice to see Thor get some fatherly interaction and behave like his former self: the smile at 'I have many sons', not speaking much but actually listening, being intelligent enough to know what was said in Roman. Little things.

However, these scenes show us an entirely different version of the film. If we go by them, Thor never 'killed' Zeus and left Omnipotent City on possibly good terms with him, given how he casually strolled directly to Jane's hospital bed to talk to Thor and they're all cool with each other.

The Shadow Realm confrontation might have happened as is because Jane is injured and Valkyrie is also out of the picture entirely. Thor is about to go face Gorr alone w no Valkyrie or Jane or Thunderbolt or Stormbreaker or even Mjolnir and not knowing how to reach Eternity perhaps (whatever could go wrong?). But with Zeus giving him the thunderbolt and Jane joining in, the entire climax of the film changes again.

Rant incoming:

Sh*t like this makes me wonder do they shoot 13 different versions of everything and 15 different movies, hoping to find the actual film in editing? That's such a massive waste of the cast and crew's time and effort. These aren't even deleted scenes. These are alternate universes from movies that could have been. Multiverses, if you will.

Deleted scenes are fun additional details the audience could do without. Like Thor returning the mug he broke or Frigga berating/begging Odin to end Thor's exile. Or they're a different/alternate version of existing scenes that may change the context of some things in the story. Like Odin freakin’ letting Frigga die. You could or could not add them but at the end of the day, they don't make a difference to the eventual story.

But in Thor4, if you add Zeus visiting the hospital, you gotta scrap out the entire confrontation at the Omnipotent City. If you add Jane just choosing to ignore Thor's heartfelt request to stay at the hospital and Thor not freaking reacting to it as well (??), you gotta change the entire climax again. I hope to god in the multiverse where this scene of Zeus showing fatherly affection to Thor exists, the scene from the theatrical cut of him ripping Thor’s clothes for fun, looking at him creepily and saying ‘pretty boy’, and inviting him to the o*gy doesn’t. Go to jail, Marvel.

I just-- it doesn't make sense. What even was the original story? Was there a story at all? This is important because Thor is the only character in the MCU to get the elusive 4th film. If you're going to continue a series against the norm, it should be because you really have a story to tell. Like Mad Max: Fury Road, Dexter: New Blood, and John Wick: Chapter 4.

Though I don't think producer Kevin Feige cares much about things like core story and character progression because Thor brings in the $$$. And director Taika Waititi doesn't either because he shot over 4 hours' worth of movie that he can surely cut out a theatrical version from - with every possibility on the cards, whatever the test audience reacts well to.

It's the cast and crew that are the real victims of this methodical merciless studio filmmaking. It's been well-documented that the VFX artists working on Marvel projects have been heavily overworked. A lot of their hard work could have been saved if there was a more definitive story structure so over half the footage they tirelessly worked on wouldn't end up on the cutting room floor. To add insult to injury, Waititi went on to mock them for giving their sweat, blood, and tears to his project. Classy.

Poor Christian Bale shaved his head to play Gorr, only to have most of his scenes cut from the film. Natalie Portman also did physical training for her role.

And Chris did the most extreme training he has ever done for this film. He already did excruciating training for the extreme physique as is. Add to it the dehydration for the shirtless scenes and not eating meat for kissing scenes - just willingly making life difficult for himself. Could have saved him a lot of torturous training by not shooting 13 different versions of every scene out of which 12 won't make it to the final film.

I'm aware that shooting movies works like that - you shoot different versions of scenes that don't make it to the final edit. They signed up for shaving their head and dying training to maintain the impossible physique. All I'm saying is that it's sad that it's all in service of material that just doesn't do them justice. It’s all vapid corporate thinking with no vision.

#thor #thor odinson #jane foster #zeus #gorr the god butcher #thor love and thunder #anti marvel #anti taika waititi #text

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firelance2361 · 5 months

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What If…The Iron Overtook The Man?

Here’s another horror-centric idea for a What If scenario before the end of the year, based on the recent Darkhold Saga from 2021.

{In this alternate timeline, when Aldritch Killian and Maya Hansen kidnapped Tony Stark, instead of just merely torturing Tony with footage of Pepper being given the Extremis Serum, Killian decides to go a step further and inject Stark with the serum as well.

Moments after injection, when Tony desperately tries to call the Mark 42 suit back to help him, the fusion of the suit’s technology and Tony’s Extremis-fueled blood caused a horrific side effect, merging the man and his mind into the suit.

After the newly created Iron Maniac brutally kills Killian, Hansen escapes and frees Rhodey, escaping with Trevor Slattery before Tony can hurt them.

As the heroes attempt to handle the horrific situation and rescue Pepper, Tony’s mind begins to descend into madness as he binds up Killian’s men and starts bonding them to his now-Extremis-laced armors, dissolving them completely into the suits.

He soon learns from them the whereabouts of Pepper and decides to spread this newfound “gift” to her and all of the his friends.

As Rhodey, Maya, and Trevor attempt to free Pepper from the Roxxon Shipyard, Tony shows up with an Extremis-Empowered Iron Legion, including the now-armored remains of Happy Hogan.

The group then battles both Legionaries and A.I.M. Troops alike in a bid to escape, with Trevor getting turned and absorbed in the process.

As the group gets close to escape, Stark corners them, cutting off their exit. Rhodey and Pepper engage with him in battle to allow Maya to repair their escape boat; as they fight Tony’s deep paranoia and emotions then begin to surface, making him more dangerous and erratic.

After Tony injures and knocks out Rhodey, he then gestures Pepper to a suit of her own, claiming that it will “cure” her as well. While Pepper seemingly agrees with him for the moment, she then uses this distraction to kick him back and rip into the suit’s weapons arsenal, ripping out a missile from it.

As Rhodey regains consciousness, she then heats up the missile with her powers and throws it at the Iron Maniac, which Rhodey follows up with a repulsor blast, knocking everyone back.

Pepper, Rhodey, and Maya manage to escape the horror scene, but unfortunately, so does a now-damaged Tony. Then on Christmas Day, as the trio assembles with the other remaining Avengers to deal with this rising threat, the Iron Maniac publicly announces his ultimate gift: a suit of armor around the world, one for every person in it.}

I know this one is probably dark in a lot of places, and that many would understandably prefer an Iron Man vs. Wenwu episode, but I thought it would be another possibility to remix for Season 3 or possibly beyond.

IDK, let me know what you guys think!

Hope you like it and have a Happy New Year!

