#the dynamic between jack and his family is just fuckin interesting to me :

[spheresr4cubes]

Thoughts on the Mario movie

THE PROS

--Stunning animation! I mean, Jesus Mohammad Christ, the lighting?! The facial expressions?! The textures?! The weight of things falling and hitting and cracking?! The translation of 2D side-scroller to 3D world?! J'adore!!

--Genuinely horrific intro to the Darklands. Like, I was actually terrified for Luigi, especially the last shot with the Shy Guys in the castle.

--The world designs! If there's anything Illumination excels at, it's funky little societies, and the Mushroom Kingdom is no exception.

--The Battle with Francis the Dog, not only for the fantastic facial expressions of Francis himself, but for showing off how Mario and Luigi interact when faced with a problem (Luigi holding up a mirror as a shield mirrors [ha] how he protects Mario at the end of the movie). Also, the placement of the opera music over the madness happening when the plumbing goes haywire was *chef's kiss*.

--Hair flippies <3

--"Peaches"

--The voice acting: Charlie Day strikes a very interesting balance between Luigi's game voice and a real person, which makes him feel familiar at the same time as adding depth. And of course, Jack Black sounds like he had a lot of fun as Bowser, and I got chills twice during his lines.

--Existential luma

--Mario and Luigi apparently dress the way they do as a way to brand the look for their new business, and I love that. They feel out-of-place in their world somehow and fit better into the Mushroom Kingdom (which may just be the fact that their designs were meant for that world, but ce la vie, that's how it felt).

--THE HUG. I did not want to see this movie at all until I started hearing people talk about the relationship between Mario and Luigi as actual brothers. I haven't played any of the games with story, so I don't know how the film's take compares, but I do have a little sibling whom I love dearly and would absolutely learn the physics-bending rules and fight the same battles as Mario does if it meant getting my sister back. Does it feel a little fanficky? Sure. But it works.

--Actually, the whole Mario family's dynamics work, and there were so many little details and interactions I caught just on the first watch that build so much character with only a few scenes of dialogue. Mario being athletic before the events of the movie, never knowing when to quit, being defensive about his career choices and how they affect Luigi, who would follow him anywhere; Luigi being the most supportive person, even singing Mario's praises in the face of a big scary monster, never losing hope even when things are looking dire; their parents being more concerned than outright disappointed in their choices, trying to be supportive but missing the mark.

--Speaking of Mario never knowing when to quit and Luigi being a supportive person, no one in this movie really learns anything... and that's okay! The feelings that everyone has about how things should be end up being what keeps them going until the world(s) agree with them. Peach, for example, cares tremendously about the Toads and will do anything to keep them safe, which she does!

--Bowser is actually terrifying! Sure, he has his silly moments, but the badassery absolutely outweighs them. I had no doubt that he would actually commit mass murder, especially toward the end of the movie when the anger from being turned-down really comes out.

--Peach running the obstacle course in heels and a full gown (I have done something similar in a full skirt and bodice, and it was fun to watch on screen).

--FUCKIN TEAMWORK, YA'LL

THE CONS

--How many times do they have to title-drop? After seven, I was really getting tired of it. Like, yes, we know it's the Super Mario Brothers, we are aware.

--Illumination has a brand of comedy, and it is not absent from the movie.

--I'm not too familiar with the lore of anything, much less Donkey Kong, but... he never struck me as the fratboy type?? Like, sure, the dynamic kind of works when he interacts with others, but it felt... off.

--The voice acting. I saw this one coming, honestly, and I think I blame the studios more than the actors (I can't help but have sympathy). Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong felt wrong to me. Same with Cranky Kong, as if something in the voice did not match the character somehow. I'm not sure how to describe it. There were times where the same issue arose with Peach, Mario, and the main Toad as well, like there's a disconnect.

--Lots of very bright colors in both Brooklyn and the Mushroom Kingdom, which softens the blow of actually arriving in another world. I get that this is more of a children's movie, and children love bright colors, but do you know the feeling you got when first seeing Dorothy step out of the sepia-tone house into the technicolor Land of Oz? That feeling was missing here.

--Someone used a lot of the budget on copyrighted songs, and it gets distracting. ("Mr. Blue Sky" is already intrinsically linked with a complete other fandom in my mind, so its addition really threw me out of the story).

OVERALL

The Mario movie was good! I enjoyed it, even with its faults, and I would buy the DVD if only to admire the artistry that went into the animation and screenplay. There were still times I absolutely would have screamed "HELL YEAAAHHH!" had I not been in a public theater.

10/10 visuals

10/10 foley

6/10 voice acting

7/10 plot execution

8/10 characterization

Judgement: Would recommend, even if you don't know lore!

#mario bros #Mario movie #mario #luigi #peach #bowser #animation #2023

[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

bro I sent the matt/kate ask and you gave me kate/frank feelings so like if you want to can I have that as well?

How dare you. i have been waiting for years to be asked about frankate (also i feel the need to clarify that this is very specifically Nazar-fic-Kate)

What was their first impression of each other?

“this fucking idiot” basically. they meet when Matt is chained to the roof and Kate is like “pls stop terrorizing my bf” and frank is like “your bf is a moron”

What is their ship name?

Frankate...frankkate? anything that’s a chess pun (bishop...castle...get it...)

in my WIPs they’re spooks and snipers

Describe their relationship dynamic.

Kate: FRANK NO

Frank: FRANK YES

it’s honestly a lot of philosophical discussions about killing people, Frank calling Kate out on her bullshit, and Kate acting as an impulse check. One of the BIG THINGS with this relationship is Kate realizing that Frank can and will kill someone if she asks him to, no questions asked, and that is both terrifying and a turn on. The fact that Frank trusts her moral compass so completely--he realizes that he’s a little fucked up when it comes to that, so he will look to her for the thumbs up/thumbs down kind of thing. 

like. to the point Kate has to kick Frank out of a fancy Bishop party because if he stays she knows she’ll ask him to kill her dad and he WILL.

