#( also. quinn dressed like a Disaster )

[falderaletcetera]

I call this look "loitering as invisibly as possible in the rain near a very fancy wedding, eventually slipping inside to borrow emergency bus money from a friend and all the while trying desperately not to look like I'm there to rob the place."

I'm good with my life choices.

[mastcrmiind]

here is my valentines event plotting / starter call. i haven't decided if i'm dropping my pre-event threads yet, i may try keep them in my drafts for afterwards, though i will definitely be continuing anything majorly plot heavy. i'm taking from marios idea & offering 2 in fandom starters, and 2 out of fandom starters per muse. this also doesn't apply if our muses are each others dates, they will go separate as well. also here is a link to my currently unfinished outfits !! like & I'll dm you, or reply with any starter requests !!

albus dumbledore - going it alone 

Albus just wants to have a nice night out, and look at all the exhibits at the museum. If anybody asks him to dance he might say yes?

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

anastasia tremaine - blind date with vesta blackbeak

Anastasia is just really excited to be able to put on a pretty dress, and dance all night long. She’s already dragging her sister off to help her pick a dress, and wants to make sure both herself & drizella have a good time.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 andrew deluca - blind date with lee hongjo

Andrew would like to forget about everything wrong in his life, and get his mind off of work for one night. Let this man have the fresh start he needs, he’s hoping for the potential of love.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads: carina deluca

arizona robbins - going with amelia shepherd

Arizona is happy, thank you very much. She would like to spend the night dancing with her girlfriend and forget about all the horror her loved ones have faced in the past few months.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads: sofia robbin sloan torres

 atticus lincoln - going with jo wilson

Link and jo just had a baby, they deserve this night out. A night where they don’t have to worry about the kids at all! Though, maybe there’s still a little worry. Link is going to try make sure that jo has a great time.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 bash de poitiers - currently going solo

Bash is going to try find himself love, not realising that the only person he wants to talk to is the girl who keeps telling him to keep his distance. She’s on a date, but maybe he could ask her for a dance?

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

bonnie bennett - going with enzo st john

After the disaster that was last valentines day (and every holiday since) bonnie would like a nice night with her husband, but she’s also ready to fight if need be. 

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

brittany s. Pierce - going with santana lopez

Brittany just wants to wear a pretty dress, and dance the night away with her girl. That’s it.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads: quinn fabray

 celeste kipper - blind date with feng yu

Catch these two having interesting conversations about current events. Celeste just wants a nice night out, and to forget for even a minute about all the death in her life. She’s trying to adjust to this new place, but doesn’t quite trust anybody.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads: mags flanagan

 charlotte king - going solo

The only reason charlotte made it was because she found a babysitter, and wanted a reason to get out. She’s still upset about the fact cooper & mason aren’t here, but she’s trying to live her life as best she can.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 cleo sertori - blind date with jesse st james

Cleo just wants to have a nice time, and is on the look out for love. She’s been single for a while now, so is hoping this blind date works out, or at the very least she has a good night.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 coriolanus snow - blind date with edwina sharma

Luckily for everybody else, coryo has no memories. He is still a judgy dude, but he’s not here trying to put anybody in the hunger games. He doesn’t know why he signed up for a blind date, but he’d rather be at home.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 Diego - going with bree tanner

Diego is looking for nice night out with his girlfriend, though being very aware that he is around a lot of humans he might need to keep some distance from.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

edmund bridgerton - going alone

Edmund doesn’t want to date anybody, the man is loyal to his wife. He’s here to watch his children have a good time, and maybe find somebody to have a quick dance with.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads: eloise bridgerton

Eleanor davis - going alone

Eleanor only just arrived in town, but the minute she found out there was a ball, she thought why not. She’s here for the free food and drink only.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 enola holmes - blind date with branwen

Enola doesn’t really do balls, they’re not her thing, though she’s here to try and have a good time and meet new people. She might try her hand at dancing, but she will mostly be exploring and getting to know her date.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

ginny miller - blind date with noela

Ginny wants to have a good time. That is all. Catch her dancing and chatting with her date, hoping things go well.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 harriet kepner-avery - going alone

Harriet will be finding people to flirt with, and definitely indulging in a champagne or two even though she’s underage. If she gets asked nicely enough/drunk enough she might even dance.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

harvey hufflepuff - blind date with do dohee

Harvey wants what his sister and mum have. He is hopeful that this blind date might bring him love, but at the very least he’s looking forward to a night out. 

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

henrietta beckford - going with elaine st john

Henri is going to spend the night dancing with her girlfriend, thanks. Though, she might find time for a little snack later on the evening.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 imogen adams - blind date with alec

Imogen is hopeful that this date is going to work out. She doesn’t really trust people all that much with what she’s been through, but she’s going to go out and try have a good time regardless. She may spend more of her time dancing with her friends than socialising with her date though.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

jack dawson - going with rose

Jack knows very little about balls, so he’s putting all of his trust in rose. He wants to have a good time with the woman he loves since their time was cut so short before. He also wants to explore the museum and learn whatever he can.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 jacob black - blind date with kenna

Jacob wants to find love, and forget about how confusing people have been since he arrived in dc. He’s hoping this works out (though is confused about the dude who seems to be watching his date) good luck getting him to dance.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

jessica stanley - blind date with rachel amber

Jessica isn’t holding out hope on this date, but she’s excited to put on a dress and look hot. She will be dancing, drinking, and all around having a great time.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 jo laughlin - going alone

Jo is mainly just here to watch her daughters. She doesn’t want to be at a ball, but she wants to get to know her daughters more, and insure they have a good night.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 karen shetty - going alone

Karen didn’t get the dress code memo, but she looks hot. This is like halloween, right? She’s not got a date, but when has that ever stopped her? She will be dancing, flirting and having a great time.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

laurent da revin - going with anne sutherland

Laurent doesn’t do these kind of things, but anne invited him so he’s going. He may dance, if she asks but he doesn’t really want to be here.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

lexie grey - going with mark sloan

Lexie is excited for a date night with her husband. She will be dragging him onto the dance floor, drinking and having a great time.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 lily luna potter - going with harriet hufflepuff

Lily is nervous, though she’s been on dates with harriet before they generally end in disaster. She’s prepared with her wand on her this time, hoping she doesn’t have to use it and she can just have a good time.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 lola fleming narcisse - blind date with kaya dura

Lola doesn’t have a very good track record with love, but she’s hoping to turn things around here. At the very least, she will be dancing because my girl loves a ball, and has missed things like this since being in dc.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

Lydia - going with cynthia

Lydia came to dc to start her life fresh, and here she is at a ball with her ex. Not that she’s upset about it, cynthia is still the only person she really trusts or cares about. She will be dancing, drinking and maybe if she gets drunk enough trying to make new friends.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

melissa glaser - blind date with beth greene

Melissa has recently regained her memories, but she’s still going through with this blind date thing. She wants to drink, dance and forget everything. 

