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thebad---catholic · 4 years

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My problems with AOS

Well here I am, 10 years late with an opinion no one asked for, but I have to write this down and throw into the void so that I can be at peace. I’ve been salty about this film franchise for a very long time now. This will mostly focus on Star Trek (2009) with the other two movies sprinkled in.

1. Starfleet

Honestly where do I even begin? In TOS, Starfleet was modeled after the navy (idk how accurately, but Roddenberry was in the air force so I’m assuming he’d know how all that works). You can get a feel for the chain of command, and everything feels natural with character ages and things like that. There’s a procedure for everything.

AOS Starfleet feels more like a high school club than an interplanetary exploration organization. Jim is supposed to be twenty-five when he gets the rank of captain- after he was almost expelled for cheating. He has no idea how to operate or run a starship. TOS Kirk moved through the ranks of Starfleet and was promoted on merit and leadership skills- he worked for his position.

Why was Jim the only person who knew what was happening when Nero showed up? Was there any requirements to joining to Starfleet other than get on the shuttle? Why did the linguist not know the difference between Vulcan and Romulan when they’re the linguist? How did Pike bypass the chain of command to appoint Jim Kirk as First Officer which was an obvious show of favoritism to someone was about to be thrown out of the academy? Why the fuck was he allowed to keep the title of captain? What the fuck?

Speaking of Jim.

2. Jim Kirk’s Character

I...don’t like Jim’s character in this film. It’s not terrible for a younger version of Kirk, but like I said though, there’s no reason Kirk should be this young. And in this one he’s just kinda a douche.

We know from TOS that Kirk gets around, but he genuinely cares for his exes, and in general respects women. He uses sex appeal as a strategy, but more than anything this comes off as a subversion of the femme fatal trope bc Kirk is a man. In the movie, he’s just a standard action movie protag who has lots of sex just because.

The scene when the Orion woman says she loves him and he replied “that’s so weird” is just...so weird? Like I can’t imagine Kirk doing anything in that situation than backing off and explaining that he doesn’t feel the same way. The scene continues with him hiding under the bed when Uhura walks in. Watching how the camera angle makes Jim out to be a voyeur made me uncomfortable then and it still does. It could be explained that Jim is trying to figure out Uhura’s identity or that he’s listening in and people look at who they’re listening to but like...she was in her underwear. You shouldn’t look at people while they’re getting undressed, especially when they don’t even know you’re there? Is that a hot take? Apparently.

In TOS there’s this really nice scene in This Side of Paradise(S1E24) where the whole crew is high (again) and has abandoned ship, leaving Kirk to tend to things. We see Jim move around the ship with a little clip pad and make the proper checks. This is a captain who knows his stuff. That is the Kirk we should have seen if we’re going to see Jim become captain.

AOS kirk goes through a standard “stop being an asshole” arc commonplace for male protagonists, but this happens well past the point he should stop being an asshole. Either the AOS series should’ve been a prequel with Jim becoming captain at the end of the trilogy, or he should’ve been older with a completely different arc- maybe coming to terms with his rank? Imposter syndrome? Learning to trust his crew and building trust with them? Building a friendship with Spock and McCoy? There’s a lot to work with here.

3. Spock and Uhura’s relationship

Why. Like why. For what. Por Que.

I like giving Uhura a bigger role, I don’t like making her a love interest to do that.

It doesn’t make sense for either of their characters. Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, linguist expert who handles all transmissions to and from the enterprise- an icon of black women’s representation is now demoted to Spock’s nagging girlfriend. This bothers me more than a little bit.

It manages to make even less sense for Spock. A hallmark of Spock’s character is his duality. He struggles to combat his emotions and the human half of him. His repeating character arc in TOS is coming to terms with humanity while upholding the Vulcan way of life. Having him in an established romantic relationship before this arc is supposed to happen just makes for a boring romantic subplot about a relationship that shouldn’t happen and that I don’t care about.

TOS Vulcan culture is kinda shitty. Explicitly patriarchal and stuff, and also kinda racist against humans. The source of Spock’s inner conflict is not himself but a society that views him as lesser for being half human. However, one thing that I can certainly understand from a “logical” (logic in quotations bc racism and sexism is fucking stupid) people is ritualized arranged marriages. It just...makes sense to me that Vulcans would simply have their mates chosen for them and then marry that person and be done with it. Neat. Logical. Conformity.

This makes Spock and Uhura’s relationship even stranger. Why would Spock go so against conformity that he dates someone before he truly comes to terms with himself? Even if they throw out ponfarr and arranged marriage, it still doesn’t work but now it especially doesn’t work.

My personal theory is that Spock and Uhura’s relationship was established purely to make shippers shut up. It’s no secret Spirk is the most popular ship from TOS. I have no doubt they knew this while writing the movie. So to quietly wrap a no homo on Spock and Kirk’s friendship, they use Uhura as a prop to do so.

The teacher/student dynamic should only be relegated to fan fiction and the throwaway line about oral sensitivity makes me cringe. Every. Time.

4. McCoy

Karl Urbans performance is easily my favorite part of this movie. He captures DeForrest Kelley so well it hurts. He made Leonard Nimoy cry. His chemistry with Pine made McKirk go from the most underrated triumvirate ship in TOS to rival Spirks popularity in AOS. His scenes with Zachary Quinto are just *chefs kiss*.

So why doesn’t he have more of a role? The triumvirate is missing a third.

In particular, there’s a scene where Uhura, Kirk, and Spock make their way down to a planet to talk to a Klingon. I can’t remember which movie it was or why, but Spock and Uhura were bickering and Kirk remarks “can we do this later?”

The line was funny. It would’ve been golden if it was McCoy and not Uhura.

A fantastic performance by an underutilized character in a movie where that character should’ve been at the forefront.

5. Representation

I am skeptical of any movie that advertises diversity. Nonetheless, it made me happy to know Sulu was going to be gay. This is Star Trek after all, known for its diversity and large LGBT fan base, and an homage to George Takai who’s a gay man irl. So whatever.

The fact that I wasn’t expecting much says a lot about the current state of LGBT rep in media but this blink-and-you-miss-it shit is really starting to get to me.

I mean he jus- he doesn’t even give his husband a KISS. Like why.

6. Destroying Vulcan

WHY. Oh god why.

This isn’t Star Wars, JJ. We don’t do that here.

Imploding Vulcan was the most god awful shock value bullshit plot device I’ve ever seen in a movie and it was done entirely to make Spock sad. Besides the gaping plot hole of “why did Nero go back in time to destroy Vulcan when he could’ve just saved Romulus” I’m just grasping to find a purpose for this particular event. New fans don’t care at all about Vulcan while I was enraged that they would do Amanda that dirty.

It’s not just that they did that, it’s more that they did it like that. Vulcan’s destruction should’ve caused a federation wide meltdown as the biggest catastrophe in the entire franchise. If they were gonna make the stakes so pointlessly high, they should’ve treated the destruction of Vulcan exactly how they would treat the destruction of earth. There a million ways to treat that event with more gravity and million better plot lines that don’t involve G E N O C I D E

7. Miscellaneous petty bullshit because I’m a baby

-lower the fucking stakes Jesus Christ

-Don’t like the set. It’s bright and white and boring and gives me a headache. You don’t need a remake of the old set but like have fun ya know? Shit looks like an Apple store.

-Christine and I are the same in that we are both soft and are thirsty for Spock. Imagine my surprise to learn she wasn’t fucking there. Same with Janice but I’m more pressed about Christine. I don’t even remember the name of that blonde doctor lady who is Not Christine but i didn’t want her.

-The costumes in AOS look boring but still don’t feel like a uniform either. I deadass think Chris Pines outfit in the SNL skit looked better than the actual movie (minor adjustments needed)

-I didn’t notice this at first but someone pointed out that women’s uniforms don’t signify rank and now I can’t not see it. I don’t...think this movie treats women good? Or McCoy? Or just people who deserve better?

-Lens Flare

-I get why they did it but I don’t like that they misquoted the opening theme to say “no one” instead of “no man”. I probably wouldn’t have even notice except they gave the line to Uhura. Comes off as just a touch too “yay feminism” which is really rich coming from that treated Uhura like an object to be looked at when she wasn’t too busy being Spock’s emotional support gf, and completely cut two women from the main cast.

8. Conclusions

If I could describe these movies in one word it’d be generic. Which sucks because Star Trek far from generic.

They’re fun to watch but not think about. It was nice that I got to see a Star Trek movie in theaters. I just wish it as the same Trek I saw on TV.

#star trek the original series #star trek tos #star trek aos #star trek alternate original series #jj abrams #jim kirk #captain kirk #dr mccoy #bones mccoy #spock #mr spock #lt uhura #nyota uhura #hikaru sulu #star trek #star trek headcanon #trekkie #trekker #star trekkin

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mistymark · 4 years

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VIGILANTE/S V

part five // 4.0k words // superpowered!au // (sort of) gang!au // series masterlist

summary; in which you consider yourself somewhat of a vigilante.

warnings; swearing, mentions of death, weapons and killing, gang shit really

notes; this is just a filler bc the whole thing ended up being way too long but !! hope u like anyway <33

One week into living in the warehouse, you’ve got your own routine. You know what times to avoid the bathrooms, you know not to eat Chenle’s cereal – a tip from Donghyuck, who informed you that Chenle once set him on fire for doing just that – you know that Jaemin is the only one who cooks breakfast, and most of the meals eaten in the warehouse are from local takeout stores with shifty delivery guys. You know that 15 pizzas are ordered for one meal – because Jaemin eats at least 5 of them.

“My metabolism is crazy,” he explains to you on your third day there. “I’ll be hungry again in, like, 2 hours.” Mark had laughed and said that was normal for anyone here.

Donghyuck had whispered to you, “Jaemin carries around jellybeans all the time for his blood sugar. If you want to piss him off, call him Jelly Baby.”

You know that every time Jaemin is given an assignment, he brings a girl back to the warehouse, something you’d discovered when you saw Jeno sleeping on the couch in the main room the next day. You know the boy named Renjun doesn’t train, and hardly leaves his room. You know that Donghyuck sometimes snores in his sleep, now that you’re sharing his room, which actually hasn’t been so bad.

Jaehyun had you move in together the day after you met him, and he’d been really nice about it, moving half of his clothes from his wardrobe so you had space, and boxing up most of his stuff to allow more space for your things. He’d even offered to take down his sketches and drawings so you had some wall space. It was a sweet gesture, but you found his posters interesting, so you told him to keep them up.

Doyoung had gone with you to empty out your apartment – not that it had much in it – and convince your landlord to break your lease. “Your landlord has a very weak mind,” he’d said in a monotonous tone, when he was carrying a box to his car, a flashy black thing that certainly did not belong in your neighbourhood at all. The dilapidated, crumbling buildings surrounding you were brown and dirty, the streets grey and filled with potholes, the people who inhabited the area looking just as worn. Doyoung, on the other hand, was clean and sharp, wearing fitted black jeans and a clean white tee. His shoes were almost as shiny as his car, which made you feel slightly self-conscious when you noticed how much he stood out here.

“He’s pretty much given up on life,” you’d agreed, which earned you a smirk from him. It was true, your landlord was a chubby, pot-bellied man who wore nothing but baggy, ill-fitting jeans and old t-shirts with various food stains on them. You’ve never seen him leave the building, and you often wonder if he knows what a shithole the place is.

“I can’t believe you actually lived here,” he looked up at the building, at the brickwork that was being held together by mould rather than concrete, at the wooden window frames that were rotten and splitting apart, at a window that was recently broken, now being blocked by a curtain taped across the panel – at the place you once called home.

Well, not necessarily. It hadn’t felt like home since your dad had died, if you were being truthful.

“You live in a warehouse with criminals,” you reminded him.

“We live in a warehouse with criminals,” he cracked a smile at you, taking the box from your hands and placing it in the boot of his car.

“At least my roommate only kills himself,” you mumbled on the drive back.

“Donghyuck wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Doyoung laughed. “He’d probably kill himself if a fly started a fight with him, just so he wouldn’t have to fight it and win.”

You watched the buildings go by – Doyoung drove slower than the elderly, you were sure – and all the industrial warehouses with cute, bright signs advertising children’s toys and courier services, wondering how many of them were a front for another operation, like Jaehyun’s. “Do you think Donghyuck can die? For real?”

Doyoung was silent for a moment, then, slowly, he said, “We have our speculations. We can’t know for sure, though. And none of us really want to.” You gave a small smile to him, though he was too focused on the road ahead to see it. When you’d first come to the warehouse, you were sure no one liked him, since no one seemed devastated by the fact that he was dead. Now, you knew he was family to them.

“You have a cassette player?” Donghyuck was supposed to be helping you unload your stuff into your now shared room, but he was mostly just being nosy, going through your boxes and not actually putting anything away.

“Uh, yeah,” you throw a glance over your shoulder, seeing Donghyuck sitting on his bed, rifling through one of your boxes. “It was my dad’s.”

He nods, gently putting it on the bed. He doesn’t ask any questions about it, or your family, which you’re grateful for, but it makes you think he doesn’t have any family of his own.

You know Donghyuck is the most open out of all of the team, but you also know not to ask any personal questions.

You know a lot of things after living in the warehouse for a week. You know that Jaehyun drinks tea in the mornings and coffee at night, that Doyoung cannot access Chenle’s mind. You know that Donghyuck is definitely not a morning person, and that he exclusively wears black, as if he’s always ready for a funeral. Maybe that’s exactly the reason; some kind of sick joke surrounding his immortality.

Most importantly, you now know how to survive Johnny’s training sessions. You’ve trained with most of the team, mostly the Shields – Jeno, Jaemin, Mark and Chenle – as their powers manifest physically, and are easier to control, but Johnny has also been helping you use his ability. “You’re smaller and weaker than the rest of the team, and most Shields in general,” he’d said, eyes roaming your body. It was the first time anyone’s ever looked at you like that without making you feel objectified. “If I’m around, my ability may be the difference in whether you win or lose a fight. Try again, and focus on me.” As if you already weren’t.

He’d hunkered down and gestured for you to begin. With the other members around, you could take Johnny down in less than a minute now. Alone, it took you upwards of 10 minutes.

The day you officially move into the warehouse, you’re exempt from training with the Shields, but Donghyuck takes the opportunity to teach you gunmanship.

“I’ve used a gun before, you know,” you say, but after 10 shots you still haven’t managed to hit the target. The firing range isn’t small, located in the basement of the warehouse, which you didn’t even know existed, but you should have been able to at least hit the target once.

He laughs, picks up the gun and nails the target’s centre 5 times in a row, “So have I. Do you want to be able to actually hit your target, though?” The hole in the centre of the target looks about twice the width of the bullet, made from the bullets hitting basically in the same spot each time.

He puts a hand on your shoulder, adjusting the position of your shoulders, then places one on your lower back, adjusting your posture. You’re stiff, and you know it. He clears his throat and steps back, “Go.”

You brace yourself and shoot, the bullet going straight through the target’s stomach.

“Not too bad,” he nods in approval, holding his hand out for the gun and easily changing the clip in three quick motions. He offers the gun back to you, “Again.”

“You sound like Johnny,” you say when you take it from him. You deepen your voice as low as possible to mimic your trainer and the short, efficient way he speaks, “Again. Stop. Go. Try again. Up.”

Donghyuck lets out a loud laugh that immediately brings a smile to your face. “That was amazing.” He sits down and leans back, a hand pressed against his stomach as he laughs, mimicking your imitation. You join him on the floor, resting your back against the wall and leaning over to grab the bag of potato chips he’d brought down with you. “Have you ever shot someone?”

He reaches over and steals a few chips, as if it was the most normal question in the world. But, there’s a slight shake in his voice when he speaks, “Shot? Yes. Killed? No.”

“Who?” He shoots you a sideways glance and you lower your head, “Sorry.” No personal questions.

The heavy stench of awkward silence settles over you. He breaks it, “Johnny.”

You don’t know what to say except, “Shit.”

“Yeah,” he swallows thickly. “It was an accident. Obviously.”

You’re about to ask what happened when you’re interrupted by someone coming down the stairs. Neither of you had bothered to shut the door to the firing range, giving anyone going up or down the stairs a full view of what you were doing. Jaehyun stops when he sees you both, sitting on the floor of the firing range, sharing a bag of potato chips. He doesn’t look at you, focusing on Donghyuck. He clears his throat, “Are you training, Hyuck?”

Donghyuck’s eyes are wide and innocent when he answers, “Teaching Y/n how to shoot.”

Jaehyun’s eyes move from the two of you to the target and back again, but he doesn’t say anything about the lack of holes in it. “Johnny’s ordering Chinese – if you want anything, let him know. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

He continues and you turn to Donghyuck, “Where’s he going?”

“Garage,” Donghyuck says, through a handful of chips. “Do you want the rest of these?” He offers the bag to you. You shake your head.

“What else is down here?”

“Weapons vault, garage, the range,” he answers distractedly, too focused on getting the last of the flavouring from the bag. “The gym…” his voice trails off.

When he’s satisfied that the bag is indeed empty, he stands up, offering his hand out to you to pull you up, “Jaemin takes ten minutes to pick what he wants to eat, so if you have a preference, we should probably tell Johnny now.”

You take his hand and let him pull you up, reaching for the gun that lays on the ground, “Where-?”

“I’ll take it,” he takes it, quickly turning the safety on and reaches around to his back, tucking the weapon into the back of his black jeans.