What was their relationship like before they got together?

once they got done bitching at each other over Daredevil (and Kate yelled at him a LOT) they worked pretty well together? Kate helped Frank figure out the drug smuggling thing (turns out Derek Bishop was involved with that). They would get each other coffee and check in with each other’s mental health. Frank is very soft with her, in a lot of ways. But also not, they did beat each other up at least once and Frank shot her very much on purpose but they always were fond of each other. 

once they meet back up after Matt ~dies~ they’re....really, really good for each other. Kate feels like she’s able to be honest with Frank in a way she can’t be with anyone else, because what the hell could she say that would scandalize Frank? She doesn’t need to step lightly around him because Frank’s never stepped lightly in his life. Kate feeling like she has more leeway to be brutally honest around Frank means he feels freer to be honest around her, and she’s seen some shit so he respects her in a way he doesn’t respect a lot of people. 

Kate gets to be angry around Frank in a way she can’t with anyone else, except maybe Clint, and that’s really important.

They both like coffee and dogs, i mean, what more do you need

How would they describe each other?

Kate: That asshole

Frank: fuckin’ fed

What do they love about each other?

absolutely nothing. they barely even know each other! what are you talking about?? go away.

they love how fighty the other is, even if it drives them crazy. the inability to leave well enough alone, the willingness to do stupid stuff together.

What do they have in common?

WEAPONS. Kate doesn’t use guns professionally but she does love going to a range every now and then. Kate knows bows and grenade launchers and long range rifles, but doesn’t care for handguns. so there’s a lot of very sexually charged shooting dates where Kate lets Frank put his hands on her and around her to correct her grip, and he knows she’s just letting him, for the most part, but they both like it. she teaches him how to use a bow, and he’s terrible. it doesn’t help that Kate smells really good and she’s very very close and he’s never going to need to know how to shoot a recurve, so he doesn’t feel bad about not paying attention. Kate has general gun knowledge so he gets super obscure stuff to teach her how to shoot. like a musket, or the kind of rifle you’d take down a hippo with, something with a shitton of recoil so he can brace her against him. He’s not a proud man, okay, he’ll take his excuses to hold Kate close in public wherever he can

Frank likes dressing Kate up in body armor and Kate likes dressing Frank up in sweaters and suits. 

Also dogs. The have Lucky, and the dog Frank rescues. Kate names him something terrible. Like Charm (lucky and charm, get it?) or (apple) Jack (lucky charms and apple jacks) or Oberon

What are some differences between them?

Frank is very willing to kill. Kate is not. Frank is very mission-oriented--he’s a soldier, he gets a job, he does it. Kate’s been a leader, she’s worked with bureaucracy, she thinks about the optics of situations (yes it makes sense to have a shootout on the boardwalk but perhaps we could go to a less family-friendly location?)

What made them realize they were in love?

almost losing each other--or thinking they were almost losing each other. also, the day Sarah Lieberman kisses Frank. That’s when Frank has the realization of “okay, the kissing, that’s fine, but there’s actually someone specific I’d like to do this with” and with Kate it was more like “ (: i’m so happy ((: frank has found some happiness. i am not jealous of him kissing someone else (((: that would be silly”

What are their love languages?

so much physical affection. so much wound bandaging. Frank bringing Kate coffee to work or food to a stakeout. Beating up muggers together. Cooking together, they’re so disgustingly domestic. cuddling. all the time cuddling. hands in back pockets, pinkies linked, Frank just COCOONS her in bed (which is not to say Kate is always the little spoon. Frank loves being little spoon every now and then) they both get very octopus-limbed with each other. “if i’m plastered to you you can’t leave without me” kind of thing. they’re lowkey possessive

Do they get married? Who proposes and how?

Frank proposes, but getting to that point is a team effort, yanno? They're out in LA and Kate's in the kitchen stock still because she's living??? With Frank castle??? And kind of has been for a WHILE? And Frank's wrestling with Lucky and Kate suddenly realizes she loves him so much and there's like pasta boiling on the stove and its domestic and unexciting and neither of them are bleeding and Kate sort of dazedly says “hey Frank, would you be interested in getting married someday?”

and Frank doesn’t answer, just rummages around in one of his bags, pulls out a small box that he tosses to her. Inside is a ring. “took you long enough,” he says

What would happen if they never met?

they’re both very sad and depressed. i feel like being with Kate gives Frank more moral nuance and being with Frank makes Kate rawer, in a way. So without each other, they are really closed off emotionally. Kind of frozen.

Who dies first? How does the other one react?

Woooof ok Frank probably dies first and Kate is fucking FURIOUS about it. It's not unexpected because hes the punisher for god's sake, and he's older than her by almost a decade but still

It could happen, though, that Kate dies first, sudden and unexpected. And Frank loses. His. Shit. Idk who kills her, Fisk or Masque or Russo or all three, but you can bet your ass Frank gets his bloody revenge. And he doesn't technically kill himself, but he's reckless and gets shot a lot and bleeds out on Kate's grave. Yeah.

Are there any love rivals?

BILLY RUSSO, Totes makes a move on Kate, and also he’s in love with Frank so there’s that. 

Matt isn’t really a rival? In a perfect world they’re ot3 but do not ask me how we get from Matt pretending to be dead to a happy healthy polyamorous relationship, i don’t know

Describe your favorite moment of that ship!

the pining! the mutual yearning! and both of them are like “this is not a good time for a relationship” and then the dumb jealousy! Frank is jealous of Billy Russo, who is trying to get Kate to work for him, and Kate is jealous of Micro’s wife, Sarah, when she kisses Frank, the YEARNING

What do other characters think about this relationship?