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

mia thermopolis - going alone

Mia is no stranger to balls. She’s got a pretty dress, her tiara and she’s ready to have a good night, with or without a date. She will be keeping an eye on her grandmother, though maybe from a distance as clarisse doesn’t believe her. She will accept any invite to dance as that is what queens do.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads: clarisse renaldi, quinn fabray

mika yasuda - going with taryn helm

This is only mika and taryns second date, and a ball seems like a big deal. She will be trying to get to know taryn more, as well as trying to make some new friends as well.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

missy cooper - blind date with elsa

Missy deserves this date with a literal queen. She has found herself the prettiest dress she could, pairing it with converse because who wants to spend a night in heels, gross. She will be getting to know her date as well as trying to make new friends & exploring.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads: paige swanson

 noel kahn - blind date with april kepner

Noel doesn’t really know what compelled him to sign up for a blind date, but he’s going to make sure she has a good time regardless. If she wants to dance, he will dance with her, but he will also be people watching and trying to make some friends.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 penelope park - blind date with lizzie saltzman

Penelope is trying to deny her feelings for josie. She told her how much she loved her back home, and hasn’t heard a thing since being here (though she also hasn’t mentioned anything herself) so she decided to sign up for a blind date. She’s not going to be happy that it’s with her worst enemy who also happens to have the same face as the woman she loves, so expect a lot of nasty words, and magic coming from these two. Penelope is big mad.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 primrose everdeen - blind date with willa lykensen 

Prim is a little worried about this blind date, but if it gets her to stop studying for one moment then it’s probably a good thing. she is hopeful it works out, but is just excited for a night off.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

princess audrey rose - going alone

Audrey loves an excuse to dress up, so she’s here in a pretty dress ready to dance the night away with whoever wants to dance with her.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 rebecca pearson - going alone

Rebecca is slowly coming to the realisation she’s stuck here, without her family and is trying to make the best of it. She’s here to dance, drink and have a good time.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 rebekah mikaelson - blind date with pyrrha alexandra

Rebekah has just gotten her memories back, and isn’t sure she wants to be on a blind date after all. She’s going to try have a good time, regardless. At least she enjoys an excuse to dress up and dance.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 robin hood-mills - going with alice jones

Robin is excited to have a date night with her fiance. She adores alice, and is ready to put on a pretty dress and dance the night away. Though she may have some time to talk to other people and make friends as well as explore a little bit.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 ruby lucas - blind date with trafalgar law

Ruby is trying to get herself out there but also has terrible luck with love, she did eat her first boyfriend after all. She’s here to dance, drink and have a good time, even if the date doesnt work out.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

 simon basset - going with daphne bridgerton

Simon is just excited to have a date night with his wife, doing something he knows she loves. He is ready to tell her how beautiful she looks, and dance with her and only her all night long.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

tatia - blind date with michael guerin 

Tatia doesn’t really understand any of this, but she’s here regardless. She will be trying to get to know her date, and perhaps make some new friends & learn more about this new place she’s found herself in.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

victoria hughes - going alone

Vic thinks that the blind date idea was stupid, why would she want to go on a date with somebody she doesn’t know? She’s here to have a good time, and spend some time with her friends, thank you.

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

threads:

[rottentiger-art]

I’m gonna be a little hopeful here and think that maybe the reason Quinn is running in her wedding dress is that she’s trying to make it to her wedding on time. In the one scene with “Hugo” we see him and the girls getting ready for the day but not Zoey. We see Zoey at the ceremony with the other girls but they don’t really show Hugo & Quinn. We see Zoey has that weird device in her arms with the bouquet too, like she is talking with someone. What if they pulled a skit like the finale of What I Like About You. Where something happens on the way to the wedding and now Quinn is rushing to the ceremony for Logan doesn’t think she’s standing him up. As for the headshot, Logan definitely mellowed out when he was with Quinn but he is still a producers son. I can totally see him being like a “director” when it comes to planning and setting up the wedding because he wants to make it a moment for him & Quinn. As for the ending on the beach and the proposal scene. I feel that the beach scene is going to be a moment where Zoey & Chase come clean about the fake dates and talk for real. They express how unlike Quinn & Logan they aren’t happy in life and want to return to PCA where things seemed so much simpler and they were together then.

I can also see the group asking/complaining about not seeing the proposal so they have a second proposal/mini celebration at the beach with their friends where everyone is finally together and happy to be setting out on their lives.

soooo sorry for the late reply, I wanted to answer sooner but was unable to.

I really hope this is the case, the new footage doesn't really disprove your theory.

We know now that Quinn makes it to the altar, that doesn't necessarily means she hadn't have troubles getting there, you pointing out the device on Zoey's hand supports it even.

(why the hell is Stacey officiating, I wonder)

I hadn't seen What I Like About You, but I wouldn't mind if they do a rip off of something, it would be better than having Quinn leaving Logan at the altar, no matter how cliché it is.

I hope you're right too about the beach scene, and it's not about Quinn and Logan's wedding being a disaster. I would really hate if they ruin their wedding just to make Zoey feel a bit better about her life not being as wonderful and she wanted it (the writers, I mean, not the characters). Like, let Quogan continue to be perfect pleeeease.

as for the last part, I'm not so sure, Zoey on the trailer seems worried about Quinn possibly saying no, so this could still be a proposal to fix things.

This movie can't come son enough, I'm going insane not knowing what's going on and what's going to happen.

[lumilasi]

Decided to make Yui's ref finally, I did have the pieces for it, I was just waiting to make more for it, which I ended up never doing lmao These are honestly enough for now.

I didn't know how to make her appear older on that fancy performance dress one, other than make her hair more grayed out than it originally was....I need to think about it lol

Info below:

Name: Yui Araknos/Blackthorne

Nicknames: Grandma Yui, Grandma (Her grandsons), Mother/mum/mother no (Jurou) Love/darling/honey/my star(Harrow) Mama (Late meredith) Yui-sama (Her granddaughter who's still struggling to just go "grandma(grandmother")

Age: around 200, she'd be the equal of someone in their 60ties as a human

Height: 171 cm

Occupation: Jazz singer/musical mentor

Family: Husband Harrow, son Jurou/Alistair, late daughter Meredith, grandkids Hitomi, Ichirou, and Caelan. Murasaki family A.k.A harrow's cousins.

Friends: Quinn & Alois, the bakenekos she used to look after and helped the former start his singing career. Rikka and Hanma (Harrow's cousin and his wife) Annabell (A young songbird opera singer) Thalia (The chief of staff/butler of the Blackthorne family mansion back in human realm Scotland)

Love interest: Husband Harrow

Abilities:

Soul Devouring: While not a soul eater, her kind can also devour souls - they just tend to also eat the physical bodies of their victims, Yui hasn't done this in a while though.

Shapeshifting: She can shapeshift into her younger self, or a spiderwoman monster. She can also transform just parts of her body, like give herself a monstrous face or a sharp spiderleg-shaped blade arm. She is also fairly fast even with her age.

underwater breathing: She used to reside in a lake and therefore can breathe underwater, and is a very good and fast swimmer.

Singing: Yui is a talented singer, which is why she became a popular performer

Weaknesses:

She is a darker type of spirit so light based magic and spells tend to work on her. She can also be damaged by normal weapons unlike her husband for example, something that almost led to her death back in the day a few times.