Your second day of training was with Chenle, in the gym, which looked more like the inside of an asylum than anything. Everything was clean and a pale, almost-white shade of grey, and the entire ceiling was a cloudy glass panel that illuminated the room, giving the room a bright and energetic yet sterile feel. The equipment was state-of-the-art, a dark contrast to the overall lightness to the room, and floor to ceiling mirrors took up two of the walls. There was a stack of clean towels in the corner, and a few televisions across the room, visible from each machine. A smaller version of the Super fight ring was situated at one end of the long room. Yet, the thing that shocked you the most was the bright blue flooring, an odd design choice.

Chenle was the least helpful out of the Shields in the team, watching you train with his ability, critiquing your control and your movements with a stern eye. “Wrong. Try again. Make it hotter this time, or you’ll do no damage.” As if to gloat, he held a hand up, and a dangerous blue flame engulfed it. Your own flame, a measly bright orange, wavered.

The entire time you’d trained with him, he’d done nothing but glare and criticise you. You were sure he hated you, or maybe it was just the fact that he wasn’t the only one who had his ability anymore.

Yet, as he was leaving to eat, he’d nodded in approval at you, “Good. We’ll train together again soon, I’m sure.” It was the most he’d said to you. Actually, if you added up everything he has said to you, it would still be less words than were in that sentence.

Basically, he hadn’t spoken to you much all week.

Jaemin, however, was the opposite, and the person you’d trained with the day after Chenle. If anything, he was too kind and too understanding - he barely helped you.

“It’s okay if you can’t run as fast as me, yet,” he’d assured you with a smile, his hands on your shoulders. His smile was wide and encouraging, his eyes kind, and you instinctively knew he was a heartbreaker. No one with a smile like that has ever been heartbroken, you’d thought. His flirtatious manner was also a dead giveaway.

Your suspicions were only confirmed when he’d been sent on an assignment at the Den, and entered the kitchen the day after looking a little too happy. A girl had snuck out a few minutes later, looking only slightly embarrassed as she tried to pull her shoes on and find the exit at the same time. Jaemin had just stood in the kitchen and smiled at her as he ate his toast, not even bothering to show her out.

“You’ll have to eat a lot tonight,” he informed you at the end of your training. “And make sure you don’t have any training tomorrow morning, because you’ll be out for a while since this is your first time testing your stamina with my ability.”

He was right; you were exhausted after only two hours with him. When you’d told him just that, his smile widened and he winked at you. You laughed and shook your head at him, throwing your towel at him, “I’m going to shower.” He opened his mouth but you shot him a stern look, “Do not ask to join me.”

His easy-going smile remained on his face as he shrugged nonchalantly, “Worth a shot.” He bent down to pick up his drink bottle and began tidying up the gym as you left.

The person that surprised you the most was Jeno. His ability was easy enough to control, since you could control when you wanted the super strength, but he was happy to train you in preparation for your own training with Johnny.

“I guess it’s easy if you can control when you want to use someone’s ability, since your emotions don’t get in the way,” he’d said, as he wound his fist up with tape and gauze. “But if we’re not around, you need to be able to defend yourself with just your, uh, body.”

You nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Keep a clear head and be logical. Johnny is the only one that can see what you’re about to do, so unless you’re fighting him, think about what you’re doing.” The intense look is back in his eyes when he looks up from his wrapped hands, checking to see if you’re listening, as you haven’t said anything. You can easily see why the others would hate fighting him – he’s smart and he’s dangerous. “If you don’t think, you’ll… you’ll get hurt.” Something in his voice has changed, but it’s gone when he speaks again, “You’re no use if you’re dead.” You quirk an eyebrow at him and he juts his chin up at you, “Hold out your hand.”

You do as he says and he steps forward and begins wrapping your hand delicately. It’s far neater than you’d expected.

“Were you a boxer?”

He lets out a humourless laugh, “No. I’ve just been in a fair few fights.” You try not to react, but he can see what you’re thinking when he looks up. “Relax, most of them walked away just fine.”

“Most?” He doesn’t respond, and you take the hint that he does not want to talk about it.

He’s actually quite a good trainer, you discover, and teaches you the strongest ways to take someone down. He’s less talkative than Jaemin, but his instructions are clear and easy to follow, and at the end of your session, you’re able to do basic sparring with him.

“It’s 6,” he says, looking up at the wall of the gym. Without even a goodbye, he grabs his drink bottle and gym bag, lightly jogging up the steps to head to his room.

That night, you ate dinner with Mark and Jaemin. Well, you ate while they played video games. Jaemin shared a room with Jeno, but you hadn’t seen him since your training session. Empty pizza boxes were stacked by the door, and you counted at least 5. Your own box was sitting beside you on Jeno’s bed, while Jaemin and Mark sat side by side on Jaemin’s bed, their eyes glued to the TV screen that hung on one wall. Their room was a lot more… normal than you’d expected. Donghyuck’s was a giveaway that he was a Super – or a psychopath, either worked – with the blood and the diagrams and the journals and the weapons stacked in boxes around the room.

Jeno and Jaemin’s room was fitted out with their beds, desks, wardrobes, bean bag chairs, an old gaming console and a flatscreen TV. A few movie posters and celebrities were on the wall, and old photos. Only Jaemin had photos, and even so, there were only a few taped to the wall above his bed’s headboard. You couldn’t make out any details from where you were sitting.

Mark’s reflexes were no match for Jaemin’s, and he lost almost every round, making you wonder why he still agreed to play.

“Hey, should I save some of this for Jeno?” You asked, staring at the pizza still remaining in the box. There were only three left, and part of you wondered if it would even be enough. The other part of you thought it would at least be polite to offer.

“Nah, he won’t be back til tomorrow,” Jaemin doesn’t even turn around in his seat, his eyes frantically following his character as it moves across the screen.

“Huh. Okay,” you pick up another slice just as the game ends and Jaemin turns to throw another wide grin at you.

“That means my room’s free for the night, if that’s what you’re wondering.” He laughs at the look of exasperation on your face.

When his attention is away from you again, you say, “Jaehyun sure keeps you guys busy.” There’s only a little bit of bitterness in your voice; you’d been with the team for four days and the only time you’d left was to sort out your apartment. Apparently, you weren’t ready for any assignments yet.

“Huh? Jaehyun has him on an assignment?” Mark’s confusion gets your attention, as he turns to look at Jaemin with a furrowed brow. This was clearly unusual – or, at least, news to him.

Jaemin barely glances at you as he responds, “Nah, he’s visiting his girlfriend.”

“Jeno has a girlfriend?” You ask, only slightly shocked. It wasn’t like you’d thought about their love lives, but you’d just assumed everyone was single. It went with the job description.

“Yeah,” Jaemin nods. “She lives on the other side of the city somewhere. At one of the colleges. He normally goes after trainings on Fridays, since it’s the only night she’s not studying.”

Even without seeing your face, he can sense your surprise.

“Don’t ask him about it, though. He’s very reserved when it comes to her. Doesn’t want any of us to know much about her. I don’t even know her n-”

Mark laughs when he finally manages to kill Jaemin, and Jaemin pouts and rolls his eyes, insisting he was too focused on you to play. “You’re such a baby,” Mark laughs louder, and Jaemin swats at him. His hand moves so fast you barely even see it hit Mark’s arm. “Ow! Dude!”

“One more game, come on,” Jaemin insists, turning back to the screen. Then he raises his voice, “Anyway, Y/n, he won’t even tell us her name, let alone anything else about her. So don’t bring it up.”

“Or he’ll literally chokeslam you,” Mark adds, which, for some reason, makes them both laugh loudly.

You nod, despite the fact they can’t see you, and go back to eating your pizza, “I’ve got next game!”

Mark sighs in relief, “Gladly.” Jaemin’s competitiveness was beginning to wear him out.

The following day, Mark taught you the basics of shape shifting. He was the latest addition to the team – other than you – and his control was even worse than yours. “Shape shifting is really difficult,” he giggled, nervously. “If you’re not 100% imagining what you want to be, you’ll turn into something way different. But don’t panic, it will restrict your ability to change back.”

Over the course of the day, you’d shifted into birds, mice, elephants, leopards, any creature you could think of. Though, you had humiliated yourself when he went to get snacks during your break, greeting and talking to the large dog that came trotting down the stairs, as if it were Mark.

“What are you doing?” He’d laughed when he walked back into the gym, snacks in hand.

You’d been at a loss for words, your cheeks immediately becoming inflamed. “I- I thought that was you,” you pointed at the dog, which was panting as it sat down on the stack of towels in the corner of the room.

“That’s Bruce, Renjun’s dog,” Mark explained, tossing you a can of iced coffee. “Don’t tell Jaemin you drank his coffee.”

You paused, the opened can raised to your lips. You lowered it, slightly, “Why does Jaemin need coffee if he already operates at like 10 times the speed we do?”

“For after he crashes,” Mark shrugs. “Sometimes speed isn’t everything.” He laughs at his own joke, “If he doesn’t sleep enough, he’ll still be exhausted. Sometimes he can’t afford to sleep more than 12 hours, so he relies on coffee.” He cocks his head to the side as he examines his can.

Later, when you’re sitting on the floor after successfully shapeshifting into cockroaches, you ask, “Have you ever tried turning into other people? Can you do that?”

“Yes, but – I really have to know what the person looks like. Like, I can imagine a dog and turn into a dog because any small details that I remember incorrectly will go unnoticed by a human,” he gulps down his cola. “Humans are more complex – one small detail could make me look totally different to the person I’m trying to copy.”

“Change into me, then,” you sit up straighter. “If you can see me, surely you won’t have to rely on your memory, right?”

He shrugs and locks his eyes onto you. You’d seen him transfer from human to horse, from sheep to frog, but somehow seeing him change from himself to you was more disturbing. His skin ripples and his bones make disturbing popping noises as they change, and you wonder if it hurts, even though you had shape shifted multiple times and knew it didn’t hurt at all.

Within a few seconds, right before your eyes… is you. “Hello,” he says in your voice.

“Okay, fuck that, change back,” you tell him, looking away. “That’s so creepy. Brilliant, but creepy.”

When he laughs, it sounds like him again, and you let your eyes drift back to where was sitting. He smiles, and his eyes crinkle at the corners. His eyes, not your own.

You could have so much fun with this ability, reminding yourself to try it on Donghyuck later.

You tell Mark this as he tosses a piece of popcorn into his mouth, and you both stretch out on the gym floor, laughing at all the pranks you could easily pull on the other members of the team.

258 notes · View notes

springday-aus · 4 years

Text

Disney Prince!AU with Bambam

★ Bambam as Disney’s Prince Naveen ★

moodboard link

Group: GOT7

Member: Bambam / Kunpimook Bhuwakul

Other Characters: rich girl!Lisa (Blackpink)

Genre: romance

part of the Disney Prince series

Type: Bulletpoint AU

Word Count: 2.8k

I don’t wanna say Bambam in the prince of Thailand in this au

but also hmm

anyways Bambam is a prince

of whatever country you believe him to be

so he kind of has a bad rep…….

like yeah, he’s handsome

(practically the one of the most handsome in the country bc have you SEEN him??)

but there are three main reasons why he’s got a bad rep around the country

the first one being that he has a really bad spending habit

just take a look at his wardrobe

he spends so much money on his appearances that his closest is the largest in the mansion

(the maids say it could be his second bedroom bc there’s a literal couch in it)

remember how London Tipton had that “wear a day, throw it away” phrase?

yeah

that’s basically Bambam, only he just…….hoards it in his closet

Bambam: “just in case I need that outfit another day, some day”

cue assistant!Jinyoung rolling his eyes behind Bambam

Jinyoung: this dumbass

Jinyoung: “yes sir, we will save it for another day” :)

the second reason being that he’s also known to throw lots of wild parties

so he spends a lot of money on catering, entertainment, clean-up and such

ironically enough, it’s not one of those like “royalty only” parties

bc that’s boring

so literally anyone and everyone is invited

and that means anything and everything can happen in the mansion

ofc he’s aware of robbers and stuff so there are guards at every door

this leads the last and final reason of his bad rep: how much of a flirt of he is

while there are guards at every door, basically anyone attractive is allowed in

like omg his boy literally can not be tied down

or as he would say

Bambam: “there are plenty of fireflies in the swamp”

Yugyeom: “isn’t it ‘there’s plenty of fish in the sea’?”

Jinyoung: “ignore him, let the stupidity rampage”

Yugyeom: “you are evil oh my god”

anyways, despite all of this

he really is a good guy

and even the mansion servants are aware of this

it’s just that…. he’s not the first in line for the throne

he’s got two older brothers and they’re fighting enough for the throne and getting involved with the mix is just………… a lot

so he doesn’t really have the whole responsibility of a royal

but he’s got a lot of press on his back and that’s kind of where the bad rep comes in view of the public

while he does have that image, there is another side of him others know

he’s very compassionate, so he donates a lot to charities

especially for children who are interested in the arts

because he’s got a huge passion for the arts himself

honestly music is kind of one of the only things he really loves in life

but he doesn’t really have enough motivation for it bc of the whole royal thing

so he keeps it as a hobby

anyways, this is the most important bc this combination of music and flirtation is what leads to his doom

for two reasons: his parents cut him off and this is what leads the witch doctor to seek revenge

so after all this ridiculous spending on his clothes and parties and all his flirtations, but no commitment

his parents couldn’t take it any further and decided to cut him off to make him less dependent and learn the value of money

just because he lost the money aspect to him didn’t mean he lost his charm

so the flirtations were kicked up a notch

well not really

he was playing the ukulele on the street and caught the attention of many ladies

bc it’s the handsome prince playing in public duh

one of those ladies being the partner of a very powerful witch doctor

……… well, former partner…….

bc said partner left him after talking to Bambam…………

so what does the witch doctor do?

he does what he does best and sets out for revenge

he lures Bambam in, telling him his fortune and all that good stuff

Bambam is allured

but next thing he knows, there’s smoke and he’s surrounded by spirits

and everything has been enlarged

so where do you come in?

when Bambam had his parent’s’ money, there was one mall he loved to visit the most

that mall is so boujee that it’s the size of an airport

he didn’t even buy from some places, others gave them as gifts bc it would be advertised or something

(the whole press thing on him bc he’s not a “perfect” royal is seen as an advantage for these businesses)

anyways, you work as a server in a couple of the restaurants that’s in the mall

one for the days and one for the nights

so you work part time in a cafe for the mornings and mid afternoons

and a bar for the evenings

so you practically live in the mall

and that means seeing Bambam often

each time he comes and goes, there’s a wave of people who chase after him and you can’t do anything more than roll your eyes at him

while you haven’t met him in person, you’ve figured out what type of person he is

just another guy who thinks he can buy his way into anything

he’s clearly never worked a day in his life and he’ll never know the meaning behind hard work

you? you’ve been working since you were 15 to save enough money to open up your own bakery

tonight, you were at a childhood friend’s palace

that’s right, a palace—Lisa threw a party and asked for you to cater it, especially since there was a very special someone coming (a possible suitor)

(and she paid you too so)

you were in her room, as she was putting on her third outfit of the night and touching up her makeup

she suggested you dress up too, so you were left alone in her room and while she danced on the ballroom floor

you were upstairs, gazing up at the stars

remembering your childhood memories with Lisa

Lisa: “if you make a wish on the evening star, it’s sure to come true”

feeling rather nostalgic, you do it—with no actual hope anything’s going to happen

You: “I cannot believe I’m going this”

you close your eyes and wish and pray and hope that you are able to achieve your dreams

but when you open them……………

there’s a frog

You: “very. funny.”

you turn to the little frog on the rail, tilting your head

You: “I reckon you want a kiss?”

Bambam: “kissing would be nice”

**chaos ensues**

let’s just say, you’re glad Lisa has a maid—but you also feel sorry for the person who has to clean the mess you made

Bambam, on the other hand, is running for his life

and managed to avoid the following: rolled up magazines, verryyyy thick books, a straightening iron, a curling iron, and some thigh high boots of Lisa’s that you grabbed from the corner

Bambam: “you have a really strong arm—aaAAH sTOP IT”

You: “STAY BACK”

there’s a couple of minutes at a standstill, where Bambam remains on the vanity and you were trying to understand what was happening

You: “okay, okay, I’m fine, everything is fine and this is not happening”

Bambam: “oh this is happening”

You: “SHUT IT”

and this led to another process and it wasn’t until five minutes later and an airbag for you to acknowledge the frog in the room

You: “who and what are you?”

Bambam: “I am Prince Bambam”

You: “I don’t believe it”

Bambam: “how can I prove it?”

You: “okay, okay—let’s just say for hypothetical reasons, you ARE Bambam”

You: “why are you a frog and why are you here of all places?”

Bambam: “I may or may not have gotten involved with a witch doctor….”

You: “you mean to tell me you got into this mess bc you were messing with the shadow man???”

Bambam: “he was very charismatic”

You: “this is what I get for wishing on stars; the only way you can get something is through hard work”

Bambam: “why would you want to work harder? that’s just more—ANYWAYS, I’m getting off track”

Bambam: “I need your help”

You: “why should I help you?”

Bambam: “I’ll be your genie in a bottle—do you have any wishes?”