“What. the hap. is fuckening”

Micro gets it, he thinks they’re idiots and adorable af, you know, for people who are such deadly shots, but most of the people on Kate’s side of the equation just don’t get it or think Frank’s a rebound. America and Cassie are the first ones to realize he’s sticking around.

Karen’s not to sure about them, but she likes them both and thinks they’re good for each other. 

Curtis think they’re both morons (fond) but in different ways so they balance out.

Most people on Frank’s side of the equation get it. People on Kate’s side are like “you went from self-castigating catholic lawyer to vengeance-fueled murder machine, are you ok?” 

Describe or write a really fluffy scene!

ohhhh ok so this is. probably one of my favorite scenes ever. not because it’s particularly well-written, but because i like the idea behind it

Kate has her legs wrapped around Frank, her arms draped over his shoulders as they watch the sun set over the ocean. He is very much a person to drape oneself over.

"Frank," she says, a touch of reverence in her voice as the light catches something. "Frank."

"What?"

"You've got grey hair."

"The fuck? Seriously, Spook, you gotta point that out when we're doing the romantic thing?"

Kate wraps her hands around his skull, tipping it this way and that. It's hard to tell when he has it this short but—yeah. It's there. Kate swallows down an unexpected lump in her throat as Frank continues to bitch until she drapes herself more over his shoulder and turns his head so she can shut him up with a kiss.

Kisses.

A lot of kisses, actually.

"Jesus," he pulls back after a minute, the pad of his thumb rough on her cheek as he swipes at the moisture under her eyes. "You cryin' over some grey hairs?"

"I didn't think you'd stick around long enough for me to see them," she admits.

"Not goin' anywhere, Spook. You're stuck with me."

He's not getting it. Kate presses her forehead against his, her fingers finding the spot where a bullet entered his head and changed his life. "Frank, I didn't think you'd be alive long enough to get them."

Describe or write a really angsty scene!

how about matt comes back aftermath

“You’re not going to make me choose?” Kate’s voice slips out of neutral, into something like hope. Not the kind of thing she’d ever thought Frank would be suggesting, but--

“I’m not gonna make you choose, no.” He smiles at her, a wrong kind of smile, and turns slowly, heading towards the door. His hand is on the knob before her brain processes this enough to send words to her mouth.

“Where—what are you doing, Frank?”

He doesn’t face her. “I’m leaving.”

“You’re—leaving.” The words feel strange, they sour in her mouth and panic wraps brittle fingers around her throat, choking her. “Why—are you leaving?”

“I just said, Spook. Not gonna make you pick.”

Realization and rage burn through her, bright and quick. “So you’re leaving? You’re not making me choose because you’re doing the choosing for me?”

“That’s what you want.”

“No it’s not! Stop making decisions for me! I don’t—I don’t know what I want, yeah, but I know what I don’t want!”

“You told me you still love him. Best thing is for me to go.” He says it with no inflection, as if he wasn’t ripping Kate’s heart out and his too.

“No, I don’t want you to leave! You leaving is the opposite of what I want because what I want--” her voice breaks. “Is for you to stay. I don’t know what to do, but I don’t want you to leave, Frank. I love him, but he left me. He hurt me. And I love you, too. And I like you, which is more important, sometimes, and you helped me when I couldn’t find myself, you just—you let me be, you let me be angry and ugly and awful and you didn’t make me apologize for it or feel sorry about it, or guilty. And I owe you for that—that’s not why I want you to stay, but if you do stay because of it—god, that’s bad, right?” She takes a shaky breath. “Frank. Please stay. I want you to stay.”

Talk about a headcanon you’ve never talked about before.

Frank poses as Kate’s bodyguard when she’s Kate Bishop, heiress who doesn’t know self defense. They were at a party and Kate’s sister Susan was like “huh, you look a lot like mass murderer frank castle, there, pal.”

and of course frank says no he’s not he gets that a lot, and Susan gets right up close to him and says “i don’t care who you are, i just see how my little sister looks at you, and if you break her heart like the last guy did i will litigate your ass into the ground, sir. the GROUND”

also, like, an entire 1920s mafia au where derek is the man behind frank’s family being killed (which is why frank is working for him) and he’s kate’s bodyguard and he covers for her sneaking out and kicking ass

What does a typical date look like for them?

not to be basic but walking dogs and drinking coffee together. stopping a drug deal along the way. going to a shooting range. 

What’s a really significant moment in their relationship?

Frank gets roped into being Kate’s backup on a SHIELD mission. Frank takes a shot at the target and Kate’s pissed because she was supposed to take the shot, and it’s this whole thing. About Kate being angry that Frank could have been made and Frank being angry that Kate wouldn’t take the shot, putting herself in danger, and both of them are just PISSED until they realize that both of them are just AFRAID and FRANTIC. they’re both just like “what would I do if something happened to you?? huh???

#Anonymous #kate bishop #hawkeye #young avengers #frank castle #frankate #my stuff #god i have a lot of feelings about these two #i am working on the other ones i PROMISE!!!

[lovely-van]

darling (part three)

God, he was so fucking annoying.

part one part two

word count: 2,550

notes: hello everyone! i’m back with part 3 to the darling series based on an anon request :) it’s pretty light and just fun and easy to write plus i just really like the dynamic between them hahaha. my situation is not ideal with accounts rn but i hope you all have found me at my new home! i’m still taking requests and working on a looong fic that i’m really excited about. anyway, hope you enjoy :))

“Alright Van, you gonna tell me what you were really doing last night?”