Yui's over the top performer tendencies can be a bit much sometimes, to the point she ends up annoying her son, and spooking her granddaughter accidentally why is very shy and timid. She also tends to suffer from loneliness which leads to this over the top social behavior, due to living alone now as her husband is a wanted fugitive, and her son has his own life to live. (He does make sure to see and talk to her regularly, but he is busy)

Personality:

Like Harrow, Yui can be quite eccentric and has a theater kid tendencies where she loves putting on a show and being in the spotlight, largely because she spent so much of her earlier life hiding in shadows to protect others without them really interacting with her directly most of the time. This did also leave her with a slight disdain and anxiety over being alone for long periods of time.

She is not as bad as her husband though when it comes to theatrics, and knows when to act calmer and more "appropriate" as she generally is better at reading the mood around her.

She is a very loving and doting mother and a grandmother, and fiercely protective of her family as well, willing to confront anyone - even beings stronger than her - for being nasty to any of them.

BG Story Summary

Harrow met Yui during his travels, and helped her save her villagers from a natural disaster. Her former home was destroyed by it though, so Harrow asked if she'd like to come stay in his realm until they could find her a new lake to reside in, which was admittedly difficult given the turbulent time the human world was in at the time (world wars were approaching slowly but surely). She was eventually convinced to go by the villagers who noted she was falling in love & did not want her to continue protecting them as the upcoming threats would likely be too much for her, she'd already done a lot for them.

Later she ended up falling in love with a music type from human world that was becoming popular among the Mirror world citizens, Jazz - and became a popular performer.

Fun Facts:

Yui's house - Jurou's former childhood home - was built in Japanese style to make her feel more at home, as Harrow's old home was more western style mansion she found a bit unnerving.

She enjoys singing and playing music with the whole family during celebrations like birthdays, as the whole family is somewhat musical.

Quinn and Alois still visit her occasionally, Quinn moreso as he has large periods of rest in-between tours and recordings, and he was always a bit closer to her than Alois

Her and Harrow often liked to sing sappy lovesong duets, often just to annoy Jurou when he was an edgy teenager. They still do it, but it doesn't annoy him as much.

Yui was always closer with Jurou than Harrow, but had a very good and loving relationship with her daughter as well, even if she did prefer her dad's company slightly.

Yui loves to bake and often makes some sweet treats for her grandchildren's birthdays.

Yui mostly identifies with the surname "Araknos" and tends to forget her official surname in human realm is Blackthorne, not always reacting when people call her Mrs. Blackthorne.

[sofiamantegafan110]

NEW X-MEN EPISODE 5

AFTER A HUGE HIATUS, THE NEW X-MEN ARE BACK!!!!

EPISODE 5- X-POSED

WE OPEN UP IN CLARICE AND LAURIE’S ROOM AS SOFIA AND CLARICE RELAX IN BED. CLARICE TELLS SOFIA THAT IT’S ONLY FOR TWO DAYS, AND SOFIA SAYS THAT SHE’S JUST CONCERNED. SHE WANTS CLARICE IN HER CORNER WHEN SHE DECIDES TO FIND OUT WHAT KEVIN’S PLANNING. SHE KNOWS EMMA FROST IS GIVING KEVIN SPECIAL TREATMENT LIKE MONET AND ALANI AND SHE’S BETTING IT WILL END IN DISASTER.

CLARICE: SOFIA, HONEY, ULTRACON IS ONLY ONCE A YEAR, AND MORPH AND TJ HAVE BEEN THERE BEFORE. IT’LL JUST BE TWO DAYS WITH THEM AND CESSILY AND WHEN I GET BACK, WE’LL TALK TO KEVIN, OR HAVE SEX, OR BINGE-WATCH AS MANY EPISODES OF TOTAL DRAMA UNTIL OUR EYEBALLS FALL OUT. BUT I’VE NEVER BEEN TO A CONVENTION BEFORE AND…

LAURIE: I’M LITERALLY RIGHT HERE.

THE GIRLS LOOK OVER AT LAURIE AS SHE WALKS INTO THE ROOM. SOFIA SMILES AT LAURIE AND WISHES HER GOOD LUCK ON HER DATE WITH JOSH. LAURIE SMILES BACK, SAYING THAT JOSH HAS BEEN A BIT FLAKY RIGHT NOW, BUT HE’S SO NICE TO HER. CLARICE GETS OUT OF BED AND TELLS LAURIE THAT SHE’LL BE BACK IN TWO DAYS. LAURIE NODS AND GIVES THE TWO GIRLS SOME PRIVACY WHILE SOFIA SAYS THAT YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH TOTAL DRAMA. SHE CHECKS HER PHONE BRIEFLY AS SHE WALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY AND DELETES A FEW TEXTS FROM KEVIN.

CUE INTRO AND CREDITS

THE CAMERA CUTS TO JOSH EXITING THE BATHROOM. HIS PHONE PINGS AND HE SEES A TEXT FROM AN UNKNOWN CONTACT SAYING ‘TWENTY-FOUR HOURS LEFT. MAKE YOUR DECISION. EITHER YOU DUMP LAURIE OR I TELL EVERYONE WHAT YOU DID.’ JOSH FROWNS AND FIRES BACK A ‘GO FUCK YOURSELF, FORD.’ BEFORE JOINING HIS SQUAD ON THE WAY TO THE DANGER ROOM.

MEANWHILE, CLARICE AND CESSILY ADMIRE THEMSELVES IN CESSILY AND SOFIA’S BATHROOM. CLARICE’S HAIR HAS BEEN CUT SHORT AND SLIGHTLY WAVY AS SHE DRESSES IN A BLACK LATEX SUIT THAT LEAVES HER THIGHS EXPOSED. SHE ALSO HAS BLUE TATTOOS ON HER FACE AND KNEE-HIGH BOOTS. MEANWHILE, CESSILY IS DRESSED AS CRAZY JANE, FROM DOOM PATROL, WHICH SHE SAYS IS HER NEW FAVORITE SHOW. SHE THEN SAYS THAT CLARICE LOOKS GOOD WITH SHORT HAIR, WHICH CLARICE SMILES AT.

CESSILY: I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE WE’RE GOING TO ULTRACON! IT WAS SO NICE OF MORPH AND TJ TO LET US COME WITH THEM.

AS IF ON CUE, TJ AND MORPH ENTER. TJ IS DECKED IN A HARLEY QUINN COSTUME WHILE MORPH HAS A CURVACEOUS FEMININE FIGURE, BIG RED LIPS, EQUALLY BIG BREASTS, LONG BLONDE HAIR, AND A SEXY DRESS. CLARICE FROWNS AND ASKS MORPH IF HE’S AUDITIONING FOR RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE, WHILE HE SAYS THAT HE’S DRESSED AS LORD FANNY, FROM GRANT MORRISON’S AWARD-WINNING SERIES THE INVISIBLES.

MORPH: WHO ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE? A SCI-FI HOOKER?

CLARICE: DUH! I’M HALFPIPE, FROM THE GODKILLER SERIES. DO YOU GUYS REALLY NOT REMEMBER? TEEJ, WE WATCHED THE MOVIE A WEEK AGO AND READ ALL THE COMICS.

TJ: HEY, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. YOU LOOK GOOD. YOU TOO, CRAZY CESSILY.

CESSILY: AW, THANKS.