You: this fool just quoted Christina Aguilera

and that’s when you remember: your restaurant

you just said that you should work hard for it

and you’re almost there

you really can just turn this all down and let him suffer

but you look into his eyes and……… this poor guy is just suffering and deep down, you would feel really bad about turning away from him

so…. that’s when you agree to help him

You: “I think I know someone who might be able to help”

you call up a favor from a friend, who has a cousin, and that cousin knows a classmate who is interested in voodoo

turns out the only other witch doctor lives in the woods somewhere

“her name is Mama Odi”

you get some directions, but there’s also a hint of uncertainty from your source

You: “you’re telling me, I’m gambling my way through the woods”

Bambam: “it’ll be like an adventure—it’ll be fun”

You: “oh my god”

so you two venture together for a weekend? trip

he’s like a little pet

along the way, you both talk

and like really talk about things

one night, the stars were out and he was talking about his old life

You: “do you miss the money?”

Bambam: “of course I miss the money, but the money…. kept me company”

You: “you think you can just buy people to like you?”

Bambam: “when you’re royalty…….. everyone wants something from you”

Bambam: “isn’t that why you’re helping me”

You: “truth? half”

Bambam: “then what’s the other half?”

You: “empathy—while I don’t like you, I’m not evil”

You: “I don’t have ill wishes on anyone”

Bambam: “so, what is your wish?”

You: “my wish, my hope, my dreams is to own my own bakery or cafe—it was a wish of my grandma’s but…”

Bambam: “but what?”

You: “she died before she could make it happen and with my parents, I can’t burden them with my own dreams—they support me and encourage me, but they can’t help me”

Bambam: “that’s better than what I was raised with—I depended too much on mine”

Bambam: “there are servants to do everything for you: drive you, wash you, brush your teeth—while I admit it’s a charmed life…….. when they cut me off… I realized that I don’t know how to do anything”

You: “everyone has their own time to find strengths and maybe you just need more time to find yours”

the rest of the journey is kind of like this and you kind of just forget you got a lil frog prince on your shoulder

eventually, you get to the center of the large ass forest and there’s an old treehouse but it’s also completely huge

and there’s some old lady on the side and you and Bambam are like what the fuck

she takes you in and gives you some tea and gumbo from a tub that you are unsure whether you should trust or not

and then Bambam just bursts

Bambam: “hey, this is great and all, but I’M A FROG”

Mama Odi: “you need to dig a little deeper and you’ll find everything you need”

Bambam: “what we want and what we need are the same thing, no?”

Mama Odi: “the same thin—no!”

You: “so, what do we do?”

Mama Odi: “technically in the olden times, you would need a princess, but times have changed”

You: “what does that mean for the present?”

Mama Odi: “a kiss would have been fine”

You: “what?”

Mama Odi: “a kiss breaks the spell”

she kind of just let y’all go after that

so you two were on your way back and trying to figure out what should happen then

and you just kind of talk

Bambam: “if you’d just kissed me that night we met….”

You: oh my god

You: “I would really to like to help you but I… do NOT kiss frogs”

Bambam: “but, on the balcony, you asked me”

You: “I didn’t expect you to answer”

Bambam: “(Y/N), please”

Bambam: “it’s me—you’re my only hope”

You: “..... just one kiss”

Bambam: “unless you beg for more”

You: “don’t make me regret this before I even do anything”

Bambam: “sorry, sorry”

and so you do what you thought you would never do

and kiss a frog

he transforms back and you head your way back together…… as humans

the trip back was nearly the same as the trip there, but……. something’s different

(other than the fact that you kissed him)

you can see the emotions on his face, read how he’s feeling

you def caught feelings, but……. how does the living casanova feel about you?

Bambam hasn’t felt this vulnerable with anyone before

he feels…. different

but like a good different

the thing is, you don’t know this—so when you get back to the city, you expected to part in different ways…………

he asks his parents for a favor, begs them to help you out

and they’re shocked, at the least to how he’s acting

so they make a deal………

they’ll pay you for your troubles and he has to get a job

so he gets the money to you and you get your dream

for a bit, it feels right but………. something’s missing

and then you realize what it is

just when you’re about to move on from the whole endeavor, he gets a job…………….

at YOUR new bakery

the press got a whole field day when they saw him working there

so hey free publicity

so the friendship continued, with the both of you taking your breaks together and such

it’s cute

Jinyoung is just confused about the whole thing that it’s kind of just hilarious

Jinyoung: “what happened to you that weekend?”

Bambam: “you don’t need to know”

Jinyoung: “yes, I do—it’s my business”

fun fact: you get along with Jinyoung really well bc you have a realistic sense of things and your patience is amazing

(considering that you work with Bambam)

so what changes between y’all?

on day, you were on your lunch and you were both enjoying a meal together in one of the back rooms

and you ask the question you didn’t dare to ask before

You: “why are you working? I thought you were going to try to do music”

Bambam: “you’ve inspired me…. I want to help you with your dream”

You: “you don’t have to”

Bambam: “yes, I do”

Bambam: “I have to do something to impress you”

You: “why would you need to impress me?”

Bambam: “because you’re amazing and I really like you”

You: “what”

and thus begins a beautiful relationship

omg, I need to say this—his contact in your phone is My Frog Prince

no one else except you and Bambam understand it

(also Yugyeom bc he’s Bambam’s best friend, but you don’t have to know that)

moving on

you two complement each other—making one another better than you were before

Bambam learned what hard work actually does and its impact, along with the importance of chasing your passion

with your encouragements and support, he was able to pursue music

there’s also love

each time he looks at you, he wants to be a better man for you

for your future together

you’ve learned to relax every once in a while—you haven’t really been able to do anything else when you started working and studying

you were able to learn a lot about yourself with your days off

another thing was self-love

Bambam made you realize how important confidence is

and the more time you spent together, the more time you were able to realize how that lack of confidence impacted you

you both are amazing in your own ways and you have each other to help realize that

anyways

Bambam is a very touchy lover and does not care who is watching

even if it’s in front of his parents

(you had to stop him from kissing you like twenty times)

Bambam: “one kiss isn’t enough!!!!”

You: “stOPPP”

**also you: not stopping him

anyways, you actually got to meet his parents

when you did meet them, they were immediately in love with you and the changes they were able to see with Bambam

he stopped getting so much attention from the press

gained more sense of responsibility

and he was able to be more independent, learn things on his own and do things on his own

honestly, you didn’t see much of a difference in him

to you, he’s the same flirty guy you’d met on Lisa’s balcony—he’s just more thoughtful with his actions………… most of the time

Bambam: “you know, (Y/N), we’re going to be here for a while, so we might as well get…… comfortable”

You: “keep your slimy self away from me”

Bambam: “you love my slimy self”

You: “ugh, don’t remind me”

24 notes · View notes

lwjstiletto · 4 years

Text

wangxian au where lwj is a popular hand model and wwx is an independent jewellery maker [Part 1]

[Twitter thread version]

wwx is a go-getter kind of guy. he likes pretty things and pretty people. so his job is a win-win in that he makes pretty things for pretty people— well mostly

lately all his brain has churned out is designs that only the very nice old ladies in his neighbourhood indulgently buy from him

he’s grateful for it but nevertheless it’s been disheartening looking for the elusive muse for his next project

jiang cheng only sighs whenever he mentions this and rants about how if wwx just LISTENED to him and actually put effort into commercialising his bestsellers instead of hyperfocusing on one body part/gem/technique and hopping from one product to the next; and in general just making his business a chaotic mess where clients couldn’t guess what he would put out next, that he would have a better shot

but ofc wwx sighs even more at this and just goes ‘but jiang cheng~’

what kind of argument even is that? but jc lets it go bc wwx supplies him with endless half-finished projects that are complicated-looking enough to give his students a good challenge when drawing still life

so anyways, wwx is still making old lady jewellery and being generally pitiful when he stumbles across an intriguing article on twitter

—•—

lwj on the other hand has been fastening and unfastening his cufflinks for an hour straight. that’s pretty much status quo for hand models who have to spend hours on end either doing repetitive gestures or holding completely still

lwj doesn’t mind though, he has always had steady hands and dextrous fingers, practically an advertiser’s ‘wet dream’ as his agent, nhs, puts it

said agent pulls him aside when it’s finally time for his break. nhs looks harried, which isn’t out of the ordinary, but he’s also not meeting lwj’s eyes which sets of alarm bells in his head

“okay before i tell you,” nhs starts without prompting, “promise not to fire me.”

lwj doesn’t narrow his eyes, but the twitch of his eyebrow is close enough, “i will be fair.”

“that’s not a-“ nhs sighs, “good enough i guess. do you remember that photoshoot you did with da-ge a few months back?”

lwj nods. how could he forget? it had been... an experience for sure. it was a photoshoot for a book cover for a popular teen novel

and while lwj didn’t meet fellow hand models often, he had come across other ‘parts models’ as they were called

spending the better part of two days caressing nmj’s abs was... by far not the most unpleasant job he’d had as a hand model

nhs holds out a copy of the novel for him to see. the cover they used is from the second half of the photoshoot where they took a few wider shots

lwj sees nothing wrong with it. it’s a standard cover, if a bit lewd due to all the... ab touching. in fact the entire cover is just nmj’s abs and wide shoulders

lwj doesn’t think his hands serve any other purpose than obstructing the view in the poorest attempt to keep it pg. still he fails to see the problem

nhs wrings his hands together, “there was a blog post about it. do you know anyone named su she?”

lwj thinks for a moment, then vaguely recalls the name with a sinking realisation

—•—

wwx is still thinking about the article when jin zixuan comes to drop jin ling off at his apartment. unprompted, wwx asks him, “do you think i could sell feet pics?”

he can see jzx’s soul leave his body as he drops jin ling’s overnight bag on the pavement. wwx’s favourite new hobby is dropping these bombs on jzx and watching him dissociate from reality as he tries to answer wwx’s insane questions with logic

being a father has changed him. a few years ago he would have just slammed the nearest door in wwx’s face

“why... do you want to sell feet pics? is your business not going well?” jzx asks, and actually looks concerned. well, now wwx feels bad

“my business is just fine.” wwx says grumpily

“really? jiang cheng and yanli seem to think otherwise.”

“you eavesdropped on them didn’t you?”

jzx is entirely unashamed, “i’m just concerned.”

“again, my business is fine!”

“you know if you ever needed money-“

wwx turns jzx around and pushes him towards his car, “don’t you have things to do? get jin ling out of the car seat, it’s getting late.”

since the peacock has acquired immunity to his teasing by straight up being ~nice~ to him, it’s only fair that wwx sends jin ling back with so many new toys that they will take up at least a whole corner in his unnecessarily gigantic home

—•—

lwj meets his brother for iced tea at a cafe near huaisang’s office. lwj does not like iced tea but has deliberately kept this from his brother because lxc loves it and has made it his personal mission to try every iced tea flavour he can get his hands on

it is also the easiest way to lure his brother out of his busy schedule. lwj knows lxc would take time to meet him anyway, but he wants lxc to indulge in something he likes once in a while

“wangji, you seem restless.” lxc says, concerned

lwj takes a tentative sip of his black currant iced tea. it’s abhorrent

“do you remember su she?” lwj asks

lxc, “the one from your cello class?”

lwj nods

“the one who broke his string and his bow in the same day?” lxc asks, almost looking amused

lwj winces, “yes.”

“did he ever come back to the class after that?” lxc asks

lwj shakes his head, then taps the glass with a gloved finger

“has he been bothering you again?” lxc asks seriously, “if he has-“

“it’s-“ lwj sighs, “complicated.”

before lxc can make assumptions, lwj unlocks his phone and shows it to lxc

lxc reads silently for a minute or two, then his eyes widen. “he posted this on the novel’s discussion forum?”

lwj nods

“how did he even-“ lxc says, then pauses in thought, “is it because of the cello class?”

“mn, perhaps.” lwj says, “he saw the book cover i did with huaisang’s brother. he is a fan of the novel.”

“so he went and researched the models who were on the cover?” lxc frowns, “how did he even find that?”

“my name is public information.” lwj says, “it would certainly be hard to find, but it is available nonetheless.”

“are you going to be okay?” lxc asks.

“i am worried it will impact your reputation. my job is not... conventional.” lwj doesn’t meet his brother’s gaze

“wangji, that is the least of my concerns. you did not want to do conventional modelling by choice.” lxc says

he isn’t wrong, lwj hadn’t wanted to have his face photographed, it had never appealed to him. no matter how many compliments he received on his looks

his popularity started and ended within the advertising circle and nhs never offered him jobs he didn’t want. putting a face to his popular hand modelling career was not an ideal situation

especially since it had reached a lot of the novel’s fans who’d begun discussing him on other social media platforms

“i will handle this.” lxc says, “this is not right. you especially drew up contracts with advertisers to avoid this situation.”

“brother-“ lwj starts

“he should not have posted pictures of you.” lxc isn’t even drinking his iced tea, lwj notes

“it is already out. there is not much we can do.” lwj says reasonably

lxc doesn’t quite seethe but he doesn’t touch his iced coffee again

—•—

wwx finally admits to himself that he may be experiencing a slump. he hasn’t touched his tools in two months and his work bench has acquired a thick layer of dust on which jin ling drew a frowny face with his fingers then immediately tried to lick them

and what does one do when lacking motivation? harrass his brother in his cushy office at the university of course

to his credit, jc lets him prace around and poke at his things for a solid ten seconds before snapping at him. which means he and jyl must actually be worried about him

“wei wuxian” jc says through clenched teeth when wwx has pushed the paperweight on his desk to the very edge, trying to see how far jc would let him take it

ah, so not worried enough to break into his house at night, wwx notes

“so, do you think i could sell foot pics?” wwx uses his favourite new icebreaker

jc puts his head in his hands like wwx put the worlds’ weight on his shoulders. if he listens closely, he’s sure he can hear a repetition of ‘why why why why’ in jc’s head

“why...” jc forces himself to say

wwx shurgs with a grin, “i read an article about it. apparently a lot of people are into feet.”

“into... feet...” jc says

“yeah like they get off-“

jc holds up a hand to stop him, “i get it. did you come all the way across the city to ask me this?”

“yes and no.” wwx says, “i wanted to ask if you could draw me some.”

“some... feet...?” jc is going to kick him out soon, wwx can feel it

wwx places his chin in both his hands and tries to look pitiful, “isn’t it better than me buying foot pics? think of how that would reflect on you if anyone found out.”

jc feels a headache coming on, “please tell me you’re using them as reference to design anklets or something.”

wwx laughs, “of course! what did you think?”

jc glares at him, “i will ban you from campus.”

wwx bothers him a bit more and then gets thrown out more gently than he has come to expect from jc, still not sure if jc will actually fulfill his request

and maybe it’s because his luck has been down for too long that life took pity and decided to throw something good at him, he turns the corner to see one of the most beautiful men he has laid his eyes on

his attention is focused on the folder in his hands, and it’s late enough that there are no students milling the corridors. this is probably why the aforementioned beautiful, stunning, abolutely breathtaki- man manages to walk straight into wwx

several things happen at once. wwx sees it coming unlike the other person, so he reaches out to steady him. turns out there isn’t much need of that because the man gets his bearings back alarmingly fast for someone caught by surprise

the folder in his hands does not have similar balance though, and falls to the floor, splattering it’s contents halfway across the hallway

the man looks... well neutral, but the speed at which he drops to his knees lets wwx know that it’s not something he wants wwx to see

which, of course has the opposite effect. when wwx looks down to see the photographs that have not yet been put back into the folder- he is left speechless for once

the immediate and most obvious explanation is that this guy is an art student who is using these pictures as reference... but of course wwx’s first thought is Oh mY gOd this guy has a hand fetish because his talk with jc is still fresh in his head

once that thought is in his head, wwx notices a number of things in quick sequence

this dude looks uncharacteristically nervous for an innocent art student, and he’s wearing GLOVES like a CRIMINAL who’s STEALING pictures of those pretty hands from an art class for his own pleasure

art students don’t wear gloves, especially not in the middle of summer! and no one can possibly require that many pictures for just one body part

satisfied with his reasonable conclusion, wwx opens his mouth to accuse the man only to realise that he is upright once again with all his stolen pictures securely in his folder

“are you stealing those?” wwx asks straightforwardly

the man actually does seem to be caught off-guard for longer than two seconds this time

then he proceeds to walk past wwx

“hey wait!” wwx blocks his path again, “i get it, you know? we all have needs and i’m totally not judging you for it. but there are sites for this stuff.”

the man finally looks at him, and wow he’s even more attractive than wwx first thought and his eyes are so pretty and- he walks past wwx again

wwx, yet again, catches up to him and decides that walking beside him is more effective. “good quality photography like that is usually quite expensive you know?”

the man continues to ignore him so wwx grabs the folder in his hands and gives it a good yank

“what are you doing?” the man finally speaks. even his voice is nice. wwx is sure people would send him hand pics for free if he asked

“returning this to the rightful owner.” wwx holds the folder out of his reach

the man takes a deep breath, then pulls at one of his satin gloves- SATIN, how did wwx not notice that- and holds his beautiful hand up to wwx’s face

wwx’s brain immediately short circuits as he thinks ‘maybe ~I~ am the one with a hand fetish’ because that’s... one pretty hand

one... familiar hand. the same even tone, smooth skin and long, elegant fingers with perfectly manicured nails...

while he stands there, gaping like a fish, the man snatches the folder out of his hand and starts walking away with quicker strides

by the time wwx’s brain reboots and the realisation finally sinks in- he has finally found the muse he has been looking for- the man is already gone

—•—

lwj admits that he is... slightly stressed out, and is definitely showing enough signs of it that nhs has caught on

“you went to visit wen qing yesterday.” it’s not a question so lwj doesn’t answer. “did you perhaps run into an old acquaintance?”

lwj shakes his head, “it is not what you think.”

this sparks curiosity in nhs which is a toss up between better and worse than the implication that lwj’s stress stems from accidentally meeting su she at the university

“did you run into a fan?” nhs asks and it’s actually a reasonable concern since lwj wants to avoid even being /known/ at all costs

lwj shakes his head. he trusts nhs which isn’t as surprising now as it had been to him years ago when he had agreed to give nhs free reign over the work he chose for lwj

“somebody from the university knows of my identity.” lwj says finally.

nhs seems to think it over, “it was inevitable. even after taking down the blog post, people are still curious about you.”

lwj wants to tell him that it’s actually his fault but he stays silent as nhs continues his train of thought.

