#visually confirmed deaths times ten | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

faintingheroine · 1 year

Text

WUTHERING HEIGHTS 1967

Episode 2. THE FIRST REVENGE

The episode starts with a narrated recap of the plot so far (which is an attribute Aşk-ı Memnu 1975 also has, though I must say that one’s recaps are more iconic) set to the visuals of the last scene of the previous episode, Heathcliff leaving Wuthering Heights and taking one last look at it. The recap weirdly starts with Hindley coming back to house with Frances, but it makes some sense as the words “Heathcliff who is his adopted brother” do kind of summarize the events before that. All in all a very brief, economical recap.

Again there is no theme music, the nature sounds serve as the theme music. I love this.

The first scene of the episode is Cathy standing in the rain waiting for Heathcliff. We learn from Nelly’s dialogue to her that it has been three days since Heathcliff leaving.

I know I have praised Nelly in my previous post, she is played by a young actress and is mostly right, but I must say she is a bit softened. She does scold Cathy a couple of times but I don’t think she dislikes her as much as her book counterpart does.

Frances has given birth. Nelly’s mother is still around and despite her so far having one line of dialogue and it being in the very first scene of the first episode, I think her actress gave her character via her facial expressions. She does feel like Nelly’s mother.

Mr. Kenneth (who is played by an older guy) does deliver the “Your wife has given birth but she will probably die when winter comes; don’t be too sad she was too sickly anyway” speech to Hindley.

Btw I really like Wuthering Heights’s interior.

Nelly and Joseph argue in the kitchen about Heathcliff’s departure and Nelly’s mother and a crying Cathy are also present. Nelly’s mother and Joseph talked before Cathy and Nelly entered the kitchen but I couldn’t get what they said. What Joseph is saying is impossible to understand which is true to the book.

Cathy attempts to console her brother about his wife’s state, which is not in-character for her to do while worried about Heathcliff. She has the interaction Nelly had with Hindley at the start of Chapter 8 in the book, which is one more instance of Cathy being given Nelly’s lines and scenes. Why do all adaptations of this book do this??

Hindley cries loudly about his wife’s impending death. It humanizes Hindley who is presented as mostly villainous in this adaptation.

We cut to Hindley crying bent over Frances’s grave. A parallel to Heathcliff? Maybe?

Frances was born in January 1756 and died in March 177? which confirms that this series roughly stuck to the book’s time period, though Hareton was born in June of 1778 and Heathcliff must have left in 1780, which means that they have made Heathcliff’s departure earlier rather than postponing Hareton’s birth.

We cut to Cathy and Edgar’s wedding. Mr. and Mrs. Linton are alive and present at the wedding. Cathy’s first serious fever is evidently cut.

Cathy leaves the wedding guests and solemnly puts a bouquet of flowers on a James Earnshaw’s gravestone, presumably her father’s. I like that Earnshaws are buried in the churchyard which is true to the book.

Hindley is at the wedding with a baby? Then we cut to a scene where there is a much much older Hareton. Like much older. Have Cathy and Edgar been married for a decade? This part is very confusing. Why does no one making these adaptations have Emily Brontë‘s command on the timeline?

Hindley became an alcoholic. We have the scene from the beginning of Chapter 9 where Hindley tries to hug Hareton, except Hareton here is like, ten years old.

Nelly’s mother is still around. I really liked her presence in the first episode, and canonically she was probably alive at this point in the story: Nelly is 26 years old at the time of Heathcliff’s return and Nelly’s mother lived till the age of 80, so yes Nelly’s mother was probably still alive when Catherine Earnshaw died. But her presence in Wuthering Heights is very much against the canon, we are explicitly told that no servant except Nelly and Joseph stayed after Hindley became an alcoholic and no woman is left at Wuthering Heights after Nelly leaves for Thrushcross Grange alongside Cathy.

Nelly explicitly tells Hindley that it has been years since Cathy and Edgar married? (Btw Linton parents died in the meantime as we later learn).

Why did this adaptation do this? Why switch Hareton’s birth around? Did they not have space in the first episode to deal with his birth and they postponed it to the second episode since they wanted to finish Episode 1 with “I am Heathcliff”? Maybe that’s the case but I think it kind of hurt the nature of the dynamics. Not as much as many other changes in many other adaptations, but still.

Hindley ousts Nelly after she protests his treatment of Hareton. I really like this Hindley’s performance, I think he is potentially the best interpretation of a character in the series so far, maybe along with Mr. Earnshaw.

Nelly violently knocks at the door yelling “Mr. Hindley” while he is drinking. It is a good scene.

We cut to Hindley playing at cards. Heathcliff arrives but we don’t see his face, we just see Joseph (who opens the door to him)‘s reaction. The camera effectively shows us the scene from Heathcliff’s point of view so his arrival comes off as a reveal. I like this. This adaptation isn’t as workman-like as I would guess a BBC adaptation from 1967 to be, it makes some creative choices.

Also I must say because of the misplacement of Hareton’s birth, we have spent the first ten minutes of this episode (the episode is 44 minutes long) without any Heathcliff. So even though of course it being him who arrived is no surprise to anyone watching, his disappearance is more keenly felt in this adaptation than in any other version of the story including the book.

Heathcliff arrives at the kitchen of Thrushcross Grange without knocking and surprises Nelly. This is the first scene in this adaptation that felt Gothic.

Cathy is overjoyed at Heathcliff’s arrival. It isn’t as intense as I imagine Cathy’s reaction to be in the book, but she is joyous at least.

And Tarzan-Heathcliff is gone, thankfully.

Edgar continues to be a nothing. Cathy and Heathcliff say to each other the book lines, Heathcliff says that he has struggled only for her etc., and Edgar doesn’t seem jealous or forlorn.

This Heathcliff understands Isabella’s crush on him immediately unlike the book Heathcliff who was more daft about this. It is like they turned a switch and this Heathcliff is even more perceptive than the book one. I am starting to like this Heathcliff. I liked his cunning smile when he immediately caught on the potential of Isabella’s interest in him.

Heathcliff and Hindley play at cards while Joseph is muttering prayers in the background. Heathcliff laughs devilishly as Hindley loses at cards.

We have the scene of Cathy telling Isabella’s crush to Heathcliff. I must say that my favorite Cathy is still the 1978 one. That adaptation was boring but its Cathy was on point. All other adaptations Cathies lack that energy. This adaptation’s Cathy is still better than most, Angela Scoular clearly read the book and tried to be the book’s Cathy, and she is fine, but she is not as extreme as my vision of Cathy.

I like Ian McShane’s performance as Heathcliff in this episode. This confirms my suspicion that the issue in Episode 1 was the way he was directed to play the character.

Cathy more or less tells Heathcliff that she is pregnant, which is something I always like when adaptations add.

We have the scene of Nelly meeting Hareton and him swearing at her. I… have nothing to say about this scene.

We see the library in Thrushcross Grange and a portrait of Cathy is hung. I like that we see it as early as this.

Heathcliff kisses Isabella and clearly enjoys Cathy seeing this. They argue about Isabella, Heathcliff tells her that she had treated him infernally and that he won’t suffer the consequences but will enjoy himself in the same style and crush those beneath him. (What are the consequences? Blue balls?)

Edgar catches them arguing etc. Edgar continues to be a nothing.

Cathy tells Edgar that Heathcliff is after revenge in the latter’s presence and challenges him to fight Heathcliff. This Cathy is less unequivocally on Heathcliff’s side than the book Cathy.

Cathy doesn’t throw the key into the fire. Instead she throws it at the ground and Heathcliff takes it. Such a downgrade.

Edgar starts to cry because he can’t fight Heathcliff. Heathcliff tells Cathy rather nonchalantly that this is the slavering shivering thing whom she allowed to father her child. It is only via the child they can argue about the reality of Cathy’s sexuality. I want to say, these are perhaps the most asexual Heathcliff and Cathy, and yes I am very much including the book versions. I don’t know if it is because of its creators’ personal vision or because of it being produced by state television in 1967.

Cathy has her temper tantrum, shuts herself in her room, Nelly tells Edgar that she is probably faking her illness etc.

I like this Nelly. She is young and her actions come off less as sleazy and more as cruel common sense? Probably because we do not hear her self-righteous aphorisms as she does not narrate the story.

Cathy’s nervous breakdown isn’t too overdramatized, you are actually seeing a very miserable woman. I like that.

Edgar says that Heathcliff is “the man whose name Catherine holds sacred beyond utterance”. Interesting.

Isabella is blonde haired blue eyed and is physically a good fit but she lacks any amount of fire.

Isabella runs away with Heathcliff and is now at Wuthering Heights. The way she fondles Hindley’s gun is very suggestive.

Heathcliff hanging Isabella’s dog is cut. Heathcliff scores very low in villainy points so far and I don’t like it.

Heathcliff delivers the Chapter 14 speech to Hindley. Hindley and Heathcliff more or less chatter about Isabella. I like this, I think @longagoitwastuesday would appreciate it. Personally, while I really appreciate Hindley in this scene (he is my favorite character in this adaptation), it feels less like the incredibly grotesque Gothic speech Heathcliff delivers to a female servant about his wife in her presence, and more like the locker-room talk of a mildly abusive boyfriend while his girlfriend is not present. His declarations of his love for Cathy are also cut. This Heathcliff does not feel larger than life.

Because the Episode 2 Heathcliff is so eloquent, I guess his apparent lack of intelligence in Episode 1 was only due to shyness and years of bullying and racial abuse.

We have Heathcliff and Cathy’s last meeting. It is okay.

Cathy dies, Heathcliff receives the news. He delivers the “haunt me then” speech. I like the way he delivers it but it is a bit out of nowhere as his love for her wasn’t established to be ridiculously intense. This is a pretty calm Heathcliff in general.

And the credits appear to nature sounds and the shots of Thrushcross Grange.

End of Episode 2

This adaptation has things going for it. The sets, costumes and the physical attributes of the cast are great. It makes some creative choices, for example it has no non-diegetic music. Its camera work is good, better than the other BBC adaptation from 1978. I really like its Hindley.

The names of the episodes are excellent, great, perfect and kind of made me have high expectations of this adaptation. I must say that so far it didn’t live up to it. It is perfectly fine but it is just another Wuthering Heights adaptation.

Like all adaptations it expanded upon the childhoods of Cathy, Heathcliff and Hindley, probably because there are many gaps to be filled there. Because of this there was more to be said about Episode 1. After Heathcliff’s return Episode 2 is just the book and hence I didn’t have as much to say.

The core narrator of Wuthering Heights is Nelly, a female servant. Because of this Catherine Earnshaw dominates the first half and Cathy Linton dominates the second half. But Heathcliff still always feels like the main character in the book. Maybe it is because he is more charismatic in the book, maybe because we see him first via Lockwood’s frame narrative, maybe because of his lengthy speeches, I don’t know. But I feel like Heathcliff is Wuthering Heights’s main character. This is not the case here. In these two episodes Cathy was very much the main character. In Episode 1 Heathcliff was a rather simple shadow of hers. In Episode 2 I liked McShane’s performance but I don’t think he really had the opportunity to shine.

I will continue with this series, maybe after some time. I really wonder how Angela Scoular interpreted Cathy Linton, in some ways I think her acting style would fit her more. I am curious as to how they have done Linton Heathcliff. And I wonder how Heathcliff-Cathy Linton dynamic will be since the same actress plays her. Will Heathcliff have more time to shine as he becomes an outright villain? Maybe.

But no adaptation ever comes even a bit close to the book. Wuthering Heights is always a hundred times better than its adaptations.

#wuthering heights #wuthering heights 1967 #wuthering heights adaptations

8 notes · View notes

untowonder · 1 year

Text

❝ 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐋𝐀𝐖, always changing, always hot, cheating death. I learned early I was a girl　　　　　　nothing more, unyielding, fixed　　　　　　unreachable, unchangeable. A being like me, wilts in the sun　　　　　　leave me in my 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫, here 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥. ❞　　　　　　ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱꜱ, ꜱᴇɢᴏᴠɪᴀ ᴀᴍɪʟ

... 𝙻𝙾𝙶𝙸𝙽 𝙰𝙲𝙲𝙴𝙿𝚃𝙴𝙳 ... 𝙰𝙲𝙲𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙰𝚁𝙲𝙷𝙸𝚅𝙴𝚂 ... 𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙵𝙸𝙻𝙴𝚂 ... 𝙻𝙾𝙰𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶 ...

𝐌𝐔𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓-𝐌𝐁𝐂𝐂 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐌

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐍 Sinner No. MBCC-S-871

ʙᴀꜱɪᴄ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ Name Mary Ann Gender Female Birthplace Uncertain DOB November 4 Height 157 cm

Date of Detainment 11/05 Alignment LIMBO Ability Mania Crystallization Case Looking-Glass Art Exhibit Massacre

ᴄʀɪᴍɪɴᴀʟ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅ

The lone heiress to the Liddell family. The Liddell family is not only a family known for having incredibly talented artists, but also having one of the largest collections of artwork and antiques from the pre-Nightfall era. The Liddell family is also known for creating high-quality paints from rare and unique resources, notably, their red paint. It is believed that by some unknown means, the Liddell family has been using mania crystals in their creative process to drive up the sales of their art, although proof has never surfaced and those who have even claimed it to be so are quick to change their tune.

Mary Ann, herself, is the culprit of a large-scale Mania outbreak in the Eastside, dubbed the [ 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞 ]. The massacre claimed several dozen lives, and the subject has been at large ever since. Documented sightings of the subject have spanned all throughout Eastside, at other gala events or, according to paparazzi, going in and out of subject [ DATA MISSING ]'s residence.

Due to high risk of Mania transmission, subject must be detained by any means necessary.

THREAT ASSESSMENT - 𝐒 - RANK

ᴍᴜᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀꜱꜱᴇꜱꜱᴍᴇɴᴛ

ABILITY SUMMARY Subject’s power appears to be able to spread mania in those within close proximity, eventually creating mania crystals within victims' vital organs or locations which the subject physically touches for prolonged periods. The size of these crystals vary greatly, but they will always tear through the victim's body for ease of harvesting, according the subject.

AWAKENING SIGNS Subject has no recollection of when she became infected with Mania, and refuses to elaborate on when she awoke as a Sinner. She has led investigators to believe that it must have been triggered by a small episode of psychosis at varying ages, telling some it was when she was a small child, others when she was a teenager, and some as recent as the [ 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞 ] nearly ten years ago. Subject has been unwilling as to confirm the truth, and any further attempts to garner this information has led to the subject requesting her lawyer, [ Mr. Fox ] , to be present.

CORRUPTION STATE Subject's Maniac corruption level has been noted as varying between low to moderate at best, with no abnormalities having been found on her body. The subject is noted as suffering audio-visual hallucinations, disassociation, headaches, and severe nightmares, however such symptoms were present prior to infection according to her medical records. These symptoms were documented as increasing in intensity and frequency over the past few years. Due to this, mental state marked as unstable.