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kess-in-the-perthchimzone · 8 months

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Farewell to Sick Kang Theory

How do I even explain this ridiculous post?? Inspired in no small part by all the trailer footage of Kang fainting in the early days of Dangerous Romance I posited a theory that Kang had a chronic, life threatening health condition, which would explain why his dad talks to him the way he does.

Well yesterday @poetry-protest-pornography reminded me via this post that the theory is officially officially dead 😭. So while I LOVE everything we are getting on DR right now, I want to take a moment to pour one out for the AU that will forever hold a piece of my heart:

Kang’s mom died of a heart condition that he inherited

Afterwards, Kang’s father (and grandmother probably to a slightly lesser extent than the dad) were overprotective. At home, everything he did was monitored — was he eating healthy, sleeping enough, not stressing himself out.

the constant pressure of being told ‘you are weak, you are fragile’ is what manifested into the same bully Kang we saw in early episodes because he so desperately wanted to feel powerful

i love how this could overlap so closely with canon and still work. He still escalates with Sailom and brings a gun to his house but that scene might almost impact him MORE — he plays the hero and for the first time in his life he feels STRONG; he feels useful, and he’s addicted to it so he imprints on Sailom even more immediately

Episode 3 feels too fast for Sailom to learn so let’s say they start studying together and Sailom only gets pieces of this — he’s gradually realizing how Kang gets treated at home and Kang still drunkenly reveals how his dad makes him feel but Sailom doesn’t know WHY

In this verse you could do an interesting flip where Kang begs for the bike and does pass his tests and then the dad changes his mind and not only takes it away but (temporarily) takes away the tutoring because he didn’t like how hard Kang was exerting himself with all-nighters

so then Sailom coming to live with them would in part be so the dad can monitor their study sessions and make sure they are an appropriate length time and not too taxing on Kang

of course Sailom has been seeing all this happen — he’s been spending all this time with Kang and now has heard this pattern over and over where Kang gets talked down to — and he’s both furious at it and it’s increasingly nagging at him. He’s starting to feel like he’s missing something

but he’s also falling so deeply in love that he kind of willingly forgets to ask; he just wants to spend the time he’s getting with Kang

Here I don’t think we need the Pimfah love triangle at least on Kang’s side (I still don’t believe he ever truly had feelings for her anyway) — Kang would still be the king of mixed signals because he’d alternate between love-sick staring & wildly romantic lines then running away from his feelings

Pimfah knows about Kang; her dad runs the hospital where he spent most of his childhood but she doesn’t talk about it out of respect for his privacy

but maybe she still has feelings for Sailom which would lead to the rain scene after Sailom rejects her

oooh Kang taking care of Sailom would be SO IMPORTANT to him— he’s never gotten to be on the other side, to be the caretaker, and maybe later that memory of how much love he felt in that moment would stick with him

(because obviously in this verse the big end would be Kang doing something heroic to help save Sailom from Name and then collapsing and not waking up and having to be rushed into emergency surgery — which would necessitate him being willing to let Sailom take care of him as he recovers)

The art room would still happen but it would be Kang thinking “I can’t be with him because I don’t have a future to give him” and thus self-sacrificing

of course though, he wouldn’t be able to fight his jealousy or the strength of his feelings and he would still kiss Sailom in the locker room

and all this would come to a head in the fainting scene in episode 7. Because Kang would have spent the day flirting with Sailom and trying to act all tough and strong to impress his friends

but after he faints, he would be forced to go to the hospital to have a check up to make sure everything is okay with his heart

No matter how much he protests or just tries to play it off like he’s going home to rest, Sailom would insist on coming with him

so Sailom would finally learn the truth — I can so perfectly picture his face too. It would be the same face he had when the dad unveiled the bike. Mapping every interaction he’s had with Kang and suddenly feeling even more deeply empathetic towards him

The bar scene is obviously crucial, so that could be Kang later offering to buy them drinks for helping him; but maybe he’s keeping his distance from Sailom; he (stupidly) thinks Sailom won’t want him anymore now that the truth is out

and then I don’t know how the bleachers scene happens in this new context — maybe Kang had started playing football but after he fainted it was expressly forbidden and he is being really pathetic and in his feelings about that and thinking he can’t have Sailom

Which would mean the hug scene would be equally if not more meaningful to Kang here — because it would be Sailom saying ‘I think we have a future, I believe you have a future, I want to be with you. Stop avoiding me, you asshole’

I don't know I just really love it!! And it would be so powerful seeing a chronically ill character spouting insanely romantic lines, and being jealous/possessive, and getting to play the protective hero!!

Am I glad I don’t have to worry as much about Kang possibly DYING for the romance of it all? Yes. But will I still miss it a little bit? Also yes.

#Sick Kang theory #Maybe one day I’ll write the 40K AU #dangerous romance the series #kess babbles about dangerous romance #kanghan kirttin sukprasert #dangerous romance #kess sometimes writes fic not meta

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tdciago · 4 months

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Having read your and @thefutureiswhat's season 5 finale theory I'm curious to know your thoughts on this shot:

Is it possible that one of these potential endings could involve both Dot and Roy making it out of the farm during the events of the raid and he, with nothing else left to lose at that point, attempts to take her again? She's wearing different clothes so I'm betting that she's home, or at least on her way there. Plus her seemingly shocked expression and the lighting suggests that something's happened, possibly something burning...?

What do you think? Could this be the ending scenario that "Dot prepares biscuits for"? (Maybe even the her poisoning him theory?)

Sending you both the ask because you each have really compelling ideas and speculations.

it's funny, because I was just thinking about this scene and how we probably aren't going to see it, because Dot is clearly wearing different clothes.

Your suggestion of how we might still see it is excellent, but the one thing working against it is time.

The run time for 5.10 is 49 minutes, which seems impossibly short. That's why the idea of 3 alternate endings being strung together as one continuous narrative seems more plausible than showing each ending separately (assuming there actually are three). It also fits with the way the story has been told so far, with strange inconsistencies between scenes and episodes.

I think there was a tremendous amount of footage left on the cutting room floor this season, maybe too much. There are also a lot of tantalizing clues that deserve to be paid off, including Roy saying he'd let Dot go if she begged to stay and meant it. We also have things like the flamethrower; the tank and Wink's foreshadowing of a tank battle; the windmill blades that look like matches; the Trojan horse; all the stag imagery and a guy named Buck Holt, which means "forest deer"; Witt Farr and his 100-pound backpack; Oedipus and the right of way, etc.

From what some actors have indicated, the finale is crazy. So maybe they can pull off including this scene, which always felt to me like Bluebeard's wife discovering the bodies of all the previous wives. But we've basically covered that ground.

Roy did say the options for killing the tick were suffocation or fire. "The Tiger" also mentions suffocation. And Roy is covering Dot's mouth.