“you’re exciting because people have seen you without actually seeing you. you’ve worked with big brands and celebrities and it normally wouldn’t spark interest-

- but unfortunately for you, you are attractive. it will die down after a while, we just have to ride it out for now.” nhs concludes.

lwj nods, feeling reassured. nhs is usually right about these things, which is why lwj regards him so highly

he has a video shoot for some fancy kitchen installation company after that, and he tries not to think about the man who accused him of stealing his own pictures while he very slowly chops a mango on the surely unsanitary granite counter

he’s working with a photographer he knows well, one of the best in his line of work. song lan has a good eye for what would look enticing in an advert and doesn’t make him do weird, suggestive things like kneading dough in slow motion. lwj suppresses a shudder at the thought

after cutting enough magoes to feed ten people, the shoot finally wraps up and one of the PAs on the set holds out a basin for him to wash his hands in

the warm water is soothing to his aching fingers and he lets his hands soak but not for longer than a few seconds to prevent his skin from pruning. he then rubs the special concoction that is his version of the best moisturiser and puts his hands in soft cotton gloves

song lan comes to greet him after and expresses his sympathies about his pictures making rounds on the internet

lwj’s eyes widen ever so slightly, “you know of it?”

“my boyfriend is a fan.” he says with a fond shake of his head, “otherwise i’d have no idea.”

luckily before lwj can start to panic, nhs trots up to them and the conversation ends there as he’s dragged to his next shoot

—•—

“for the last time, i don’t know your ‘guy with pretty hands’.” jc says, exasperated. “what’s with you and body parts nowadays? if it’s a kink thing.. please rethink your life.”

wwx sighs. he knew going to jc was useless, but at least it confirmed his suspicion that the guy isn’t an art student

however, that makes the task of finding him and then begging him to model wwx’s jewellery harder. because yes, wwx has spent the last five days cooped up in his workshop making complex hand chains

now if he only had more than a memory to draw inspiration from...

it’s frustrating. wwx should have at least asked for his name and number. how can he be this stupid?

“very easily.” is jc’s reply to this

“jiang chengggg.” wwx whines, “i have to find him or my creativity will die a horrible death.”

jc looks like he is ageing before his eyes. “if i ask around the staff will you promise to only come to my office during emergencies? you’re freaking my students out.”

“yes!” wwx agrees enthusiastically, then frowns. “freaking them out? i’m so nice to everyone!”

“you tried to get at least five of my students to draw your pretty boy from description.” jc deadpans, “they think he’s a criminal.”

“a criminal after my heart, aha!” wwx says with finger guns.. and gets thrown out by jc for his efforts. it’s less gentle this time

a few days later, jc calls him, “apparently ‘his identity needs to be protected’. is he actually a criminal?”

“he was wearing gloves...” wwx mutters, “i’m kidding! not about the gloves, but i don’t think he’s a criminal.”

jc makes a doubtful noise on the other end. “well, whatever. so yeah, anyway, i can’t get wen qing to tell me anything. you can come bully her yourself if you dare to.”

“why does it have to be wen qing?” wwx groans, “she’ll roast me on low flame before she tells me anything. why couldn’t it be wen ning— wait. wen ning probably knows him too. jiang cheng i’m a genius!”

jc hangs up on him but it doesn’t dampen his spirits at all. he’s so close to finding him.

—•—

shoots where he has to hold objects for an extended period of time are already unkind to his muscles, but holding objects with /postures/ is even worse. his fingers are so stiff after his seven hour shoot with swarovski that when one of the assistants on set hands him a cup of warm tea, it slips right through his grip and shatters on the ground unceremoniously

everyone freezes, and then start to buzz around him, asking if he is feeling unwell or if he needs to sit down. because lwj never drops /anything/. it’s in his job description NOT to drop anything

god, lwj hates jewellery shoots the most

nhs hears about this, ofc. lwj suspects he can be at multiple places at a time. so lwj is neatly packed into a SUV and sent away to get a relaxing massage and manicure

lwj would usually put up a fight but his muscles have been aching for days and nhs has theatened to text his brother at least three times this week. he doesn’t want to risk a fourth

wen ning, the meek but kind masseuse greets him with a bow, “lan er-gongzi, are you well?”

lwj nods, and is about to ask about wn as well when he hears the door of the masseuse parlour bang open behind him

“you!” comes a shout and lwj turns around, alarmed

the man who accused him of stealing his own pictures is standing there, pointing a finger at him

“if i was unclear the last time, i did not steal those photographs.” lwj says

the man seems stunned for two seconds, then frowns. “steal.. i know that you didn’t steal them.”

lwj nods, then starts to walk further into the parlour- except for the hand that grips and brings him to a stop. lwj would usually rip his hand away, but the slight pressure sends pain shooting up his arm

and lwj definitely didn’t realise how stiff his muscles were until then. he must have made a noise, a mixture between surprise and a wince, because the man lets go immediately

“are you okay?” he asks, looking alarmed

lwj closes his eyes to compose himself

“wei-gongzi, what are you doing here?” lwj hears wen ning ask

“i came to find him.” the man replies

lwj’s eyes open in shock. find him? does he know of lwj’s identity? is he a fan of the novel? this has gotten way bigger than either lwj or nhs predicted if people are actively seeking him out

“i think you have misunderstood.” lwj says, projecting a calm exterior even though he’s feeling a little cornered. cornered.. by a single person... what has his life come to?

but today it’s one person, next... he doesn’t even want to think about it. he has never wanted to be in the public light and does not want the /crowd/ and god forbid- the /noise/ that comes with it

he had gotten comfortable in the happy equilibrium of popularity and anonymity- the only thing which had lured him into accepting this job and has kept him in it thus far

... and it seems to be crumbling right before his eyes

“what? no i haven’t. i wouldn’t forget your face.” the man says, “hey stop running away-“

but lwj is already walking past him to exit the massage parlour. he needs to call someone. nhs most probably. or a cab.

the other man is speedy though, and blocks him right at the door, extending his arms and legs to cover the width of the opening as if lwj was thinking of sneaking around him. (he was, but that’s not the point)

“okay maybe i’ve come across as creepier than expected.” the man says, “but i swear i just want your hands!”

[wen ning shakes his head furiously in the background]

the panic lwj feels must be enough to be showing on his usually blank face, because the man backtracks

“i mean- no- that came off as even creepier oh my god. i’m not a serial killer, i promise.”

[wen ning makes a big X over his head with his arms]

the man takes a deep breath and actually seems to think before speaking this time, “hi, my name is wei ying. i’m a jeweller by profession. what’s your name?”

“move aside.” lwj says.

“do you promise not to run and actually hear me out? because it was so hard to track you down, god, it took me a week!”

[wn texting nhs: pls come and save lwj i think he’s about to faint]

“a week...” lwj says, “you tracked me down for a week?”

“no! i mean yes but not in a stalker way!” wwx seems to be having a mini meltdown, “you know just nice good ol’ asking around about the cute guy i saw at the uni... not... stalking...”

luckily lwj’s phone begins to ring, cutting wwx off. [wen ning is very thankful for this. he doesn’t think having the police here would be good for business]

“brother.” lwj says, still a little strung up

“wangji, i’m almost there.”

“what?”

“huaisang told me you were ill,” lxc says, “and i was in the area so i told him i’d take you to the doctor.”

lwj turns to give wen ning a scathing look. “he exaggerated. i’m fine. you don’t have to come here.”

lwj doesn’t think his brother will take the fact that he has acquired a stalker well

“i’m outside.” lxc says

lwj resists the urge to sigh. he’s going to strangle everyone in this room, then himself

“i’ll be there in a minute then.” lwj says.

“i’m making my way to the parlour.” lxc says, disregarding him completely

“brother i can walk.” lwj says calmly. murder is on his mind.

lxc hangs up on him. lwj actually sighs this time.

“if you don’t want my brother to report you, you need to move aside.” lwj says to wwx.

wwx opens his mouth as if he wants to continue to dig himself into a hole, but then moves aside degectedly

then he removes a business card from his wallet and puts it in lwj’s shirt pocket.

“you can look me up, i’m not lying. i really am a jeweller and i’d like to work with you.” he says

before lwj can protest, lxc is already at the entrance, carrying what looks like half the pharmacy in a paperbag

“wangji.” he greets, and then pauses to nod politely at the other men, “let’s go.”

lwj follows him silently

—•—

wen ning sighs and flips the sign on the door to ‘closed’ resigning to the fact that wwx will remain a permanent fixture on his floor for a while

“so you thought he was a creepy thief and now he thinks you’re a creepy stalker?” wn asks.

wwx, who has told him all of this between groans, groans again.

“do you... want a free massage?” wn offers

“yes.”

lwj fights the urge to touch his shirt pocket while in the car with lxc.

“you need to go to the hospital wangji, you don’t look well.” lxc insists

“i will eat every medicine in that bag if you drop me off at huaisang’s office.” lwj replies

lxc looks alarmed, “you’ll definitely need to go to the hospital then.”

“i will eat every medicine in that bag if you /don’t/ drop me off at huaisang’s office.” lwj amends, neatly closing all the loopholes

“at least let me come with you.” lxc says in his last ditch attempt to find out exactly what has left his brother so rattled

“i will eat-“

“fine okay. i just worry about you, you know? you never tell me when something is bothering you anymore.” lxc says

“if it is important, i will tell you.” lwj says. he doesn’t want lxc to worry but also doesn’t want to lie.

lxc nods, accepting this, then turns the car around

—•—

“wei wuxian.” nhs raises an eyebrow at the card lwj has placed on his table. “this is the man who has been stalking you?”

lwj nods.

“are you certain?” nhs asks, looking conflicted.

lwj gives him a look.

“okay, okay! just making sure!” nhs says, raising his palms in defence.

“you know of him.” lwj states.

“well,” nhs says, “he didn’t lie to you, he really is a jeweller. he is very elusive though. he tends to drop these groundbreaking collections every fall and then disappears.”

lwj tries to align the man he met today with this talented, cryptic jeweller persona. if they really are the same person, then perhaps unhinged genius fits him better.

“if he’s serious about working with you...” nhs gets a gleam in his eyes that lwj doesn’t like. this is /not/ how he pictured this conversation going. he’s slowly but surely developing a migrane

“look, i’m never going to force you to do anything.” nhs says, “but will you let me speak to him first? i want to know if this he’s the real deal of if we need a restraining order.”

restraining order. this is escalating way past lwj’s mental capacity at the moment.

nhs seems to see that, “you need to go home and rest. i’ll have a masseuse meet you there. let me handle this.”

he says it with such firm conviction that lwj has no choice but to trust him, so he nods.

[Part 2] [Part 3]

#wangxian fic #wangxian #lan wangji #wei wuxain #lwj x wwx #lan zhan #wei ying #the unatmed #cql #mdzs #my fics #hand model au #long fic

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theeagerone · 4 years

Text

Timing

I used to be pretty upset that I wasn't born earlier. I wanted to live the 70s and 80s SO bad. I now feel immensely grateful for being born when I was. I feel lucky to be a bridge between the old & new world. I feel both prepared & overwhelmed to keep accepting further tools of technology; it's invasive & terrifying for some levels, and a healthy & privileged place to find myself in for others. I am actually very behind in current media trends as I haven't regularly watched TV since I was 18, don't follow any podcasts, and don't receive updates from or check a particular news source regularly.

I remember:

- Getting introduced to the 1st popular PCs in kindergarten

- My mom getting a cellphone larger than a brick screwed in to the floor of her car

- When all u could do in computer lab was typing classes & play academic games & Oregon Trail.

- Learning the catalogue system at the library - books and journals were all we had to do our 1st research papers.

- Watching the old MTV with my baybsitters & cousins, before reality TV existed

- Getting off the school bus every day since 3rd or 4th grade to bounce bw MTV & VH1 to see the latest music videos, classic 'Pop-Up Videos'

- Eating Lunchables & Fruit Roll Ups & Dunkaroos & all kinds of weird food when the child's food market & advertising really took off

- When the 1st Emac came out in middle school and they were incredible to behold w their rainbow bright cases

- When dial-up took 5 minutes & learning what e-mail was & browsing AOL chat rooms & staying up late sending hundreds of IMs with my middle school boyfriends on AIM (my s/n: iwannaROCKwithu3).

- When I spent hours each night researching, downloading, & evaluating music on Kazaa - When I spent hours making playlist CDs for my friends and it was the greatest, most precious gift to receive one.

- When I got my own personal phone line in middle school with a leopard faux fur cord phone. I talked for hours & hours with my love interest of the moment and learned deeply about my friend's lives & struggles.

- When Google & AskJeeves.com came out and I thought that was insane & brilliant, that you could ask anything and there would be some kind of answer.

- Slowly abandoning AIM for Myspace at 15.

- Getting my 1st phone (a RAZR) at 15 & being amazed I could take pictures of everything. I didn't have text msging all of high school bc it cost extra (thank God).

- Cruising down the road in 2005 in my GMC Jimmy, so happy to blast classic rock radio & ATL college stations bc that's all I had besides a tape deck. I sometimes connected my walkman to the tape deck to play CDs

- After school driving a car full of friends to play for hours at the river, only using our phones when we were ready to leave or needed to check in w someone

- The night my phone automatically dialed "Home" as I was running from a party to get in my car and my mom received a 5 minute long recording of me screaming at my friends to "jump in the Fing car"and all of us cussing and cutting up as I drove back to our sleepover. I got in huge trouble for driving ppl within the 1st 6 mos of having my license, got my car taken away, and realized that maybe this new exciting concept of 'speed dial' was not a good idea

- When I was 16 & heard about Youtube - the only videos I knew to exist were SHOES, muffins, & GEORGE WASHINGTON. We all laughed about them for weeks.

- When I abandoned Myspace for Facebook at 17

- When you didn't share every detail of your damn life. When you uploaded pictures you were proud of & maybe wrote on your friend's wall to say hi or whatever

- When a band measured their worth w Myspace. The whole reason I felt confident becoming a singer was bc my 1st band Bro & the Brahs w Daniel had something like 1,500 views within a couple weeks of posting our 1st single & I met ppl on campus who had heard our song before they knew who I was.

- When I got to college and we were wild & free for the 1st time in our lives & could have fun together without checking our phones, explore, learn where to go by word of mouth (SO MANY epic gatherings & house parties, cool shows (Slaughterhouse!!) and we could listen & share music forever without anything to distract us. Some of my best memories of college are laying around with friends for hours uninterrupted, crying to records. Spending days in a daze and knowing that was the last time I could do that without a better excuse.

WE KNEW IT WAS THE END OF LIFE AS WE HAD EXPERIENCED IT. WE HAD A LOT OF FUN. WE WERE ABLE TO BE OUR YOUNG SELVES IN A FREE WORLD TO A CERTAIN DEGREE THAT WOULD NEVER BE SEEN AGAIN. WE ARE INTUITIVE WITH TECHNOLOGY THOUGH WE WATCHED THINGS CHANGE AND IT SIMULTANEOUSLY TERRIFIED AND THRILLED US.

Many of us had breakdowns as we became aware of the realer history & overloaded with information as world news became widespread on Twitter, Facebook, etc. by the time I turned 20. I don't understand why boomers or anyone else wants to continue attacking millennials - y'all created us and this. Take a look in the mirror. We are doing the best we can with the constant onslaught of information, adaptation, devastation, disintegration, deforestation, false expectations, infiltration, mutilation, militarization, mechanization, lack of preservation, growing polarization, toxic capitalization, nations built by unimaginable violations.

I am sincerely hopeful & passionate about what happens next. What we are paying attention to, giving to, creating for, maintaining, and fighting for matters. I wish to take an active role in the movement of self-love, actualization, and self-awareness. Where mindfulness with our technology exists, we all deeply know who we are without social media personas and apps to help us "live better lives" as we ________ or ________. Where instead of posting about a major issue affecting our communities we hold ourselves accountable to make the necessary phone calls, attend and gather the necessary people who wish to change something, and make tangible goals and missions that resist debate and politicization. A context which encourages experimentation, where "just doing it" matters & doesn't need to be recorded. When we can remind ourselves to halt the dopamine rush fed by perfectly packaged things and targeted information for our soul's desires. Where we can press pause on the incessant need to debate the current and loosen the grips of anxiety about the future. Where we focus on what's directly in front of us and tap into what it has meant for 200,000 years to be HUMAN.