ᴀʀʀᴇꜱᴛ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅꜱ

RECORD During MBCC’s investigation of previous sighting outside of the office of [ Mr. Fox ] , the subject was spotted getting into the Chief’s car, voluntarily awaiting arrest. When inquiring about this turn of events, Mary Ann Liddell stated that she wished to get the interview over with, as she was taking time out of her personal schedule to fit the MBCC's Chief, and, if need be, the 9th Agency's Langley in. Although the Chief’s entourage appeared ready to strike, arrest proceeded with no altercation.

RECORD History of the subject has been difficult to acquire beyond the knowledge of her guardian, Charlotte Liddell, the previous owner of [ 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲 ] , who was assassinated prior to the [ 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞 ] . What is known is that the subject came into Mr. Liddell’s care when she was at least six years of age. Raised alongside the now deceased [ Alice Underhill ], it is believed that Mary Ann Liddell was granted a considerably privileged life, and like others within the Liddell family, she was introduced to society at a young age with her first galla showing, called [ 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 ] . After the event, multiple headlines proclaimed that the Liddell family's latest prodigy might surpass the current heir's own talent. It is believed that these headlines lead to some contention between the two children, however, Mary Ann Liddell has been mum on the topic.

RECORD The subject is rumored to have ties to or be the cause of the disappearance of [ Alice Underhill ] nearly twenty years ago. However, there is a lack of sufficient evidence to tie Mary Ann to the case. All attempts to garner information about this particular case have been met with a lack of cooperation from the subject and the subject's family. Further interrogation on the matter is required.

RECORD [ DATA MISSING ]

ᴘᴇʀꜰᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ɪɴ ꜱᴇʀᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇᴀᴍ

RECORD Mary Ann is notably withdrawn from others, opting to remain in her room, which she has turned into a temporary studio space. Her room has included within its confines a custom-made easel, multiple canvases, and priceless paints which she brought from her estate. During her free time, she has been noted as requesting select Sinners to pose for small portraits, which she often hands over when completed under the promise that these shall never leave the subjects or she would gladly take them to court.

RECORD Despite how withdrawn Mary Ann has been with staff and the majority of Sinners, she seems to have a soft spot for younger Sinners, offering to teach them how to paint, or to allow them to decompress in her room. She has been noted as offering to taste test for Kelvin when the Sinner musters the courage to attempt new recipes, and she has been documented as curbing her sharp tongue to give Kelvin constructive criticism and feedback.

RECORD To the surprise of some, Mary Ann appears to hold a special dislike for any Sinners who have ties to the art world. Although she has never elaborated on why she feels so, and she stays away from Lisa, McQueen, and Enfer, for instance. However, these feelings do not seem to spread toward Hecate. In fact, like the above, Mary Ann encourages Hecate's artistic visions, even presenting her with higher quality sketchbooks and other materials. On the rare occasion, Mary Ann has invited Hecate to collaborate on some art projects, though these are few and far between, as Mary Ann appears to enter a nearly manic state when painting. During some of Mary Ann's more destructive manic episodes, it has been noted that only Lisa is able to snap her out of whatever frenzy has gripped her.

RECORD The MBCC was recently able to uncover proof that [ Mr. Fox ] has previously worked very closely with the Liddell family, employed for several years by Charlotte Liddell. These years are believed to have been between Mary Ann's late-teenage years and well into her twenties. After the passing of Charlotte Liddell, Mary Ann was said to have fired [ Mr. Fox ] after the reading of the will and the subsequent hostile takeover of the family by the heiress. However, it is well documented that Mary Ann would occasionally hire him to represent her during high-profile cases where Mary Ann was accused of selling forgeries of her own works. These works have since disappeared from the public eye, and further attempts to pry into these cases have been met with threats of legal action taken against the MBCC.

#█║░ ♛ ❖ about —— ❝ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʜᴀᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟɪɴɢᴇʀ ░║█#█║░ ♛ ❖ 𝕧 ᴘᴀᴛʜ ᴛᴏ ɴᴏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ —— ❝ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴄᴀʀʟᴇᴛ ʟᴀᴍᴇɴᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ꜰɪʀᴍᴀᴍᴇɴᴛ ░║█

3 notes · View notes

gertlushgaming · 9 months

Text

Detective Archives Rain Code Review (Nintendo Switch OLED)

For this Detective Archives Rain Code Review, where we go to a place called Kanai Ward, a city of rain, is gripped by innumerable unsolved mysteries, under the complete control of Amaterasu Corporation. Master Detectives from around the world, each possessing unique powers, must rise to the challenge of uncovering the truth. With Shinigami by his side, Yuma joins the investigation as a trainee at the Nocturnal Detective Agency. Travel freely within the fully 3D environment of the city to gather evidence and testimonies.

Detective Archives Rain Code Review Pros:

- Beautiful graphics. - 14.7GB download size. - Ten save slots. - Action gameplay. - Ongoing tutorial pop-ups. - Fully voiced characters. - Amazing cast of characters. - Can Invert axis and sensitivity sliders. - Text speed slider. - Minimap is optional amd can be set to rotating or fixed. - Fast loading times. - DP is detective points that you earn for examing a crime scene and you level up. - The mystery Labyrinth is where unsolved crimes go and you can then enter the case. - At the end of every mystery/case, there is a hidden truth that leads to the killer's identity. - Text/interactions can fast forward, auto-scroll, or press a button to advance. - A 3D game world with full 360 camera control. - Solution keys are given for finding clues and used to advance the current case. - Perfect fit for the handheld. - Level up to get SP (skill points) to buy and equip Labyrinth skills using the skill tree. How many and which Labyrinth skills you have at one time is dictated by a memory cost. - Auto saves frequently. - Absolutely bombastic soundtrack. - A playable loop is the section of a Labyrinth where you can freely move around indefinitely until the scene plays out. - You can review and learn from any discovered clues at any time. - Your notebook is where all the information and leveling up is done. - Photo mode in terms of you can pause at any time and remove all on-screen prompts/Hud etc. - You have a sidekick called Shinigami who is a death god contracted to haunt your character Yuma and is only visible to Yuma. - Shinigami can be a help or a hindrance but he will always be there! - Save when you want from the menu. - Is a real visual treat for the eyes. - You can see influences from the Danganronpa series throughout. - Very atmospheric. - Mystery phantoms are manifestations of real-world people who set out to block you in your case and become the enemy within the labyrinth. - The solution blade is your weapon in the labyrinth and is used in combat. - Stamina is your health and dying gives you the choice to quit, restart from the checkpoint, or start the labyrinth again. - Combat situations are called RDM (Reasoning Death Match) and as you fight statements will fly at you, using your clues and knowledge you can fight inflammatory statements, fight a contradiction by choosing the right solution key, amd you can just dodge everything and if you do it at the last minute you get a bigger reward. - You can fast-forward in an RDM. - Basically comes down to choosing the right clue to fight the incoming statement. - At times when in the labyrinth you will get a crossroads with a case-specific question and you have to choose an answer. You get to confirm before proceeding. - A Perfect game for armchair detectives. - Many fantastic-looking locations. - Offers optional side quests/mysteries. - Really rewarding gameplay. Detective Archives Rain Code Review Cons: - Cannot rebind controls. - Doesn't support a touchscreen. - A lot to take in. - Very slow starter and has a generally slow pace to it all. - The RDM stuff takes a fair bit of learning. - Playable loop sections can outstay their welcome and just have you running for ages. - The game is not always great at explaining what it wants from you or how you go about solving the cases. - Auto-scrolling in the interactions still requires you to hold a button down. - At times it feels like the RDM can be won by just brute forcing your way through. - Sometimes an encounter will trigger a longer than usual loading time. Related Post: Pikmin 4 Review (Nintendo Switch OLED) Detective Archives Rain Code: Official website. Developer: Spike Chunsoft Publisher: Nintendo Store Links - Nintendo Read the full article

#NintendoSwitch

0 notes

jaeyong-sucker · 3 years

Text

TEN • EXHIBITIONISM

⚠️WARNING⚠️

Read at your own risk.

EXHIBITIONISM

Exhibitionism is the term most commonly used for the action of being nude and/or engaged in a sexual act for others to witness visually.

♡♡♡

You should have not chosen the motorbike. Although Ten suggested you both should use the car to head to his dance studio, you hesitated and insisted on using the motorbike. But you can't back out now. Both of you are stuck in traffic in the middle of the highway. Half an hour has passed and none of the vehicles moved an inch. The atmosphere is covered by the loud siren sounds that came from over a kilometer ahead of you. Perhaps the accident is so serious that all of the cars are halted.

Your hands remain on the clutch of the motorbike, just in case you are signaled to go. You also do not like sleeping while traveling, especially right now that you are at the wheel. On the other hand, Ten couldn't contain his boredom. You hear his sighs and groans of disappointment at least a hundred times for an hour. You can't blame him though. Being stuck in the middle of the road below the scorching sun gets you bored and frustrated, too. It's only that Ten gets overly mischievous when his boredom reaches its peak.

"Baby, I'm bored." He seductively whispers from behind before wrapping his hands around your core pressing his forehead against your back.

"I know, babe. We'll just wait for a while and we'll reach your studio." You heightened your senses when you saw the vehicles move slightly, indicating a nicer flow of traffic ahead. You excitedly sigh out of relief when the cars moved forward but groan in furious disappointment when all the vehicles stopped after moving for a few inches.

"Stressed? You want me to help you?" Ten pressed his hands deeper into your stomach before lowering them into your bulging crotch. You swear you twitched upon feeling his hand over your clothed crotch.

"Ten, what are you doing? Stop it." You ordered in a stern voice followed by a long moan as he squeezed your shaft, only making it harder.

"I know you like it. Besides, what else should we do? There's literally nothing I could think of." Ten seductively purred and proceeded in palming your clothed member, making you grind your hips against his hand. Seeing where you both are right now, you slapped his hand away and focused on the road as the traffic showed signs of movement.

"Ten, not now. You know we're in public, right?" You calmly whispered to Ten with the littlest of your patience, even though you were denied pleasure and you both can't just do it publicly in the middle of the road. As the traffic became clear, you drive with the highest speed to go to your destination and finally fuck Ten senselessly. You kept your eyes on the road, while Ten had his hands on your clothed cock. You tensed when he unzipped your pants and brought out your raging boner.

You growled not only at the public exposure of your cock, but also at the fact that you can't slap Ten's hands away for you have to clutch the gears. Ten giggles loudly as he began giving your cock soft pumps with one hand and using the other to rub and press against your slit. You wonder if he's insanely crazy for not thinking about what he's doing to you in public on your motorcycle or if he's just plain horny with how he furiously strokes on your cock. Upon hearing the vulgar noises escaping his mouth, you confirm he is just plain horny.

You feel your climax nearing and ready to release, only to get delayed when a honking truck wakes you from your euphoria and comes in your direction. Well, Ten's hands do make wonders and instantly shoves you in horny dimensions; you agree that Ten could be the death of you but now isn't the right time. You felt Ten let go of you after elbowing him on his stomach. You speedily drove the motorbike away from the highway to avoid the motorists giving you strange looks from a while ago. Upon arriving in an empty alleyway, you roughly pulled Ten out of his seat after closing the engine.

You gripped him tightly by his hair and lined your tip in front of his lips that curled up to a victorious smirk.

"I'll make sure you'll get limp before you begin teaching your class." You growl in a voice that you know Ten absolutely loved.

He never replied to you. All he did was press his mouth against your tip. A new day has passed and a new lesson learned. You'll have to always use the car from now on.

♡♡♡

I hope the ending part was fine lmao. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

- jaeyong_sucker ^~^

#nct #smut #nct x male reader #male reader #kinktober 2021 #nct imagines #nct smut #wayv ten #wayv smut #wayv x male reader #wayv #wayv imagines #ten x male reader #ten lee #slight exhibitionism

153 notes · View notes

silveroliveleaf · 2 years

Text

How the Renaissance's Scholars were (Dark/Light) Academians before it was cool

Pics belong to their rightful owners

What happened in Italy during the Renaissance? After the Fall Of Constantinople in 1453, Byzantine scholars found refugie in Italy, where some of them had already gone due to the increasing italian interest for the classics. These Byzantine scholars brought with them copies of the ancient greek works and taught them to the Italians, who were enthousiasts of the classic culture, as it connected them with their Roman origins. At the same time, rich and learned rulers, such as the Medici in Florence, were more than willing to finance the scholars to produce knowledge and copy books establishing early libraries. In a way, art and letters became fashionable. During the next centuries, Renaissance came into the visual arts resulting in the marvellous masterpieces we see today. The idea of the homo universalis was developed reffering to the inquisitive human being who occupies one self with both the practical and the theoritical side of life.

What's happening now? According to a theory, classism never ceased to inspire; after Italy, it passed to the Netherlands and the North in general. During the 18th-19th century, there's the movement of Neoclassism which also had a great effect on the arts and letters. No matter the counter-movements, like Romanticism, classic ideas shape in a great degree the modern society. It only takes us to think what we consider "humanities" -the studies that put human at the center of their interest, like litterature and history- or "humanist principles" -moral principles with roots to the classical culture.

What Dark/Light Academia has to do with this? Well, according to wikipedia Dark Academia is, among else, a subculture associated with ancient art and classic literature. Sounds a bit familliar? More specifically, it became popular during the quarantine, as young people missed their student life. In a way, classic literature works, ancient languages, paintings and sculptures have returned once more in fashion, as young people take an interest in learning and following an academian lifestyle.

So what are the habits of (italian) Renaissance's scholars that resemble a lot our ways of self expression through Academism?

*Don't hesitate to tap on highlighted words to see pics

As it's already mentioned, Academism became popular during the quarantine because of the pandemic. Similarly, before/at the begginings of Renaissance, in 1348, Italy was struck by an epidemic known as the Black Death (bubonic plague). It's believed that Black Death worked as a catalyst for the Renaissance providing people with the urge to create and live their lives to the fullest. Italian author and scholar Boccaccio survived the plague and wrote the Decameron shortly after. Decameron is a work consisting of 100 tales that ten teenagers tell one another as they're under quarantine in a villa close to Florence in order to protect themselves from the Black Death. Quarantine and ways to use our excessively big free time... Sounds familliar?

Talking about (Late) Middle Ages, it isn't a surprise that the plague emerged again in the begginings of the 16th century in Italy, though in a smaller extend. As sculptor and goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini informs us in his autobiography:

"At that time, while I was still a young man of about twenty-three, there raged a plague of such extraordinary violence that many thousands died of it every day in Rome. Somewhat terrified at this calamity, I began to take certain amusements, as my mind suggested, and for a reason which I will presently relate. I had formed a habit of going on feast-days to the ancient buildings, and copying parts of them in wax or with the pencil". (Archive.org)

Despite the fact that Cellini wasn't only interested in peaceful activities such as drawing the ancient ruins, but he also shot pigeons confirming his fame as a "bad boy", it's truly interesting how the archaeological sites offered protection against the plague (since they're open spaces that reduce the chance of getting the sickness) and how artists visited them to get inspiration and improve their knowledge. Archaeological sites being one of the first facilities to open after the quarantine, did it cross your mind to visit one?