WITH THAT, TALIA ASKS IF THEY’RE ALL PREPPED AND READY, AND THEY NOD. SHE THEN ASKS CLARICE IF SHE REMEMBERED TO BOOK A ROOM AND CLARICE REALIZES THAT SHE FORGOT TO BOOK ONE WITH TWO BEDS. TJ SIGHS AND SAYS THAT SHE AND MORPH WILL SLEEP ON THE FLOOR. MORPH GROANS, DISAPPOINTED.

CLARICE: OKAY, BUT WHEN WE GET TO THE HOTEL, WE’RE WATCHING GODKILLER SO THAT YOU GUYS WILL REMEMBER WHO I AM. NOW C’MON!

MEANWHILE, XUAN WATCHES FROM THE CONTROL ROOM AS HER SQUAD BATTLES PURIFIERS IN THE DANGER ROOM. MEGAN IS CURRENTLY IN THE AIR WHILE SOORAYA, BRIAN AND LAURIE ARE RUNNING DEFENSE. ROXY AND VIC ARE RUNNING OFFENSE WHILE JOSH IS ON THE SIDELINES. AND THEY’RE NOT DOING WELL. ROXY GROANS AS SHE FIRES CRYSTAL JAVELINS AT A PURIFIER AND RECEIVES A HIT TO THE FACE. SOORAYA DODGES AN ATTACK FROM A PURIFIER AS VIC ANNOUNCES THAT THEY’RE GETTING THEIR BUTTS WHOOPED.

LAURIE: I KNOW! WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING!

MEGAN SQUEAKS AS SHE DODGES BULLETS AND FLUTTERS HER WINGS, SHAKING SOME DUST LOOSE. LAURIE NOTICES THAT AND CALLS OUT TO ROXY THAT THEY NEED TO DO OPERATION DUST STORM. ROXY NODS AND THEN TELLS SOORAYA THAT SHE’S UP. THE BURKA-CLAD GIRL GOES INTO SAND FORM AND WRAPS AROUND THE PURIFIERS IN A SAND TORNADO. MEGAN GRINS AND THEN RELEASES SOME DUST THAT MIXES WITH THE TORNADO AND CAUSES THE PURIFIERS TO HALLUCINATE.

ROXY: ANOLE! GET IN THERE! TAG, WALLFLOWER, GET MORE PURIFIERS INTO THAT TORNADO!

VIC: AYE-AYE, CAP’N!

WITH THAT, VIC RUSHES INTO THE TORNADO WITH ROXY AND THEY ATTACK THE BLINDED AND HALLUCINATING OPPONENTS. BRIAN THEN TAGS HIMSELF WHILE LAURIE RELEASES SOME FEAR PHEROMONES AND THEY’RE ABLE TO HERD THE REMAINING PURIFIERS INTO THE SANDSTORM. FINALLY, THE STORM CLEARS AND ROXY AND VIC HIGH-FIVE.

XUAN: WAY TO GO, GUYS! NICE WORK ON THE SANDSTORM!

JOSH: YUP! AND IT WAS MY GIRLFRIEND WHO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA!

LAURIE: THANKS, JOSH!

ROXY GRINS AND SAYS THAT THE TWO OF THEM ARE PRETTY TIGHT. LAURIE NODS AND EMBRACES JOSH AS HE GIVES HER A LIGHT SMILE.

MEANWHILE, CESSILY, CLARICE, TJ, AND MORPH ARE DRIVING IN DANI’S RV. TJ IS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT WHILE CLARICE IS SMOKING WEED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. CESSILY TELLS TJ TO TAKE A LEFT WHILE LOOKING AT A MAP, WHICH SHE EVENTUALLY GETS FRUSTRATED WITH. SHE THEN CRUMPLES THE MAP UP AND THROWS IT OUT THE WINDOW WHILE MORPH LAUGHS. ‘SAY SO’ BY DOJA CAT PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND.

TJ: TOLD YOU TO JUST USE SIRI. ANYWAY, WHAT’S THE WORD ON THE WHACKY WEED ON THIS SUNNY SUNDAY MORNING, SWEET CLARICE?

MORPH *SHAPESHIFTING INTO A PALE-SKINNED JAMAICAN MAN*: DE MIDWEST SAY SWEET CLARICE, SHE GOT SOME RASTA SHIT, OH MY SWEET CLARICE, PASS YA BRUDDAS A HIT!

CLARICE SMOKES SOME MORE AND SAYS THAT THIS SHIT’S THE REAL DEAL, BEFORE WAVING HER CIGARETTE IN TJ’S FACE. TJ LAUGHS AND TELLS CLARICE THAT SHE NEEDS TO FOCUS ON THE ROAD WHILE CESSILY AND MORPH LAUGH.

CESSILY: TELL THE JOKE AGAIN, CLARICE. I DON’T GET IT. WHO HAD THE CAKE?

CLARICE: CHRIST, BITCH, PAY ATTENTION THIS TIME! OKAY, THERE WAS A BOY NAMED EARL WHO WALKED IN ON HIS GRANDPARENTS HAVING SEX. LIKE YOU DID WITH ME AND SOFIA THAT ONE TIME…

CESSILY: I FUCKIN’ SAID I WAS SORRY!

CLARICE: ANYWAY, EARL SAYS “GRANDMA! WHAT’CHA DOING?!” AND GRANDMA SAYS “WE’RE JUST BAKIN’ A CAKE.” SO A FEW DAYS LATER, EARL SAYS “GRANDMA, WAS YOU AND GRANDPA BAKING A CAKE LAST NIGHT?” AND GRANDMA SAYS “AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE WAS. HOW’D YOU KNOW?” AND EARL SAYS “CUZ I JUST LICKED SOME FROSTING OFF THE COUCH.” HAHA!

CESSILY: I STILL DON’T GET IT. WHAT FROSTING? WHERE’D IT COME FROM?

CLARICE: THE OLD MAN’S DICK! THE OLD BASTARD’S JIZZ WAS THE FROSTING! JESUS CHRIST CESS!

MORPH AND TJ LAUGH AS CESSILY ASKS IF THEY’RE STOKED FOR ULTRACON. CLARICE NODS AND SAYS THAT IT’S TOO BAD SOFIA DIDN’T WANT TO COME. WHEN MORPH ASKS WHY, CLARICE SAYS THAT SHE’S BEEN REALLY HUNG UP ON TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT’S UP WITH KEVIN FORD, AND SHE WONDERS WHAT SOFIA THINKS HE’S UP TO.

LATER, KEVIN WALKS OUT OF HIS ROOM AND WALKS OVER TO A DOOR THAT HAS THE WORDS ‘THE XAVIER’S GAZETTE’ ON IT. HE KNOCKS ON THE DOOR BEFORE OPENING IT, REVEALING A BLONDE BOY WITH EYES ALL OVER HIS BODY WHO GREETS HIM. KEVIN GIVES TREVOR HAWKINS A SMILE AND ASKS HIM HOW BUSINESS IS GOING AND TREVOR TELLS HIM THAT HE’S HAVING A BIT OF WRITER’S BLOCK. SO FAR, IN HIS LATEST ARTICLE, HIS TOP STORIES ARE MELODY GUTHRIE’S BREAKUP WITH ANDY STRUCKER AND ZZ PHALEN’S NEW CONCERT. HE’S RUNNING OUT OF INSPIRATION AND SOURCES.