I think there is going to be a huge potential for fanfic about this season, because of all the stuff we didn't get to see, some of which was teased in promos but never happened. There are a lot of gaps to be filled. I hope we do get to see this somehow.

Meanwhile, that new spoiler regarding Roy has me thinking of the biscuits in another context.

#fargo #fargo fx #fargo spoilers #fargo season 5

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thelador-s-mclargehuge · 6 months

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Episode 1 Behind The Scenes!

youtube

Welcome to Amateur Hour! I mean this whole series is amateur hour, but stating out was REALLY amateur hour. So most of the way our videos worked is we would do a weekly video (Either podcast or Over The Shoulder game review). And I’d release a Funny Joke Video every two weeks. I was given Carte Blanch over my videos and basically just kinda did them on my own. So everything I did was suuuper rudimentary My scripts weren’t formated very well, there were tons of spelling errors, stuff I’d cut out I’d leave in the document and just remember I cut it out. But all this worked just fine because I was the only one looking at them.

And the way I’d send people their lines was I would *send* people their lines over discord and have them send me back an audio file that they’d recorded. I didn’t even really do any audio directing aside from a couple of notes. I might have directed Dalsson and TheDragonLover (heretofore referred to as Dergo), but that was it.

For anyone who might want to make a narrative series, uh… don’t do this with your main cast. If you have a guest star who knows what their doing and might not be comfortable being directed in a discord call with a stranger, that’s fine. But for everyone else you’ll just end up playing phone tag for a a couple of VA lines that won’t be nearly as good if you just set the people down in a call and told them what kinda performance you want them to give. A thing that, And I cannot stress this enough, they will be fine with you doing and in fact would much prefer this to the alternative.

And if you sit multiple people down in the call and do their voice lines in one day, that’s just way better! Your actors will be more comfortable with more friends around, and after the session is over, you have multiple scenes worth of voice lines to work with! It’s one of those “We do this thing like this for a reason.” kinda deals.

But ultimately a lot of the What Worked for those videos I’d put out every two weeks, and the video essays, did not really work here. But anyway lets look at the actual video.

The like first scene you can see how the cutting around is really off. That’s because the footage of me just standing there lasted, like, 3 seconds and I had a minute of dialogue, so I HAD to keep cutting if I wanted to use that footage. I should have just started a new save and rerecorded it but… again amateur hour.

But. The first joke here I think is really good. I have a lot of thoughts about it, so I’m going to make it a separate thread. There’s quite a bit going on there and I’m really proud of it.

But the beginning of the video, and the beginning of the series as a whole, is just kinda me moving from bit to bit like I did in the previous Joke Videos. These started out as those with a tiny bit more structure.

The Conversation with Elderbug here is what got Lordfrezon to get a better mic. Like this video convinced the man to get a better microphone. But you’ll notice Elderbugs mouth keeps moving when he’s not taking. I didn’t start putting a still picture over the talking characters yet

The quirrel scene is probably the best put together in the entire video. The editing is sharp. and I realized I could like, just reverse the video of him looking at the Black Egg to make it a little more dynamic.

But most of the dynamic-ness of these scenes comes down to me zooming in and out of characters faces for emphasis. The footage I’m working with is a character with a one second animation loop and another character staring up at them. So I gotta do a lot of cuts and zooms to make it look like a conversation with multiple emotions in it is happening. And I already had a pretty good grasp of that thanks to the joke videos! Say what you will about youtube video editing, but it sure teaches you how powerful quick cutting for emphasis is!

This was also before I started putting Reverb on every scene that takes place in a tunnel… which most of them do, and if there’s one thing I love, love, love playing with, it’s reverb. Sound design is my passion tbh. It is also the only thing I have any formal training in! I was taught it by a bunch of 80s rockers who showed me how to use an old analog soundboard for live mixing! And I’ve always held to the idea that 75% of video editing is sound editing, and 95% of that sound editing is shit no one would notice unless it wasn’t there.

There a little after the Quirrel scene I got *extremely lucky* and found a sign mender. Which is a really rare event. Just immediately out of the gate I see that man. I’d never seen him before I was getting footage for the video and he blessed me with his presence like an angel. Thank you Sign Mender! You gave me a great bit about property destruction!

The Cornifer scene is firstly, a great look into how a voice role evolves over time, and secondly, a great exemplification of what I started this with. Just Direct Your VA’s. You’ll notice how Saine’s performance on his first line here are worse than any of the other ones he’s given. He didn’t know what I wanted. And if I would have simply directed him, that wouldn’t be a problem!

He did, however get to delever the funniest lines of the video. And he did a great job with those! And, another thing to Saine’s credit is he does a fantastic job as Iselda! Man eats up that whole scene! Just great shit there!

Sly’s change is less in that the voice evolved as time went on and more I changed the character. I focused more on the Shopkeeper aspect rather than the teacher aspect as his Central Thing, and ultimately I think that was the best choice. Surly Shopkeeper who can “Show You Da Ropes” Is always a great character and he’s a lot of fun to write. Also all the thing’s Sly says about ‘God’ put me in a bit of a bind because “Okay, so why the hell does this guy know about The Radiance… a thing that a lot of people were lied to about for decades?” So I had to come up with some stuff for that. But that’s the kind of problem I love solving. Because it goes from “Weird plot hole” to “Ooh new character aspect! let’s give this man some depth!

Dergo’s performance as Myla is the best one in the video. And it’s great that’s the case too, because of how much *that* kicks off a lot of the story. But, yeah 10/10 no notes. Dergo is incredibly good at this shit.

The end bit with the snail man is probably my biggest regret of the video. It very much does not fit in with the tone of everything else. It’s kinda something that just happens in the first episode and I hope everyone forgets about. The implication he just murdered the snail guy is funny but it doesn’t fit in the wider whole. Whole scene just is not very good tbh. I also probably should have had someone else voice the Snail man as well.

And I wholeass forgot I used a different font for the credits! But I think that’s that for the first episode. IT’s kind of just a collection of thoughts, but the episode is just kind of a collection of scenes so, there we go!