Actually, Renaissance artists often found inspiration in ancient ruins and artifacts, as they used them as standards they had to reach and exceed, if they could. The examples are numerous. Botticeli got inspired by the graeco-roman myths and as a result he created paintings in a truly unique style, such as The Birth Of Venus, while the same happened withTitian who painted the private rooms of Alfonso I D' Este, Duke Of Ferrara, with myths such as Bacchus And Ariadne. Moreover, they re-discovered and read works that describe ancient artworks, like Plinius' Historia Naturalis, and reveal the ancient technical mastery, like Vitruvius' De Architectura, which means they re-discovered a knowledge silenced for centuries. Even in architecture, the ancient monuments helped a lot, if we think how Rome's Pantheon gave Brunelleschi the knowledge to build Santa Maria Del Fiore's Duomo, which remains an architectural achievement even today. Just think how many artists get inspired by the graeco-roman world today and share their artworks through social media or exhibit them in art galleries.

Not only the artists, but the writers too got inspired by the antiquity. Petrarch wrote friendly letters (which were also reviews) to Titus Livius, Cicero and Homer. Furthermore, he wrote Africa, an epic poem about the Second Punic War inspired by the Roman poets. This poem gave him so much fame that he was crowned with laurels in Rome in the style of classical antiquity's winners of poetry competitions! Continuing the imitatio of the classics, a book called Il Paradiso degli Alberti (Albertis' Paradise) describes the philosophical discussions of the different Italian scholars, including Coluccio Salutati, that took place at the Villa Alberti close to San Niccolo; this kind of discussions with real scholars getting concerned about a philosophical problem resemble a lot the platonic dialogues, where Socrates troubles his debaters with questions and eventually leads them to the truth. This book also gives us an idea about what the philosophers discussed, as it's important to remember that the Italian scholars didn't only imitate the classics, but aimed at producing something new, too. Classical literary works continue to inspire modern novels from Madeline Miller's Song Of Achilles to Jame Joyce's Ulysses.

Like the Academians, Renaissance scholars loved books. And in their case, we're talking of manuscripts which had to be copied by hand in order to reach you. This means that a whole "industry" of scribes was developed. Copying wasn't easy, since calligraphy was neccessary and the quality of material played an important role, too. Considering that they thought printed books a shame (at least at the beggining), scribes and copies became vital -for example, during the plague of 1450, Pope Nicolas V took with him in his villa his scribes and translators of fear he'd lose them because of the epidemic! Scholars didn't hesitate to fight over manuscripts; for instance, Niccoló Niccoli, who was always in debt because of his costly search for manuscripts, got seriously insulted when another scholar denied to lend him one of his manuscripts to copy it. Who can disagree? All for the books!

Renaissance scholars are also the ones to thank for their contribution to the development of the libraries. Their love for manuscripts lead to huge collections that turned out as libraries. Cosimo De Medici The Elder, ruler of Florence and arts' patron, formed the core of the Medici collection and founded numerous libraries, including San Marco Library which hosted Niccoló Niccoli's collection; Niccoló Niccoli died in debt and consequently his collection would have been foreclosed, if Cosimo hadn't intervered. Niccoló Niccoli was the first to conceive the idea of a public library and Cosimo fullfilled his wish. Later, under the patronage of Pope Clement VII, the Laurentian Library in Michelangelo's design was founded to host the whole Medici collection. So, next time you're at the library reading your favorite book or making research, spare a thought for these early library founders.

Renaissance scholars were fans of philosophy and they showed it. Like modern students (at least in greek high school where Aristotle and Platon are obligatory classes), they didn't hesitate to fight over who was best: Aristotle or Plato? During the Council Of Ferrara-Florence where Byzantines and Italians had gathered to find a resolution in religious matters that divided them a Plato vs Aristotle fight occured. Some time later, Pletho Gemistus (out of boredom because of a sickness that kept him secluded in his home) wrote an essay about the difference between the two philosophers and valued Plato over Aristotle; this enraged other scholars who answered with counter argument essays. Actually, Pletho was the one who brought Neoplatonism in Italy and inspired Cosimo the Elder to found the Neoplatonic Florentine Academy, where many platonists, such as Marsilio Ficino, took part aiming at reviving the ancient Academy of Plato. The Platonic Academy ran a yearly symposium (on 7th November, if anyone's interested *wink*) where they read platonic texts to honour Plato. Sounds like Dead Poets Society, doesn't it?

Finally, I'll close with a typical example of antiquity enthusiasm. After having arrived in Rome to attend lectures by the humanist Lorenzo Valla, a young man called Giulio Pomponio Leto wrote this letter to his parents who had asked him to return to his hometown: "Pomponius Laetus cognatis et propinquis suis salutem. Quodpetitis fieri non potest. Vale." ("Pomponius Laetus salutes his parents and relatives. What you ask cannot be done. Farewell"). Julious Pomponius Laetus under his new roman-ized name went on to create the Roman Academy, a semisecret society whose participants discussed about the ancient Rome from an early archaeological point of view and even celebrated Romulus' birthday. After raising suspisions for performing pagan rituals, they were hunted by the Pope, but at the end their reputation was restored. There goes Donna Tartt's Secret History.

In conclusion, the interest in antiquity and the classics is continued today in many different forms, one of them being the Academia movement. I'm not saying that we're living a second Renaissance or that we're equals to the great scholars of the era, but that we have a similar mindset and share the same enthusiasm. It's quite exciting to think that classic literary works, ancient philosophy and art are still engaging and have never stopped inspiring humanity.

*Besides wikipedia's aid, my main source for this post is Umanesimo by Nicola Festa, which I read in its brilliant greek translation.

82 notes · View notes

akshverse · 2 years

Text

Heart and Her Media Presence Over The Years

[ EXO / SuperM Female Addition: Heart 💕 ]

[ post summary ] a concise list of all the important headlines of heart's career from pre-debut.

[ author's forenote ] subject to constant change.

Pre-debut 💕

The singing show winner, Park Sarang joins SM Entertainment.

Park Sarang to debut in 2012.

Park Sarang to debut with the stage name 'Heart'.

Park Sarang to perform at the SBS Gayo Daejeon on December 29, 2011.

Park Sarang to debut in the boygroup, EXO.

Fans worried for Heart, as she lacks lines in the group's pre-debut single, What is Love.

Heart stuns the general public with her expert dance moves in History.

Heart chosen as an MC for Inkigayo.

2012 💕

Amidst intense mixed reactions, Heart debuts as an EXO member, with Mama.

Heart skips performances in Korea, to promote in China with EXO-M.

Heart makes her on-screen debut with Architecture 101.

Heart's visuals became the talk of the town this awards season.

Heart is absent as EXO accepts the Best New Asian Group at Mnet Asian Music Awards.

Heart is absent as EXO accepts the Newcomer Award at Golden Disc Awards.

2013 💕

Heart's EXO hasn't had a comeback yet! What does this mean for the group?

Heart rumours: Leaving the group? Solo? Quitting the music industry? Pregnant?

EXO to promote as a thirteen member group.

Heart spotted at a newly-debuted group's fansign!

After a year-long hiatus, EXO is back with Wolf.

EXO lifts their maknae Heart on their shoulders as they celebrate their first show win.

Heart bids bye to Inkigayo as an MC after twenty-nine long months and ten co-hosts.

Find out where Heart ran off amidst first-win celebrations.

EXO becomes a million-seller with Growl.

Heart's sweet personality and visuals stuns the viewers in EXO's Showtime.

Heart's sweet vocals warm many hearts this Christmas with EXO's Miracles In December.

Heart sheds tears as EXO sweep some major awards the awards season.

Heart solo confirmed!

2014 💕

Heart debuts as a soloist with Don't Look At Me Like That.

Heart receives death threats following her highly successful solo debut.

EXO-M leader leaves the group: rumours say it's because of Heart getting her solo!

Another member of EXO leaves! Was it a romance that caused the departure?

2015 💕

Heart revealed to be the daughter of the Lee-Park: Find out more about the rich and ultra-influential family!

Heart to join The Producers as the leading lady, Cindy.

Netizens wonder if Heart paid her way into the successful boygroup, EXO and into showbiz.

Heart's a bully: Another EXO member leaves? Netizens question if Heart had to do anything with it.

2016 💕

Heart to hold her first-ever solo art exhibition very soon in Seoul.

Heart to share screens with Lee Joongi, Kang Haneul and many others including her bandmate, Baekhyun.

With Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Heart joins Lee Min Ho for Legend Of The Blue Sea.

Heart opens up an Instagram account!

2017 💕

Heart got into an accident after being chased by sasaeng fans! The company responds.

Heart joins the cast of Hyori's Bed and Breakfast.

Heart joins Park Seojun for Fight For My Way.

2018 💕

Heart embroiled in yet another relationship scandal: who's the lucky guy this time?

Heart becomes a part of Mr.Sunshine.

2019 💕

Heart awarded the Diana Award for her humanitarian work.

Heart confirmed to be the lead in Hotel Del Luna!

Kim Soohyun makes a cameo in Hotel Del Luna: Insiders reveal the actor agreed due to Heart asking him for it. Do we smell romance?

Heart steals everyone and thrir mom's hearts at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

2020 💕

Heart and Kim Soohyun to share screens: fans can't wait to watch their sizzling chemistry again!

Heart to star with Song Jongki again in Vincenzo.

Heart nominated for Oscars: Supporting Actress —Parasite!

Heart wears custom-designed Gucci gown to Oscars —reminds everyone that she is the ultimate goddess!

Parasite brings home 5 Oscars!

2021 💕

The Leading Ladies of K-Pop Co-ed groups throw a visual feast at the LACMA Art & Film Festival!

Heart and V are seen together at LA Harry Styles' Concert!

Jungkook, Jimin, V, JHope and Moon are joined by Heart, Theia and Rosénoir at Harry Styles' Concert and later at BBQ.

2022 💕

#exo member addition #exo female addition #exo female member #exo 10th member #kpop oc addition #kpop female addition #kpop oc #exo heart

20 notes · View notes

mari-beau · 3 years

Text

GIVE ME A REASON: PART SIX - A Rogue One Fanfiction

This is a shorter installment, and maybe pointless… maybe I’m dragging this out too long… But also, who cares, I’m doing this for fun. I just love playing with them!

Read on AO3

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Title: Give Me A Reason: Part Six

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jyn Erso POV, Cassian Andor

Pairing: Cassian/Jyn (mostly pre-ship?)

Spoilers: Rogue One; Episode IV A New Hope

Setting: Post-Rogue One AU (Cassian & Jyn live); Also during/post A New Hope

Warnings: Some coarse language. References to wounds. And… Cuddling?

Words: 1,720

Story Summary: Jyn’s entire universe has been turned on its head, so maybe she’s clinging a little too hard to the one thing she feels certain of (strangely enough) as she tries to figure out her place in the galaxy. And maybe she’s being a little overprotective of a wounded captain.

Also can be found on AO3.

The Death Star had come for them.

Again.

But Jyn couldn’t bring herself to care. It did seem a little strange to have been spared the last time only to probably be destroyed this time, barely a week later. But either way, it was the end to her life she now knew to be her fate, or whatever. It just felt right. It just was. Not the Death Star specifically, but,

Jyn Erso would die in Cassian Andor’s arms.

Whether it should’ve been on Scarif. Or it was here on Yavin 4. Or the next day. Or thousands of days in the future.

And there was a sort of peace in knowing that. One that allowed her to climb into his bed, slide her arms around him, and bury her face in his shoulder. He stirred and her heart skipped a beat. It was easier when he was unconscious, to consider how she felt about him, how she’d been attracted to men before, even had something akin to a relationship with one or two, but it had never felt like this.

“Jyn…?”

“Yes, it’s me. We’re on the base on Yavin 4. Safe. In your quarters.” It was easier to preempt any confusion or alarm Cassian experienced when he woke from his heavy, partially drugged, mostly just exhausted from his body’s healing, sleep.

“How long?” he asked, then realized there were static-laden voices broadcasting over the basewide intercom. “What’s going on?”

“You’ve been asleep for 12 hours,” Jyn said, moving closer and partially on top of him to prevent him from trying to get up in a rush and falling flat on his face. Also, she was admittedly afraid on some level, afraid to be alone and facing death. When he was near her, when they were physically entwined in some way, she felt like everything would be okay. Even if she died, if it was in Cassian’s arms, then everything would be okay. Irrational, yes. But that didn’t make it any less her truth.

“The Death Star is here,” she said, once she could tell he was awake enough to understand, not muddled by pain meds. “The Alliance is scrambling their forces to engage. They’re leaving the comms open, since you know…”

“We’re all dead if they fail.”

His arms wrapped around her and engulfed her in his warm embrace. Cassian Andor, a man who, she didn’t think she was wrong to guess, hadn’t received much at all in the way of affection in his life, somehow was so good at holding a person he made the pain of the universe go away, made the entire universe fade away except for his hands on her body, gentle and undemanding but also firm and reassuring, his breath hot on her neck, sending shivers down her spine, and his body beneath hers, so strong despite his injuries.

“Are you okay?” she asked, remembering the physical state of him.

“Mmm… Yes.” His hands tightened their grip on her side and shoulder, reflexively, a gentle squeeze as he murmured into her neck. “Feels good.”

He probably meant he felt fine, but oh, yes, it did feel good. Or maybe he was still quite medicated?

“My weight isn’t putting pressure on your injuries?” Jyn asked. “Maybe I should…”

“No.” Somehow he managed to pull her further into him, her breasts flattening against his chest, her hip practically fusing to his, her breath hitching momentarily and then joining the rhythm of his own breaths...in and out… in and out… in and out...

Cassian sighed, made a frustrated, growling sound.

“I need to use the ‘fresher,” he said, loosening his grip on her.

Jyn rolled off from him, swung her legs around to sit on the side of the cot and waited to see if Cassian could manage to stand. He slid to sit on the edge of the bed next to her and took a moment. She didn’t press him, though an instinct inside of her wanted to offer assistance, wanted to take care of him, wanted to ease the pain and struggle his recovery was.

He stood, again pausing for a moment, then walked slowly across the small room to his private refresher facilities. Apparently, it was one of very few benefits to his officer’s rank, for the small quarters were nothing more than a glorified closet. But she supposed it spared him from having to sleep in a large barracks with a bunch of others, not that it would’ve deterred Jyn in the least from crawling into his bed.

Part of her felt like she shouldn’t watch his laborious movements, out of respect, but she couldn’t look away. What if he needed her?