KEVIN: ACTUALLY, TREVOR, I THINK I MIGHT BE OF ASSISTANCE. I GOT A STORY FOR YOU, AND IT’S A DOOZY…

KEVIN WALKS INTO THE ROOM AND CLOSES THE DOOR BEHIND HIM.

THE NEXT DAY, WE CUT OVER TO A MOTEL ROOM WHERE CLARICE AND CESSILY ARE SLEEPING IN THE BED WHILE TJ IS ASLEEP IN THE SLEEPING BAG TO THE LEFT. THE SLEEPING BAG ON THE RIGHT IS EMPTY, AND MORPH CAN BE HEARD IN THE BATHROOM SINGING IN HIS JAMAICAN ACCENT WHILE GRUNTING.

MORPH: *IN HIS JAMAICAN ACCENT* DE GOOD LAWD CAME TO ME ONE DAY, HE TOLD ME TO LIVE A RIGHTEOUS WAY, SO I DON’ CARE WHAT DE WHITE MAN SAY, SANTA CLAUS IS *GRUNTS* A BLACK MAN.

EVENTUALLY, CESSILY SHOOTS UP IN BED AND ANNOUNCES THAT IT’S TIME FOR THE CON. SHE EXCITEDLY SHAKES CLARICE, WHO GROANS AND THREATENS TO FART ON HER. CESSILY THEN PULLS OFF THE BLANKET AND STARTS LIGHTLY KICKING TJ.

CESSILY: CONCONCONCONCON TALIA! WE’RE LATE!!!

WITH THAT, SHE JUMPS OUT OF BED AND DASHES TO THE BATHROOM, SAYING THAT THEY BETTER BE CHANGED WHEN SHE COMES BACK, BEFORE SCREAMING AT MORPH WHEN SHE OPENS THE BATHROOM DOOR. SHE THEN TELLS HIM NOT TO DO ‘THAT’ IN THE BATHROOM AND CLARICE AND TJ GIGGLE.

MEANWHILE, IN THE LOUNGE, SOFIA, LAURA, JOSH, AND JULIAN ARE TALKING WHEN SOFIA’S PHONE VIBRATES AND ‘WAP’ STARTS PLAYING. SHE INFORMS THEM THAT SHE GOT A NEW NOTIFICATION FOR THE XAVIER’S GAZETTE AND PULLS OUT HER PHONE TO READ THE HEADLINE. SUDDENLY, HER FACE GOES WHITE WITH SHOCK AND SHE LOOKS AT JOSH, SAYING THAT HE NEEDS TO SEE THIS. SHE THEN SHOWS HIM HER PHONE.

HEADLINE: FORBIDDEN LOVE TRIANGLE AT XAVIER’S! JOSH FOLEY ACCUSED OF BEING A TWO-TIMER! TREVOR HAWKINS HERE WITH A SHOCKING NEW SCOOP FROM AN ANONYMOUS SOURCE! JOSH FOLEY, AKA ELIXIR, THE SCHOOL’S RESIDENT GOLDEN BOY, IS RUMORED TO HAVE BEEN IN A SUMMER ROMANCE WITH RAHNE SINCLAIR; FORMER BIO T.A. AND XAVIER’S ALUM. ACCORDING TO MY ANONYMOUS SOURCE, JOSH CONTINUED A LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP WITH SINCLAIR WHEN SHE LEFT THE SCHOOL, DESPITE STARTING A ROMANCE WITH HIS TEAMMATE, LAURIE COLLINS. ARE THESE RUMORS TRUE? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT, AND REMEMBER, THE EYES HAVE IT!

JOSH STARES AT THE PHONE, BUG-EYED AND LAURA ELBOWS JULIAN BEFORE HE CAN MAKE A LEWD REMARK. SOFIA AND JOSH QUICKLY STAND UP AND SOFIA ASKS JOSH IF THIS IS TRUE, WHICH HE REFUSES. HE THEN DECIDES TO TRY AND FIND LAURIE BEFORE SHE CAN FIND OUT, BUT HE THEN SEES LAURIE STARING AT HER PHONE BEFORE LOOKING AT JOSH AND RUNNING AWAY IN TEARS. JOSH IMMEDIATELY RUNS AFTER HER, AS SOFIA LOOKS ON, WONDERING HOW THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED.

MEANWHILE, CESSILY, CLARICE, MORPH, AND TJ ARRIVE AT ULTRACON IN THEIR COSTUMES. THEY WALK AROUND, EXCITED, AS THEY WATCH COSPLAYERS MOVE THROUGHOUT THE CON. CLARICE SNAPS A PICTURE, EXCITED, AS TJ SAYS THAT IT NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE. SUDDENLY, CESSILY IS CALLED OVER BY FIVE TEENS WHO ARE DRESSED AS CHARACTERS FROM DOOM PATROL, AND SHE COMPLIMENTS THEIR COSTUMES.

ROBOTMAN COSPLAYER: THANKS! YOU LOOK COOL TOO!

MADAME ROUGE COSPLAYER: OUR JANE BAILED ON US AND WE NEED A TEAM PICTURE. YOU MIND STANDING IN FOR HER?

CESSILY: OF COURSE!

NEGATIVE MAN COSPLAYER: THANKS!

WITH THAT, CLARICE GETS HER PHONE OUT WHILE THE ELASTI-WOMAN COSPLAYER GIVES HER PHONE TO TJ TO TAKE THE PICTURE. CLARICE THEN TELLS THEM TO SAY ‘DOOMIES!’ BEFORE SHE AND TJ TAKE THE PICTURE, AND THE CYBORG COSPLAYER THANKS THEM. AS THEY WALK OFF, CESSILY SAYS THAT SHE THINKS THAT THE ELASTI-WOMAN WAS A MUTANT, AND SO WERE THE ROBOTMAN AND MADAME ROUGE COSPLAYERS. TJ SAYS THAT IT MAKES SENSE, SINCE HERE, MUTANTS FIT IN ALONGSIDE PEOPLE WHO USUALLY SEEM LIKE WEIRDOS. CLARICE SMILES AND TELLS THEM THAT IT’S TIME TO GET THEIR CON ON AND THEY ALL CHEER.

WE THEN BEGIN A MONTAGE AS THEY EXPLORE THE CON WHILE ‘BEST DAY OF MY LIFE’ BY AMERICAN AUTHORS PLAYS. DURING THAT, WE SEE TJ POSING FOR A SELFIE WITH SOMEONE DRESSED AS POISON IVY, MORPH LOOKS AT HIS PHONE FOR THE MAP, AND THE GROUP ENTERS THE SHOPPING AREA WITH EXCITEMENT. WE THEN SEE CLARICE BUYING A PRIDE T-SHIRT, MORPH BUYING A SAGA FUNKO POP, CESSILY GETTING HER COPY OF ZOMBIE TRAMP SIGNED BY AN UNSEEN ARTIST, AMONG OTHER THINGS.