#milennial #milennials #generation y #technology #humanization #self love #self care #self actualization #writing #manifesto #vision for the future #vision #more human #less tech

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ravenkings · 5 years

Note

Hey, what’s your favorite vampire movies? And werewolves movies?

i’m flattered that you’re interested in my opinion, anon! this is also one of my favorite topics to geek out about, so get ready…

vampire films (in no particular order):

- francis ford coppola’s dracula (1992) - not a particularly faithful adaptation of the novel and pretty absurd at times to boot, but the aesthetic is absolutely off the fucking chain and i love gary oldman’s take on dracula

- interview with the vampire (1994) - a gorgeous and ridiculous vampire soap opera, and i love it to pieces. it’s sexy, it’s melodramatic, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you want to slap every single character in the face at some point, watch it!! lestat de lioncourt is tom cruise’s best role as well as one of my favorite fictional characters ever, so there’s that.

- thirst (2009) - a korean film directed by park chan-wook. i’m surprised more people don’t talk about it bc it’s incredible and park chan-wook is a fairly well-known and highly regarded director. i haven’t seen it for a few years, but as i recall (and from checking the wikipedia page lol) it’s about a catholic priest who is in love with his neighbor’s wife and gets medically turned into a vampire. it’s very bloody and gory (even by the standards of a vampire film) and the ending is absolutely batshit. great if you love your vampires with a heavy helping of religious guilt (which tbh i think we all do).

- nosferatu the vampyre (ger: nosferatu phantom der nacht) (1979) - werner herzog’s remake of f.w. murnau’s nosferatu (1922). i believe they did versions of this in both english and german. a very artsy take on the vampire film (re: herzog). really gorgeous and atmospheric. both klaus kinski and isabelle adjani give great performances and the soundtrack is incredible. just a really high quality film imo.

- dracula (1931) - a classic obvi. basically required viewing if you’re into vampire films tbh. it’s fun and campy, and it shows you the origin of a lot of the classic vampire tropes and cliches. also bela lugosi’s performance is iconic.

- byzantium (2012) - directed by neil jordan who also directed interview with the vampire (dude knows his gothic horror imo). i love this film. it’s great as a vampire film but also as a compelling feminist mother/daughter story. it follows the life story, more or less, of a mother and daughter vampire duo who live on the english coast and move into an abandoned hotel to escape other (male) vampires who are trying to hunt them down. really well written with great performances all around.

- let the right one in (2008) - also a classic. a swedish film with a slightly more horror-oriented (?) take on the vampire story. follows the story of a boy named oskar who gets bullied at school and then strikes up a friendship with his mysterious neighbor, eli. things progress from there, as you can imagine. doesn’t follow a lot of the typical vampire story beats, which makes it p fresh and interesting imo.

- only lovers left alive (2013) - directed by jim jarmusch and starring tom hiddleston, tilda swinton, john hurt, and mia wasikowska. obviously the cast is quite good and the aesthetics are incredible. tbh the plot is a bit self indulgent and didn’t totally grab me, but the film is so well made and acted that i kind of forgive it that.

- what we do in the shadows (2014) - THE BEST. GENIUS. one of the funniest (if not the funniest) movies of the 2010s. a comedy and fake documentary about a group of vampire roommates in wellington, nz directed by and starring taika waititi and jemaine clement. not only is the film hilarious, but you can also tell that waititi and clement really know their vampire lore and use that knowledge to incredible effect here. every moment in this film is brilliant and so fucking funny and i stan it forever. the end. (they also made a really great tv series based off of it that is getting a second season!!!)

- vampire hunter d: bloodlust (2000) - like if you ever wanted a gothic post-apocalyptic space opera vampire anime, do i have the movie for you. based off of the vampire hunter d light novels and the anime. i don’t think you really need to be familiar with those to watch this (bc i certainly wasn’t lmao). the animation is really stunning and i love the world that this film takes place in. the plot basically follows d, a dhampir, who is a vampire hunter for hire and who is tracking down a woman who ran away with her vampire lover across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. as i said, i love the super unique fantasy world this story takes place in and it kind of makes me want to get more into the vampire hunter d franchise.

- a girl walks home alone at night (2014) - an iranian film that also has a more feminist take on the vampire story, which we always love in this house. advertised (according to wikipedia) as “the first iranian vampire western”, so really, what’s not to love? filmed in black and white, it follows the story of a vampire girl who skateboards around a rundown city and kills shitty men and spends her spare time wearing cool striped shirts and listening to her record player. a legend tbh.

- van helsing (2004) - okay, so this is not a “good” movie. like it’s actually really bad. but i love it. it’s completely ridiculous and fun. tbh the only reason it really makes it on to this list is for one scene (which you can find on youtube) and which i’m going to link here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJRGBmVOJ5I

like….i was obsessed with this scene when i was younger and was formative in a lot of ways….so yeah.

as to werewolf movies, i’m going to be honest, i really don’t know a lot about them. i should watch more of them. however, one that i can recommend is:

the company of wolves (1984) - directed by our friend neil jordan and based off of the short story of the same name by angela carter (who also wrote the screenplay). kind of like little red riding hood seen through the eyes of david lynch and with a lot more sex.

#as you can tell i have.........a lot of feelings about vampire movies #anonymous #asks #vampires

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gothamloveforever · 5 years

Photo

This is the second article that Film Daily has published about Gotham.

Gotham is an innovative show based on DC Comics characters and produced by Warner Bros. Television. The Batman origin narrative helped us, as rapt viewers understand how our favorite heroes (Batman) and villains (The Joker, Penguin) came to be the way they are. It also cast a light on just how Gotham City became the wretched crime-filled cesspool we all know & love.

Despite general network issues (the old “being moved to a much worse timeslot” thing), Gotham’s fanbase managed to rally Fox into renewing the show for a fifth and final season – a whopping two seasons short of what the fanbase were promised.

Gotham certainly doesn’t have a shortage of fans or viewers but Fox, like many networks before, has been using the outdated Neilsen rating system to make decisions about shows’ popularity. Let’s be serious: who under the age of 70 actually watches live TV anymore?

Just because an episode gets a viewing figure below that of a series premiere or finale, that doesn’t mean the viewership has fallen considerably. Networks now have a responsibility to establish a dialogue with streaming platforms to consolidate more accurate figures and finally find out for themselves which are the best performers.

Because Gotham is a Warner Bros. production, not a Fox property, sadly the show was less lucrative and more expendable for the network. The show being packaged with the hot mess Lethal Weapon for advertising partnerships also didn’t do the show any favors.

We’ve got plenty of ideas on how Gotham could be saved, but today we’re focusing on what the fans think of the show. TV execs: prick up your ears. Don’t you want to help this incredibly passionate fandom with a continuation of the stories that they love? We would . . . .

These tweets have been edited and condensed for clarity. Join the campaign to #SaveGotham over on Twitter. (Tweets by Fans, under the cut.

Beatriz‏

“Gotham lost about 54 episodes of content, the character development and storylines were lost due to that, some characters had to be killed, others didn’t have the screen time they deserved. We fans were not happy about it.”

Bandi

“People say that Gotham doesn’t need saving because it’s getting an ending. This is true, but the ending we’re getting isn’t the planned one. The writers had plans for 7 seasons. That’s a lot of story left! We got 4.5 instead.”

#SaveGotham | #Gotham spoilers‏

“Gotham is such an original show. It the closest thing we got to a live action adaption of the Batman origin story universe and it’s so good!”

catherine haverty‏

“Gotham is The Coolest Show.”

Angela #SAVEGOTHAM‏

“This show has been mishandled for so many years by the network. Not only was there so little promotion,the use of a outdated & inaccurate rating system(Nielsen),but there was so much drama that went on with Warner Brothers & Fox. All this played a part in getting Gotham cancelled.”

#Gotham | Thursdays 8PM on FOX‏

“Gotham inspires such devotion! The fandom has been holding daily Power Hours on Twitter for an entire year, as of May; advocating for Gotham, writing letters and emails; utilizing other forms of social media. It’s all a labor of love! #SaveGotham”

#SaveGotham!‏

“Gotham is an exciting, daring sort of show with characters that no other show quite has. For lack of better explanation, Barbara Kean said it best on the show: It’s Gotham, baby. We’ve all got flair!”

Liz ‏

“Gotham is a show that truly deserves more than is has received. For years we’ve watched the early lives of beloved characters in the Batman universe grow into who we know they’ll become. Each of these characters are played by actors that pour their soul into their work.”

Mr. Millicent Cordelia‏

“Gotham’s provided a fresh take on the Batman mythos, created original characters of lasting merit, and re-worked minor comic characters to have major impact. #SaveGotham”

James Rankin‏

“For years, peeps have been denied a Batman TV show. Gotham was never that, but it had the makings of revealing all of the back stories. “

λουισα‏

“This show deserves better. The acting is incredible, the writing never cease to surprise, the atmosphere of the show is powerful, the fights are good, the costumes are great! It’s one of the best if not DC TV’s best show and it didn’t deserve to end like this.”

Gothambatcatfanspain‏

“We want to see development of the characters with the same actors. We love the cast, they deserve to continue.”

Svetlana‏

“Gotham is such an interesting show. I want this show to continue, I’m not ready to say goodbye to my favourite characters.”

#Gotham spoilers here | #SaveGotham‏

“Not giving the seven seasons they were contracted for…That’s unfair.”

Kate O’Riley Cosplay

“Fox and Warner Brothers were constantly fighting over because one owns the right to the characters and the other was broadcasting it and they all wanted the most out of it .”

Mr. Millicent Cordelia‏

“I never imagined Oswald Cobblepot as the most compelling character in the Bat-verse, but Robin Lord Taylor has brought him to life in such a way as to make him endearing, charismatic, terrifying, and endlessly fascinating.”

Destiny‏

“Gotham is a show that’s been pushed aside by the network one to many times and it needs to have a full story without cutting massive plot lines out, it’s insulting to the fans not to finish it off properly! #SaveGotham”

DONT LET GOTHAM END!! #SAVEGOTHAM‏

“Gotham has some of the most wonderful story telling and some amazing villains out there. Some great action too and I would love for it to continue its 7 season run like it was supposed to.”

MORDRED LLEWELYN JONES‏

“Gotham fully embraces everything that DC can offer in a way that films & even comics fail to do. The violence, grief, dark humour, love, struggle, psychology, charisma etc. It paints a beautiful picture & showcases just how much DC is capable of in a way which nothing else has.”

#Gotham | Thursdays 8PM on FOX‏

“Gotham’s production values, art direction, and cinematography are of a quality so high which is very unusual for TV. It rivals the quality that’s usually reserved for films.”

Ellen Sunden

“Gotham is a cleverly written and brilliantly acted show with top notch special effects and wardrobe designs.”

“Gotham’s Season 5 has an ultra-impressive 100% on Rotten Tomatoes…a score reserved only for the best of the best in film and TV shows!”

#SaveGotham | #Gotham spoilers‏

“Gotham is totally different from the other DCTV shows as it’s an origin story for characters of the Batman universe. It’s original, dark, funny, esgy, action-packed with some humor, exactly like the comic books. The cast is big and very talented especially Bruce and Selina.”

Tam Loves Kris

“Gotham is a home to so many quality characters that are played by a wonderful cast of people. The fans know what they want and we hope for what is right. #SaveGotham”

Angela #SAVEGOTHAM‏

“Gotham was treated unfairly, so fans have been campaigning to #SaveGotham, tweeting every single day for 10 months. We’re missing 2.5 seasons and we hope to recover them someday. The talent on this show is extraordinary to watch and hope a network can pick up the show ”

nicolle | GOTHAM SPOILERS‏

“This show is so unique and creative.”

Eoghan

“I believe it should be saved as there’s many more more stories to tell. Giving more development to Jeremiah, seeing Bruce as Batman and everyone in their future roles. I feel like Gotham is the perfect combination of The Dark Knight Trilogy And the 60’s Batman TV show. It’s great.”

#SaveGotham!‏

“Gotham is a creative take on traditional comic stories. The actors who portray their characters do so with passion and individually bring fresh, unique takes to the characters they obviously care so much about.”

shane nygmobs endgame now‏

“Gotham’s latest season currently scores 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a unique take on the Batman mythos that’s embraced the exploration and development of these iconic characters in a prequel, which has never been done before. And yet, there is still so much left to delve into.”

E. Nygma‏

“There hasn’t been a live action Batman TV series since 1966. Put aside the format of the original series. It was revolutionary and could easily fit in today’s market! Gotham may be a prequel show, but it’s absolutely a continuation of the original series! Let it go on!”

ᔕIEᖇᖇᗩ // Gᴏᴛ Hᴀᴍ?‏

“Gotham is one of the reasons I am still here today. The cast and the fans have helped me through so much. I used to be afraid to show my love for superhero’s but bc of this show I am happy to express it. One of the best tv series there is today. And that does not deserve to go.”

lee‏

“Speaking as a lifelong Batman/DC fan Gotham has put its own unique spin on the franchise that has brought new life to the franchise and new fans. The fans want the show to continue. The creators want it. The actors want it. Gotham deserves a second chance.”

ulia‏

“This show is outstanding and it’s absolutely incomprehensible how this show was cancelled.”

Kathryn ‏

“Gotham is the only modern Batman interpretation with constantly increasing ratings, an amazing cast and memorable characters. There isnt a single character thats lacks personality.”

Space_Invader/Spoilers!‏

“Gotham is unique in every way and you can tell the people that work on it, cast and crew, love working on it. It’s in every detail of the show, in every interview they do. The deserve to grow even more.”

KatsaysNo| Gothamit‏

“Gotham has a beautiful cast and great story arcs that can still be extended, so many characters that are fleshed out and amazing to see on tv!”

Beverly‏

“At this point, Gotham would be better off on a network or streaming channel that will give it the freedom to keep making the episodes that keeps fans so loyal. Each season has gotten better. Who knows what could happen if it continues.”

Aurea‏

“I love Gotham! well-acted, visually appealing show.”

Shae Anderson

“We need to #SaveGotham because the retelling of these stories that we are so familiar with has been done so beautifully.”

simplyandsanely‏

“I’m not going to lie: I started watching #Gotham just to see what they were going to do with the Joker. But as time went on, I grew to love this show that’s helped grow so many characters in such a unique way.”

☆ sam‏

“No one has ever done a story about young Bruce Wayne growing up, no one has ever seen the backstories of villains. The characters are amazing, the actors are amazing, the fans are worldwide and so extremely passionate about this show #SaveGotham”

ρнσєиιx ‏

“Gotham went down in viewership because of the networks handling.”

charlie sora | #SaveGotham‏

“We were originally promised 7 seasons. In 2 weeks we will reach the most anticipated moment of the whole series, the arrival of Joker and Batman. But we will only have a 45 minute episode to see this happen which is extremely sad for fans.”

“We still haven’t explored major characters. This is extremely sad considering how well the writers have done.”

Brooke Brown‏

“This show just keeps getting better and better. Gotham just has so much potential that was completely wasted on Fox.”

Ana‏

“Gotham quite literally breathed new life into me with its inspiring characters and plots. The takes on the familiar Batman characters are unique and interesting, the cast is superb, and this show has a lot more stories to tell – and fans who want to see them

#SaveGotham”

Anders‏

“Gotham’s a great drama show with dark humor & amazing visual. Plus it’s great to see several lgbt+ characters in the main cast.”

Mirela‏

“I think there are many reasons why the show shouldn’t end yet and I’m sure a lot of fans have already pointed it out before.”

Scheming Minor‏

“As a lifelong Batman fan, Gotham has meant new beginnings and creative new ways to wind the mythos of Batman’s beginnings and before. It’s hard to pick where to start, but this show make me jump back into the Batman fandom after watching from S1.”

Mariah Sturtevant‏

“The cast and crew both are absolutely amazing! Everything from set to costume to music to characters is breathtaking and it makes the show truly immersive. We care about the characters because the actors make them real. That’s why it should be saved.”

Sadame21‏

“It does not deserve to end this way, at least someone make Penguin a spinoff please!”

James Gordon’s Stan‏

“It’s a show filled with mystery, interesting topics, and many characters were under developed because of this cancelling.”

Batmanfan935‏

“It is the perfect take on the Batman universe.”

Reah #SAVEGOTHAM‏

“The style is dramatic, edgy, and thrilling in it’s exposition for a new age in the Batman timeline. We’re still starving for more. #SaveGotham”

#Gotham #SaveGotham #Film Daily #Gotham article

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a-travels · 5 years

Photo

taken: 27 may, 2018 Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon, Iceland

empty and alone

Yeah, I’m finally posting a color photo, though it still has a muted color palette. I gotta find some more color photos and photos of non-solitary animals to upload. Unlike the horsies, there were no other seals around, though I’m sure they were underwater or something.

I was recently talking to a friend about stuff and the topic of relationships and love lives popped up, despite my very blatant inability to contribute anything meaningful to such a discussion. And this was, in fact, one of the four people who read the dumb stuff I post on here, and she encouraged me to make a post on “love” and that sort of thing. I initially tabled the idea, because while it’s something I have my own thoughts on, I didn’t really know what to actually talk about or what to express, much less what picture to pair it with.

I realized later that day, in my traditional 3am moments of clarity (since my mind has pretty much shifted to a nocturnal cognitive cycle), that this photo fits fairly well with what I think is a less talked about aspect of “love” and relationships. So this post is for that friend, who probably knows who they are.

In the ever inspirational words of Ron Swanson talking about his ex-wives and love life, he says, “If you don’t believe in love, what’s the point of living?” I agree wholeheartedly. I think the human experience and life itself is about, among other things, building relationships and connections with others, not even just human beings, but even a pet. I won’t go deeper than that in terms of the philosophy of love or life (as far as I want to right now), but I think foundationally, it’s important to understand my view on that regard before moving forward.