Force, what if he didn’t need her? Not like she needed him? Aw, fuck. She needed him.

She watched the muscles in his naked back twitch, stiff from inactivity and injury. But her eyes were inevitably drawn to the perfectly uniform lines of small circular marks running down his spine. She knew there was a matching sort of trail along his ribs. Injections of some sort of bacta cocktail meant to speed the fusing of the fractures in his vertebrae and ribs, injections straight into the bone. How painful would that have been if he’d been conscious, she couldn’t help but wonder, couldn’t help but want to wrap her smaller body around as much of Cassian as she could, run her hands gently over his scars, old and new, make sure his wounds were healing and his bruises fading, hear him sigh contentedly against her skin, hold him forever.

As he disappeared into the ‘fresher, Jyn realized she was hopeless.

Cassian Andor had taught her about hope. And had made her absolutely hopeless at the same time.

But why fret about it? What did it matter?

Jyn was used to dealing with life moment by moment, day by day. And she might not have many more moments, anyway.

The loud, static-laden voices crackling over the basewide intercom announced the launch of yet another squadron of fighters, then abruptly switched over to some ship’s communication officer announcing visual confirmation of the target. The Death Star.

Looming on the horizon like a moon, a harbinger of death, bringer of eternal night. Cold, austere, which made it somehow more terrifying, somehow worse than staring down an angry brute about to put a knife in you. It was just so inevitable, indomitable. Made her feel so small, insignificant, so alone.

“Do you mind if I turn this off?”

Jyn startled. How had she not noticed Cassian reappear in the small room? He pointed at the comm, which was broadcasting the prelims of a battle to determine all their fates.

She didn’t want to listen to it either.

“Please do,” she said, already feeling less… alone.

She watched Cassian lean over to switch the speaker off, wincing in sympathy with him as he straightened again, taking a deep breath that expanded his chest and shifted the muscles beneath his skin, mesmerizing her more than a little. His mostly naked body preoccupied far too many of her thoughts.

But what else had she been supposed to do? She’d woken up drenched in sweat that first night in his quarters, had to strip out of the heavy infirmary clothes, found Cassian tossing in his sleep, nearly feverish, removed the sweltering clothes from his body, as well. Little did she know, how enthralling she’d find his lean muscles, the shape of his body, the feel of his bare skin, his-

His hands cupped her face and Jyn looked up at Cassian Andor, his kriffing gorgeous dark eyes fixed on her. His fingers swept some stray hair from her forehead, tucked it behind her ear, returned to swipe gently over the nearly-healed scar above her eyebrow, in her hairline.

“Are you okay?” A knot formed in her throat. Cassian was a good man, despite every questionable thing he’d done and tortured himself over. Of course he would care about her wellbeing. It didn’t mean-

“Ow!”

“Your blaster wound still hurts?” His fingers feathered over her shoulder, not touching the freshly healed injury this time.

“It does when you jab your finger in it.” She grabbed his wrist and tugged his hand away, throwing him off balance so that he fell into her and she managed to catch him and ease him onto the bed, right where she wanted him.

A chuckle escaped him and he smiled, making something flutter inside of her. And then he was reaching for her, pulling her close.

His embrace was everything she’d never known she’d wanted. His hands stroked her back and he buried his face in her neck, nuzzling a sensitive spot just behind and below her ear.

She sighed, wrapping an arm around his middle and burying the fingers of her other hand in his messy, soft hair. She pressed gently as she massaged his scalp down to his nape, eliciting a hum of pleasure from him that vibrated against her bare skin and into her flesh.

If this was to be her last moment, Jyn held no regrets. It was a good moment.

“Jyn?” His voice had a lethargic but happy edge to it, thick and low and sleepy. She could sympathize.

“Yes?” She twisted her finger in a lock of hair curling about his neck.

“Please don’t let me sleep so long this time.” His whisper tickled her ear. “No more than 10 hours. Okay? Please?”

He wanted her to wake him up in 10 hours… Like there wasn’t a battle raging in space nearby… Like he didn’t believe they were quite probably going to die soon, incinerated by a weapon her own father helped design. Like he didn’t believe they were going to lose, after all. Somehow, he believed they would be there, together, ten hours from this moment.

Hope.

Such a man as Cassian… The most unexpected thing she’d discovered about him was his belief in hope. That he possessed any at all after all he had done, all he had seen. And then he’d given it to her.

And again, it warmed her, deep inside, that small seed of hope. She snuggled closer to the man, hoping for something she couldn’t even begin to conceive of. But yearned for it, with every fiber of her being.

#fic: Give Me A Reason #Rogue One #fanfiction #rebelcaptain #my fic #Cassian Andor #Jyn Erso #Cassian x Jyn

41 notes · View notes

korinthya · 3 years

Text

Double Theory: Why I think Grace is on a cover mission

THEORY #1 SHE IS ON A MISSION

Praise coming from the enemy. That way, Churchill is now aware of her excellent espionage skills

An unfinished dispute whose hidden objective is to remind the viewer of the role of agent of the crown that she played in S1

Thomas, and with him the narrative, never finishes giving a definitive closure to her character

The government and Churchill have the Shelbys under control. They are able to access and manipulate them at will for their own benefit

Series of photographs of Grace wearing her uniform, seasons 4 and 5. Another reminder of her former occupation

The three elements of the beginning come together: Churchill, Campbell and Grace. The protagonist is not suffering from any delusions in those moments, however, her presence is there to point out their shared past

THEORY #2 Why everyone thinks she is dead

Catalepsy, or apparent death, is a symptom that can occur due to chemical poisoning among other reasons, whose characteristics are: rigid body, lack of response to visual and tactile stimulous, loss of muscle control and slow down of bodily functions; such as respiration, digestion, and heartbeat. Cataleptic attacks can last minutes or even days. The person appears to have passed away. (It could be a possible and good justification...specially for a tv show).

As we saw in season three, Thomas was transported in an ambulance controlled by Section D so as not to arouse suspicion, and then they injected him with some drugs to bring him round because they needed him active.

What do I mean by this? It’s clear that Thomas and Grace are a reflection of each other, hense the same situation could have happened to her in that same season. The government, or Churchill, would have needed to use her espionage skills for a secret mission in which it was imperative that her true identity disappear. She had to be dead to everyone. Nontheless, all these hypothetical answers and explanations about what happened still leave me more questions that I hope will be answered satisfactorily in the future. For example:

In S6 we’ll be placed in 1934 (confirmed), so she’s been missing for ten years, which leads me to wonder: Has she tried to make contact with her family in any way at some point? Or are there too many obstacules in the middle?

And there is Churchill, who has been subtly connected to Grace two of the three times he has appeared in this season. Does he know anything about all this? He should, I think.

Brief explanatory note about the latter:

5x1 Thomas receives a letter from Winston Churchill for no apparent reason -”He was in New York and had a dinner with Charlie Chaplin”. Grace lived in New York for a couple of years and Chaplin contributed to Thomas and Grace reconciliation. Their son was named after him, SK confirmed.

5x6 Campbell, Churchill and Grace -“Was it you who killed that Ulsterman intelligence officer?” (Grace’s breathing)

Also it wouldn’t be the first time that this series has tricked us with graves and the content inside them...I do believe there’s some sense in this madness, feel free to share your opinion ^^

[This is a mix of conversations and hypotheses that I had with @craziigamerchick who has a good analytical eye]

119 notes · View notes

thatweeboverthereisthirsty · 4 years

Note

Hello! Can I request hcs for your top 5 favorite characters when they find out their fem s/o vapes/smokes? Have a nice day~💕

I loved writing these ngl. Also I did six because I have no idea how to choose between these guys.

Characters: Leona, Ruggie, Floyd, Kalim, Idia, Malleus

Warnings: smoking&vaping, overdramatic teenage boys (leona isn’t a teenager, does malleus count?)

Leona:

He didn’t peg you to be that kind of person, but there was no doubt that you were vaping

He had smelled the weed on you a few times but didn’t comment. It was common for there to be clouds of vape in the bathrooms at school so he figured you had just walked through one

At first he wouldn’t comment, but he would watch you do it and keep track of how many times you took a hit and how frequently you pulled your pen out during the day

If he felt like there was nothing serious to worry about then he might let it fly a few times only commenting on how he hated the smell to try and persuade you to do it less often

If he was concerned about the amount of vaping you did, he would probably just steal all your stuff at first to see if you would stop

If that didn’t work then he would confront you about it asking why you started and how long you’ve been doing it

It’s unlikely that he’ll be super upset about it but he will ask you to stop and provide you with other solutions if needed

He prefers the you that isn’t higher than the clouds

After learning more about vaping and the fact that by inhaling toxic metals you could potentially die then he would put up more of a fight

If it got to the point where he was really concerned he might take you to a rehab center just so they could get you to stop (even if you weren’t addicted)

Ruggie:

Wait what?! You smoke!!!

He stares in shock as you pull the cigarette away from your mouth and blow out a large puff of smoke

No no no no no no no no!!!!!!!!!

Already running up to you and snatching the cigarette out of your hands

“Ruggie!”

Absolutely not. He’s seen enough people in the slums turn to smoking or that might even be the reason they were in the slums to begin with.

He knows the cost. He has seen people die, or get violently sick, or run out of money because they smoke

It is not something he’s gonna watch you go through

Probably gonna yell at you about how awful this is for you before finding all your cigarettes and soaking them before chopping them into little pieces and throwing them away

He’s got a great sense of smell so if he smells nicotine on you again he would get really upset

Ruggie cares about you a lot but would still most definitely threaten you to get you to stop

If he threatens to end your relationship to that means he’s certainly worried about your health

He doesn’t care how you started in the first place he justs wants you to stop

Would totally beg Leona to pay for rehab

Would also totally drag you there

Floyd:

Eh? What’s little shrimpy doing?

Has zero clue what a vape is or how it works, but it looks fun let him try it too

You’re probably hesitant cause he doesn’t know what it is and if Azul and Jade found out they might get mad

He’s gonna try it anyways

Literally has no idea how to use it and probably ends up inhaling his own spit instead

He wants to know how you make clouds with your breath though, and oh! You can make it into shapes!

Definitely gonna ask Azul and his big brother about it

They casually explain what vaping is and what it does. They also tell him that it’s bad for you and he shouldn’t try it

“Huh? But little shrimpy does it all the time?”

Que a further explanation and advice on how to help you stop

He’s gonna pest you about it all the time now

“You didn’t swallow any clouds again today did you?”

“No Floyd I didn’t swallow any clouds”

It’s very easy for him to get you to stop since he’ll just squeeze you everytime he catches you doing it

And when he finds your pen he will pick it up and throw it away

Has he seen your vape? Of course not. Why would Floyd know where your cloud machine went?

Every time you get sick he accuses you of vaping too much

“You wouldn’t be stuck in bed all day if you hadn’t swallowed so many clouds, shrimpy.”

Kalim:

Immediate panic

“JAMIL!!!!!”

Literally Jamil does not have time for this

Tells him to calm down and just ask you about it

Ok yeah. Kalim can do that. He’s calm

He’s not calm

Forgets to ask you about it and instead asks if you wanna go for a ride

Legit takes you to a rehab center and cries at the front desk about you for like 40 min

The people ask you a few questions and determine that no you’re not addicted and tell Kalim that everything is gonna be fine

You are literally so confused right now

When you guys get home he can’t stop asking questions and telling you that it’s bad to smoke

Will bribe you to get you to stop

“I’ll buy you whatever you want just don’t do that”

Literally 100x more panicked than any other normal person

“BUT WHAT IF YOU DIE!!!!!!”

Doesn’t want to leave your side in case you do it again when he’s not looking

Jamil is 200% done with the dramatics

“Listen if you don’t stop I’ll actually poison your food. I have a hard enough time dealing with Kalim when he isn’t freaking out.”

Between the two of them it would just be easier to stop

Kalim will throw you a party for stopping

He’s so proud of you

“Baby you make me so proud!”

“Kalim she’s not your daughter *sigh*” - Jamil

“WHAT IF OUR DAUGHTER SMOKES!!!”

Hold up since when did he decide that-

Never mind

Kalim is just a big drama baby and you love him for it

Idia:

Probably doesn’t really know what to think about it

On one hand you’re old enough to make your own decisions

On the other hand your decision making skills are obviously not great

Literally spend the next month trying to decide what to do about it

Makes a pros and cons visual board for confronting you about it

Also writes up a list of reactions to his confrontation

Probably also writes up like 17 different scripts all in a choose your own ending type format to include how to deal with every reaction

Ngl he panics a lot cause he knows that vaping is bad but after finding out you do it he can’t stop watching these really concerning youtube videos about how people’s lives turned into a total complete disaster because of vaping

He becomes a nervous wreck every time you smell like weed

Always has you count to ten when he sees you

Likely has visions of you in the hospital or homeless on the street wheezing about how you wished someone had stopped you

Either you’re gonna catch on and ask him about it, initiating the conversation or he’s gonna have Ortho do it

He’s worried you will leave him for not being supportive

Literally asks you if you’re gonna leave him for this

Obviously you won’t so when you confirm that you’re staying he melts into a puddle and just cries

Highkey he looks more like one of those crazy people from the videos than you

“But Idia you’re addicted to video games and sugar. People say that’s as bad as cocaine”

Figures out that sugar releases the same chemical in your brain as cocaine

“What if you just ate a bunch of candy with me instead? We can be sugar addicts together.” (Idia I’d love to but no amount of candy is worth a break out)

Fine fine fine you’ll stop (but only cause he literally looks like he’s having withdrawals just from worrying about you) it’s ironic

Malleus:

Most dramatic by far

WHY WOULD A FRAGILE HUMAN PURPOSELY PUT THEIR HEALTH AT RISK

Ngl has zero clue what’s going on until Lilia points it out

“Huh doesn’t smoking kill humans?”

*blink* *blink*

Smoking does what to a human

“DARLING!!!!”

Seriously thinks that your going to die any minute now

Que the mental breakdown

Calls all the best healers and puts you on bed rest

“Darling I know we’re gonna get through this. Just keep fighting”

Ummm… you have no idea what’s happening

He just kidnapped you from class and put you in a Diasomnia room and started weeping like you were dying

Lowkey he already started looking at ways to preserve your body as long as possible

Also looks at coffins and tombstones

Highkey plans to buy you a large plot of land that looks over the pretty stuff in the valley of thorns

Why? you ask.

Because obviously you deserve a whole cemetery to yourself

“Malleus I’m not gonna-”

“Shhh don’t speak. You’ll only make it harder to heal”

Lilia walks in and finds this

Probably thinks this is super sweet and totally wants to leave you guys like this

But doesn’t want Malleus to suffer and you to be held on house arrest for no reason

“She’s not dying Malleus”

What? Ooooooohhhh… oops

He gets embarrassed af

Has to call back all the people he hired to prepare for your death

“Um hi there. Turns out I don’t need that jewel encrusted coffin. No no the pyramid should still be built, humans have short life spans.”