#HKR-BTS #hollow knight meme #hollow knight #quirrel #content creation #youtube #Youtube

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bleekay · 10 months

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finished rereading. couple of thoughts:

since it's the freshest in my mind, i have to say the ending of rwrb remains absolutely devastatingly cathartic, this alternate reality where the events of 2016 and beyond in this world didn't happen. i remember my first time reading it, like actually sobbing because the trump election still felt so fresh and painful and raw, and that final scene where they flip texas, my home state, really really hit home.

which is another bullet point on my long list of grievances with the film. that scene was just. not nearly on the emotional level as the book. it was supposed to be this like. grand build-up. and instead it fell flat for me. it was too short, too condensed.

which, frankly, i think that's essentially what i disliked about the film overall. it was way, way too condensed. and look, i get it, you're crunching down a 418 page book into 2 hours, they have to cut stuff out. but they cut out. everything. they took the handful of scenes with henry and alex and cut everything else out like it was all just superfluous to their romance. JUNE. june was gone!!! alex's sister who looked out for him and who knew him better than he knew himself, who had such a huge role in the book, was nixed from existence. i can't fathom why. nora and pez and bea were there, but barely. there was no "white house trio" or "super six" or very much at all of alex's or henry's friendships outside of each other?

rafael luna, someone alex looked up to immensely, the blueprint of the man alex wanted to be, a senator who was like him, a queer latino in politics for the genuine desire to do good, whose seeming betrayal cut alex to the core, but through whom the corruption of richards was revealed? he also was nonexistent in the film. instead of that entire arc, richards' scheme to publicly forcibly out alex and henry's relationship, luna's role in helping bring that all to light, was replaced by....... some reporter guy that alex hooked up with once, who it is implied is the villain behind outing alex and henry. with no, like, explanation whatsoever. jealousy, i guess. gay guy jealous, outs guy he liked because he didn't hook up with him again? because he's a skeevy reporter who doesn't care? what the hell kind of story is that. queer on queer violence easier to put in film, i guess, than the story of corrupt republican candidate (also sexual predator) who wants to crush democratic encumbent president so has his team hack private email server and then leaks all the alex-henry emails to the public and pays people to get hotel footage and take photos to back it up. i literally just. can't understand this change whatsoever. it feels gross. tbh.

the whole plot is just so off. it doesn't even feel like the same story in a lot of ways? the ending of the movie is actually, legitimately nonsensical. they're publicly outed and alex i guess decides of his own accord to like. make a public speech confirming their relationship? this is while he and henry haven't been able to talk, communication lockdown, no conversations with henry whatsoever to even ask if he'd be okay with confirming their relationship like that. (book alex would ne-ver go public without explicit consent and support from henry) and then afterward the king is like "oh well technology these days, they can fake photos and emails" my dude the first son already announced it live on tv. there's no choice to be made there. you can't say "it was all faked" when alex claremont-diaz already told the world it was not fake. lmfao.

there is one thing -- JUST ONE THING -- that i appreciate about the film. and that is leaving out all the h*rry p*tter references. (to be fair, the book was written before the infamous transphobic twitter spiral, and also casey mcquiston, the author, has since actually removed the hp/jkr references in her book. which. bless. i didn't actually know that until i looked it up right now. i ought to buy a newer version.)

anyway. the book is really, really good. it offered me great escapism the first time i read it. it offers me comfort now rereading it. the movie........... was not it. there were certainly pretty men kissing and boning in it so if that's what you're looking for it's fine. (although i hold that alex's actor does not look like alex to me, which was actually one of the reasons i didn't initially want to watch, on a petty note) but as far as the meat of the story, the heart of it, the depth of it, it just wasn't there.

but it did get me to reread the book, so at least there's that.

#rwrb #under cut not niceys to movie-rwrb just fyi

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the-celluloid-correspondent · 6 months

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Napoleon Review

A look at the military commander's origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine.

I have been waiting since January of this year to talk about Ridley Scott, Napoleon, a biopic about the notorious French emperor who almost brought Europe to its knees. Outside of some alternate takes and different editing, it was relatively the same film. This did not surprise me, as I could not see what changes they could have made outside of adding 10+ hours of footage and turning it into a miniseries.

Napoleon is Ridley Scott at his best and worst. At 85 years old, Scott still knows how to make a stunning historical epic. The sweeping battles of the Napoleonic Wars are enthralling to watch on the big screen and are worth the price of admission alone. However, once the film gets outside of the battles you have a mess of a story that is riddled with all the standard issues of a biopic. Too much story to tell and not enough time to do it justice.

Napoleon’s life simply can not be compressed into 2.5 hours as it is far too vast and complicated. Because of this problem, the film either glosses over or boils many of his greatest victories and defeats into simple, one-sentence summaries. I wanted to see how Napoleon ticked and how his relationships between his military cabinet, politicians, and the public changed throughout the Napoleonic Wars. How did Napoleon brew up his military strategies and what led him to war? These elements and many more are never explored outside of a sentence stated here and there. Thus creating an uneven film.

However, the most disappointing element of the film was the short Frenchman himself. I understand this take on Napoleon was meant to tear down the mythological militant commander and show his true petty and egotistical colors. But I believe Scott takes this deconstruction too far as it makes you wonder how a pathetic manchild almost conquered all of Europe. The film forgets that Napoleon was a brilliant military strategist and a charismatic leader. They show these characteristics from time to time, but when he is a buffoon for the majority of it, it is hard to take him seriously.

I am unable to tell if this was due to the writing, acting, or both. The writing was obviously off, but I can’t help but think Joaquin Phoenix was miscast. He does a fantastic job with the material he is given, especially showing the Napoleon Complex, but he doesn’t feel like Napoleon. He comes across as a pathetic manchild rather than a brilliant military commander who has an ego problem. Sadly, the same can also be stated with Vanessa Kirby as Josephine. Her performance is outstanding, but she does feel miscast as the film greatly misunderstands the divorce between Josephine and Napoleon. If you were unaware, Josephine was 6 years older than Napoleon. So they either needed to age Kirby, like they did with Phoenix, or cast an actress who is a similar age to Phoenix. They divorced not because she couldn’t have children, but because she couldn't have children anymore. She was 54 when their marriage ended, meaning that her childbearing days were long gone. Gone even before Napoleon became emperor. So to cast a 35-year-old Vanessa Kirby as a post-menopausal woman is an insult to many middle-aged actresses in Hollywood who could have shown how tragic their divorce was.

With those complaints stated Napoleon is still a very entertaining film. As previously stated the battle scenes are spectacular to watch and are worth the price of admission alone. The film is surprisingly funny with slapstick humor and some funny quotes, even when it's unintentional. I look forward to the 4.5-hour director cut as it will most likely alleviate some of the complaints that I have with the theatrical cut. However, even 4.5 hours does not feel like enough time to do Napoleon's life justice.

My Rating: B-

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herrmannhalsteadproduction · 1 year

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Wingman? Wingwoman? Wingperson. (Chapter One)

Summary: This is Part Seventeen of my series A Herrmann/Halstead Production. It is an AU where Christopher Herrmann's mom had an affair with Pat Halstead resulting in a baby. The series follows this OC character (Rebecca "Bex" Herrmann) as she grows up and gets to know her brothers and the various Chicago teams. It is very much an AU, just to underscore that. It doesn't follow the same timeline and characters will follow different paths.