MEANWHILE, JOSH FINDS LAURIE CRYING BY THE LAKE, AND HE TRIES TO ASSURE HER THAT IT’S NOT WHAT SHE THINKS. LAURIE TELLS HIM TO SHOVE IT, SAYING THAT SHE’S BEEN CRUSHING ON HIM FOR SO LONG AND SHE’S BEEN WORRIED THAT HE WOULDN’T HAVE LIKED HER WITHOUT HER POWERS, BUT WHEN SHE FINALLY ASKS HIM OUT, SHE FINDS OUT THAT HE’S BEEN CHEATING ON HER, AND SHE REFUSES TO BELIEVE ANYTHING ELSE HE SAYS.

JOSH: LAURIE, THAT ARTICLE WAS FAKED. RAHNE BROKE UP WITH ME BEFORE THE DANCE! HELL, IT WAS EVEN BEFORE JAY TRIED TO SET US UP! I LOVE YOU, LAURIE! I PROMISE!

LAURIE: GO AWAY, JOSH.

JOSH: LAURIE, PLEASE, YOU GOTTA BELIEVE ME!

LAURIE: I SAID… GO AWAY!

SUDDENLY, A YELLOW ESSENCE RISES FROM LAURIE’S BODY AND HER EYES GLOW YELLOW. JOSH LOOKS AT HER IN FEAR BEFORE RUNNING AWAY, LEAVING LAURIE ALL ALONE. EVENTUALLY, JOSH RUNS INTO THE GARDEN BEFORE COLLAPSING, OUT OF BREATH. SOFIA WALKS UP TO HIM AND ASKS HIM IF SHE TOOK IT WELL.

JOSH: SHE’S STILL ANGRY. SHE USED HER FEAR PHEROMONES ON ME. I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW SHE COULD DO THAT. UGH, I’M IN DEEP SHIT. SOFIA, WHAT AM I GONNA DO?

ROXY WALKS UP TO JOSH AND TELLS HIM THAT IT’S OKAY. SHE TRUSTS HIM AS A TEAMMATE AND A FRIEND AND WHEN JOSH ASKS WHAT THEY SHOULD DO NOW, SOFIA SAYS THAT THEY SHOULD HIDE BEFORE SOMEONE FINDS THEM. WITH THAT, THEY WALK AWAY, KEVIN WATCHING IN SECRET. SUDDENLY, A HAND GRABS KEVIN’S ARM AND HE TURNS AROUND TO SEE MONET AND ALANI GLARING AT HIM.

MONET: WHAT THE FUCK, FORD?

KEVIN: WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

MONET: I KNOW YOU LIED TO TREVOR. THAT WAS WAY OUT OF LINE.

ALANI: YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE DONE THAT, KEV. YOU HUMILIATED JOSH AND LAURIE IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL. THAT’S NOT WHAT WE DO.

KEVIN: RIGHT. INSTEAD, WE TRY TO MAKE PEOPLE JEALOUS AT DANCES AND TRY TO FUCK SOMEONE IN THE ASTRAL PLANE. YOU GUYS ARE SUCH HYPOCRITES! YOU’RE JUST AS GUILTY AS ME!

MONET: WE’VE OWNED UP TO OUR MISTAKES. WE KNOW WHAT WE DID WAS WRONG, AND YOU… YOU DON’T FEEL BAD, DO YOU?

KEVIN: OF COURSE NOT! I’VE KNOWN LAURIE LONGER THAN HIM! I’VE ALWAYS LOVED HER! HE DOESN’T DESERVE SOMEONE LIKE HER, BUT SHE’D NEVER GO FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME! SOMEONE WHO CAN’T ACT ON THEIR FEELINGS! SO WHAT IF I LIED? AS LONG AS I TAUGHT HIM A LESSON, I DON’T CARE! SHE BELONGS WITH ME! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE ME!

ALANI: KEVIN, WE DO. WE CAN HELP YOU.

KEVIN: GO FUCK YOURSELVES IN THE FACE. I DON’T NEED YOUR HELP.

MONET: FORD, IF YOU WALK AWAY, YOU’RE OFF THE TEAM. I MEAN IT. YOUR TIME WITH THE HELLIONS WILL BE OVER. YOU’LL BE A PATHETIC LOSER AND A BULLY JUST LIKE YOU ALWAYS WERE.

KEVIN: CHOKE ON A SANDPAPER COCK, ST. CROIX. I DON’T NEED YOU OR ANYONE ELSE.

WITH THAT, KEVIN WALKS OFF AND ALANI TURNS TO A FURIOUS MONET, A WORRIED LOOK ON HER FACE. SHE ASKS MONET WHAT THEY SHOULD DO NOW, AND SHE TELLS ALANI THAT SHE HEARD HIM; HE’S ON HIS OWN.

MEANWHILE, JOSH, SOFIA, AND ROXY ENTER ROXY AND MEGAN’S ROOM. SOFIA LAYS DOWN ON MEGAN’S BED WHILE JOSH WRINGS HIS HANDS IN DESPAIR. ROXY ASSURES HIM THAT SHE KNOWS HE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG, BUT JOSH IS UPSET OVER THE FACT THAT LAURIE HATES HIM NOW. SOFIA TELLS HIM THAT IT’S OKAY. THEY BELIEVE HIM AND SOON, EVERYONE ELSE WILL TOO. BUT FIRST, THEY NEED TO KNOW WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

SUDDENLY, A POUNDING SOUND IS HEARD AND ROXY CURSES, SAYING THAT SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW SOMEONE FOLLOWING THEM. SHE GOES TO THE DOOR, BUT NO ONE IS THERE. SHE THEN TURNS AROUND AND SEES MEGAN KNOCKING AT THE WINDOWSILL, TELLING ROXY TO LET HER IN.

SOFIA: HOW LONG BEFORE SHE REALIZES IT’S NOT A DOOR?

ROXY: THIS WOULDN’T BE THE FIRST TIME.

MEGAN: *MUFFLED* LET ME IN! A CAT WITH A SUSPICIOUSLY HUMAN FACE IS LOOKING AT ME!

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE CON, CESSILY IS BROWSING THROUGH SOME HALF-PRICE GRAPHIC NOVELS WHEN SHE BUMPS INTO A REDHEADED GIRL IN A PINK COSTUME WITH A SKIRT, BOOTS AND A MASK. THE GIRL APOLOGIZES AND INTRODUCES HERSELF AS PANDORA AND SHE COMPLIMENTS CESSILY’S COSTUME. CESSILY SMILES AND ASKS WHAT SHE’S DRESSED AS AND PANDORA TELLS HER THAT SHE’S DRESSED AS HER OWN ORIGINAL SUPERHERO, THE IMP. CESSILY COMPLIMENTS HER OUTFIT AND ASKS HER IF THIS IS HER FIRST CONVENTION.

PANDORA: YEAH. ME AND MY TWIN BROTHER LOVE COMICS BUT WE’VE HARDLY EVER GONE UNTIL NOW. RORY’S A BIT OF A SUPERHERO NUT, SO I CAME UP WITH MY COSTUME WHEN HE DECIDED TO GO ORIGINAL TOO.

CESSILY: YOU LOOK AWESOME. HOPE YOU HAVE FUN.

WITH THAT, CESSILY WALKS OFF, WITH PANDORA WATCHING HER WITH INTRIGUE. THE CLERK AT THE BOOTH, A REDHEAD NAMED SAMANTHA, ASKS PANDORA WHO SHE WAS TALKING TO, AND SHE TELLS HER THAT SHE’S SOMEONE THEY MIGHT CONSIDER CHECKING ON FROM TIME TO TIME.