“MALLEUS!!!!”

He is so grateful you’re not dying

But would totally get pissed if you decided to smoke again

Guess that’s the end of that

224 notes · View notes

sugaabooga · 3 years

Text

Aim and Shoot Your Shot

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Genre: fluff, conartist!Taehyung, assassin!reader

Word count: 1.9k

Warnings: PG-13, mentions of blood, guns, death, scam artists, video games LOL (nothing to gorey or serious tho), some cursing, very inaccurate descriptions of assassins-ish/scam artist missions

Synopsis: It do be Valentine’s Day.

Gunshots fire. Bullets whizz past your cheek. The stench of fresh blood reaches your nostrils. And yet. As you walk through the blood pooling at your feet, you don’t flinch.

Your hand is steady, resting on the trigger and ready to turn the corner.

BAM.

A clean headshot is fired and you’re thrown back with spurts of blood shooting out your neck onto the dirt floor.

“Damn,” you mutter, roughly tossing your mouse aside at your 20th death.

“How the hell are you an assassin with a KDA of 6/20/3?” a voice snickers through your headphones as you lean back into your swivel chair and shut off the game client.

“Real life and games are different, I guess,” you shrug.

The line abruptly goes dead making you straighten up in your chair in confusion. “What?” you mutter, checking up on the headphone cords and pc wires.

“You gonna sit there all day?”

You whip around to see Taehyung, your group’s main conman, and your partner in crime. Literally.

“We got a call,” he says, tossing over your hat and mask and cooly walking out the door. You slip on your cap and mask, pulling on a black jacket over your all-black look, and shove on your white sneakers.

“You have got to teach me better aim,” you mutter as you hop into the passenger seat. Taehyung scoffs as he starts the van’s engine, driving towards the Kim family’s mansion where your team was stationed to take action at the shady networking party.

“Says the sniper,” he shakes his head.

You sigh. “I don’t know what it is. It’s just not the same.”

At the sudden silence, you glance at Taehyung’s side profile, never able to get used to his perfectly sculpted face as his eyes intently focus on the road before you.

“What’s the matter?” he suddenly asks, briefly meeting your eyes before turning right back onto the streets. You flinch at the unexpected interaction and shake your head.

“N-Nothing,” you hum. “Is… Eunji going in with you today?”

Taehyung nods. “She always does for these cocktail parties.”

“Right,” you mutter under your breath.

You don’t know what you have against Eunji. She had joined the team a month after you finished sniper training and attending the main missions.

She took on the role as a con woman alongside Taehyung, acting as his plus one at these types of rich people events you guys attended.

Despite their visual charisma when Eunji held onto Taehyung’s arm and they both flashed their blinding smiles, Taehyung had always worked with you the best through the mere earpieces. He was good at flattering others and extremely observant, using his quick wit to navigate the areas. You were good at keeping him in check, giving clear, specific orders, and watching his back.

The two of you had effective communication as he gave signals through your binoculars for you to make the first shot. After one specific instance where Taehyung had experienced massive injuries and laid right under one of the notorious gang members, you had sniped the guy right off of him and weirdly, things started to change between you and Taehyung. Your friendship grew stronger despite the field of work the two of you were in and you found the both of you often relying on each other.

But nevertheless, Eunji was good at acting just like Taehyung which automatically earned her the position as the main con artist and appear as the perfect wealthy young couple at parties and business affairs. You had been ignoring the green feeling you got every time you had to watch them through your binoculars but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

Taehyung stifles a laugh, immediately catching your attention.

“Are you jealous?”

Your eyes widen at the unexpected question that makes your heart race in nervousness. “Why would I be jealous? Of who?”

Taehyung shrugs, an amusing smirk plastered onto his stupidly handsome face. Before you could retort, Taehyung stops the car towards the wooded area hidden from main traffic and hops into the back to change into his suit.

You snap out of your confusing emotions, reminding yourself that you were in on an important business deal with the infamous Kim family who believed Taehyung and Eunji was the Shin family from France.

You quickly retrieve your weapons and materials from the trunk and nag Taehyung to safely carry out the mission and not be rash like he often was. He responds with a mischievous smile and a flick to your forehead before heading towards the hacker, Kim Namjoon’s van to take note of any security obstacles and important individuals.

You quietly run through the back route that you had analyzed on the way here and make your way up to the building labeled Building B. You shove in your earpiece before setting up your equipment, keeping a sharp eye out for any suspicious movements around you. Dealing with the Kim family was always risky business.

“Testing. Cinnamon buns. Testing.”

You snort. “Wanna go on a cinnamon bun date with me, Yoongs?”

Yoongi, the other experienced sniper currently stands on the opposite building from you, setting up his own materials. He ignores your comment, as usual, and focuses on the main hall of the mansion.

“Honestly, I always thought you guys looked cute together,” another voice adds with a snicker that you join in on. It was always too fun teasing Yoongi.

“What!?” Taehyung nearly yells into your ear making you grimace at the sudden loudness.

“Taehyung. Please,” Yoongi grits. “And shut the hell up, Park. Make sure you don’t end up knocking out the wrong man.”

That had happened before.

“Is Taeji in?” Jungkook, the new recruit in charge of hand to hand combat, interrupts the mild banter through the earpiece.

You refrain from rolling your eyes at the combination of Taehyung’s and Eunji’s names that your dumb team members came up with and listen quietly to Yoongi’s confirmation of observing the main entrance.

“Jimin,” Yoongi suddenly interrupts the silence. You scan the ballroom and spot the man in question who was, as always, flirting with a random woman for absolutely no reason except shits and giggles. “You aren’t here to pick up a one-night stand.”

You let out a short laugh as you see Jimin tense up indicating his entire body’s suppression of rolling his eyes. He successfully maintains his signature eye smile in front of the bashful female bartender who slips him a napkin. Probably with a set of numbers written on them.

“Security system is officially down,” Namjoon informs. “Taeji, Y/N. Standby at target.”

You quickly get into position, peering through your gun at the tall glass windows on the side of the target room. Once you make sure it’s in place, you use your binoculars to keep a close watch on the surroundings. You sweep over Taehyung and Eunji’s positions as they converse with some of the guests at the ball.

“Kim Seokjin entered through the side entrance doors,” Yoongi reports.

“Naturally get out of the conversation,” Namjoon instructs. “Kim approaching ten o’ clock about 100 ft away.”

You watch Eunji tug on Taehyung’s arm and lean close to whisper something in his ear.

You roll your eyes. Was that really necessary to get out of the conversation? You knew Eunji harbored feelings for Taehyung and always made it a point to be extra touchy on missions where they were required to enter as a couple.

You sigh as Taehyung gazes down at her with his playful grin and wraps his arm around her, quietly saying their excuses to the guests and taking their leave to “coincidentally” bump into Seokjin.

“Y/N,” Yoongi’s quiet voice calls.

“Listening,” you murmur.

“Remember. Don’t shoot unless it’s a life or death situation.”

“Got it,” you assure him, remembering that one time you had accidentally pulled the trigger during a winning fight. Good thing you had missed it because that would’ve been an extremely difficult situation to clear up.

Namjoon instructs Taehyung and Eunji to lead Seokjin into the back room where the transaction was scheduled to take place.

“How is someone so evil so good looking,” you say once you get a proper look at the man’s visuals as he follows after Taehyung and Eunji without any suspicion.

Eh, Tae’s more of my type. You think.

Yoongi rolls his eyes when he sees Taehyung’s jaw tense at your words that had accidentally spoken through your earpieces.

“Make a move if you’re mad,” Yoongi snickers as you scoff believing it referred to you while Taehyung jolts in surprise.

After a flashing light signal, Taehyung naturally walks towards the windows, slowly drawing the blinds closed just in case any rival gangs or crews were also present on the scene. Namjoon and Yoongi were watching the room from their respective visible places while Jimin and Jungkook were getting ready for any surprise attacks a few meters from the door. You stay still in position, taking this time to stretch your limbs since you didn’t have a visible line of sight.

A few minutes pass in silence which was quite normal for these types of meetings. It’s only when these business transactions get gangs involved that things go haywire and blood is shed.

“Shit,” Taehyung’s familiar timbre voice comes in through your headpiece. You immediately grow tense as Jimin quickly asks about the condition of the situation.

“Transaction is complete,” Namjoon quickly clarifies. “I don’t know why Taehyung cursed. Yoongi and Y/N stay in your positions till the Kims completely exit. Taeji and Kook, hurry and head out into your vans. Jimin hang around for about twenty more minutes. Don’t end up in a motel tonight.”

Jimin giggles as he walks back out into the main ballroom. “I’ll try.”

“Geez Tae,” Jungkook sighs, walking out towards the back of the mansion. “I thought I had to bust in.”

“Sorry,” Taehyung says, walking out through the back still in his suit and practically glowing. He fidgets with his watch and fiddles the knife stuck around his hip. “Did you guys realize it was Valentine’s Day tomorrow?”

You turn away, putting your binoculars aside as Eunji suddenly perks up expectantly at Taehyung’s random inquiry.

“Y/N,” Taehyung calls with hesitance.

You sigh, kneeling at your gun and peering in through the scope just in case. “I’m here.”

Unfortunately.

“You free tomorrow?”

You pause, leaning back from the gun. Was he trying to make fun of your single ass?

You don’t realize that just twenty feet below you, Taehyung awkwardly paces around as Eunji squints her eyes and huffs away to her respective van.

“Tomorrow?” you ask in confusion. “You tryin’ to have a galentines or something because obviously I do not have any pla-”

“Dumbass. He’s asking you out for Valentine’s Day,” Jimin suddenly interrupts, immediately sending both Taehyung and your faces to flush red.

You gulp. “As in-”

“A date,” Taehyung finishes. He nervously peers up at the building you were standing on top of earlier. He’s able to spot your dark figure. You turn around, somehow meeting Taehyung’s eyes as the mansion’s lights illuminate where you both stand.

“This is nasty,” Jungkook mutters with a sigh, hopping into Namjoon’s van.

Ding.

“This isn’t what I meant by making a move,” Yoongi sighs, tossing aside his water bottle after taking a swig. “Public confessions are a thing now?”

You look away, digging into your back pocket for your vibrating phone.

Tae: Go out... with me.

You intake a sharp breath, looking down only to see Taehyung typing away.

“You’re just salty that you’re lonely,” Jimin hums back at Yoongi, entering the ballroom with a flirty grin directed at CEO Shin’s mistress.

Tae: I like you Y/N. Wanna be my valentine?

“Fuck you,” Yoongi deadpans.

You: :3 teach me how to aim?

Taehyung grins, looking back up to see you peer down at him from the ledge.

“FOREVER AND ALWAYS!” he yells with a boxy smile.

“We’re literally going to die,” Namjoon groans.

#networkbangtan #bangtanhq #bangtanidx #btsboulangerie #bts #bts x reader #taehyung x reader #taehyung scenario #bts scenario #taehyung fluff

57 notes · View notes

softer-ua · 3 years

Note

I have no idea what Bakugou would have done if Izuku died in the sludge Villain accident. They had a lot of strong unresolved emotions, I just can't fully visualize it, the only thing I have clear is him trying to latch onto anger, but that would burn out fast because the Villian was trapped and the heroes did their thing (Winning, which at that point he believed everything was) so I don't know what would he do. Sooo...could you please give us your insight? Please :D

I’d love to give my insight! Thank you for asking!!!🥰

It would depend on which sludge incident, the one where Deku ran to save Katsuki or the one where Deku was on his own? 🤔 I’ve got ideas on both lol

Buckle up this is gonna be a long one, and it’s not a fun ride

For the first I think Katsuki would latch onto anger and be a self hating righteous little monster for the rest of eternity. Because obviously he’s never getting therapy.

If he can blame himself for AM’s retirement and his parents can blame him for getting kidnapped than I have zero doubt the Entire Bakugo family would blame Katsuki for Dekus death. That family loves to victim blame, and Mitsuki would have a field day with chart topping world’s lowest blows like

If Katsuki hadn’t been hanging out in an alley and had gone straight home the villain wouldn’t have got him

If Katsuki hadn’t just been randomly blasting the heros wouldn’t have had to divert their attention to the fire

If Katsuki hadn’t been so weak(what’s the point of that flashy quirk if you can’t even save yourself)

Going with him to make him apologize to Inko (trying to imagine this feels like my brains touching a hot stove, it would be a thousand times more horrible and scarring than being forced to apologize to his Idol and teach for being kidnapped)

If hs Katsuki didn’t have the tools to block out his mother and broke down over a 50 year old man retiring, then poor ms Katsuki doesn’t stand a chance against being forced to bare the blame in someone’s actual death, especially not Dekus. Plus whatever destructive aftermath Katsuki created.

Did you have to blow up the entire alley way??

Katsuki would also never stop blaming those heros, even if the villain was captured they lost what really mattered, Dekus life.

They should have stopped the villain before Deku ever showed up

They should have never let Deku cross the line

They should have saved him

I think his fear of being weak would have been magnified by 10000. And it wouldn’t be a stretch for me to believe that witnessing that kind of hero failure so personally would be his villain origin. But even if it wasn’t, I think 10 months of stewing in grief, rage and self hate at such a young age would leave some very permanent scars

He’d habitually train to the point of self harm(reminder to check in on your fitness bros)

He’d never ever let someone close to him again (he didn’t want Deku close to him in the first place and look at how bad it hurt anyway)

He wouldn’t give a shit about any heros opinion anymore, if it’s not about how he can get stronger than any would be mentor can fuck off

His ego would have taken a massive hit, he’s no longer trying to prove he’s the best

Instead he’s insuring it because he’s never losing anyone again

Even with that in mind I think the sports festival actually would have gone a lot calmer because he no longer gives a shit about showing off, he’s just fighting to test himself and Dekus the one who pushed Todoroki to the point anyone even knew he had a fire side(I always wonder how much longer Aizawa was gonna let that go on for) so he’d except his medal quietly so it’s possible the lov would never have tried to recruit him

I think he’d be a lot more proactive in helping his classmates get stronger

Just not in a cute tsundere way anymore, but in a “if you can’t keep up with me I will keep attempting to murder you until you drop out” way, because B List heros are not allowed to be a thing anymore

Eventually he would grow up to be the top hero and he revels in that victory by hating himself, his job, his coworkers, his family, and everyone and everything else. The best part of his days are the adrenaline highs and that’s not even a happy high, in a bad headspace it just makes you ansty and aggressive, still better than being a hallow husk of resentments

I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually did kill a fellow pro for not meeting his standards. Depending on what the hero did to earn his ire would shape wether he went on to be the new hero killer or simply stopped being a hero himself in custody or more permanently

Now if the villain had instead been captured after being caught hiding in Dekus flesh suit things would have been very different than the above

Katsuki would definitely be traumatized at this news, so would most of their class and they’d probably do some kind of memorial deal, and over the course of a couple of days Katsuki would slowly descend into madness at watching his class act like they have ever given a single fuck about Deku

Then he would speedball into it, because how dare they grieve over him, non of them deserve to especially not him

He’d be angry for as long as he could, at himself and everyone else, but eventually that’d putter out without anyone stoking the fire, no one else blames his class for feeling sad and no one blames the heros for not existing on every single possible street corner

Maybe he makes it through UA. He’s not as hot head, not as naive, but teens hold grudges like no other, he can be mad at the world a little longer.