Your ears all but perked up from the kitchen, pausing for a moment before you poured some milk into your tea.

“What do you mean, mate?”

“Well, you told me you were heading home early because you were tired but I happened to run into Tommy from upstairs this morning after I got back from Amelia’s and he had some complaints about… the noise,” Larry said, a smirk evident just from the tone of his voice.

You stepped into the living room, handing a cup of tea to Jack who thanked you with a smile, and sat on the couch next to Larry. 

“Wait, what? So you’re telling me you had a girl over last night?” Jack shot at Van, shaking his head. “You told me you weren’t feeling good.”

Van’s mouth was dropped open in surprise. He laughed awkwardly after a moment, leaning back on the couch and crossing his right ankle over his left knee. “Yeah, I wasn’t. I got home and went straight to bed. And you’re still seeing her, good for you, mate.”

Larry narrowed his eyes at Van and took a sip of his beer. “I am, thanks. Anyway, Tommy asked if we could be quieter because he heard like, screaming and moaning and shit. ‘Animal like’ I think is how he described it.” Jack burst out laughing at this, patting Van on the chest in a sort of congratulations. 

Van’s cheeks flushed pink. “Well, wasn’t me.”

“Who else would it have been? Tommy’s our only neighbor. And he’s old as hell and never talks to me so I dunno why he’d make this up. Who the hell are you fucking that you won’t tell us about?” Larry asked. “Come to think of it, I think I heard some weird noises coming from your room last week, too. When you didn’t want to play FIFA with me because you were ‘too tired’ then, too. I bet it was the same girl.” 

You pretended to be interested in something on your phone, scrolling casually as if you weren’t hanging onto every word of the conversation. 

“Yeah, you’re always tellin’ us every detail of your sex life, Van. This chick must be ugly as hell or something,” Jack said with a chuckle. 

“Watch your mouth, yeah?” Van snapped quickly, then attempted to cover it up with a laugh.  

Larry stood up and pointed at Van accusingly. “I fucking knew it! You can’t keep shit from me. Now who is it? Why are you being so sneaky, lying about being sick and all that?” Larry sat back down as he waited for Van to respond, not looking away from him. 

Van rolled his eyes, wiping his hands on his jeans. You’d never seen him so flustered - it was quite comical. His face had gotten even redder and he kept rubbing the back of his neck. It was well known by most people close to him that Van was a terrible liar. You could get almost anything out of him within a matter of minutes if you pestered him long enough. 

“C’mon, leave him alone. If Van wants to sleep around with a girl that’s so ugly he can’t even tell us about her, let him. He had to get out of his dry spell somehow, yeah?” you said with a laugh. Your comment was met with a glare from Van, who stood up and made his way into the kitchen to grab another beer from the fridge. “Or maybe he likes her or something.”

Larry snorted. “Don’t you go defending him. Van doesn’t ‘like’ girls and he also always brags about how hot the girls he shags are. We’re talking about the guy who gave me shit for weeks when I told him I kind of had a crush on that waitress at that shitty restaurant by our old place.”

“Yeah, whatever happened to her? What was her name again?” Van pondered, brushing past your legs and plopping down next to Jack again. Just the momentary touch - through a layer of clothes at that - was enough to make you shift around in your seat, pulling your knees to your chin. He looked over at you, licking his lips as his eyes flicked over your bare legs and up to your face. The corner of his mouth lifted up slightly when you smirked at him.

“Don’t change the subject, McCann,” Jack shot back, leaning forward and staring at him, eyes narrowed. Van tossed his arm on the back of the sofa, sipping his beer casually. “Maybe it’s Y/N,” Jack said after a moment, glancing over at you and scanning your face dramatically as you rolled your eyes. “God, could you even imagine?” Larry and Jack both laughed boisterously at this.

“Yeah, he wishes,” you said, grinning at Van. 

“Fuck off, all of you. She’s not fuckin’ ugly, okay? I just didn’t think it was any of your business,” Van replied with a scoff. 

“So you’re still seeing her, then?” Larry asked.

Van’s eyes flickered to you for just a second, giving you a clear look of annoyance because of how pleased you were with the whole situation. “Christ, yes, okay? But now I’m definitely not gonna tell you who she is, since you’re all a bunch of dickheads.”

Larry and Jack shared a look. “Okay, fine, mate, but we’re gonna find out eventually. I’m gonna make sure,” Jack said with a smug look, patting Van on the shoulder who shrugged off his hand and shook his head. “The three of us are gonna be like Sherlock fucking Holmes.” 

---

“Christ, they’re so annoying,” Van said, his voice muffled. He was lying completely on top of you on his stomach, arms tight around your waist and face nuzzled into your neck as you rubbed his back. 

You reached up and scratched his scalp, eliciting a soft groan from him. “I know, bunch of assholes, aren’t they?” you replied with a chuckle. It was very late by now, nearing the middle of the night. You had to wait until Van and Larry left your house and then wait even longer for a text from Van letting you know that Larry was going to bed so you could sneak in. 

“Shut up, you were having a field day with it, too. How come I’m the one taking all their shit, eh?” 

“Dunno, maybe if you were a better liar you wouldn’t have this problem.”

Van bit your neck teasingly. “Fuck off, would ya?” You giggled underneath him, squirming when he started pinching your sides. He covered your mouth so you wouldn’t laugh and made a disgusted face when you licked his hand.

“Van? You’re not jerking off in there, are you?” You both stopped in your tracks immediately, eyes glued on the door as Larry knocked on it. At least he knew from experience not to barge in. 

“Shit,” Van said under his breath. You scrambled off of him, searching for your clothes that were intermixed with Van’s. You tossed him his underwear which he slid on. “Uh, closet?” he whispered, pointing at the door which was partially open. 