MEANWHILE, JOSH SITS IN AN OFFICE CHAIR WHILE ROXY AND SOFIA SIT ON ROXY’S BED, OBSERVING. MEGAN IS SITTING ON HER BED, PAYING ATTENTION WHILE SNUGGLING WITH ONE OF HER STUFFED ANIMALS, MISTER DOGBEAR.

MEGAN: SO, YOU AND MISS SINCLAIR WERE SECRET LOVERS, INDULGING AND REVELING IN YOUR SECRET SIN.

JOSH: NO! WE HAD A NOTHING RESEMBLING SEX RULE. A NO-SEX RULE.

ROXY: WE GET IT. NOW, START FROM THE BEGINNING.

JOSH THEN PROCEEDS TO TELL THEM HOW HE HARDLY FIT IN WHEN HE ARRIVED AT XAVIER’S OVER THE SUMMER. BEFORE HE FOUND OUT HE WAS A MUTANT, HE WAS A PART OF A GROUP OF MUTANT HUNTERS CALLED THE REAVERS, WHICH GAVE HIM A LOT OF FLAK AMONG THE STUDENTS. BUT EVENTUALLY, HE FOUND A KINDRED SPIRIT IN RAHNE SINCLAIR, WHO WAS GOING THROUGH A LOT OF STUFF AT THAT TIME. THEY STARTED DATING IN SECRET EVEN THROUGH SHE SIGNED ON AS A TEACHER’S ASSISTANT, BUT SHE STARTED TO FEEL LIKE WHAT THEY WERE DOING WAS WRONG, SO SHE BROKE UP WITH HIM BEFORE LEAVING THE SCHOOL. JOSH WAS DEPRESSED FOR A WHILE UNTIL HE MET LAURIE AND HE REALIZED THAT SHE WAS THE ONE FOR HIM.

SOFIA: SO SHE DUMPED YOU BEFORE YOU MET LAURIE?

JOSH: YEAH. I… I DIDN’T WANT TO TELL HER WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT HER TO FEEL LIKE A BOOBY PRIZE OR A REBOUND. I LOVE LAURIE. MORE THAN ANYTHING.

ROXY NODS, AND TELLS JOSH THAT IT WOULD HELP THEM OUT IF HE COULD TELL THEM IF HE KNOWS WHO SENT THE TIP TO THE GAZETTE. JOSH SAYS THAT HE CAN’T TELL THEM AND DESPITE THEIR PROTESTS, HE INSISTS THAT HE CAN’T. HE LOVES LAURIE, BUT HE REALLY CAN’T TELL THEM WHO SENT THE TIP.

SOFIA: MAYBE YOU CAN’T, BUT I KNOW WHO CAN. COME ON, ROXY!

AS SOFIA AND ROXY LEAVE THE ROOM, ROXY ASKS HER WHO SHE THINKS CAN HELP THEM. SOFIA SAYS THAT FIRST, THEY NEED SOME KIND OF LIE DETECTOR, AND THEN, THEY NEED TO DRESS IN SOME STEALTH CLOTHES. ROXY ASKS HER AGAIN WHO SHE HAS IN MIND, AND SOFIA TELLS HER THAT THERE’S ONLY ONE PERSON WHO HAS EYES ALL OVER THE SCHOOL. AND ALL OVER HIS BODY.

MEANWHILE, CLARICE IS ON A TERRACE OVERLOOKING THE CITY. TJ COMES IN FROM THE CONVENTION AND SAYS THAT SHE FOUND A BOOTH THAT SOLD DISCOUNTED MARIA LLOVET GRAPHIC NOVELS. SHE THEN GOES THROUGH WHICH ONES ARE FOR HER AND WHICH ONES ARE FOR CLARICE, CESSILY, AND SOFIA EVEN THOUGH SHE DIDN’T COME TO THE CON BEFORE NOTICING CLARICE’S FARAWAY LOOK.

TJ: PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?

CLARICE: I WAS JUST WONDERING IF I’M DOING THE RIGHT THING. SOFIA HAS HER HANDS FULL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT’S GOING ON WITH KEVIN AND I JUST GET A HAIRCUT AND SOME FACIAL TATTOOS AND GO TO A CON. IS THAT WHAT GOOD GIRLFRIENDS DO? I KNOW I HAVE SOME APOCALYPSE DNA INSIDE ME, BUT DOES THAT MEAN I’M A BAD PERSON? AND IF I AM, I’M WORRIED THAT I’M GONNA HURT SOFIA. TEEJ, I’M WORRIED.

TJ: I’M SORRY, CLARICE. BUT BELIEVE ME, I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT I’M FROM ANOTHER REALITY, HUH? I’M THE DAUGHTER OF NIGHTCRAWLER AND SCARLET WITCH, WHICH MEANS THAT I’M ALSO THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF MYSTIQUE AND MAGNETO. SOMETIMES, I WONDER IF I’M REALLY LIKE MY GRANDPARENTS, BUT I REALIZE THAT MY MOM AND DAD HAVE PROVEN THEMSELVES TO BE BETTER THAN THEIR PARENTS AND SO HAVE I, BY PROXY. YOUR DAD WAS A GOOD MAN, SO THAT MEANS THAT THERE’S MORE NON-EVIL GENES IN YOU THAN THERE ARE EVIL ONES. YOU’RE A GOOD PERSON, CLARICE. I KNOW IT.

CLARICE CRACKS A SMILE AND THEN NOTICES MORPH FIXING HIS LIPSTICK WHILE CESSILY GETS A SWAG BAG FROM A BOOTH. SHE TELLS TJ THAT SHE HAS A POINT AND THAT SHE KNOWS SOFIA CAN TAKE CARE OF HERSELF, OTHERWISE, SHE WOULDN’T HAVE PERSUADED CLARICE TO GO. THE GIRLS SMILE AND WALK BACK INTO THE CON AS CLARICE SAYS THAT SOFIA HAS THINGS COVERED.

MEANWHILE, ROXY, DRESSED IN A BLACK CROP TOP AND LEGGINGS WAITS OUTSIDE THE LOUNGE WHERE SHE FINDS SOFIA IN A MIX OF GOTH AND BDSM GEAR. SHE IMMEDIATELY ASKS SOFIA IF THAT’S NECESSARY AND SHE SAYS THAT THEY’RE THE ONLY BLACK CLOTHES SHE HAS. ROXY CAN’T HELP BUT COMPLIMENT SOFIA’S SKIRT AND CORSET WHILE LAURA MAKES HER WAY OVER TO THEM, SAYING THAT SHE GOT THEIR TEXT. WITH THAT, THEY HEAD OVER TO TREVOR’S NEWSROOM.

TREVOR IS GLAD TO SEE THEM AND ASKS IF THEY HAVE ANY NEWS FOR HIM, BUT SOFIA ISN’T WILLING TO BE DISTRACTED BY GREETINGS AND TELLS TREVOR THAT SHE’S HERE TO TALK ABOUT HIS LATEST HEADLINE. BEFORE TREVOR CAN SING HIS OWN PRAISES, ROXY TELLS HIM THAT HE WAS CONNED.

TREVOR: NO WAY. YOU GUYS ARE PUNKING ME.