Click here for the Series Rundown where you can find the links to read all of the previous installments (which I highly recommend you do so that this one makes sense.)

Rating: Teen and Up

Relationships: Christopher Herrmann & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Original Female Character, Will Halstead & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Will Halstead, pre-Greg 'Mouse' Gerwitz/Original Female Character, Will Halstead/Connor Rhodes, Assorted OC Couples

Warnings: Referenced Domestic Violence and Threatening Behaviour (these are warning tags for a brief scene with Ty at the beginning), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Rejection, Self-Sabotage, but also on the flip side - Connor and Will being too freaking cute to handle.

A/N: To underscore my previous note, this is an alternate universe so things have unfolded differently. This will not follow the canon arc exactly by any means. But I hope you'll still enjoy it!

Chapter One

Bex

The two weeks since Chris’s party had been…a bit of a whirlwind.

They’d managed to get Emery safely inside of their apartment that night. Will wanted to take her to the hospital to get checked out or at least let him give her a once over, but Emery refused.

She was clearly exhausted so they let it go for one night and set her up the couch. The next morning, she agreed to have someone check her out. Will ended up calling in a favour from Nat who came over and made sure all Emery needed was rest and acetaminophen.

And food. Bex kept trying to get her to eat. It felt like the only constructive thing she could do in the moment and Emery was definitely behind on good meals.

They turned her phone off since it kept blowing up with messages from Ty and cuddled with Kol on the couch for the day.

On Monday, Bex rallied the troops. Kira, Malia, Devon, Sam, Isaac, Ben, and Faith joined them on a retrieval mission for Emery’s things. Ty was at work and between the nine of them, they could be in and out. She didn’t want to take much. Just her clothes and personal stuff. Everything else could be replaced.

Emery was quiet, but talking about things in bits and pieces. She had an appointment with a new therapist and was taking a bit of time off work while she sorted things out. Bex picked her up a new phone so she’d be free from Ty harassing her.

For a few days, it seemed like things were going to go smoothly, until Thursday night when she took Kol out for a walk. Will was at work and Emery was safely upstairs. Bex thought she could take the dog out to do his business (that no poop rule lasted less than a day) and be back in no time.

Ty was waiting when they got back to the parking lot. He’d slashed the tires on her car.

As if Tin Can 2.0 didn’t have enough to deal with already.

He started screaming as soon as he spotted her, demanding to know where Emery was, and Bex had never been more grateful that you needed a key to get into their building. He couldn’t get to the apartment. To Emery.

Bex barely had a minute to be scared before Kol started going wild, straining on the leash and snarling at Ty. He actually looked terrifying.

Ty backed off and left. Once she was in the clear, Bex ran upstairs, promising Kol all the steak in the world along the way. Wonderful, amazing Kol who was already back to his goofy, grinning self.

She called Jay immediately. He came over with a few uniformed officers who took her statement and got the parking lot footage from her super. It was enough to get a restraining order against Ty that would cover her, Emery, and Will.

Probably something they should have thought about from the start, but there had been a lot going on.

Bex made sure to cover all of her bases after that. She circulated Ty’s photo to everyone in their friend and family group. They all knew to keep an eye out.

Emery still didn’t want to bring charges against Ty. She just wanted to move forward. After the blow-up in the parking lot, she actually relaxed even more. It was like she was waiting for something like that to happen. For the other shoe to drop. With a restraining order in place and a gigantic new support system around her, glimpses of the old Emery were coming through.

By the end of the second week, she was way more comfortable with Will. The three of them had a margarita night last night and an epic amount of bonding had taken place.

Mostly over them trading funny Bex stories?

But she couldn’t even be mad about that. Not when it had Emery laughing again.

Today, everyone was having a lazy Sunday morning.

The three of them were sprawled around the living room. Will in the big chair, phone in hand. Bex on one end of the couch with her phone and Emery on the other end with Kol sprawled across her lap.

Kol had probably been the best one at bringing Emery out of her shell. Bex wondered idly if Will had considered getting him trained as a therapy dog. Her kids at the hospital would love it if she brought him in. She’d have to ask him about that.

Her phone buzzed and she swiped for the message quickly. And sighed.

Just Jay checking in.

She wrote him back and scrolled through her messages again just to check.

Nothing from Mouse.

She sighed. Again.

Across the room came an echoing sigh from Will as he set his phone down on the arm of his chair.

Emery looked up from her Kol snuggles, eyebrows raised as she glanced between the two of them. “What’s up with you two?”

“Nothing,” Bex and Will said at the same time.

“Right.” Emery cupped Kol’s face in her hands, leaning down to touch noses. “Do we believe them, Kol? Hunh? Do we?”

Kol licked her nose and she looked up. “Kol says you’re full of shit.”

“Language, Kol,” Will said, pointing a finger at him.

Kol tilted his head with a little whine, cuddling into Emery when she smooched the top of his head. “It’s clearly not nothing,” she said. “Want to maybe talk about it instead of sighing all day and checking your phones for messages?”

Bex didn’t even know if there was something to talk about at this point. Or if she should be bothering Emery with it given everything she was going through.

“It’s about Connor and Mouse, right?” Emery guessed and Will’s head snapped up in surprise. Bex was less shocked. Emery had known about her Mouse…situation since the beginning.

“What do you mean—uh, Connor? No—”

Emery cut off Will’s rambling with a sympathetic smile. “You talked about him a lot last night,” she said and she was not wrong. It had actually been really cute.

“I knew margarita night was a mistake,” he grumbled.

“No, no!” Emery shuffled Kol over to the centre cushion so she could sit up straight. “It was fun and nice to hear about normal stuff, you know? And it was a good start.”

Bex was almost afraid to ask, but she dove in anyway. “A good start to what?”

“A game plan,” Emery said, narrowing her eyes as she clapped her hands together. “To get you your men.”

Oh, no.

“We really don’t need to talk about that right now,” Bex began and Will jumped in wholeheartedly.

“Yeah, it’s not something for you to worry about—”

“Honestly? I’d rather focus on this,” Emery said, huffing out a quiet laugh. “I’d kind of like to ignore how much of a mess my life is at the moment and focus on you guys. Let’s all believe in romance and love for a bit and get you two sorted out.”

There was a moment of silence and then—

“Okay,” Will said. “But Bex has to go first.”

“Will!”

“No, that’s fair,” Emery said. “He’s going to be easy since he and Connor are practically dating already.”