That being said, I think neither connections or love is something that should be rushed, forced, or inorganic. Maybe it’s simply my idealism, privilege, and choice talking here. Idealism because I like to think love finds its way and people will find each other through organic means; privilege because I’ve never been placed in any position (so far) that I’ve been forced to be or not be with someone for any reason; and choice, not because I have hoards of women running after me (lol please), but more that I have to ability to find and ask out anyone I want to (not that they’ll say yes, but I have the option to at least ask), which not everyone can claim. It’s the same sort of freedom I found myself in terms of career paths, college choice and more. To that end, my parents get a lot, if not most of the credit in never really pigeonholing me or forcing me down any one path. But I realize my fortune in freedom is not something afforded to everyone.

So in that vein, I think looking at relationships and love from the lens of choice and freedom is particularly interesting, because I think now than ever before in my life, I’m seeing the start of marriages and long-term relationships, or rather the push towards that direction. I mean it's around that age where people are young, in love and want to do something about it. Or, they see their friends around them in a relationship and want to don’t want to be left out or stuck third- or fifth-wheeling. And whether cuffing season is actually hitting my friends directly, it certainly seems to be affecting people’s parents.

In my family, there’s a very strict “no dating till you’re settled” policy, which I guess, good luck to them. I sure as hell don’t know when I’m gonna be “settled”, as in a stable job, good savings, and a good house. I think the same rings true for a lot of Asian parents⸺strict anti-dating policy in the house...until there suddenly isn’t. It’s something I’ve heard from so many of my Asian friends, in particular, the sudden interest and goading from immediate or extended family to find a significant other, a boyfriend or girlfriend. It’s pressure I see affect so many of my friends in such negative and unfortunate ways, and to what end? What is the benefit of seeing your child in a relationship suddenly? Now that they’re out of college in a job, what makes the time so ripe for love? I definitely don’t know and I don’t know if I ever will. As someone who personally values individual liberty, especially in regards to relationships and love, in particular, I am vehemently against the idea of forcing anything on anyone, particularly a relationship. It’s like how you’d feel weirded out being forced to be friends with someone, it is exactly the same thing. A significant other should be your friend in some regard, only closer.

And yet, it seems in some confounding way that some parents are pushing their children towards the next “landmark” or checkbox on their journey of life. It’s literally like they’re the player piece on this sick, messed up board game of real Life (which in part is why I can’t play that board game anymore, bc of how meta it gets sometimes, especially this copy I saw in the store the other day advertising experiencing “crippling debt” and “quarter-life crises”. Big yikes). In turn, I see how it affects people’s outlook and philosophy towards relationships and finding a boyfriend or girlfriend. It becomes less about fostering an actual connection and more about this dumb rat race of finding someone to say you found someone. Someone I know in particular speaks regularly about his parents pressuring him to find a girlfriend, and when he doesn’t, I see how superficially he talks about women on dating apps or on facebook or social media. And yes, it’s tough to gauge someone’s personality on a platform when you only have pictures and usually a half-baked bio associated with it, but it’s also in large part why I’m against the idea of a dating app like a Tinder. On the other end, I have a male friend who is clearly very thirsty and stressing out my female friends, either hitting on them or hitting on other women around them. And while I can’t say for sure it’s a push from the parents' end, it certainly seems that way in its intensity and brazenness.

I don’t really know what to say to help people afflicted with that kind of parental pressure. I get my own share of parental pressure on other things outside of relationships, I see in my own family that pressure to get my older cousins and family members “married off”. I see my parents occasionally talk about the benefits of arranged marriage, and how the “stress of finding someone” is taken away and you can genuinely build a relationship with someone over time, and it’s kind of shocking considering my parents were not arranged.

I don’t know what the rush is or what the motivation is from a parent for that kind of push. This may just be my idealism talking, but I think that “emptiness” people feel or parents think their kids will face from a lack of relationship is not a square hole for a square peg. I think for all my lukewarm attitude towards Disney Princess movies, I think one of my favorite things from Frozen (which overall is still just ok imo) was how “true love’s kiss” to save Anna wasn’t a kiss from a boy, or someone she would marry, but the love from her sister Elsa. If you think your child is lacking in “love”, you can provide that love, they can find it from other siblings, from friends, a pet, even a toy (like when you’re a kid), not just from a boyfriend or girlfriend. And barring the whole “evolutionary goal of a species is to propagate their genetic info” and that nonsense, it’s ok to be by yourself (hehe old post). And if you don’t find anyone now or later, there are still so many ways to find love that doesn’t require a traditional marriage or relationship.

At the very least, don’t be your own impediment to choice or freedom to be with who you want. You obviously can’t control other people, your parents, your friends from pressuring you, unfortunately, but ultimately it’s your life and not theirs and you deserve to be happy, no matter the form that takes, even if it means seeming “empty and alone” at times to them.

tl;dr - you alone should be able to choose to be alone

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whatscallion · 5 years

Text

don’t panic!

Pairing: Flirtatiously Quill x Unnamed OC ( it’ll make sense )

A/N: This is the first time I’ve really done an OC / Reader insert deal, but figured that the writing challenge set by @spxderbarnes would be a good time to start! Besides, who doesn’t enjoy Quill (okay, ignoring infinity war bc obvious reasons). Hope I did this remotely right. Lots of references to one of my favorite book series, and a fun film - ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. Best if read in the voice of Stephen Fry. Summary: A failed date at Milliways, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, that is unabashedly crashed by a group of rowdy individuals - including one Star Lord. Shooting and great hair ensues. Word Count: 3,097

Special thanks to @cptsteven for dialogue help.

There were once stories written in the stars, carefully planned as to not tip any balance one way or another. There are those who wish to see this done, just for the sake of planetary chaos. This rarely bode well for the galaxy’s inhabitants. Yet amidst it all, there tended to be a common denominator, one that would surprise even the most powerful of beings.

And he had a knack for timing.

Milliways was, as always, a popular destination for all kinds of critters across the universe, both intelligent and not. The establishment boasted its exotic dishes through dismal advertising - most of which was by word of mouth, passing through the different curls of languages painting the cosmos. It was most known for its drinks, all of which required an incredibly high pain tolerance in order to consume. If that was survived, then surely the hangover would do the trick in granting untimely death. Fortunately enough, only about 5% of the universe’s populace could actually afford such a drink, so lesser beings didn’t have to worry, often opting for the local tap water, which was arguably just as bad.

But there she was - that bored girl from Terra who’d been unfortunately stood up in one of the most far-reaching restaurants anyone has or hasn’t heard of. How she managed to get there required a ridiculous amount of impossible abnormality. It was enough to require a change of clothing and sugary coffee to get by all those stars and that unending void. But it did end, in a sense, because that’s where Milliways was. There were all kinds of physics surrounding how it managed to ride the wave of the expanding universe, offering unparalleled views into a very true and very seamless abyss, but that was neither here nor there.

The tap water had something of a metallic taste to it, and our girl only took a sip or two before finally letting that scowl bleed through to compound her already lacking disposition. Through months of travelling as an unexpected guest aboard some intergalactic pirate ship, the novelty of alien compositions had worn off completely. Every possible color of the rainbow had come in every possible shape and texture any one being could think of. The excitement of the Final Frontier had waned, just as the restaurant’s atmosphere had over the course of several millennia. A once posh venue serving only the elite, Milliways had degraded itself to a tourist trap with questionable patrons and even more questionable dishes.

She grumbled about her absent date, expressing her disdain for what she’d been dressed in ( iridescent mesh had not been her choice, but that of the ship’s captain ) through a deep sneer and a subtle fidget. It was also incredibly uncomfortable, but of course, she’d been reassured she’d draw more attention than a Ta’avarian on the planet Nucleux, whatever that meant. It was becoming more and more apparent that the ship she’d been on had been waiting to unload their unwitting bounty to get on with their lives rather than pander to a fragile Terran who couldn’t even hold her breath for longer than a minute.

For a moment, she wondered how improbable it was to get a hamburger in this place that was made from a discernible meat. But thoughts were ceased as the doors to the restaurant whipped open to reveal a handful of very colorful individuals who immediately commanded attention through presence alone.

That and they were quite loud.

A tree ent, a raccoon ( that she assumed lived in a nest on the tree ent ), a scowling green woman, a larger scowling green man with intricate markings ( which she assumed was the reason he was shirtless in a restaurant ), and a man who looked surprisingly normal despite wearing green ( short ) gym shorts, a sweater, and flip flops. Never in her life had the Terran seen such a diverse group of individuals, prompting her to stare longer than what was deemed admissible, even by a Kloxin’s standards. For those unaware of the race known as ‘Kloxins’, they are an arachnid type species that can ensnare the mind if all eight eyes are met simultaneously. This would wreak havoc on the universe if everyone had eight eyes as well, so the Kloxins are doomed to simply control one another for the time being until evolution can throw them a bone.

The seemingly rowdy group went and sat in the corner of the restaurant, which held a perfect view of absolutely nothing while boasting about shooting this or slicing into that. The Terran girl only looked away when she felt the dryness of her tongue since her jaw had dropped somewhat. Right when she thought she’d seen it all, or at least became numb to it all, she became surprised at what this team was comprised of. She turned in her seat, greeted only with her reflection in the mirror at the back of Milliway’s bar, though it was frowning at her. Envy, curiosity, anxiety - they all wracked through her system, and she’d offered whatever imaginary greater force her soul in exchange for regular clothing. Her kingdom for denim. Whoever that was was obviously busy, for her attire didn’t change in the slightest, bringing her to groan in self-pity.

Hidden behind her hands that had been stained blue since first being picked up off her planet, there was a subtle shift in the space next to her. Some sort of extra-sensory thing she wished she could put her finger on, choosing to believe cosmic radiation had started to change her when really, she was just being perceptive and it was oddly quiet. She peeked through her fingers, finding that the most normal of that loud crowd had chosen to sit beside her, though he wasn’t looking at her.

She couldn’t help but glance down at the gym shorts that looked as if they’d gotten two inches shorter since he’d entered the place.

“You look normal,” he finally said, just before hailing down the robotic bartender for a glass of tap water, neat. “Like you’re not from anywhere near Centuri or anything.”

For those unaware, the radiation belt surrounding Centuri covers millions upon millions of lightyears of space, thus turning most inhabitants into something that resembles what your aunt would bring to Thanksgiving for dessert: globby, bits of things floating in it, and unappetizing in color.

“Uh,” she started, unaware that she’d been served something that resembled a hamburger, but strong suspicions would have her believe it was merely a facade for something tasting akin to celery. Mind reading robots tended to operate that way, acting on visual dreams rather than the substance that created them. “I guess I’m normal? I don’t know what to categorize as normal. Earth isn’t very normal to begin with.”

This managed to grab the man’s attention, bringing him to turn in his seat to face her completely, making it increasingly difficult to not steal another glance at the magically diminishing shorts. His eyes were alight with curiosity and relation, which forced the Terran to assume he knew the planet she was from. She could only hope that his opinions of the place were good, making him one of the very few she’d come across with the right attitude. More often than not, she feigned being from Earth’s moon which was the equivalent to being from America’s Alaska when traveling abroad.

Same neighborhood, but unassociated to those who don’t know better.

“Earth? Really? Hey, I’m from there. What a coinkidink. Did ‘Temple of Doom’ just blow Indiana Jones out of the water or what?” He looked too hopeful for that, but the truth was out of her mouth before she could really stop it.

“What? No. It’s the worst of the original trilogy. Earth collectively doesn’t even talk about the fourth one.” The girl sounded harsher than she intended. Probably.

“Trilogy? They made another one after ‘Temple of Doom’? And another after that?” While he looked minutely downcast, there was an eagerness to know more about the planet she came from. Which was his planet as well. “What uh- What else did they do?”

“Remade ‘Footloose’.”

“WHAT.”

His exclamation was enough to draw the attention of the restaurant’s patrons, all of whom were now settle with varying gazes upon the two at the bar. While she seemed a bit shy about the attention, her neighbor seemed unphased by it, as if he were used to being watched with differing states confusion.

He was oblivious, until someone spoke up.

“‘Footloose’? You’re kidding me.” It was more a growl than anything, followed by the unmistakable noise of a chair skidding across worn laminate flooring. The man in the shorts turned before the Terran girl did, both now looking across the dining room at what could only be described as a heaping pile of slimy ropes mushed together to vaguely resemble a bipedal . . . thing.

This was a member of the Gliphtrin race, who are infamous for finding sheer joy in throwing small rocks at bigger rocks, then eating said smaller rocks. But eating was unnecessary since they were all collections of smaller beings that greatly resembled boiled hagfish, absorbing their needed nutrients from the air around them. They are, collectively, notorious for having tempers and holding grudges. In fact, they hold the record for longest grudge held, which predates the universe’s creation by three and a half days.

No one is really sure what the grudge is, or who it is against, but it is known to be fierce and misplaced.

“Ooooooh, heeeey . . . you.” The green-shorted man had obviously forgotten this particular alien’s name, and it was apparently the wrong thing to do. The Terran girl could just sit there and watch as if a fly on the wall, wishing she had a glass of water she could hide behind - preferably one that didn’t threaten her livelihood. “Haven’t seen you in a while. How’s it hanging? Low and a little to the left?”

“You stole my fuel! And left me deserted on a desert planet! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW BAD THAT IS FOR MY SKIN?!” This growing conflict between green shorts and rope monster was growing a bit comfortable as far as the Terran was concerned, which would explain why she slipped from her seat to put distance between her at the verdant booty shorts. This felt like an inevitable disaster, which would be truly fatal considering they were in a place that was nothing more than a pocket of air in the vastness of space, which had no air.

The lingering sensation of possible death sat heavily at the back of the Terran’s mind as she continued to sidestep away from the only other Earthling she’d met in roughly six months. This felt like a bad mix of whatever was going between the two and tainted water, which was proving to be volatile, even by the universe’s standards.

“Hey! YOU said you had spare fuel! YOU said I could have what you had in order to get to Knowhere! YOU CAN’T BLAME ME FOR TRUSTING ONE OF YOUR WEIRD TALKING FACE HOLES!” The flipflopped man had a way with words, it seemed.

Nowhere? Huh, thought the Terran, now at the edge of the bar.

The rope monster roared with all billion mouths it apparently had, which rightfully incited chaos almost immediately. The Terran girl dove behind the bar in a shimmering flash of iridescence, quick to curl into a ball against the shattering of numerous bottles that had been adorning the back counter. Fear held her tightly, keeping her from even imagining the war carrying on just a few feet away from her small safe haven in the corner of a dingy countertop. Imagine her surprise when a body had hopped over and fell to the floor beside her.

The booty shorts man. And he had a gun. Or what she assumed to be a gun. It wasn’t a gun by Terran standards, but it was definitely something you pointed at something else to make it stop moving one way or another. Part of his sweater was burned off.

Oh.

That got the Terran’s attention. She hadn’t quite noticed there could’ve been muscle beneath that poly-blend.

“DAMN IT!” He wasn’t nearly as happy that his clothing was ruined. “Rocket! ANY LUCK?!”

There was nothing but cackling in return, which had actually been a good answer since the tension of the situation slowly dissipated from him as he sat up, checking the gun thing in his hand and finally noticing the girl he’d been talking to was right beside him.

“Oh, hey. Didn’t think you were alive. So that’s cool. I’m Peter, by the way.” He held out his free hand, and took her own, but the destruction raining down around them kept her from really returning the favor and giving him her name. From the pocket of his shorts ( which she really could not get over ), he produced a small device - an MP3 player. “This calls for some mood music, yah know?”

She immediately recognized the tune as he put it on.

‘Kiss’ by Prince. A classic.

“If we all get out of here alive, wanna come with? Couldn’t help but notice that whole forlorn doe-eyed look you had going on earlier. We could use a girl on the crew.” It was mind boggling to the Terran that Peter was so calm as glass and splintered wood peppered the air so continuously. This must be a somewhat common occurrence.

“I-...what? That green woman-..”

“Gamora? She’s alright. Bit rough around the edges. Actually, a lot rough around the edges. Did you know she slept with that Iron Dude once? She said he cried.” There was ample snickering on his part, which made up for the complete lack of comprehension on the Terran’s part. “But hey, you should definitely think about it. It’d be fun and nice. We’re cool. I’m the coolest, because I’m the captain. I have my own ship and everything. And music.”

She was just so . . . flabbergasted.

“Peter, I don’t mean to sound rude or anything since we just met, and there’s a lot going on, but are you flirting with me?” Part of her hoped he wasn’t, just because the timing would be so strange - almost too cinematic and cliche.

But a much larger part of her hoped he was.

“I don’t know, maybe?” He spoke as he reloaded his gun thing, or so she assumed. “Is it working? Because if it is, I’m definitely flirting.”

This man wearing shorts that left so little to the imagination and ( what she knew to be ) Old Navy flip flops was being so smooth despite the complete hot mess he made himself look like. The crooked smirk beneath the slightly grown facial hair was the kicker. It was then that the Terran found herself budding a whole new appreciation for the jaded hue and a new take on casual wear.

Before she could answer, the entire bar area fell prey to what had been a nega-space hand grenade, which had instantly condensed the entire bar structure to one single atom before exploding it outward in a grand display of absolute annihilation. But in the wake of something so absolute, there was only silence. Who had lived through that?

Everyone.