You slipped into the closet, shutting the door behind you. You leaned your forehead against it, closing your eyes. 

I’m really hiding in a guy’s closet right now. Jesus, what has my life come to?

“No, come in,” Van shouted after a moment with an airy laugh. The conversation was so muffled you could barely hear it. You pressed your ear up against the door, being careful not to bump into anything. 

Larry was talking about something with his family and you could tell it was serious based on his low voice. 

You bit your lip and tried to make out what he was saying but you gave up after a while because he was talking too softly. You stood totally still, not even wanting to sit on the floor of the closet in case you made a noise. 

After a few minutes, the door of the closet opened, revealing a wide-eyed Van. “He’s gone,” he muttered. You slipped out of the closet and followed Van onto his bed, sitting on the edge of it next to him. He sighed softly, leaning his head forward, elbows on his knees. You rubbed his back, resting your head on his shoulder.

“Everything okay?”

“Dunno, Larry said there’s something going on with his mum’s boyfriend and he was in the hospital earlier. He’ll be fine and everything, I guess, but he said his mum was a little freaked out.”

You frowned. “Did he say what happened?” 

“No, just that he might drive up and see them tomorrow, ‘cause he feels bad for his mum.”

“So do you think he’s worried?” you asked. 

Van shook his head, leaning back and looking at you with a little smirk. “No, he’s fine, I think. But he did see your underwear when he was leaving,” he said, tilting his head towards the floor in the direction of what were indeed your underwear. You groaned, flopping back on the bed. You had definitely forgotten to put them on when you were in a rush, only slipping your pants on and Van’s t-shirt.

“Gave me some shit for that and said he was gonna find out whose they were when he gets back in a couple days,” he said, leaning back on the bed next to you, fingers going to the tie of your sweatpants.

“Great.”

“But y’know what that means? Place to ourselves.”

You smacked him lightly on the arm. “Larry’s having a family crisis and you’re more concerned with the fact that we won’t have to sneak around for a couple days? You’re despicable, McCann.”

Van smirked, leaning down to kiss the spot where your neck and collarbone meet. “What can I say, darling? A man has needs. But we gotta be a little more careful so Old Man Tommy doesn’t hear us this time, yeah? So you better learn to control yourself.”

---

A few weeks later, you were on the phone with Van, hidden under the sheets of your bed and talking into the darkness. 

“I miss you,” he mumbled. “Can’t fuckin’ sleep.”

“Aw, how cute,” you cooed into the phone. “Poor wittle Van can’t sleep without me.” 

“Fuck off,” he groaned. “‘M serious, y’know. Larry insisted on inviting a couple of his old mates over so they’re all in the living room right now, being loud as hell. I can’t even leave the house.” 

You chewed your lip, thinking about how you hadn’t been able to sleep before your phone rang, either. You’d gotten pretty used to seeing Van most nights of the week, one of you sneaking out and spending the night at the other’s place, only to leave early in the morning. Because of this, your sleep schedule was all sorts of messed up. And being in bed without Van only made it harder to sleep at night. 

“I know,” you sighed, “I can’t sleep either. It’s getting old,” you said with a soft laugh. 

“Do you… do you think maybe we should just come out and tell ‘em?” Van asked after a moment. 

You weren’t sure what it was, but telling Jack and Larry about you being in a (recently defined) real-life relationship with Van just seemed unappealing. Your entire friend group was based around teasing each other - with love, of course - so you knew it would be hard to live this one down. After a while, they’d probably come to accept it and the jokes would maybe dissipate but the thought of acting like a couple in front of the two of them made your stomach churn. You also figured that if Jack and Larry knew you two were messing around, they’d probably pick your entire relationship apart within minutes which would only lead to the demise of it. 

“Uh, I dunno, Van. Maybe we should just wait a bit still.”

“Thank God, I don’t wanna tell them either. Not ready to deal with all the shit,” he replied with a chuckle. At least you were on the same page. “But I wanna see you. And not have to worry about them busting in on us constantly,” he whined. 

“I know, it fucking sucks.” You sat and concentrated on him breathing into the phone for a moment, listening to the way it got deeper and you could tell he was probably close to falling asleep finally. “Ooh, I have an idea.”

“Hm?”

“What if we got a hotel next weekend? I could come up with some work lie and you could say you were visiting your family or something. That way we could have a whole weekend together before you have to leave.” Van was leaving for a short European tour in a couple weeks. And you were dreading it. Since you’d started dating, you hadn’t been away from him for longer than four or five days. Now, he was going to be gone for about two months. You had no idea how you were going to survive that long without him.  

“That’s a pretty good idea, darlin’,” he mumbled into the phone. “Hotel room, all to ourselves, yeah? I like it.”

So on Friday night, after successfully convincing Jack that you had a conference in Glasgow for the weekend, you were waiting on the hotel bed, wearing a little something special for Van. It wasn’t much, but you’d had time to shop around at a lingerie store down the street and you figured he would like it. You had even lit a few candles around the room to really set the mood, a bottle of wine on the bedside table. 

Van had texted you earlier, saying he narrowly escaped Larry who tried to invite himself on the trip to see Van’s family. Larry really was a nuisance. 

You heard the door click and you turned and saw the handle turning. You strained to see Van entering, a small backpack slung on one shoulder. He tossed it on the ground and looked up, scanning the room until he saw you. He whistled lowly, licking his lips. 

“Fuck,” he muttered, eyes gazing up and down your body. You sat up a little higher, pleased with his reaction. He slipped his shoes off as fast as possible and crawled on the bed next to you, hand going to the side of your face. “You’re fucking class. How… I dunno what I did to deserve you,” he mumbled, tugging his bottom lip in between his teeth and looking over the lace set, his other hand running up and down your leg. 