“Hey, we’re—”

“I would love to hear how you’re going to try and deny that,” Emery said, steepling her fingers under her chin.

"It's...complicated?" Will opened and closed his mouth a few times before falling back in his chair and waving a hand. “Right, so Bex’s turn?”

“You have the floor,” Emery nodded at her.

“I don’t even know,” Bex groaned. “I thought for sure that we were headed toward something. There’s been so many moments.”

Will and Emery nodded, having heard about the moments during margarita night.

“But then he was so quiet at the end of the party and I’ve barely heard anything from him since.”

“Maybe he’s giving you some space,” Will said. “He knows what’s been going on.”

Bex tilted her head side to side, weighing that. “We text a lot,” she said. “Even if he was giving me space, he’d still be checking in more than whatever’s happening right now.” She bit her lip, resisting the urge to look at her messages again. “It’s like he’s pulling back.” Which was making her question every moment in detail.

“Did anything happen at the party?” Emery asked.

“He looked happy to see me, but I didn’t see much of him after that. He was weird at the end of the night, but I figured he was tired. Now…I don’t know.”

“Maybe he got scared,” Emery said. “You guys have been circling each other for so long—”

“Months.” Will interjected, like he was any better.

“Basically forever,” Emery agreed. “And now you’re on this precipice of becoming something, but neither of you is taking the next step. Maybe he’s waiting for you to make the first move?”

“That doesn’t explain the pulling away,” Bex pointed out.

“You said you guys got really close again during set up,” Emery said. “But nothing happened—”

“I think it almost did.” The whole scene was basically imprinted in her brain. “Hailey and Jay showed up right then so I don’t know.”

“Maybe that's what spooked him,” Will said. “Jay’s his best friend. The two of you getting together will change things.”

“We hang out together all of the time anyway,” Bex laughed. “I don’t know if it’ll be that different.”

“Bex.” Will levelled a flat look at her. “It’ll change things. I guarantee Mouse is thinking about that. You should be too if you haven’t.”

“I have,” she admitted. It was all she’d been thinking about lately. Worrying about Jay and how it could affect things. Affect their family. What could change. For worse...but also for the better. How actually amazing it could be.

“And it is scary," she said. "But I keep coming back to the fact that I trust our friendships, you know? I think—I think it would be okay?”

Emery hummed a little at that. “So—” She paused, choosing her words carefully. “If you feel that way, why haven’t you made the first move?”

That was the question.

Bex had feelings for Mouse. Really, ridiculously strong feelings.

She wanted to be with him.

She wanted to take that leap. So badly.

But putting herself out there—

Holding out her heart.

Maybe it would work out and Mouse would say yes and everything would be amazing and wonderful.

But if he said no.

If it was Mouse saying no this time—

She didn’t know if she could handle that.

Emery was looking at her with understanding eyes and Bex was regretting ever getting into this conversation.

“It’s okay to be scared,” Emery said softly. “But not putting yourself out there again isn’t the answer, Bex.”

“This isn’t—we’re not talking about that,” Bex said. It was an understood rule. They didn’t talk about it. She didn’t think about it. If she tried hard enough, she could forget it ever happened.

And Bex tried really hard.

“We are when it’s stopping you from taking another chance at happiness,” Emery said.

“Are we—” Will looked between the two of them, a frown forming on his face. “Are we still talking about Mouse?”

“No—”

“Drop it, Em,” Bex cut in. “You promised.”

“I wouldn’t be a good friend if I kept that promise,” she said. “It’s time, Bex. We need to talk about AJ.”

The three of them sat frozen in the living room while Emery’s words hung heavy in the air.

Will straightened up in his chair, staring directly at her. “Who the hell is AJ?”

Click here to read Chapter Two. Click here to read Chapter Three. Click here to read Chapter Four.

Click here to read Wingman? Wingwoman? Wingperson. on ao3:

And here is the tag list (let me know if you wish to be added or removed):

@sorry-i-spaced, @iunnowatuwant, @thegirlwhowishedeveryonelived, @ivyalmighty, @thewannabewriter, @lexhalstead3, @multifandomgrl08, @foxes-and-cats, @sensitivemallysix,

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duhragonball · 1 year

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Dragon Ball Super Manga ch.14-20

Okay, let’s look at the manga version of the Zamasu Saga.

For openers, I like this establishing scene in the deserted West City. The old newspaper celebrating the anniversary of 17 and 18′s death is a great way to clue in the reader that we’re in a different world, and just how different things are.

Toyotaro skips the part where Future Bulma dies, and I like this version better. Trunks just tells Mai that she’s dead and how it happened. We don’t even know for sure that Trunks was there to see it. He may have gotten the news from someone else, or he discovered footage on a security camera at her lab.

Back in the main timeline, there’s this weird bit where Trunks’ teacher tries to explain alternate timelines by using Trunks’ own family as an example. In this scenario, Trunks goes back in time and accidentally kills his own mother, resulting in an alternate timeline where he was never born, but his own native timeline is unchanged. Then she realizes she was reading the wrong lesson plan and she was supposed to cover arithmetic today. Okay, but why this example, though?

Meanwhile Bulma asks if Whis’ temporal do-over ability created an alternate timeline, but Whis says it doesn’t, because he just “resets” time. I’m not sure what the difference is, unless he means like the three minutes where Frieza destroyed the Earth in Resurrection F simply never took place. He didn’t take Goku back in time so much as he rewound time so that three minutes ago becomes the present.

Anyway, Whis says this is why it’s only a three-minute ability, and why he can only do it once in a great while. Otherwise, the temporal do-over would “upset the time axis”. I think this is the manga’s way of saying that it’s not enough for a time traveler to just arrive in the past. They have to actually get out of the time machine and make some noticeable changes before an alternate timeline would be produced.

I think this is what trips up a lot of fans (myself included) when we try to figure out all the timelines in Dragon Ball. It’s not hard to end up with a larger count than what the official sources seem to recognize. When Gowasu shows off his Time Rings, there’s supposed to be one for each alternate timeline, and he doesn’t have very many.

I think Toriyama’s theory with all of this in the Dragon Ball lore is that the “Butterfly Effect” isn’t strong enough on its own to create alternate timelines. Stepping on a butterfly is a big deal in “A Sound of Thunder,” by Ray Bradbury. In Dragon Ball, I’m not even sure that Trunks killing Frieza and King Cold was enough to create an alternate timeline, since that was something Goku would have done anyway. But Trunks giving Goku the heart medicine and warning him about the Androids certainly created an alternate timeline, because by that point he had “upset the time axis” enough to do what Whis does not.