The Gliphtrin had scattered after basically being disassembled during the blast, and most of the patrons had been dubiously ( and conveniently ) knocked out as well. It was undoubtedly the crew that Peter had arrived with that were the first to stir from where they’d landed during the fight and subsequent explosion, murmuring curses at both parties involved. It was pertinent that they leave immediately before word of their usual shenanigans got to the Vogons who would almost literally bury them in necessary paperwork.

“That was less than I expected,” the raccoon cackled as he scrambled for the door, Treebeard following with only one arm less than he’d shown up with. “I’m disappointed in kids these days. Ain’t a good fight in the stars.”

“We’re not really looking to fight, Rocket,” the green woman spoke, sheathing a sword that had been hidden away when she’d entered the restaurant. “We’re running out of places we’re not banned from. If we keep this up, we’ll be eating whatever Drax feels like cooking.”

“I make great meals. I don’t know what you’re talking about, making it sound like torture,” the large tattooed man said, flicking what looked to be a finger off his bare shoulder. “If I wanted to actually torture you, it would not be with life-sustaining food.”

“On the bright side, we’re all alive, right?” Peter had gotten up, somehow forgetting the Terran’s existence in the process. Maybe the blast had scrambled his brains a little. “And I know, I know - I say that every time, but I’ll stop saying it when it stops being true.”

They were heading out when they heard a very meek ‘hey’ from the collateral left behind them. When Peter turned to look back at the noise, almost expecting one of the mini-rope monsters egging him on, he could only do that damned crooked smirk again at the site of torn mesh.

The Terran girl.

“Hey, buttercup, you’re alive! Wanna come with?” Even if he’d been unabashedly flirting before in the midst of a firefight, there was still some semblance of sincerity there as he watched her stand, completely ignoring the incredulous looks from his cohorts. “We’re heading to uh . . . I think it’s Gre’qrium next. Right?”

He had to look to those standing around him for confirmation, which he got by way of enthusiastic nods before they began to amble off.

“Whaddya say? I heard it’s got rivers of pearls, incredible food, and a really relaxed policy on clothing.”

“Hell yes, I do,” she answered, more than thankful that her date had stood her up at that god awful restaurant. She started to walk with him towards a teal and orange ship that looked a lot cooler than the pirate ship she’d previously been on. “Wait, what do you mean relaxed policy?”

“It’s a nudist planet,” the green woman answered from inside the ship.

“Oh,” said the Terran. “That’s uh . . .”

“Don’t worry,” Peter said, throwing an arm around the girl in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. “It’s not like they look like us.”

“They look worse,” said the one she assumed was Drax. “Beautiful, but worse.”

“We’ve got a trip ahead of us. Tell me what I’ve missed at home. Clothing optional.”

Peter winked.

Everyone but the Terran rolled their eyes.

#Ems21st #quill x oc #starlord #gotg #marvel #mine

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nemirutami · 6 years

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Excuse me for being a weirdo who backreads people's blogs, but I had a small additional question regarding your answer to this ask here: /171315404167/ Do you also hate Alcor? If so, I'm incredibly curious to know why, since never harbored any ill will towards humanity and genuinely cared for the protagonist. (I realize I'm a little biased as I ship them together, but that's beside the point) I do agree most of the characters' motives and views were pretty selfish though.

I LOVE DESU ASKS.... AS EVIDENT BY THE VERY LONG REPLY... (SORRY!)

I’m glad ppl are reading them bc sometimes I feel like I’m yelling directly at a wall and my opinions are just bouncing right off, but I have an answer for that.

I think the game did Alcor disservice in how he was represented. He would have benefited more from being impartial (but he isn’t impartial- and I’ll go more into detail about how he meddles to tip the scales) but I will admit anime!alcor was worse and just a sloppy attempt at making a NGE reference- but I won’t go into that because I could write an essay about how shitty the DESU2 anime is (I think everyone can- no one that played the game liked it and I can’t blame them).

The characters I actually can’t stand are: Yamato and Ronaldo. Because they’re actually the ones that actively go out and wipe out even ALLIES for their own benefit, not gonna lie- I might hate Ronaldo just a tiny bit more because of Makoto’s fate events, even if Yamato is just as bad if not worse. On top of that, they’re both awful hypocrites and unlike Yamato where I can kinda see the appeal, Ronaldo is completely unlikable. Even so, I can enjoy ships with Yamato in them. Tho I ship absolutely no one with Ronaldo because why would you evoke that kind of suffering in anyone.

Everyone else is either bordering on annoying, bland, or just a mean spirited asshole. I feel more sympathy for Keita than I do for Hinako because at least Keita calls everyone a piece of shit, whereas Hinako seems to single out Daichi to shit on... on Daichi’s own route. Fumi also talks down to everyone, but in this case, Daichi’s just caught in the crossfire. Similar with Airi, she hates EVERYONE apparently, and will even punch Jungo. Hinako tho seems to specifically target Daichi on his route like... what the fuck is your problem? You called him an idiot twice in 1 battle Hinako holy shit, go chill??? I will never let this go because BOY was just BREATHING and she went “UGHHH YOU’RE SO STUPID” LIKE LET HIM BREATHE HOLY SHIT IS HE NOT EVEN ALLOWED THAT ANYMORE?

Anyways, onto Alcor.

There’s a lot of plot holes and inconsistencies surrounding how the summoning app actually works (Alcor invented it after all, and gave it to us to use) and all these inconsistencies just make Alcor look bad from a writing standpoint (more of that below). He could have been a good character had he not been written poorly (Much like Yamato and... like 99% of the cast really. Even Daichi suffers from shit writing and I’ll never forgive them for this.) and had the plot not fucked him in the end and basically had him destined to die even on Daichi’s route (which sucks but is understandable since he is a septentrione) perhaps I’d have actually liked him.

I tend to love characters that obsess with the protagonist, and they’re usually my absolute FAVORITE characters. I’m really surprised I didn’t jump on Alcor’s ship with the protag because it HAD the setting I absolutely adored for relationships to form? Especially the alien/human dynamic since I came into DESU2 right after exiting NGE so I was IN THE MOOD. Alcor in and of himself was just. Not satisfying to interact with (bored me to tears too) because of his cryptic messages that (more than anything) just waste time and bring the player nowhere unless they rank up to like 4 right before Yamato basically THROWS EXPOSITION AT YOU AND EXPLAINS THE ENTIRE PLOT ON THE 2ND LAST DAY (it’s even worse and comes even more out of nowhere if you haven’t interacted with Alcor at all in his fate events. More disservice. They should have made Alcor’s fate events more intimate and given Alcor more plot relevant lines within the plot itself instead of his events. Much like... Daichi really. They fucked up with Daichi by making his fate events more relevant to his character growth than the actual plot. I guess they did the same for Alcor but truth be told, I remember so little about Alcor because more than anything Alcor just bored me. Never quite pissed me off. Just bored me.)

Ok, but onto the cake. The things that made me iffy on Alcor’s character in general.

Alcor supposedly gave humans fire and culture and blah blah. Already this is telling me to practice immense amounts of disbelief since it’s well documented how these things came about, but I suppose if no one actually knows the history then they can accept this at face value? I wasn’t tho. He acted responsible for it and it put me in disbelief and just made me think he sounded like an idiot. It also made him seem very arrogant, because it implied people NEEDED to be given culture, and that we just didn’t develop culture and diversity on our own. It implies we were all lifeless husks until he came along and granted it to us. Which is insulting.

The fact he’s a septentrione isn’t foreshadowed well and is very obvious from the second we see him floating and talking to other demons/septentriones since he clearly knows what they’re saying. Not really a character-specific issue. Just more problems of bad writing. “Who is he...” Daichi have you seen a HUMAN float in space like that god fucking damn it i love you but why u so duMB WHY YOU ALL SO DUMB IT’S CLEARLY EITHER A DEMON OR A SEPTENTRIONE, THE REAL QUESTION IS- WHY IS HE HELPING US?

Btw that’s another point. Why is he helping us? Oh, right, because he messed up.

He doesn’t want Yamato’s world, but he gave Yamato the power to reform society. Then, when Yamato tries to do what Alcor granted him the means to do, he’s like. Hm. Well. Shit? This guy’s a fucking psycho. Time to place my bets on the protagonist instead (which he does favor a lot- which doesn’t make him impartial really since he clearly favors explaining things more to Hibiki/Protag than anyone else in the game, and it puts everyone else at a disadvantage when a GOD LIKE ENTITY is behind the protag boosting him to make the “right” choice for humanity). I know Alcor was fascinated by humans and wanted them to live (which is fine), yet he didn’t bother to warn the MILLIONS that died (and remained dead in one of the endings- thanks Alcor) due to his negligence. Knowing about it and at least not issuing a warning is cruel. Sure, he gave people the demon summoning app, but the app was considered a “prank site” (nice advertisement, Alcor) as Daichi said at the start of the game (which i hate more than Yamato himself. Daichi. This. This idiot. This idiot signed his best friend up to a DEATH SITE just cus LOLS- the writing is bullshit, and I really disliked early Daichi, too. I disliked some of later canon-Daichi too because he was just rendered to a joke outside his Fate Events). The writing is really unfair on everyone, and it doesn’t help that the app doesn’t work the way it’s advertised to work anyways, seeing as Alcor can twist it to do what HE needs it to do at any time.

For example, the app is said to send death videos regarding people you’ve made a bond with, but clearly that’s all bullshit considering Alcor manually sends Hibiki a warning (and only Hibiki alone) of Otome’s death video so that NO ONE BUT HIBIKI CAN SAVE HER. This implies he can manipulate the death videos personally and exclude others from receiving videos. This. This is not kind. Not at all. I know he was testing Hibiki, but at THIS RISK? Losing Otome can FUCK YOUR PERFECT RUN and outside game mechanics, ELIMINATE ANOTHER HUMAN LIFE. If he wanted to, he could kill characters he actually doesn’t like this way by basically not sending the videos out to people, which, if you don’t go to save Otome right away- will be the end of her. He’s putting all his bets on you alone and testing you by cutting off everyone else from the app- potentially hindering backup to save Otome. Sure, you save her but you can just as easily kill her. I can’t say this wasn’t a sleazy test because he was basically playing with Otome’s LIFE and showed no signs of remorse. Some love for humans you have Alcor. Shit dude. This isn’t kind at all.

But I guess these are my main qualms about him- at least the ones I remember- but take everything I say with a grain of salt bc I tried to avoid confrontation with him completely in my 2nd and 3rd run so I have vague memories lingering. I don’t hate him? I can actually like him if he’s written well by other people, but given how he is in the game, I can’t say I ever enjoyed interacting with him. He didn’t annoy me other than the 2 times I’ve stated above, where he basically talks down to us about how we got to our culture and how he kinda lets Otome PERISH if we don’t respond quickly enough. I know it was a test to the protagonist’s will, but aren’t the septentriones a test enough of my conviction, Alcor, honestly. Unlike Airi, Hinako, Keita, and everyone else, Alcor doesn’t annoy me at all. Io annoys me more, if not only because the game wanted Daichi to be plot relevant only for Io to get all the spotlight. Io is genuinely maybe the better written character- it’s just such a shame they flipflop on her as a lead when in any other game, she could easily have been a lead. Her love triangle kills any enjoyment I get from her at all tho and just makes me bitter. More bad writing- who would have guessed.

Tho from a shipping standpoint? You can ship Alcor with Hibiki for good reasons, obviously. There’s a clear connection and fascination there that doesn’t surprise me people flock to (because I would have been there too had they just written him better). I don’t really mind the ship itself. When I say “i don’t mind it” I just mean I don’t feel anything for it and I’d probably not draw it for myself. There are really no ships I hate or really... dislike? There’s just stuff I don’t ship, but I can definitely ship Hibiki/Alcor if it was for a plotpoint of some kind in a fic or art or whatever. It depends on the idea really.

I guess it’s too late to say something like this so far into the post, but I like to believe that ANY ship works if the construction/buildup to it is good enough. I believe you can make any character do/say anything under the right circumstances with the right motives without it being OOC or feel out of place. I’d like to think talent is wicked like that- a double edged sword of risky ideas that can either make or break your interpretation/perception depending on how you build it up. Though, that takes effort. Something DESU2 sadly lacks in a lot of ares, but it’s still a game worth playing for the experience and I wouldn’t not recommend it for the good parts that are (while few) really, really good.

#tnt answers asks #LONG BOY LONG... tall boye... thanks for the ask- this was fun #and sorry for... writing so much LMAO MB I TOOK IT TOO SERIOUSLY #BUT NO ONE ASKS ABT DESU2 USUALLY I GOT EXCITED...#yatsuatari

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honeykngdom · 6 years

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What's happened? What post has a bunch of notes and why are people sending you nasty messages? 😞

Tbh, I wasn’t gonna reply to this, and I’m still contemplating whether this is a good idea, but I had way too much on my mind and I needed to say this.

I’m putting this under a read more because I don’t need this opinion of mine taking off like that last one, but I hope that my followers take a moment to read this because it’s really important to me and several others within our fandom.

This is another shitpost, this is very long, and this is strictly my opinion.

IT WAS A SHITPOST WITH VERY MINIMAL THOUGHT PUT INTO IT, BUT RAISED A GOOD POINT NONETHLESS.

Pretty much someone’s like vs reblog ratio made me snap one afternoon; I had previously been talking to a few other content creators (writers, photographers, artists, etc) within the Riverdale Fandom specifically about how they’re struggling to get noticed/get their work out there because of the lack of exposure (in Tumblr’s case, this would be reblogs). I hadn’t meant for the post to go past my circle of followers tbh, and this past weekend its almost tripled in note size (started at just over 2400 saturday morning - we’re at over 6000 today, and still growing). Suddenly, I’m the worst person in the world for having this opinion and saying something (which, by the way, is the opinion of the majority).

Regardless of how many people wasted their time harassing my blog/inbox/IM, the majority is still 80/20 in favour of people reblogging posted works because common courtesy trumps everything always.

I’m completely done with this site and these people. “We don’t owe you anything.” You’re absolutely right, you don’t owe me - or anyone else - anything. You’re not obligated to reblog peoples work, you’re more than welcome to continue to like it (or not, whatever works for you), I never said you couldn’t do that. But likewise, as a content creator writing/releasing for YOUR viewing/reading pleasure, regardless of whether or not I enjoy writing for myself (which, I obviously do), I’m not obligated to post my creations or share. ** Bad Omen can sit in Docs for the next 20 years, and I’ll keep writing it, but that doesn’t mean I have to post chapters anymore, and that would suck for everyone. ** No one has to draw you cute things about/involving your OTP, or make gifs for your fandom for your enjoyment/viewing pleasure, no one is entitled to give anyone anything on either side of this argument.

Content creators post because we wanna share what we did. We did a thing, and we are damn proud of that thing, so we decided to share. That in of itself takes a lot of guts for some people. Sharing what I write still gives me anxiety, as I’m sure it does for a lot of people, so please don’t kid yourself into thinking that those in favour of this argument are all here being entitled and demanding. People are literally asking for a reblog and some exposure. I took the time - out of my free time - to make something I thought others would enjoy. Insinuating that if we don’t have enough traffic on our posts/if we feel the need to complain for more activity on our blog, then our content must not be good, is an incredibly arrogant and ignorant statement to make. Period. I’m sorry if my post offended you, I’m sorry if you think people are too ‘bitchy’ or ‘whiny’, as some people have put it. Tumblr would be a pretty lame place without creators sharing their work for the remainder of the fandom to enjoy, and that’s a fact.

Imagine this: waking up tomorrow and no one posted anything original for a whole week. No new gifs, no new stories, no new original content for you to enjoy. Idk about you, but as someone that thoroughly believes in supporting others work, my dash would be pretty boring and bone dry.

In terms of sfw/nsfw posts, aesthetic blogs, rp blogs, underage bloggers, etc:

I understand what it’s like to run a blog (I am currently doing so, so I am up to date and aware of what that means, ya feel?). I have run several over the years, of all variables. Much like I understand that I have an audience to cater to, I understand that all of you do as well. There are some blogs run by people (like myself) with the intent of releasing/reblogging content for viewers to enjoy. There are blogs run by people that reblog for themselves, bc it’s their blog and it’s just for them. Both are completely okay. I have had someone (incredibly close to me) come forward and agree with that I had said, but remind me that they lean towards OCD tendencies and that their blog/colour scheme is presented in a specific way, and that is why they had only liked that OP, and not reblogged it. There are people unwilling to put NSFW content on their blog bc it’s a safe space, etc etc. I’m not disagreeing with anyone’s reasons as to why they don’t reblog everything they like.

I said if you liked something, and you thought others might like it to, then it wouldn’t hurt to reblog - and I never said it had to be everything that you liked. I still stand by that that statement. It benefits everyone. People make connections this way, people make friends this way, people find something to help bring them out of dark places in their head, either by reading/admiring art, or taking the time to create something that distracts them. Getting into a different head space is necessary for some people, and this is really important to consider and understand.