“Yeah, ‘m not sure either. I’ve been trying to figure that one out,” you replied, thumb and forefinger stroking your chin jokingly. 

He chuckled, leaning forward and pressing his lips against yours. You sighed at the contact, glad to finally be near him again. You’d seen him a few times in the last few days but never managed to be alone, only getting an occasional ass grab in the kitchen as he passed you by or a light stroke of your arm when no one was looking. 

Being completely alone in a hotel room with Van, no Jack, no Larry, and no Old Man Tommy around was much better. 

#vanfic #catb fanfic #van mccann fanfic #van mccann #catb #van mccann fanfiction #my fic #van x reader #hope yall enjoy #fanfic

[theskyexists]

Fugitive of the Judoon (spoilers)

What. what was that.

What.

I really felt like the Doctor here. Hit with the reminder that Gallifrey is still dead (what the fuck - still) then hit by Jack (what the fuck), then hit by another Doctor (WHAT THE FUCK). when she’s like walking around the city just absolutely SHOOK - same bro

I mean I’d figured that Gat was a Time Lord (OR actually, the Doctor specifically says ‘Gallifreyan’ instead of Time Lord) the moment she called Lee a ‘companion’. Figured that Ruth was a Time Lord the moment she got a weird vision and started rattling off life facts. Figured for absolutely sure she was the Doctor the moment she showed up in that orange shirt lol

Chibnall went: FUCK YOU to every single whining fan who complained about a female Doctor. LOL

At the start I was like nice - we got a focus on an older black woman! I could never have imagined this. That is to say: did RTD know this for his book version of ‘Rose’ or was that a prophecy?

So many people got vaporised in quick succession in this jfc. Chibs was like - ok no longer necessary for the plot or anything - u ded. (and those guns can’t be regenerated from it seems - which says something about Gallifreyans using em)

Ok wow. I feel disoriented and not entirely in a good way but that’s because Chibnall lost my trust a long time ago and also the pacing was weird and they should REALLY have edited the bit with Jack down - esp when he’s trying to tell them something important and he says ‘ tell her this’ three times but still gets cut off lol (I guess RTD okay’d Jack’s return?)

honestly it was a good excuse to remove the companions I spose but it had nothing to do with the episode and so it didn’t fully land, did Jack a bit of disservice - but it did let us have jokes about - ah Doctor! not the Doctor? Ah..you the Doctor? NO??

THAT KISS THOUGH!!! I LOVE IT.

Also - are they going to explain why Jack clearly looks a lot older than before or...was that the nanogenes? Because at first it seemed like that was the anti-theft system but then Jack said ‘always’. John Barrowman did a great job but I feel like the innuendo was possibly overwritten?

The way the Doctor just let Lee be ‘arrested’ and left with Ruth was super weird bc why would she leave him if she thought he was the fugitive....she’s so bendable. Let’s say, she’s a pushover a lot of the time - because the plot needs her to be - and that is still a problem.

Sad we didn’t get to see Thirteen speak Judoon.

The companions and Doctor sure had a nice talk - and her messing with the controls for ages to find the Master - how long you been sat there? 20 mins. and the Doctor’s denial - HA - and leaving em to explore while she disappears to go back to Gallifrey and just LOOK at the devastation WOW. THE FUCKIN ANGST MATES. He did good there. I still can’t - I mean the acting made it. I don’t think the dialogue is particularly inspired but they made it. And they’re ‘family’ because they’re dedicated - not because there’s that good ol love. It’s a choice, not organic so to speak. But I thought he wrapped things up according to their canon dynamics - that is to say - she gets depressed and then they lift her out of it by forming a front and barraging her with hope and faith.

Anyway.

So I think the implication is multiverse. After all.

And there are SO many hints about - hm. Uh. It being a commentary on both an Imperialist Gallifrey and the historical dynamics between the Doctor and companions. It really is becoming clear to me that Chibnall is committing to this - this subversion of ‘normal classic’ dynamics.

1. The Doctor Ruth (for some reason not realising that this woman with her is also a Time Lord and/or a very suspiciously knowledgeable person???) actually treats the Doctor like a companion - and it is PATRONISING. It’s explicitly deeply patronising - and it’s explicitly a Doctor-Companion dynamic. She even does the hand-grab. Something we’ve not seen Thirteen do at all (which I have bitterly complained about). Then she’s telling her to shut up and refusing to share anything. (having them both be women was brilliant because it only made the wrongness of it stand out more - because it’s so unexpected). Actually the whole episode had a super interesting red thread of the Doctor not opening up to her companions and then being truth-blocked the whole episode - it turns out BY HERSELF lolllll. anyway that also feeds back into it.

2. Gat is like Lee - she’s had the same training - and it’s military training. She’s not a Time Lord, she’s a Gallifreyan. They’re Gallifreyan. Lee is a ‘companion’, Gat is implied to have been the same. He gives up his very life for the Doctor Ruth, she’s the most important thing to him. - the Doctor Ruth does not speak of him again - shows very little grief. The emotional devotion inherent to normal/classic Doctor-Companion bond is militarised and it seems - institutionalised....and it’s not a good thing AT ALL - like class hierarchies and servitude. This is CLEARLY contrasted with Thirteen and her fam mending their relationship through honesty and faith and THEM lifting HER up - BY REJECTING explicitly that she’s so much older/more powerful/superior.

3. The Doctor Ruth was a soldier. She carries a gun. Her TARDIS looks much closer to the original standard version. She has a GUN, even if she mostly threatens and does deadly tricks with it - she expresses pure disdain for the sonic - the thing that the Doctor uses to learn things and open and fix things with... She’s a twisted mirror image - but she also apparently knows that ‘the Doctor’ does not use guns - and she ran from Gallifrey.