Throws himself into the work so he doesn’t have time to think. He’s going to be the best because Deku always believed he would be and if he’s not allowed to be sad than this will be his only way to honor the nerds memory.

But the thing about pain is that it demands to be felt.

Eventually his regrets and grief would come for him, in a year or in ten years doesn’t matter they will eventually claim the time and space they need with interest.

He’d probably meet his regrets first so that he can be mad at himself for a little longer

He should have let Deku be

If he hadn’t held Deku up after class maybe he’d have made it home

His last words play on loop growing distorted and more malicious as the years go on(fun fact about memory ! It’s easily manipulated because each time you remember something you’re actually just remembering the last time you remembered the thing! Basically your brain reconstructs the memory completely each time! Fuck it up once and it’s all down hill)

He regrets not ensuring that he’d have more than his flimsy memories to hold onto Deku with, he never realized he’d want to, never could fully conceive that he’d actually have to.

He should have been kinder

He should have been less of a coward and faced his own insecurities

He should have talked to Deku about so many things

He can’t just focus on what he did and didn’t do forever tho, eventually he’ll have to recognize the hole Deku left behind, his regrets will paint the picture of his grief

Maybe he forgets the exact date of Dekus birthday but he knows it was in the summer, he regrets not going to his last one and grieves never going to a next one.

He regrets not going to the funeral, of course he was sad, he’d been an idiot to think he couldn’t be

He regrets not visiting Dekus grave, and grieves over how long he’s been gone now

He regrets that he had to learn what the value of saving is by having lost, god how he grieves that loss

Without Deku Kaminari never hears that nickname, Kacchan died with Deku. He grieves over never hearing it again

He wonders if Dekus hanging out with Kacchan wherever he is, he wonders if this makes him crazy.

He grieves over Deku dying so young, so alone, so horribly. It gives him nightmares, he can’t imagine the pain of having all his organs crushed down from the inside, and yet he’s some how intimately aware of its possibility. He debates looking for the autopsy results, maybe if he confirms it was asphyxiation and not internal blunt trauma the nightmares will stop. But you don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to.

He grieves over the dreams Deku never got to chase, and regrets ever playing a part in taking away the happiness a dream is supposed to have

He grieves over the Deku shaped hole in his life that seemed to grow with him despite only ever getting to know the knobby knees version, he can’t help but think with every achievement and milestone “you should be here”

He doesn’t hate his life, it just feels half lived.

Without Deku pushing his buttons and no god complex shaped alarm bells people were slower to reach out to him.

Without Deku to vouch for his good qualities people were a lot more hesitant to see them.

He still did make friends it’s just a shallower connection and he doesn’t make time for them

He becomes top hero but the victory feels hallow like there should have been more of a fight for it. Maybe he is crazy but it feels like it should have been Deku fighting him for it.

His saves are legendary and numerous, he’s never able to shake the feeling that there’s someone out there who needs him just around the corner

Between the nightmares and the anxiety clocking off gives him he probably gets less sleep than any hero before him, even Aizawa.

It was a short career

#softy answers #tw child death #tw child abuse #tw selfhate #tw grief #idk what else to tag #let me know if there’s any I should put up #I like talking about heavy topics but I want to help keep bnha a fun space for everyone #I am so sorry about how long I made this #I’m on mobile and idk how to make it do the read more thing

66 notes · View notes

itsclydebitches · 4 years

Text

RWBY Recaps: Volume 8 “Divide”

Hello, everyone, and welcome back! It feels good to be doing some normal RWBY-ing in this strange world of ours. First, some supplementary materials.

Number One: In response to any (valid) questions along the lines of, “Hey Clyde, it’s now been a full year since Volume 7 was airing and you still haven’t answered my ask about it. Or the ones about Volume 6… what’s up with that?” I’ve created what I hope is an informative video detailing the problem:

vimeo

(I assure you, the Earth, Wind & Fire was a happy accident during the screen recording.)

Needless to say, there’s a lot and I’ve known for some time now that I will LITERALLY never get through all my asks. Which doesn’t mean I don’t want you to send future thoughts in! Just know that as we head into Volume 8 territory I’ll most likely prioritize those, as well as any Volume 7 asks that aren’t woefully out of date. But I do want everyone to know that I read all the asks I receive, appreciate them immensely, and think too much about hypothetical answers, even if I don’t have time to actually write them out 💜

Number Two: There’s a bingo board this year!

Jury’s out on whether I’ll remember to update it, but at the very least this serves as a decent glimpse into my — and others’ — expectations going into this volume.

Number Three: I’ve collected a list of things I’ve heard about Volume 8 from what seem to be reputable sources. I did this because RT is developing a tendency to talk up certain points and then fail to deliver, either because something was taken out of a volume/moved to another, or because RT apparently has radically different ideas about what including something means. So this might be handy to keep on file and ask ourselves two months from now, “Did RT actually deliver on what they promised?”

Emphasis on Ruby’s leadership and how Summer’s death has impacted her

Insight into Ren and Nora’s flaws

May Merigold will supposedly have a larger part

More information about The Long Memory (Ozpin’s cane)

Theme of the volume is that you can respect someone but that doesn’t necessarily mean you agree with them

Very short timeline (supposedly just two days)

Yang in particular is very suspicious and distrustful

I was also going to include a list of all the threads that need to be continued/wrapped up, but honestly that would have taken too large a chunk off my life. Let’s just throw out the highlights:

Are we really going to have Qrow gunning for Ironwood?

Clover is dead regardless. Press ‘F’ to pay respects

Oscar bb you got shot please acknowledge this

Ozpin bb you got done dirty please acknowledge this

Penny is a Maiden now. I feel like the fandom has been sleeping on this (myself included)

Queer baiting, queer baiting… you’re on thin ice at this point, RWBY. Just skate on over to the queer snack bar before you fall straight into the lake.

Ren spill your deep dark secret already and it had better be something more than just ‘Oh no Nora might someday die :( ’

Salem is here so how the actual fuck is the cast surviving this?

Will Ironwood likewise survive his descent into antagonism? Yes or please yes no?

I think that’s all the biggies. I strive to keep lists like this in mind while analyzing, but honestly RWBY has a hundred moving parts that are abandoned or changed or simply retconned at the drop of a hat. So an attempt will be made.

Number Four (last one I promise!): Normal disclaimers and reminders for Recaps apply:

Please don’t fill up the already full inbox with flames. It’s still 2020. No one has time for that nonsense.

There will absolutely be typos and wonky parts because I try to get these out the same day an episode premieres. I have now been working on this for ten hours, nearly straight, and have no more energy for edits. Apologies in advance and RIP to my Saturdays.

I reserve the right to use stupid GIFs and memes at my discretion.

I strive to keep my focus on recapping/analyzing but salt tends to worm its way in… If you’re a die-hard RWBY fan with little patience for criticism, let alone (at times) snarky criticism, please proceed with caution.

No wait I lied, this is the last thing:

Okay, got that out of my system LET’S DO THIS!

We start not with the episode itself but rather Rooster Teeth’s (RT’s) strange non-promotion of it. If you follow my blog you may have caught the post where I pointed out that there was nothing on RT’s website to suggest that one of their most popular shows—if not the most popular show—was premiering today. Nothing on the main page. Nothing on the RWBY page either, not unless you count the Volume 8 poster background (easily mistaken for the Volume 7 poster) and the trailer buried all the way down past Episodes, past Merch, in the Bonus Features section along with videos like Live From Remnant and the volume intros. RT… the promotion of your feature show is not a bonus. This should be front and center! Honest to god, five minutes before the episode dropped I was checking the website for a Volume 8 section, a countdown, anything that would tell me the episode was imminent without relying on fans on tumblr to keep me in the loop. We got nada, zilch. I’m not sure whether that speaks more to RT’s iffy management of the series or simply the website’s horrible design—RIP losing RWBY on Youtube—but I was surprised when I saw the episode a few minutes after 11:00am. At that point I honestly expected to hear about a dely.

So that’s the mood I entered the premiere in, but truly? We start off strong. Things take a pretty severe nosedive later on, we’ll get to that, but I was impressed with our beginning and that probably has a lot to do with the fact that we start with our villains.

We open on a Cinderella character, Cinder, and thus I’m immediately pleased that we’re getting something about her backstory after all this time. Seven years! She appeared in episode one, folks! To say we’re overdue is an understatement. There isn’t a whole lot to go on, just a younger Cinder sadly scrubbing the floor, poised under a spotlight. What we learn, or potentially learn, is based far more in cultural knowledge than this scene. We know Cinderella’s story, which includes the abusive family, the longing for more, the eventual escape, and thus we’re able to read all of that in this image, despite the image itself not telling us any of this overtly. That means we could be wrong in our interpretation, but if we’re not it’s an easy shorthand in an already packed story.

What I’m really impressed with is the sound bridge between the scrubbing and her nails on the back of Neo’s chair. Fantastic way to confirm that this is Cinder as well as showcasing just how far she’s come. The sound of her labor has been replaced with the sound of her power and given that Cinder’s power is stolen, tied to a grimm arm, the property of a genocidal maniac… that’s messed up. It’s a Cinderella story gone wrong.

So yeah, Cinder tells Neo to head straight into the creepy, grimm infested blood cloud to see Salem and Neo is like, ‘Uh… no thank you?’ lol.

RT does a good job this episode with her expressions, ensuring we know exactly what she’s thinking despite an unwillingness/inability to speak.

Poor Neo might be in too deep, but I quite like the overall atmosphere of this opening. Say what we will about Salem’s awful characterization, at least she has style. This woman knows how to make an entrance and, piggybacking off of the Apathy, RT knows how to infuse horror elements into their fantasy. The red and purple coloring of the clouds, spiked whale teeth peeking through, bright orange in the background looking like explosions… that’s all 👌 Including the intro card.

The only thing I want to gripe about is this:

I’m sorry, why does the whale grimm have landing pads? Or something like it?? The whale otherwise works because it’s poised between the natural and the fantasy synthetic. It looks like a real grimm whale on the outside, but is sporting a throne room, a control panel, and other unnatural elements on the inside. It’s a visual indicator of Salem’s ability to control and change grimm. Now though, the additions are wrong, infringing on the line between organic and tech, the line between what helps the grimm individually (giving monkeys wings) and what just helps Salem. Every other aspect of the whale straddles that line wonderfully, adding to the creep factor, like a grimm version of the Uncanny Valley: it’s not quite a whale anymore… but landing pads? That looks ridiculous. Why does Salem even have that? How many ships are her people feasibly using? Why are there five?

Take it away, please.

Cinder waltzes in like this is a normal home visit, but Neo has an appropriate ‘What the actual fuck?’ face going on.

They approach Salem on her throne where Cinder immediately kneels, greeting her with, “My queen.” I mentioned during my trailer breakdown that I think Cinder is lying her ass off here, and I still think that based on a line we’ll get in a minute, but now at least we have a sense of how she can pull this off. A woman who started out as a (presumed) servant is going to know how to mimic subservience, even if her heart isn’t in it. Salem is very good at playing the girl who will still kneel and scrub the floor for you. She will scrub the floor, she’ll do everything you want, she’ll just be plotting her own rise to power while she does it.

There’s quite a bit of interesting cinematography in this episode, not all of it good, and I think one of the mistakes is here when we get a closeup on Salem’s mouth as she greets Cinder. A closeup like that should be reserved for more significant dialogue—“Rosebud”—and yet we get this shot again when Cinder tells Emerald to be quiet. It’s awkward and coupled with the numerous eye closeups we got in the trailer, I think RT is playing a little fast and loose with the camera. Each shot should add something to the scene, not distract from it. If you don’t have a reason for including a technique like that then leave it be.

Back to the actual dialogue though. We knew that Salem knew Cinder was alive and now it seems that she just expected her to come back? I’m slightly lost. It feels like we’re missing something here. Cinder goes off to secure the lamp, fails, nearly dies, wanders on her own for months, and then randomly shows back up on Salem’s whale doorstep, yet Salem isn’t angry at all? Did she have faith that Cinder would return when she has something to offer? Did she just not care about Cinder, considering her return an unnecessary but otherwise welcome surprise? That would make the least sense given that she holds the key to accessing Beacon’s relic… but that circles right back around to why Salem is seemingly indifferent to Cinder’s comings and goings. Surely she can’t actually believe that Cinder is loyal?

“So I trust you wouldn’t return to me empty handed,” she says. Yeah, trust means nothing in this show, Salem, didn’t you watch Volumes 6 and 7? Again, I simply don’t know. I suppose I’ll just chalk it up to confidence, that if Cinder did bail Salem knew she could track her down again. Deciphering her motivations and beliefs is a lost cause when the show continually gives us so little.

The important thing now is that Cinder does indeed have an offering and you can see that Salem is somewhat surprised at being handed the relic.

Cinder, of course, takes credit for the victory and we’re given another wonderful shot of Neo. ‘YOU took it?’

Oh, Neo. Best get out while you still can.

Tyrian appears having obviously made his way to Salem’s ship sometime between her arrival and now. The exchange is pretty standard for this group. He insults Cinder for failing and needing this victory to make amends, talks about how any win against Ironwood says more about his lack of intelligence than her skill, and Cinder… doesn’t have a whole lot of comebacks, actually. I’d say Tyrian won that verbal spar, enhanced by a better use of the camera when we get his tail looming menacingly towards Cinder and Neo.

He goes on to say that Watts was a “necessary sacrifice” so, uh… I’m just going to toss out the ask I answered yesterday. Based on our intro I’d say Watts is still significant to the volume—hacking Penny is my guess—but by the end? He could be in trouble.

(As a side note: I plan to analyze the intro next week. It’s just easier when it comes first.)

Tyrian also calls Neo “little one” which I just found absolutely hilarious. In an on brand creepy manner, that is. Not that Neo couldn’t kick his ass, but there’s something wonderfully chilling about having the serial killer use an endearment towards a potential victim, one that comments on her size while he’s looming.

In contrast, Cinder refers to Neo as a “valuable asset” and we get our third mood of the episode.

Who’s going to start a Neo reaction image collection?

It’s true enough on the surface—who wouldn’t want an ally who can turn into anyone else?—but we’re still bumping up against question of why Salem needs this. She’s immortal! She has an endless army! Magic! This scene works well with a villain who needs a skillset like Neo’s to succeed, but Salem doesn’t. RT is doing a great job writing a story thus far, just not the story we’ve previously been given. This isn’t the story they set up.