I’m not entitled for speaking out for those who can’t and won’t because people (like the anons in my inbox) would likely drive some people off of this site. One of the first comments in response to the post had been that there were people struggling to get 100 notes on their work, and that I wasn’t in any position to speak out on the topic. Here is my counter: my blog is a high traffic blog, and my follower platform is fairly large so I know I’m talking to a lot of people right now. But I also have pretty thick skin so I don’t mind being the voice every once in a while, and I thought about deleting the OP but why should I? Nothing I said was false. Nothing I said was inaccurate. Nothing I said targeted any one specific person, so I don’t know why some people are taking it so personally. I didn’t say the example used in the OP was mine, I wasn’t ‘bitching’ about 500 notes, I was speaking out on behalf of my author and artist mutuals/friends. I’m not being ‘ungrateful’; I’m constantly blown away by how supportive my platform is, I don’t think there’s anything I could say or do to show you guy how much I appreciate each and every single one of you. I just don’t understand why it’s so difficult for people to just consider this topic as a common courtesy thing. Ex. don’t make people wait on you (ever, this is my biggest pet peeve, I have an entire video rant I did a year ago on this), don’t cancel last minute, don’t be a no show, use your manners (please and thank you still go a long way in today’s day and age), support content creators. (And if you’re gonna come into my inbox upset about my common courtesy examples, then gtfo. Everyone should have manners, like y’all weren’t raised as barbarians, I’m almost positive about that.)

FYI: If you’re struggling to get recognition/notes/support with your work (art, writing, edits, etc) then my post is about you because reblogging helps you. I’m not picking a side, I’m not talking about me, I’m simply a (loud) voice.

You do not get to go into someone’s inbox, or comment on someone’s shitpost, and tell them what kind of a person they are based on an assumption. And you most certainly do not get to do that to me. I know what kind of person I am. I know I have my flaws, and I know that I can be really blunt and straight-forward, and I know that scares a lot of people. But I’m also really kind, and empathetic, and believe in karma. Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. I get a lot of support and kind words and feedback on my writing, and I like reciprocating and giving that back. I’m a very big believer in supporting content creators, because at the end of the day, what we do? Is hard.

Working media programs for image and video manipulation? Hard. Working with crappy colouring and low quality content to create an edit? Hard. Stringing together words that both create mental visual images and piece together to tell a story? Hard. Drawing accurate depictions of characters? Hard.

I was in an Arts program for high school. I graduated from that program with a double major and a minor (red seal certified), honors in English, and with a business certificate of endorsement. I have friends from every place on the arts spectrum. Believe me when I say that what we do is not easy; it is time consuming, it is exhausting, and I can guarantee there is no one more excited about our work than ourselves, and we are our hardest critiques - but we love sharing what we do with everyone else.

So no, I don’t believe it’s a far-fetched idea that people LIKE receiving recognition for something they created. What a concept.

As for the other content creators on my post talking about how they hate people like me for ‘whining’ - okay, just because you enjoy creating and releasing for the heck of it, doesn’t mean there isn’t someone working off commission and working hard to get themselves out there. As someone who’s interested in pursuing an actual career in this field, I have a very strong opinion about this topic. We all start somewhere. Being in this field of work (the arts specifically), whether you’re looking to make money or otherwise, is exhausting, time consuming and emotionally/mentally draining. It’s not a far-fetched or improbable idea that someone starts their career for their passion here, by creating a foundation and platform for their work, and putting themselves out there. Again, if you wanna post for the sake of posting, congrats, you do you, I don’t have anything at all against you; I’m still gonna support you bc that’s who I am and what I think is right. Personally, as a content creator, I feel pretty good when I attract new readers/followers bc the content I reblog/post interests them.

I don’t need validation. I don’t need encouragement. I don’t need any of the above; I’m very good at what I do, I’m very confident in that, but I understand that not everyone is, and sometimes a little goes a long way, y’know?

And then ofc I have the odd person/reply that’s talking about advertising and comparing the example I used in the OP to statistics and how 485 likes to 34 reblogs is normal in terms of exposure - homie, this is Tumblr. This isn’t Marketing 101. My work is not ADVERTISEMENT, it’s original RELEASED CONTENT. There is a big difference between the two.

Basically, I said sharing is caring and y’all are offended and mad at me. Drink a Kool-Aid Jammer and simmer down, sisters.

#answered: ooc #long post #shitpost #rant #i swear to god if this gives me heat too #im gonna turn off my inbox for the rest of the week #at least the anon option #watch how many people stop bothering me then #smh #this is a waste of time.#Anonymous #save #im seriously gonna hate myself for this #like really gonna hate myself for this #I already know #but here it goes.

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cookinguptales · 7 years

Text

Coming off the post I wrote yesterday about the expenses involved with day-to-day living when you’re disabled, I just wanted to expand a little more on a subject I treated quickly in that essay.

So here’s the thing. There are a lot of factors together that encourage poverty amongst PWD, and you could probably write an entire book on the way things intersect. I’m not here to do that. But I am here to talk a little bit about some of the problems PWD come up against when they want to enter the workforce.

To preface this, some PWD really are too disabled to work and I’m not here to shame them. I’m deeply skeptical of our culture’s association of “able to do work in a capitalistic society” with “being a good person”. The whole working PWD/”sponge” PWD is a bad dichotomy. That said, I want to talk about some barriers PWD find when they are able to work and looking for jobs.

First of all, think about entry-level work. Just in general. What skills do we associate with entry-level work? With customer service and retail and interning and secretarial work? The people working food service who need to stand for several hours a day, read printed receipts, carry food, interact with coworkers and customers who most likely don’t sign? With jobs in grocery stores bagging food or restocking heavy items? With answering phones for mega-businesses? Entry-level work is grunt work. Baby’s first job is generally grunt work. It requires skills like standing and running and hearing and talking and seeing and the ability to do heavy lifting. Often, you have to do all of the above.

What I’m getting at is this -- culturally speaking, we’ve decided that people must do a certain kind of job when first entering the workforce, and those are often jobs that people with many disabilities just can’t do. Moreover, when people advertising for those jobs can choose between able-bodied applicants and disabled applicants they’ll need to make accommodations for, guess who gets picked?

This isn’t to say that all PWD can’t do these jobs -- and it isn’t to say that even more PWD couldn’t do these jobs if workplaces utilized creative solutions to encourage better accommodations. But I am saying that a certain level of work, typically the ground level, is rooted in physical ability. And if you can’t get in at the ground level, it’s much, much harder to enter the workplace.

Okay, you say, so what about higher levels? It’s easier to get a job doing data entry or something if you’ve had entry-level summer jobs, but if you’re educated and have skills, you can get jobs that better suit your disability. That’s very true! And not at all helpful to many PWD. I could write an entire post (and probably will one day) about how difficult it is for many PWD to get a quality education. Telling a disabled person to just get a degree then work displays privilege on multiple levels; not only is it assuming that it is possible for this person to get a degree, but it is assuming that they can afford to not work while they’re attaining it. Considering the unique costs associated with being disabled, there’s a pretty strong likelihood they can’t do that. (Hell, many able-bodied people can’t, either. See: why unpaid internships are worsening economic inequality.)

Inability to do grunt work paired with the difficulty of getting a degree really puts a lot of PWD between a rock and a hard place. It can feel like there are so many barriers to even finding a job you can do (and are qualified for) that you’re exhausted before you even have to contend with discrimination in the hiring process. And believe me, that shit’s a thing. A job that’s the best fit in the world for you won’t work out of the boss doesn’t want to deal with your disability. Maybe they don’t want to find you an accessible bathroom. Maybe they don’t want to restructure so they can work around your needs. Maybe they don’t believe disabled people are dependable or that you can actually do the work. Maybe they just think your body is kind of creepy. There are all sorts of reasons why an employer won’t hire a PWD, and they all come with plausible deniability. It’s simply easier to hire someone able-bodied. And in this job market, you’re almost always competing with someone able-bodied.

But okay, sure. Let’s say that you’ve found a job. Cool! Did you know it’s legal to pay PWD well below minimum wage? Because that’s a thing! The law itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s really designed to work with social safety nets so PWD don’t lose the benefits they need. Simply put, there are a lot of programs certain PWD no longer qualify for if they get a well-paying job. Okay, fine. That doesn’t mean that companies don’t occasionally take advantage of this legal loophole to underpay PWD who do the same work as anyone else and need the same paychecks as anyone else. Honestly, the whole situation is just one more worry.

So okay, it’s hard for PWD to work. Frankly, you probably knew that before you even started reading this essay. Why does this matter? Well, lots of reasons. There’s the aforementioned association that we have between capitalistic function and worth as a human. That’s gonna fuck you up if you can’t work. There’s the really horrible “benefits scrounge” stereotype that follows PWD around and that has led to hate and violence. There’s the fact that even getting those benefits is extraordinarily difficult and they’re often not enough to live on. (Particularly if someone also requires expensive medication/surgeries/assistive devices, etc.) So even just on the basic level, you can barely feed yourself and you hate yourself.

The wider level, though, that’s the even shittier one. I’ve talked about the terrifying effects of silence and isolationism on PWD safety, psyche, and rights before, and the inability of many PWD to get jobs and/or education really worsens this. It often means that PWD are locked up in their house bc they can’t afford to leave it. That they don’t get regular socialization with coworkers. That they can’t afford to keep up with news and history and activism. They may be financially dependent on family/caregivers that abuse them. The inability to interact with the world and provide for themselves means that PWD aren’t entering into positions of authority, which means it’s harder to fight to end abuses of our rights and change societal views towards the disabled. This isolation is keeping our voices from reaching each other and the outside world, and historically speaking, that shit’s never been safe.

(And don’t be one of those pricks on Twitter who come at me like BUT FDR THO!! FDR purposefully hid his illness as much as physically possible specifically because he knew it’d make his political life harder! Most voters didn’t even know he was legit disabled when he was voted in! You can use him to argue that disabled people can be president, but not that there aren’t societal barriers for people who can’t hide their disabilities.)

Like I could tell you stories about my own experiences with employment/education that would make your hair curl. The constant day-in-day-out fight is exhausting. That’s why I would at the very least like to bring some attention to some of these struggles. Able-bodied people still often have this Hallmark Channel idea that PWD can and will do ~anything~, so they don’t recognize our daily battles we have to fight to do...well, anything. I want to shine a spotlight on the problems PWD face because I want our efforts to be recognized and our struggles to be alleviated.

Thank you.

#I am gainfully employed now #with insurance and everything #but boy howdy do I know I'm lucky #ableism #disability #long post

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momentumgo · 5 years

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Kelly Kurtz

Motion Designer http://www.kellykurtz.design/ Squamish, BC, Canada Age 38 She/Her

How did you get your start in motion design, animation, or whatever it is that you do?

I have a rather non-linear path to mograph, as many other people’s stories. I started off in a very different industry, but now (after 3 years) my love of the outdoors and motion design have (hopefully) come together.

I come from the adventure tourism industry of 12 years. I was an expedition guide in Canada’s North during the summers, an outdoor education instructor in the spring and fall working with grade 9 & 10’s, and during the winters I worked in Snow School at a local ski hill (Cypress Mountain) teaching ski lessons, supervising, and then in the last 5 years managing all the on snow operations for the department of 180 instructors.

I loved my time as a guide and have so many beautiful memories of guiding (canoeing, backpacking & rafting) as well as working in the ski industry for more than a decade. Guiding multi-day expeditions means you are away from home for months at a time, and your time in between trips is spent cleaning up and prepping for the next trip - which was exciting and worked for me in my 20’s but once I had done it for a decade I started to desire a shift. I had done a lot of photography during my guiding years and found myself up until 3am the night after trip editing photos because it was satisfying and challenging, I wondered if photography could be where my next path led.

I was always curious about design, especially graphic design. One day I met a woman who used to be a kayak guide for 6 years who went back to school to become a freelance graphic designer specializing in brand identity, had 2 young daughters whom she could spend more time with since leaving the guiding world and I saw a seed of possibility.

It took 3 years of thinking about making this shift, and jumping from one career to the next is not a decision to take lightly - but what ultimately pushed me over the edge was a 14 month head & neck injury that I sustained from a skiing accident in the winter of 2012/13.

As horrible and dark as head injuries are, there was a real silver lining in that experience as it became a catalyst for change for me. I applied to a few different art schools with some doodles that I did from when I had my concussion, (as well as some photography I took up during my guiding years), and to my surprise I was accepted into Vancouver Film School’s Digital Design program in the fall of 2015.

I initially was interested in web and app design, but in the first few weeks we worked on a small stop motion project and opened up After Effects and thought WOW - this stuff is amazing. Once we started learning Cinema 4D, and worked on a title sequence project my life really started to change, and that is how I quickly got hooked on Motion.

I really struggled to land a job after I graduated VFS, it took me 7 months to land a job and I felt forced to take it as it was the only job offer that I had, my funds were running out and I was in a depression. I stayed at that company for 10 months but it was very corporate and things didn’t move very fast. I felt like I wasn’t getting the growth I was desiring. I was constantly looking for something else.

I was approached by an advertising agency downtown about a motion design position they were opening up, so I jumped at the chance as I needed the change and was curious about the ad agency world. It was eye opening to work in an ad agency, but my gut told me I didn’t belong. 7 weeks into the job my producer blindsided me in a 1-on-1 meeting and told me she didn’t think I fit in here (first time I’d heard any feedback since being hired), and asked me to think about what I really wanted. Ouch. Unfortunately she was dead right, but it still felt soul crushing at the time. A few days later I handed in my resignation and decided to try freelancing instead of the endless search for the “right” full time job, and Vancouver can be pretty limited with motion design studios.

Freelance felt like a breath of fresh air, I could manage project the way that I wanted to, and mistakes were my own. I was freelance for most of 2018 and tho I had a steep learning curve, I enjoy many aspects of it. I also couldn’t help but think, I wish I had more experience and a larger network to lean on before hopping into freelance. I felt like I grew so much in terms of understanding business and the freelance game, but not as much growth as a designer. I craved to work with other motion designers and learn from them - a luxury that I had perhaps not realized I took for granted while going to school and learning from my very talented classmates.

Now my journey takes another shift as my dream company (Arc’teryx) has recently offered me a motion designer / video editor role that I start in a few weeks. The company is a high end technical outerwear company that I have adored for 20 years. It combines my love of the outdoors with design & video. So perhaps my personal and professional realms have just collided, I hope so as I’d like to be surrounded by like minded people who are passionate about similar things as I am.

How do you define success? What would success look like for you?

Success to me is being able to work with a synergetic team while creating compelling content that I am challenged and rewarded with while maintaining work life balance.

What are some best practices you use today?

Never. Stop. Learning.

Kick self doubt square in the balls. It will sneak up on you when you are least expecting it. EVERYONE goes through it, no one is immune.

Celebrate (and look for) your successes. No matter how small they are. This also helps with point #2

Take responsibility for your own journey. Sit down and write your goals out, give yourself targets to hit, and hold yourself accountable. So what if you can’t find a mentor, that shouldn’t stop you. Most mographers don’t have a mentor, only a lucky few.

How do you balance your work with your personal life? How do the two influence each other?

My work and personal life have always been very closely tied as my past can attest. I think part of the reason I really struggled in my first 2 full time positions as a motion designer was that my personal life was suffering. I was surrounded by people who didn’t go outside, who didn’t ski, who rarely exercised, who I just couldn’t connect with. And when you can’t connect with your team on a personal level, it’s hard to become a well oiled machine. For me, the two have to be very well aligned. Perhaps that is just my desire to have meaningful relationships, perhaps it is because the mountains have always been my first love, or perhaps I was never meant to separate the two.

When I take time to go out for a ski tour in the mountains, take a week off to disappear out of cell range to hang out with old friends in a cabin in the woods, I come back refreshed and feeling grateful for the time I just had. It is an opportunity to recharge and refocus.

How have you learned to practice self-care? What do you do to take care of yourself?

I used to be a workaholic when I was in the ski industry. I could never seem to catch up so I’d work long hours, not take care of myself, my stress levels were constantly running high. That’s when I made a mistake. One that resulted in my world coming to a grinding halt with a 14 month concussion, and it also left my team limping along for an entire season. Since then I’ve had no desire to be a full time workaholic. There is so much more to life. Family, personal, and time in the mountains.

So if I am not accelerating as fast as someone else, it’s because I’m playing the long game. While they are up at 1am watching tutorials I am sleeping because I want to be able to ski tour up 1000m to admire the view, and remind me of why I am alive. There is a culture within mograph that tells us we need to put in the time and practice to get better, and this is absolutely true. But the timeline that we all seem to hold ourselves to may not be the most realistic for staying healthy.

What advice do you have for those just starting out?

Be kind to yourself. Find out what motivates you and utilize that to manage your time and your priorities.

Take courses with School of Motion, Mograph Mentor, and Learn Squared.

Watch and do hella amounts of tutorials. If you are happy with the work you made with a tutorial, give the creator of the tutorial credit if you publish it online, but don’t claim that work as your own (I see this all the time, someone posts some work on Dribbble or Instagram and says they’ve been experimenting, but I know exactly what tutorial it was based on. If someone credits the tutorial maker, there is no harm done.)

Don’t use tutorials as your sole learning tool. Create personal projects, and don’t look at tutorials to carry you through it. Use experimentation while you have the luxury of time to work on that personal project. Your personal style will develop out of this, not out of tutorials. And consequently so will your confidence.

Listen to Podcasts (School of Motion, Mograph Mentor, Motion Hatch, Animalators, & The Futur).

Get out an network, physically and online. Both are important. Develop those relationships, they are everything in this industry

Go to 1 - 2 conferences per year, they are worth every penny. Get inspired, meet the people whose work you idolize, then use that to fuel your next sprint.

Create A LOT of work. Publish it.

Take care of yourself and stop judging yourself against others. You don’t know their journey, priorities, sacrifices or motivations.

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