Anyway, he’s some Super Saiyan 2. I’m putting this in because in the anime version, Goku is supposed to be SSJ2, but they drew him as SSJ1, which ticks me off. Toyotaro knows what’s up, though. Seriously, why do people hate this guy so much? I’m 26 chapters into this manga, and the artwork consistently rocks.

The sparring scene with Goku and Trunks ends with Trunks powering up his SSJ2 form, which somehow surpasses Goku’s SSJ3 form. That still sounds janky in my head, but Toriyama crossed that Rubicon when he had Vegeta surpass SSJ3 Goku in Battle of Gods. The important thing is that the manga version gives Trunks some more credibility going into this arc. He’s still weaker than Goku and Vegeta in this thing, but he’s not as useless as he was in the anime version, and so it’s less stupid when he rises to the occasion in the manga.

This is an important distinction between Toyotaro’s storytelling and Toei’s. There’s a genuine effort by Toyotaro to use the different transformations to explain how a character has improved or “caught up” to an opponent. The point of this scene was for Goku to get an idea of how strong Goku Black is by finding out how strong Trunks is now. And the manga gives us a general idea by having Goku use Super Saiyan God very briefly to get the better of Trunks. The message is that Trunks has gotten a lot stronger since we last saw him, and that means Goku Black is stronger still, but Goku still seems to have the advantage, at least for now.

In the anime version, it felt more like the point was just to work one more Goku fight scene into the arc. He used SSJ3 to overpower Trunks, then didn’t even bother using it when Goku Black showed up. It reminds me a lot of GT, where Goku will just... do stuff during a fight, without any sense of a strategy or purpose. The only true plan is to save the strongest transformations until the end, whether that makes sense or not.

Volume 2 of the manga ends with a bonus comic showing how things played out in the Future Trunks Timeline when they tried to use the Dragon Balls. Gohan was trying to make a wish before 17 and 18 could kill Piccolo, but the Pilaf Gang had already beaten him to the punch, and made themselves babies. Presumably, the Pilaf Gang made the same wish in the “main” timeline, which is why they’re kids throughout Dragon Ball Super.

I guess the main thing to note here is that this removes all doubt about Mai’s true age. Her adult self in the Zamasu arc is so different from the one we saw in early Dragon Ball that I often wonder if they’re even the same person, but this comic establishes that they are. I don’t think the Pilaf Gang should look quite this decrepit in this year. I think Toyotaro used their character models from GT, which is set 22 years after this moment. But then again, working for Emperor Pilaf is a rough life, which is probably why Pilaf made the wish for youth in the first place.

Moving on, we get a much better depiction of Future Trunks’ version of the battle with Babidi and Dabura. The problem I always had with the anime and the Kakarot video game is that they go out of their way to establish that Trunks has the Z-Sword for this fight, and it gets turned into stone by Dabura’s spit. The implication is that the Elder Kai can never be freed now, because the Z-Sword is lost, except Trunks kills Dabura a little later on. Killing Dabura should reverse the spell, restoring the Z-Sword to normal. Yeah, it broke while it was made of stone, but that’s a good thing, since the sword had to be broken to release the Elder Kai.

Well, Toyotaro took that into account, which is why he not only draws the petrified sword in pieces, but he also adds a panel where it bursts into flames! Not sure why that happened, but it looks cool as hell, and now we know for sure that the Elder Kai is not coming out of that thing. There’s a gag panel at the end of the chapter showing the Elder Kai with a halo just in case there was any doubt.

Speaking of Kibito, he’s the one who fights Zamasu in his introduction to the story. I have a strong suspicion that this was Toriyama’s original idea, and Toei took one look at it and said “A fight without Goku? But what about the ratings?!” so they rewrote things to have Goku fight Zamasu and defeat him, which starts him down the path to cartoonish supervillainy. And that’s fine, except it leads to some continuity headaches later.

The manga is careful to avoid having Goku and Zamasu meet until they fight in Trunks’ world. This is important for time travelly stuff I don’t want to get into right now.

Zamasu also learns of the Time Rings independently of the good guys preparing to fight Goku Black. This Zamasu/Gowasu is just presented as a side plot in the manga. At this point, no one suspects Zamasu of any wrongdoing, and there’s no indication that he has anything to do with Goku Black. In fact, there’s a point where everyone suspects Kibito instead, because he said some not-so-nice things about mortals in the Buu saga, and that’s about as suspicious as any Kai has ever been.

Anyway, Gowasu explains the Time Rings, and tells a tale about an ancient civilization in Universe 12 who invented a time machine. So one of the spare Time Rings represents and alternate timeline created by that time machine. So that’s why there was one more in the box what I had expected. The anime never bothered to explain this, so I’m glad the manga did.

Zamasu also learns of Goku and the Super Dragon Balls on his own, when he finds an illegal upload of the Destroyer Invitational Tournament on GodTube. Then he goes off to quiz Zuno about both of these things, and asks if the Super Dragon Balls could switch a god’s body with a mortal’s. Zuno relays this information to Kibito, who informs the good guys, and that’s when they figure out that Goku Black is a future version of Zamasu.

See, this is important because this arc depicts Zamasu/Goku Black’s origin story. And the anime tried to get cute by introducing a predestination paradox to it. They had Goku Black follow Trunks into the past, where Beerus and Whis noticed his Time Ring and familiar ki. Then they went to Universe 10 to ask some questions, and that’s how Zamasu learned about Goku and the Time Rings, which eventually inspired his plan to become Goku Black.

And I like the poetry of that cycle. Beerus investigates Goku Black, which inadvertantly leads Zamasu to become Goku Black, who then goes back in time and motivates Beerus to investigate. Except there’s no starting point for any of this. Dragon Ball doesn’t deal in predestination paradoxes, since they’re all about alternate timelines. So there would need to be a timeline where Zamasu became Goku Black without Beerus’ involvement, except there’s no scenario in the anime where that could happen.

What else have we got? There’s this scene of everyone hanging out and playing video games, which is cute but not too important.

And the #kisscourse is in the manga, front and center, which pretty much proves that this stupid idea of Goku never kissing his sexy wife came directly from the brain of Akira Toriyama. There’s no way this dumb bullshit made it into the manga, anime, and the dub without it being in Tori’s notes for this story.

It’s still stupid as fuck. Real talk, I think Akira Toriyama is a storytelling genius, but that doesn’t mean this was a good idea. Even Babe Ruth struck out once in a while.