This will come back up when we reach the RWBYJNOR group. Just wait.

Before that though, the gang’s all here as Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel show up, all in new outfits.

I think I like everything except for the weird Xs on Emerald’s jacket—it’s way too distracting and frankly makes an otherwise good look ugly—and the fact that she’s showing her midriff in Atlas. Hazel doesn’t have any sleeves! Oh my god, why doesn’t anyone dress for the weather in this show?

Frankly, I found their reunion to be kind of lackluster. I mean, there was nothing wrong with it. Emerald does sound briefly excited, she does run, and it’s in character for Cinder to cut her off… it just didn’t resonate with me emotionally. I thought after two volumes of thinking she’s dead, then working through the knowledge that she’s alive, that I would feel Emerald’s shock and relief more, but I didn’t. And I’m not entirely sure why. I don’t want to level any accusations at the voice acting because frankly I know next to nothing about that skill (and from what I’ve seen it’s usually praised in the fandom), but I will say that throughout the premiere I was noticing it more than I ever have before. The lack of emotion here and some awkward deliveries later, like when Yang goes, “Ruby, there is no way Ironwood will cooperate with us” and I immediately thought, “Wow, that came out stilted.” These observations stick with me because, as said, voice acting usually isn’t on my radar. It’s not something I’ve studied or had practice analyzing. If you’d never told me that Ren or Qrow’s VA changed then after a year hiatus I literally wouldn’t notice… but there’s something about this episode that didn’t sit right. Anyone else get that sense, or was it just me?

Regardless, the arrival of our other three villains really doesn’t amount to much, though I’m happy for all the Emerald and Mercury fans who get to see them in new outfits. The focus is still on Cinder as she delivers a line indicative of her true motivations: “That power will be mine.” Yeah, she’s not loyal to Salem, she’s just power hungry. Of course, Salem immediately takes note of this and raises her hand, in another nice use of the foreground, reminding her that she hasn’t given that order.

Cinder is shocked, angry even, but quickly covers it up with her “Without you I am nothing” line. If I caught it right I think she also calls Salem “Ma’am”? Hilarious. Again, skilled at playing the servant.

Also, before I forget, it’s worth noting that almost everything from our trailer appeared in this episode. Yeah, there are a few details like Nora attacking some tech and the group on their bikes, but on the whole we’ve already seen the majority of our promo material and will likely get most of the rest next week. It makes me both interested and nervous for what another twelve episodes are going to hold.

Salem opens her whale, or opens a portal type view in it, something that gives us a long-distance look at Atlas. I don’t know what exactly is going on here, but it’s pretty so I’ll take it.

She also delivers the frankly badass line, “Just because you’re more valuable to me than a pawn does not make you a player.”

She waves them all away with perfect ‘You mean nothing to me’ attitude and we sadly leave our villains.

Sad not because I don’t love my farm boy, but because things are about to get a whole lot messier.

Oscar has made his way to a camp of civilian survivors… all of whom are just hanging out in the supposedly deadly cold. Yeah, there’s a single fire, but at least four of them aren’t anywhere near it. Three of them also aren’t wearing gloves. What was that survival rate again?

A nice if gruff dude gives Oscar soup—water?—while showing off his… badger claws? I don’t know what kind of faunus he’s supposed to be, but he feels like the sort of two second, minor character who could easily become a meme lol.

Oscar thanks him (my polite son!) and hands the bowl back after a single sip. Which is impressive because I would have assumed the guy was giving me the whole bowl and just taken it. Hell, I’ve done that even when I didn’t assume it’s all for me. A Starbucks barista once approached me with a tray and a plate of samples, I knew I was supposed to take just one, yet for some reason my hand went to take the whole goddamn plate. He had to tell me off, then I was trying to explain that I didn’t actually want or think I should have eight shots of cappuccino all to myself, I don’t even like coffee, he clearly didn’t believe me… it was awkward. So good job, Oscar. You’re less awkward than me (though that’s not saying much).

Now a question, Oscar. Darling. Brilliant boy who has been through too much: why the fuck aren’t you talking to Ozpin? This will be A Thing later when he presents a lack of time to talk as justification for keeping more secrets (we’ll get to that too…) yet here is time! You’re just sitting there for who knows how long, with plenty of privacy to hide a supposedly one-sided conversation so the Mantle citizens don’t get weirded out or suspicious. Talk to Ozpin. Our headmaster gets two lines in this episode, utterly inconsequential lines like his airship scene, lines that feel like they exist to say, “See? He’s still included in the story!” even though he absolutely is not. Two volumes of mostly silence, a perfect setup to start the reconciliation process, but we’re going to put it off again?

Instead Ruby randomly and conveniently appears. I want to know how she found him. Oscar isn’t wearing a tracker. He clearly didn’t call them because he’s surprised when Ruby shows up. He fell alllllllll the way back down to Mantle and then wandered to a random part of the slums. You’re telling me they flew over the entire city—after beginning this search thinking he was in Atlas—and somehow managed to spot him from up in the air? C’mon. I would have rather had a beginning where Oscar makes his way back to the group himself, giving him and Ozpin time to hash things out.

“Need a lift?” Ruby says, eliminating that potential. Sigh.

Oscar immediately starts beating himself up when he gets onboard, saying that he “was stupid to think the General would listen.” Nah, you were stupid to buy into Ruby’s nonsensical confidence and for telling Ironwood he’s as bad as Salem. Sorry, Oscar, but everyone is written badly these days. I will, however, say that I am THRILLED at the group’s reaction to his return. Ruby says that she’s “just glad you’re alright.” Nora has a wonderfully tender moment where she hugs him gently rather than her usual glomp.

That? That added a year to my life. Everyone else seems relieved that he’s okay too, so kudos there. After four years of Oscar being an outsider in the group, this is one of the few moments that feel like he’s 100% accepted. Really glad to see it.

Now let’s see if it sticks after they learn Ozpin is back...

They fly to the Happy Huntresses’ base and I again feel like I’ve missed something crucial. When did they team up? I mean, RWBYJNOR was working directly under Ironwood up until the last hour and Robyn ran off to fight Tyrian/Clover in the last couple episodes. When did she have time to explain her (briefly) changed allegiance and why would the Happy Huntresses trust the group without that? Did Robyn share that Blake and Yang went behind Ironwood’s back for her? Do the Huntresses instinctively trust them because they’re now wanted by the military? How did they even run into each other?

Again, I think we would have been better served to have an episode before all this. Let Oscar make his way back and let the group struggle with the magnitude of their situation on the airship, before they find new allies. Transferring directly to, “They have help and a secret base and a plan in the works!” makes me feel like I missed the real premiere last week. You know, the one where Salem unexpectedly arrived and we left the group like this.

This is where we’ve ended up though. The group is cozy in this hideout, getting info from Joanna, and my only other thought is, “Why is she giving all this exposition?”

Shouldn’t it be May? I mean, we were told that she was going to play more of a role this volume, a promise that’s pretty important imo given her status as a (so far off screen) trans character, so why not put her in the role of mediator between the Happy Huntresses and RWBYJNR? Giving her that setup as a leader among her people as well as lots of lines would be meaningful. A trans character just existing and being a part of this fight! May could obviously still fill that role—I’m well aware that we’re only one episode in—but it just seems like a missed opportunity to me. Out of all the undeveloped Happy Huntresses, our premiere focuses on the one who has the least importance to the fandom.

As said, Joanna talks a fair bit but what it basically boils down to is trying to get everyone to the crater below Atlas. It’s apparently not safe, but it’s warm, which is what matters right now.

So… let me get this straight. You want to gather everyone into a not safe crater, by leading them through an army of grimm, so that they can wait there in case someone moves the Staff, thus dropping an entire city on top of their heads? That’s the plan? Which admittedly isn’t Joanna’s fault. This is another instance of RWBYJNOR having information that a leader does not and they should really consider speaking up about it. But of course they don’t.

Also, how long does everyone have in regards to the cold? Shouldn’t there be dead civilians by now? The time it would take to find the Happy Huntresses, team up with them, get settled in the base, and find Oscar says that things should be pretty grim right now (pardon the pun), yet every non-aura user in this city seems content to just hang out in the snow. Either the cold is deadly enough to justify moving everyone to the crater, or it’s mild enough to let everyone survive this long, not both.

After hugs are given everyone obviously wants to know what happened to Oscar. His response?

“It’s a… long story. I get the feeling there’s been a few of those tonight.”

That’s a check for the bingo card! We’re halfway through the first episode and we’ve already got another secret. Yes, this is a secret. Oscar actively chooses not to tell anyone that Ozpin is back—something Ozpin himself comments on—and then skillfully draws attention away from himself with “I get the feeling there’s been a few of those tonight.” Indeed, all eyes go to Penny. Oscar’s plight is forgotten, which is what he wanted. His justification?

Ozpin: “You’re not going to tell them?”

Oscar: “You and I aren’t done talking yet.”

Along with this look.

Oscar no. There’s so much wrong with this I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s create a list.

As said, you had plenty of time to talk to Ozpin and chose not to. Miss me with this excuse.

You are now doing to your friends exactly what you and your friends did to Ironwood, which in turn is what Ozpin did to you! I can’t believe we’ve got Oscar critically side-eyeing him when they are still—still—repeating the behavior they drove Ozpin away for.

What is there to even talk about now? Oscar didn’t punch himself/Ozpin (lol) but he did steal Jinn’s name from Ozpin in the first place. You got what you wanted, drove him away, and have been lying and keeping secrets ever since. The only thing they should be talking about involves apologizing. Any further criticism—which is what Oscar’s expression and curt reply suggests—is beyond hypocritical.

Seriously, what needs to be discussed? There’s no reason not to tell the group unless Oscar wants to talk about whether they should tell them. There’s no good ending here...

Don’t you think it would be nice to know that Ozpin is back and you’ve got super magic powers while making plans to save the entire world?

This is all especially stupid given Oscar’s “Salem wants to divide us” reminder to Ruby in a moment. Oscar, you are doing the most to divide the group right now. By not forgiving Ozpin. By refusing to work with him. By keeping him secret from everyone else.

This is bad, friends, I worry for what the rest of the volume will bring…

The story is done with Ozpin for now so I guess I will be too. The group continues filling Oscar in and we get some shots of the base, including a rather prominent poster of what I assume are two Happy Huntresses. Did they die in battle perhaps?

It’s a little strange.

Oscar: “Where’s Qrow?”

Me: “Likely still making bad decisions.”

No one knows so they just drop it. Which I kind of get, only so much you can do to find him if he’s not out on the streets like Oscar, but it still reads as kind of iffy that two nieces look down at the ground for a hot second and then move on with their plans, content to leave Qrow to whatever fate befell him. In a minute we’ll see Yang firmly take Ren’s side regarding helping the people they can in Mantle, which frankly comes out of nowhere for her. I think an easy motivation would have been Qrow. Ruby wants to save the world, Yang wants to find and save their uncle, and that just happens to align with Ren’s desire to save the civilians who need immediate grimm and cold help. Don’t get me wrong, I like that there’s finally some division between the sisters, I just wish it hadn’t come about so abruptly. Ren had setup for standing up to Ruby. Yang did not.

But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Joanna lists the grimm horde and no heat as the major threats to everyone. The group agrees.

Me: What about Salem?

Joanna says that this is all doubly dangerous because there’s “no more military protection.”

Me: Oh, so now you want the military?

This is all so disjointed. Even more-so when Joanna mentions that Ironwood has stopped all evacuations to Atlas, likely due to the “hard light shields” that are the only thing standing between Salem and the city. Thing is, the show never makes this connection, I just did it myself based on this scene and the one that comes later. The show presents Joanna’s line as a pure condemnation. Ironwood won’t let more evacuees in because… he’s just evil, I guess. Yet there is a justification here, namely that continuing the evacuations even while he’s stuck without Penny leaves him wide open to a Salem attack, the death of everyone currently safe, but that argument is never presented to the viewer. I don’t need people to agree with Ironwood’s perspective, I just wish that perspective was offered as an option. The show is very good about acting like RWBYJNOR’s opinion is the only justified opinion, or simply the only opinion at all.

After everything is laid out Weiss goes, “We’re never going to sleep again, I just know it.”

I could make a crack about the lack of continuity and how the group should be collapsing right now… but that was a funny line. It can stay.

What is far more of a problem is the fact that no one is talking about Salem. Okay, that’s a lie. They do talk about her, but in a roundabout way like her presence isn’t impacting every decision they make. That’s the real issue. They’re acting as if Salem isn’t here right now, like she’s off far away, maybe approaching slowly, and they’re arguing over how best to prep the world for her eventual attack. There’s no emotion here—let alone action—to reflect that the series’ Big Bad has arrived and is poised to murder them all. Literally what is this? Ruby is yelling about warning the world and, ignoring the continued question of why that’s a good thing when the world can do nothing to stop Salem and knowledge of her continually drives people to horrible acts, she has yet to acknowledge that… she’s the world? Ruby is the world in this conflict. She, Mantle, and Atlas. Salem is here for you all. Right now. You are, this instant, in the situation you want to warn others about, so why don’t you try to do something about it? Or at least acknowledge it. Ruby wants to warn the neighborhood about a potential fire while her house is actively ablaze, and the fire could have totally killed her by now but decided not to for… reasons.

“Ruby’s right,” Nora says. They have to tell the world so “they can prepare.” How? How are they supposed to prepare for this? The story cannot continue ignoring Salem’s immortality.

“Ruby’s right,” is all Blake says and I’m starting to thinks that’s why her character exists now, to agree with Ruby. It’s great that she’s getting a little distance from Yang, but man.

As Ruby asks whether Pietro can get Amity up and running despite it not being finished (called it) we start an incredibly odd sequence of flashforwards to their individual missions. I’ve seen a lot of praise for this already and though I agree that, in theory, it’s a good way to save time, I found the actual execution to be jarring. Upon thinking back through our timeline, it became clear they were flashforwards, but while watching I thought they might be flashbacks (especially since that’s more common).

Some of the shots, like Nora’s, just look awkward when you’ve got the exact expression and pose transplanted from one scene to another, like she’s a cardboard cutout behind a green screen. To say nothing of how the flashforwards ruin any suspense (I use that word loosely) in the conversation itself. If the question is, “Will they decide to go to the military compound?” then that question is answered when we see Ruby scoping out the compound, not when the group actually decides on the course of action.

It just made an already muddled scene worse for me, so I hope this trend doesn’t continue.

And of course, Amity can be used despite all the info last volume claiming that it wasn’t finished. Pietro suddenly acts like it is finished and the only thing standing in their way is Ironwood providing access. If that were the case, he would have used Amity weeks or days ago like he wanted to! When was it finished? Not after Watts commented on how incomplete it was. When did they get back the resources they needed from Robyn? It’s as ridiculous and retcon-y as I thought it would be.