4. Gat serves the ‘glory’ of a shadowy empire of Gallifrey.

I absolutely loved the Doctor going fuck u to the Doctor Ruth (Jodie plays that so perfectly lol) and talking anyway and then speeching about the ash and bones of Gallifrey. Great stuff. And honestly I loved them syncing and some good old ragging on each other’s style choices. Are we going to get some payoff on this weird no gun policy....?

What I found super weird though is the Doctor doing that annoying thing where the script makes her state the obvious and then the Doctor Ruth ACTUALLY COMMENTS ON IT? That she’s being fucking dumb. I don’t know how to take that. I find a choice like that from a writer annoying! But now it’s acknowledged as a character trait! What. But it fits right into Doctor-Companion commentary - i.e. earlier Doctors being callously snarky to companions.

I’m just a bit iffy about the Doctor just letting this go????? Why not REALLY interrogate this random version of yourself???? Once again plot frustrates logic and character.

Middle of the series and we get this. Chibs went from ‘no arc’ to ‘ARC CONSTANTLY’. I don’t mind it - but i do find it disorienting.

I LOVED ALL THE JUDOON RHYMING. also i loved the WHOLE confrontation between the Doctor and the Judoon it was INCREDIBLE.

#dw #my stuff #personal #the pace was crazy #there's so much STUFF here #i literally went WHAT WHAT WHAT #for most of the episode #the pace wasn't super good for me but the story did get blown wide open #but also #and they mended some shit #but also we are NOT getting a payoff on the Doctor going dark it seems to me #unless they externalise it into a confrontation with a darker self (heh) #doctor who #spoilers #fugitive of the judoon #i feel like i just got a lot of clips for my video but actually now it's outdated

[ariyadaivaris]

nogoodmox replied to your post “nogoodmox replied to your post “AH ive been thinking about angel...”

YES...i remember when i watched 205 for the first time in a while was for humberto and angel's match and it was SO fucking phenomenal and i was like wow we get to having this running rivalry which is gonna be so interesting to see but then they snatched berto away

it couldve been on of those cool fight forever rivalries like there would always be that unresolved tension between 'em...which cousin will be victorious THIS time? and it'd be interesting 2 explore just how far they are willing to go in their matches cuz they're FAMILY so is there some limit to their fighting? or is it just ON SIGHT for them

i'm rambling sorry sdkfd but LITERALLY all our problems would be solved if everyone just returned to 205 live 

humberto and angel are family but humberto will ALWAYS attack on sight knowing his cousin wears tearaway pants. there’s NO getting out of this one its the price you have to pay for wearing tearaway pants fuckin nerd

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO COOL! i would have LOVED to see humberto on 205 more in general, his whole storyline with lince was absolutely All Time and we could have had so much more! humberto and angel RULE together it would have been so fun to have another family dynamic, the singhs are here and theyre fun but theyre not respected even a bit and we don’t really get to EXPLORE them as characters so much as they are a Device...which i’d also like to change but humberto and angel can ALSO fight!!! what are they UP TO...i wanna KNOWWWWW...humberto shook angel’s hand knowing he was gonna be betrayed with his ENTIRE TEAM telling him not to do it, and still started showing off and being totally absurd with it to go toe to toe with angel, angel bullies his dumb cousin and still loses to him, AGH......AHGHHHH SHOW ME THE FEUD. WHERE ARE THEY. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM

ITS LIKE...EVERYONE GET BACK IN THE POOL AGHHHH SCREAMS I MISS EVERYONE SO MUCH!!! seeing like, 2, 3 different boys lose tonight to main roster boys is too sad and its what ALWAYS happens! the 205 guys make their opponent look phenomenal and then they lose and wait in catering and its just like. my FAMILY has been torn APART you cannot TAKE them from me bring them BACK i miss seeing them all together too!!! i miss the STORY....the TEXTURE...the fact that i DIDNT have to watch raw and sd

also i m deeply worried for jack as well BUT a full-blown goth makeover for him would absolutely be buzz rights

oh i cant read i dont know! 

#nogoodmox #GOTH JACK WOULD BE...TOO STRANGE #he DID do a thing for uudd actually that gave off some EXTREMELY weirdgoth vibes im fine with that its a FINE balance #id ruminate on it more but that boy STRESSES ME OUT #BUT YEA LIKE...ESSENTIALLY I AM JUST STUBBORNLY WANTING EVERYONE BACK AND I HAVE REMAINED SO SINCE MOOSE #theyre all still very close and while theyre branching out on twitter they all still kinda stick together which is nice i just #rattles dishes i MISS THEM THOUGH I MISS MY FAMILYYYYYY #GAYLE VOICE WHERE'S MY FAMILY

[redscullyrevival]

2011: Tiger & Bunny

For me, 2011 was an amazing year for anime. So many of my favorite shows popped out of this one year it’s kind of disgusting.

Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica, Hanasaku Iroha, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, No. 6, From Up on Poppy Hill, Wandering Son, Nichijou, my sweet baby Mawaru Penguindrum! What Am I to do?! Well. I don’t even know how to begin talking about Nichijou and I’ve talked plenty on Penguindrum so lets give another equally loved show the spotlight today!

Who is down for some Kamen Rider meets slice-of-life-lessons mixed with a healthy dose of X-Men and NASCAR racing?  

I was on board with Tiger & Bunny the day it was announced as a project. My boy Masakazu Katsura on character design? A live action script writer named Masafumi Nishida being brought in? Big O king himself Keiichi Sato directing? I was signed up! I was ready! And I was not at all disappointed.