Let’s talk about the fighting. One of the many dumb things about the anime version is that Goku and Vegeta go to Trunks’ future world three times, which is just incredibly tedious. Throw in the bit where Goku Black followed Trunks into the past, and Goku’s little sparring session with Zamasu, and Goku fights the main villains on five separate occasions. Remember how Goku fought King Piccolo twice, and that was it? Rememer how Goku went to Namek and fought Frieza once? Remember how those arcs were really fucking good and this...?

Anyway, Toyotaro clears away a lot of dead wood by just having two trips to Trunks’ world: One where they lose, and one where they win. And much of the fighting is handled by Vegeta, which is nice because it justifies Vegeta’s presence in this mission, and it saves Goku for when it counts. In this version, he works over Goku Black, and challenges him to use Super Saiyan Blue, but Goku Black doesn’t know how to do that yet, so it’s mostly Vegeta whoopin’ Black’s ass, which is great. This is where he does the speech about only a Saiyan being able to make full use of a Saiyan body. The anime has this too, except they stuck it near the end of the arc, when Goku Black had already beaten Goku and Vegeta twice before, so he had pretty much figured out how to use a Saiyan body by that point.

Here, Goku Black takes his licks, then discovers from fighting Vegeta how to become Super Saiyan Rosé, and then he turns the tables. The anime completely screwed all that up, and I think I see why. I’ve been comparing the Zamasu arc to GT a lot, and I’m realizing that it’s because Episodes 47-67 of DBS were made with the same production sensibilities as GT. The story took a back seat to the ratings. They wanted Goku doing things in as many episodes as possible, and they probably wanted Goku Black to transform early on, both to show off his new form, and to job out Vegeta as quickly as possible so that Goku could take the lead and get more screen time.

Because when you read the manga version, you find a lot of scenes where Goku’s either a spectator, or not present at all. While he watches Vegeta fight Black in the future, Beerus is questioning Zamasu about his fact-finding trip to Zuno. There was a similar scene in the anime, except it was rewritten so Goku could be part of it. But in the manga, they do this without Goku, and they don’t bother waiting for Zamasu to assassinate Gowasu to prove his guilt. Instead, the Supreme Kai simply uses his own Time Ring to see for himself, and he shows up to tell Beerus and Gowasu about Zamasu’s future crimes.

And this sets up a cool thing in the manga version. While the Supreme Kai reports on what he witness with his Time Ring, he reveals that Goku Black has an ally, the alternate timeline Zamasu. So while he’s explaining this in the present, Goku and Vegeta are finding out about it the hard way in the future. It’s pretty cool storytelling, especially for comics, but it’s diametrically opposed to the core values at Toei, which is “Goku = Ratingz”. The idea of having two plot threads in a story-- one with Goku on the sidelines and one without Goku at all-- is anatheme to Toei. Kozo Morishita still runs that place, you know.

So that’s why the anime version had three time-trips instead of two. They needed Goku to meet Future Zamasu, and then come back so he could join Beerus in the scene where he destroys Zamasu in the present, and then sit in on the discussion of how that all works, and then go back so he could resume the mission. It was all carefully constructed to get Goku in as many scenes as possible. The fact that it ruins the pacing and makes the story more convoluted doesn’t matter. “Goku = Ratingz”.

So let’s talk about my favorite part of the manga version. Why did this plan require two Zamasus, and why aren’t they both bodyswapped and immortal? It’s actually very simple, and it explains a lot of about this arc, which is why I’m so mad at the anime version for never touching on it at all.

Okay, so Zamasu wanted Goku’s body because of the raw power it possessed. That’s simple enough to understand. But when he got Goku’s body, he couldn’t utilize its full power. That’s why he couldn’t transform right away. And this is a major part of why Goku Black kept fighting Trunks all the time in the year before Trunks went back in time for help. It wasn’t because Black sucks at killing Trunks. Far from it. There’s a flashback in this story where Black defeats Trunks and lets him go, so that he can fight him later. He’s not just toying with Trunks; he’s using Trunks to train himself.

Throughout this arc, it’s made clear that the bad guys’ aren’t just settling for Future Trunks’ reality. They fully intend to attack the other timelines as well, so they’ll need Goku Black as strong as he can get. So they’re using this world for practice, working out all the details and giving Goku Black a chance to beef up before they move on.

That’s why Goku Black didn’t make himself immortal. He needs a vulnerable body in order to get the same benefits Saiyans get from fighting powerful opponents. If he was immortal, he’d just stagnate at whatever power level he’s at, just like his counterpart.

So what’s the Immortal Zamasu’s role in the plan? He heals Goku Black whenever he gets hurt. Remember how Kibito would heal people in the Buu Saga? Zamasu has the same ability, because he was Gowasu’s attendant, just as Kibito is Shin’s attendant. Goku Black had the same power, but he lost it when he switched bodies with Goku. So he needed a second Zamasu on his team, one who still had his Kai body and all the powers that came with it. And to protect his healer, Goku Black used the Super Dragon Balls to make him immortal and indestructible.

It drives me nuts, because Toyotaro presents it all so elegantly, and the anime didn’t even try. All you get are Black and Zamasu rambling about how one of them is the sword and one is the shield, but they never discuss healing powers or why they can’t combine Kai powers and Saiyan powers in the same body.

Okay, so like I said, this manga has two stages of the battle. After the Goku Black/Immortal Zamasu alliance is revealed, the good guys get clobbered and have to retreat. Trunks uses the Solar Flare (cool!) which is a lot more believable than a bunch of Resistance bullshit. In fact, you really don’t see much of the Resistance guys in this version, which doesn’t bother me at all.

Black tries to locate their enemies, but he knows the Saiyans can suppress their ki, so he tries a different tack and searches for an absence of ki. He locates Mai, then finds her leaving a sewer with some figures with no life signs. So they attack, only to discover they were actually dummies under sheets. Then Trunks ambushes them to cover Goku and Vegeta’s escape. Awesome!

So Trunks has to hold them both off while Goku and Vegeta retreat to the past. This is a lot like when Trunks powered up to... whatever he was in Episode 62. Except this version doesn’t bother giving Trunks a new transformation that ends up not working anyway. This version also doesn’t just skip ahead without explaining how he got out of this sticky situation. Look! He’s in a lot of danger here, and it’s a cliffhanger! The next chapter will show how he gets out of this mess. This is storytelling 101, and it astonishes me how Toei botched this so badly in the anime version.

I don’t want to oversell the manga version of the Zamasu arc. It’s got problems, but the anime version has the same problems, plus a lot of unforced errors that make it unwatchable in places. So when you read the manga version right after the anime version, like I just did, it’s like night and day. If you’re only going to do one or the other, make sure you pick the manga. But if you insist on checking out both, you might want to do manga second, if only for the palette cleanser.

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