Yang points out that Ironwood will never listen to them and Ruby counters that “he doesn’t have to.” They’ll just take the access from him. Because why wouldn’t they in a series where they’ve already stolen two airships? Stealing from the super evil military that Joanna wishes were helping them right now is just the group’s go-to plan nowadays.

Pietro isn’t sold on this plan though. He lists at least three obstacles they’d need to get through “and then… oh boy, I might need to think about this some more.” “And just to clarify,” Oscar says, “This is the easy option?” Um...no it’s not? We also know there’s an access point in Ironwood’s office so… why not go there instead? They really think the Academy is less guarded than the military base? There’s a potential justification here along the lines of, “After Neo and Cinder broke into his office Ironwood will have the place on high alert,” but unless I missed it the group doesn’t assume anything like that. They just listen to Pietro point out all the ways they can’t get into the military base and jump straight to that being the best option. It feels like a transparent way to create conflict for the group. We’ll just have them taking the most dangerous route despite an easy route being offered alongside it. Why bother mentioning his office at all? Just have the access in the military base. Boom, done.

It’s that conflict and the fact that Ruby tends to hear “You can’t” and digs in her heels. You can’t go to Atlas. I’ll just steal a ship then. You can’t defeat Salem. Watch me. You can’t break into this base. Guess what I’m doing! She’s dangerous in her fairy tale, meta-driven insistence that everything will turn out her way because she wants it to.

Speaking of, we finally—FINALLY—get someone challenging Ruby. Sort of. Not actually but it’s the closest we’ve ever gotten:

Yang: “Ruby, when we came here we said we’d follow your lead… but things haven’t exactly worked out.”

Now, there are two things to take away from this moment. The first is how utterly shocked Ruby and the others are. I mean, take a look at these expressions.

Ruby straight up can’t believe what she’s hearing. Weiss put her hand to her mouth like this is the most dramatic thing to ever happen to her. Oscar looks down in a ‘Yeah, I agree but please don’t look at me and make me admit that’ way. And Nora looks indifferent in the screenshot but animated she goes sort of stern, likely pissed that Yang would dare say that given her own agreement with Ruby. This not only reiterates that Yang’s challenge came out of nowhere—seriously, how did we move from following Ruby no matter what to this? Last volume she asked a single question along the lines of, ‘You sure?’ and when Ruby said ‘Yes’ Yang was entirely on board—but also demonstrates that no one has EVER said no to her before. Ruby is amazed that someone would challenge her. The act of challenging Ruby is, in and of itself, shocking. This group has gotten so used to following Ruby blindly that the teensiest little pushback is greeted with this.

Because it is teensy. This is the second takeaway: Yang barely challenges her and that challenge leads nowhere. She doesn’t accuse Ruby of anything, she doesn’t question her continued authority, she just broadly implies that things could be better. We followed you, now things are bad, take from that what you will. It’s incredibly mild as far as criticism goes, making the shock all the more, well, shocking, but it also amounts to—wait for it—nothing! Because Yang didn’t truly challenge Ruby’s leadership. She’s still in charge, she’s still calling the shots, and they’re still listening to her. We might have gotten some change if this division had been allowed to play out, but instead Jaune comes in with a, “Let’s go for both!” solution. It let’s both groups get what they want which, in turn, releases them from the need to grapple with whether they’ll listen to Ruby when she’s advocating for something they don’t agree with. We have now lost the chance to see whether, when push comes to shove, Ren and Yang will cave to Ruby’s will or stick by their own beliefs.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s more conflict than we’ve gotten in years, but that doesn’t mean it’s particularly compelling conflict. It’s good by RWBY’s standards, which doesn’t necessarily make it good. The actual issues at hand—Ruby’s dangerous arrogance, the group’s loyalty, her choices up until now—are just swept under the rug. For all the visuals we get insisting that there’s this great divide in the group… there’s really not. Not in any way that matters.

Also, Ruby is an idiot. Okay, that was mean, but she really is in this scene. She’s actually not an idiot overall because she was written as wonderfully intelligent in the early volumes, but now? Lately? She makes me want to bang my head against a wall.

“But that’s how Salem got this far,” she cries. “By dividing us!”

Ruby… oh my god, Ruby. No one should have to explain to you that dividing people means turning them against each other, not literally dividing your team to complete separate tasks. This girl honestly thought that because there was this teensy disagreement and that half the team would complete Plan A while she and the other half completed Plan B, both of which notably work towards the goal of, “Protect people from Salem,” that this was somehow what Salem wanted. That is was dangerous. Honestly, it’s a scary look at her view of leadership too: If everyone doesn’t 100% agree with me and do what I say, that’s an objectively bad thing that the grimm queen wants, right? Does Ruby think that unification means following a single person (her) without question or variation? That would explain a lot...

The fact that Oscar needs to explain the difference to her is not good. It really doesn’t say great things about this version of Ruby. Though he was comparing Ironwood to Salem last volume, so really they should all be wearing dunce hats.

Penny offers to take the relic directly to Salem in exchange for her leaving the kingdom alone. I honestly didn’t expect that. If anyone took that risk I would have put my money on Ozpin (but of course, during all this talk of the women he knows best, he’s kept quiet). Oscar is again the voice of wisdom, pointing out that they have no reassurance that Salem will keep her word. At least Penny is thinking about Salem as a threat though, so kudos for that. When this plan is shot down she volunteers to get Ruby past the military security instead and, uh, she’s a little intense about it.

I’m not entirely sure what is going on with Penny. She disagreed with Winter but then seemed to come around to her point of view, enough to help anyway. They had another (stupid) disagreement about the value of individual lives, so that helps to explain why she’s teaming up with RWBYJNOR (if you ignore that Ironwood is also trying to save individual lives...). Did watching Fria die shake her up? Is it being the Winter Maiden that’s not sitting right? Does Penny have lingering feelings about the framing that haven’t shown up until now? Her status as a ‘real girl’? We’ve got a lot of reasons that could definitely explain this sudden need to fight, but we’re not told which—if any of these—is the driving force.

We’re then given a lot of little details. Someone points out that if Salem gets the staff and “create[s] anything else” then Atlas will fall (so yeah, let’s move the people underneath it). We still don’t know what exactly the Staff does because “creation” is kind of broad and “powering a city to float” doesn’t seem to sit within that category at all. Pietro gives Yang the keys to his lab so they can get the bikes. We see the group dividing in the flashforwards, something I do like, especially since the show has gone out of its way to break up most of the usual duos. Nora in particular is pissed at Ren for his choice.

“Oh, I’m saving Mantle because I actually believe we can do this.”

#yikes. Well, I did say I wanted a conflict other than ‘Oh no, one of us might die’ and it looks like I got it. But Nora, the only reason you can do this is because the plot is in your corner: none of you are collapsing from two major fights, you didn’t lose your aura so the cold isn’t a danger, the military is barely a threat all of a sudden, Salem is helpfully hanging out in her whale instead of killing you, and the story decided that Amity can function so long as you all are the ones who get to use it. That’s why you can do this. Ren, who follows in-world logic and doesn’t want to risk a whole kingdom’s worth of lives on a pipe dream, thinks differently, oddly enough.

As they leave though Penny gets a call from Ironwood. I know precisely what the fandom is going to say here: “This evil man is just trying to use Penny to open the vault!” Of course he is. He needs it open to save everyone he can, Penny included. Plus the concept of “using” her is a double-edged sword. What do we think the group is doing right now? Using her to get past the security. Penny’s power is a tool any way you slice it. Granted, Penny volunteers to help the group, but notably here Ruby speaks for her. Penny seems torn and Ruby takes the scroll away with, “She’s not going anywhere until you change your mind about Mantle.”

Sorry, Ruby, but coming from you that sounds less like a reassurance for Penny and more like just an order for Ironwood. Remember Harriet? We’ll stop attacking you provided you do what we want. Ruby has yet to learn about compromises, let alone acknowledge that she might be wrong. How about you let Penny decide where she goes, especially since by all logic she should have a lot of loyalty to Ironwood. She knew him before she ever met you. She’s worked with him since she was rebuild post-Volume 3. Despite what Penny has said, if the story would just let her think about his actions for a hot second—making her the protector of Mantle, sticking up for her after the framing, sending her to the party, teaming her up with Ruby, etc.—she might realize that the ‘He doesn’t want me to have friends’ and ‘He just treats me like a tool’ assumptions are just that, unfounded assumptions. But no, Ruby speaks for them both because Ironwood is evil now.

“If she makes it through our defenses,” Ironwood says, “everything that follows will be on your hands.”

That’s true! Kind of like how it’s own Qrow’s hands that Clover died. When you insist on making a bad situation worse you hold responsibility when the shit hits the fan. You know though that Salem won’t get through their defenses now, somehow, so that there’s no chance RWBYJNOR will be blamed for it. Or, by that point Ironwood will be so crazed that anything coming out of his mouth is dismissed, no matter how accurate it might be.

We then transfer to the Ace Ops who are, despite what the fandom theorized for many months, clearly upset about Clover. Also pissed. Which they have every right to be. Their friend and leader was killed. Imagine for a moment that Ruby had been murdered by Tyrian with an allies’ help. Exactly what do you think the group would do? Swallow it quietly and get over it? Ha.

I’ve already seen some speculation that Clover survived due to details like showing us the bandage and his room being listed as for a “Patient,” but he looks pretty dead to me.

He got gutted through the chest and left out in the snow for who knows how long. We saw him slip away. Qrow screamed over his dead body. He’s not breathing now. If RWBY suddenly claims he survived this, I’m calling BS.

Most of the other visuals we get here were already dropped in the trailer. Winter is pretty injured from her encounter with Cinder, likely permanently based on her new outfit. Ironwood had to replace his arm—and I am calling BS on that “Losing his arm is reflective of him losing his humanity” commentary from RT. Please go read up on a couple decades worth of ableism in media and then get back to me.

We get Ironwood’s line about the light shields and, notably, a whole lot of empathy. Regardless of what he might want Penny for, he still called her with compassion. He’s watching the Ace Ops mourn their friend. He’s talking about protecting his kingdom. The first thing he says to Winter is, “Thank you, Winter. I don’t know what I would do without you.” Ironwood has a heart! It’s always on display, which makes this scene utterly ridiculous.

I literally don’t know how to respond to this. The gunshot made me jump, both because it’s a gunshot and because, again, what the fuck? I know I said that next volume RT might just have Ironwood descend into full villainy, shooting whoever he pleases now that he’s shot Oscar, but I didn’t actually expect them to do it. Because he never should have shot Oscar in the first place! I wanted the story to let Oscar grapple with it a bit and then quietly backtrack, acknowledging it as the mistake it was. The concept that Ironwood, empathetic Ironwood, rational Ironwood, always thinks before he acts Ironwood, let’s kids yell at him Ironwood, tried to team up with Robyn Ironwood, did everything Ruby wanted Ironwood, won’t kill Watts after he destroyed his arm Ironwood would shoot this guy just to shut him up is absurd. It was absurd then, it’s absurd now.

That being said, there’s a possibility he didn’t actually shoot the council member, but rather just (“just”) gave a warning shot down the hallway. I say this because the reactions to this are pretty tame. Everyone looks startled, yeah, but after the initial shot there’s nothing that I would expect if there was now a guy bleeding out on the floor. The council woman doesn’t scream. Winter doesn’t seem overly shocked. No one is running to try and help him. Basically, if Ironwood had just killed a political figure in front of six witnesses, entirely unprovoked, I would expect a bit more of a reaction than this. This feels far more like a, “Damn he’s not joking around, letting off warning shots to get people to leave him alone” not “WOW, our general just killed someone in cold blood!”

What I really hate though—beyond just assassinating his character—is how many fans think my friends and I are delusional for calling it character assassination at all. I hopped onto the RWBY tag for five minutes this morning and was bombarded with posts about how Ironwood needs to be murdered horrifically, anyone who likes him is sick, the Ironwood stans are as bad as Adam stans, you’re an idiot if you want him redeemed… because apparently the concept of a story writing a character badly doesn’t compute. I’m not here to argue that Ironwood didn’t do these awful things (regardless of whether he actually killed the guy or not). I’m not here to argue that they’re not awful. I’m just here to say that we never should have gotten these scenes in the first place, or if we were going to get them, we deserved an actual descent into murder at the drop of a hat territory. I’ve already explained extensively on this blog how early Ironwood was not accurate foreshadowing for this, and Volume 7 certainly wasn’t setup, but it looks like the majority of fans aren’t interested in examining whether any of this adds up. Which makes my job, as someone trying to examine this series somewhat objectively—in as much as that’s possible for any single viewer—as well as simply enjoy it as a show, really hard. It’s bad enough when a story keeps taking the characters you love and villainizing them, and doing that badly, but then when you turn to the community and see them rallying around the idea that you’re awful for being dissatisfied—you’re the bootlicker, you’re the blind stan, you can’t see what’s ‘really’ going on here… that sucks. For those of you happy and satisfied with Ironwood’s arc, that’s great! I’ve also seen a lot of posts hyping up the complexity of his character now. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying what we’ve been given and I’d never want to imply that just because it’s not what I wanted it’s somehow wrong. I’m honestly thrilled that after a year of worry so many people have adored our premiere, including this scene. I just wish that I could say RWBY had given me something I didn’t want in a persuasive manner and that the fandom as a whole was a bit more welcoming of differing criticisms.

Not that I didn’t already know the RWBY fandom had its flaws, but still lol.

That’s basically it for our premiere. Nice note to end on, huh? Our final scene is of Salem using the lamp to set her bloodhound grimm on the city. Why doesn’t she just go herself? What was she planning to do here in Atlas in the first place, considering that getting the relic was a surprise? Who knows. Little about this holds together. But we do end with another awesome shot, so small favors.

It’s always strange concluding a recap, but even more-so when it’s a premiere, during a historical moment in the U.S., amidst all the nonsense that is 2020. So for now I’ll just conclude with three quick things:

The updated bingo board will be listed at the end of each recap, provided I don’t forget about it lol. Today I’m checking off tone (not nearly enough freaking out about Salem), the team keeping secrets (Oscar), and major plot point dropped (Amity is suddenly finished). I could also probably check off the cold not killing civilians and getting Amity up and running, but we’ll see if any changes with those.

I’m including my Ko-Fi link at the end of recaps now. Not with any expectations. Not with anything resembling pressure. I thought long and hard over whether to include it at all—let alone mention it here—because I love doing these and never want anyone to feel like it comes with strings attached. But life is a little harder and weirder than it was last year, so I figure it can’t hurt. Feel free to pass on by and I won’t be bringing it up past this note.

Far more importantly: thank you for reading! :D

(Bonus 4. Editing this was an absolute nightmare — damn you, tumblr! — so I apologize if anything is super wonky when I finally post.)

See you next week! 💜

[Ko-Fi]

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 8 #mymetas #rwby recaps

106 notes · View notes