Tiger & Bunny is about reality star superheroes who gain points for their heroics during Live TV broadcasts and who vie for funding and resources from sponsors. The supers’ costumes are plastered with the logos of (real world) corporations and are dominantly featured in the show’s openings (which can make for an odd experience if you’re watching the censored versions on Netflix) and the characters often find themselves at odds with what kind of hero they’d like to be verse the kind their sponsors and TV producers want them to be.

It’s a good fuckin’ set up isn’t it?! Oh my god.

A older hero (Kotetsu Kaburagi AKA Wild Tiger) and a rookie hero (Barnaby Brooks Jr. AKA “Bunny”) are teamed up by their sponsors and the two have to learn to compromise and collaborate while saving the day, the efforts of which start to carry over into their private lives as they grow as people.

Kotetsu is a veteran of Hero TV who holds old fashioned notions on the superhero lifestyle but possesses a well balanced moral center due to his years of service. He is the “old man” but has a solid grasp on why he does what he does as his days of doubt have already come and gone, but Kotetsu’s glory days are increasingly getting behind him.  

Barnaby is Batman if Batman were blonde and a much more stable individual although still, you know, pretty jacked up. Barnaby is emotionally closed off and simply does the hero thing as a means to an end; finding his parents murderer. Through his partnership with Kotetsu Barnaby begins to open up and truly consider for the first time what kind of person (and hero) he wants to be.

I cannot stress enough how wonderful it is that Tiger & Bunny is a show that has adult characters who grow and that they do so through a mutual give-and-take mentorship, friendship, and if you ask me romantic relationship. And that’s just the two main characters!

Tiger & Bunny has one of my absolutely favorite extend cast of characters in anime; they’re a diverse, layered, sympathetic bunch whose interactions and relationships as co-workers, competitors, friends, and found-family is the foundation the show rests on. Another key aspect of the series is that every character’s superhero identity relies on outward stereotypes (their superhero identities are crafted by corporations afterall) which are simplified reflections of the characters actual identities.

I’ll do my best to explain as Tiger & Bunny doesn’t draw a hard line with it, but this is a series that dips in and out of the the personalities and lives of the heroes as filtered though the simplistic picture TV captures and then their real lives and personalities.

For example, the sexy hero Blue Rose is sponsored by Pepsi NEXT because they want to capitalize on the association of her ice powers in reminding folks how tasty a nice cold Pepsi can be. Blue Rose is instructed to act cold and dominatrixy so as to fit into Pepsi’s campaign and we see that off camera she is also a bit cold - but we learn that’s because of conflict within herself.

Karina’s dream is to be a singer so she took the superhero gig because she was told she needed to make a platform for herself, build a fanbase, and put in some company time before being trusted with the budget of a true artist. As Blue Rose Karina gets to sing the closing theme to Hero TV and have mini concerts, but while she does her best to please the sponsors her full heart and attention isn’t exactly in being a hero. She complains about her catch phrase and is a teenager who is very aware of how the camera roams over her corporate designed costume. She misses out on time with her friends and her family doesn’t entirely understand her choices even as they support her in her goal.

Karina Lyle, like all the cast members, works through her problems while the audience comes to understand that there are parts of her that are similar to her hero persona but that her persona isn’t a complete representation of who she is.

This duality is pushed even further to the point where it is built into the literal presentation of the series.

When the characters are suited up, logos polished and on display, the series takes on the camera work and focus of what a show like Hero TV would probably actually be like but will drop out of that style mid fight to highlight characters real feelings and concerns - only to slip back into that heightened style once again. It’s hard to describe and it isn’t something the series does only when literally showing us things through the show-in-the-show, Hero TV.

Tiger & Bunny fluctuates between two kinds of Visual and Tonal Coding™: The structured posturing of what superhero media is like and what we all expect and then the wavering hesitant nature of being a human being with responsibilities and an inner understanding of oneself.

I have plenty of other things I want to talk about but if you watch the first three episodes of Tiger & Bunny you’ll start to get a feel for what I mean! It’s a very clever, subtle, tactic the series uses to compare and contrast it’s many characters with their superhero personas and is what gives the show such an enjoyable dynamic feel.

Because of this show’s characters and their wonderful duality this is the first and only time I’ll make this kind of comment: I do not suggest the dub of Tiger & Bunny and not because it isn’t good (it’s well cast and acted) but because the English script ignores the nuances of how characters address themselves because English can’t help it and the official translations don’t address any of it. 

Nathan Seymour (AKA the hero Fire Emblem) uses the gender neutral I/me pronoun "watashi" and informal feminine "atashi" for themselves which is hard to express in an English script as English doesn’t have gendered I/me pronouns. For those watching a sub there is still a lot of guess work if you even have the ear to pick out how Nathan refers to themselves because the character absolutely displays Japanese media stereotypes and as such Nathan can be seen to fall into the onee category with their dialogue being onee kotoba.  

I could get into this but I’ll just say again that this is a series where stereotypes are pitted against people who can fall into them but are shown to be more than them and Nathan is absolutely a part of that. The most thrilling and moving aspect of the second Tiger & Bunny film, and I’d argue of the entire franchise, is when the story goes into Nathan’s history and shares a considerate journey with identity - but what if you never make it there?    

At the end of the day who you are and what you know is going to define whether Nathan Seymour is a believable agender queer POC character or a strange flat stereotype - which isn’t anything special as that’s how all characters from everything are experienced and defined.  

If you want to get deep into this kind of conversation I suggest starting with Japanese Language, Gender, and Ideology: Cultural Models and Real People by Shigeko Okamoto and Janet S. Shibamoto Smith. And if anything at all has caught your interest about Tiger & Bunny I full heartedly endorse giving this series a watch.

#age anime #tiger & bunny #tiger and bunny