ROXY: NO, TREV. THAT STORY ABOUT JOSH AND LAURIE WAS FAKED. JOSH DID DATE RAHNE SINCLAIR, BUT IT WAS BEFORE HIM AND LAURIE STARTED DATING.

SOFIA: YOU REALIZE WHAT THAT STORY DID, RIGHT? JOSH FEELS TERRIBLE. HE’S HIDING IN ROXY’S ROOM TO AVOID QUESTIONS AND INSULTS AND LAURIE REFUSES TO COME OUT OF HER ROOM AT ALL. THIS COULD RUIN THE BOTH OF THEM.

TREVOR: I’M… I’M SORRY. I HAD NO IDEA.

LAURA: HE’S TELLING THE TRUTH.

TREVOR BURIES HIS HEAD IN HIS HANDS, CURSING HIMSELF FOR FALLING FOR FAKE RUMORS AND GOING AGAINST THE CODE OF THE REPORTER. SOFIA COMFORTS HIM AND SAYS THAT SHE FORGIVES HIM, AND SO WILL LAURIE AND JOSH, HOPEFULLY. BUT ALL HE HAS TO DO IS TELL THEM WHO GAVE HIM THE TIP.

TREVOR: I… WELL, THIS ALSO GOES AGAINST THE REPORTER CODE, BUT I WANNA MAKE THINGS RIGHT.

SOFIA: JUST TELL US WHO SENT THE TIP.

TREVOR: IT… IT WAS WITHER. IT WAS KEVIN FORD. HE TOLD ME THE…

LAURA: HE’S TELLING THE TRUTH.

ROXY: I FIGURED. WOW, SOFIA. WE REALLY DIDN’T NEED HER AFTER ALL.

SOFIA: NO TIME TO CHAT! I HEAR KEVIN IN THE QUAD! LET’S GO!

WITH THAT, THE DUO RUN OUT OF THE ROOM AND LAURA AND TREVOR LOOK AT EACH OTHER AWKWARDLY.

LATER, KEVIN CAN BE SEEN WALKING DOWN THE QUAD WHEN SOFIA AND ROXY APPEAR IN FRONT OF HIM. HE INNOCENTLY ASKS THEM WHAT THEY WANT, BUT ROXY YELLS AT HIM, SAYING THAT THEY KNOW HE MADE UP THE RUMOR THAT JOSH WAS CHEATING ON LAURIE. KEVIN SCOFFS BUT SOFIA TELLS HIM THAT TREVOR TOLD THEM THE TRUTH, AND THERE’S PROBABLY GOING TO BE AN ARTICLE THE NEXT DAY ON HOW HE TRICKED HIM, LAURIE, AND THE ENTIRE SCHOOL.

KEVIN: OKAY, SO I LIED! SO WHAT?! IT WAS WORTH IT TO RUIN JOSH’S LIFE! HE DOESN’T DESERVE LAURIE AND HE KNOWS IT! I KNEW HER LONGER! I PAID ATTENTION TO HER! SHE BELONGS WITH ME!

VOICE: KEVIN?

ALL OF A SUDDEN, LAURIE APPEARS WITH JOSH AND MEGAN. LAURIE LOOKS SHOCKED, ASKING KEVIN IF WHAT HE SAID WAS TRUE. KEVIN STARES AT HER AS ROXY TELLS HIM THAT HIS SECRET’S OUT. LAURIE’S EYES FILL WITH TEARS AS KEVIN TRIES TO REASON WITH HER.

LAURIE: HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?! KEVIN, YOU WERE MY BEST FRIEND AND YOU… DID THIS?! WHY COULDN’T YOU HAVE BEEN HAPPY FOR ME?! WHY COULDN’T YOU HAVE JUST BEEN A GOOD FRIEND AND SUPPORTED ME INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BREAK US UP?! YOU’RE SO… SO SELFISH!

KEVIN: I’M SELFISH?! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO CHOSE A MEATHEAD INSTEAD OF ME!

LAURIE: I DON’T LIKE YOU LIKE THAT, KEVIN! YOU WERE ALWAYS A FRIEND TO ME! JUST A FRIEND! BUT NOT ANYMORE! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! I… I HATE YOU!

FOR A WHILE, EVERYTHING IS SILENT WHILE ROXY WHISPERS TO SOFIA THAT THAT WAS COLD. KEVIN GLARES AT JOSH, LAURIE, AND SOFIA BEFORE REMOVING HIS LEFT GLOVE AND BEGINNING TO CHARGE AT JOSH.

KEVIN: YOU DID THIS… YOU TOOK HER FROM ME! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!

LAURIE: KEVIN! NO!

LAURIE IMMEDIATELY DASHES IN BETWEEN THEM AND JUST AS KEVIN REACHES TOWARD JOSH, LAURIE INTERVENES AND KEVIN’S BARE HAND GRASPS HER WRIST INSTEAD. LAURIE SCREAMS AS THE FLESH ON HER HAND STARTS TO WITHER. SOFIA YELLS AT HIM TO STOP, BUT KEVIN’S EYES BLAZE WITH RAGE. HIS GRIP INTENSIFIES AS HE’S BLINDED BY HATRED. SOFIA IMMEDIATELY RUNS FORWARD AND SHOVES KEVIN, FORCING HIM TO LET GO OF LAURIE. HE SCREAMS IN RAGE AND TRIES TO HIT HER, BUT SHE TACKLES HIM TO THE GROUND.

SOFIA: KEVIN! STOP! OPEN YOUR EYES! YOU’RE HURTING ME! YOU’RE HURTING LAURIE! JUST STOP!

KEVIN’S EYES SUDDENLY GO BACK TO NORMAL AND SOFIA GETS OFF HIM AS HE LOOKS AT LAURIE IN DISMAY. LAURIE IS SOBBING, BUT SHE’S LOOKING AT KEVIN WITH CONCERN AND WORRY. JOSH RUNS TO LAURIE’S SIDE AS SOFIA STARES KEVIN DOWN. KEVIN IMMEDIATELY STANDS UP AND RUNS OFF, WITH LAURIE CALLING HIM. SOFIA ASKS LAURIE IF SHE’S OKAY, AND JOSH SAYS THAT HE’LL TAKE HER TO THE MEDBAY. SOFIA LOOKS AROUND AND SAYS THAT SHE’S GOING TO SPEAK TO DANI AND THEN FIND KEVIN.

LATER, LAURIE SITS ON A COT IN THE MEDBAY AS BEAST WRAPS HER HAND IN A CAST. AS HE WALKS OUT OF THE ROOM TO GET HER A LOLLIPOP, JOSH WALKS IN, ASKING IF SHE’S OKAY. LAURIE NODS, SAYING THAT KEVIN ONLY GOT MOST OF HER HAND, BUT BEAST HAS SUGGESTED GIVING HER PAINKILLERS. JOSH SUGGESTS HEALING HER, BUT WHEN HE PLACES HER HAND ON LAURIE’S CAST, NOTHING HAPPENS. JOSH IMMEDIATELY BREAKS DOWN IN TEARS, CALLING HIMSELF A FAILURE FOR BEING UNABLE TO HEAL HER OR HELP HER.

LAURIE: JOSH, I’M FINE. I DON’T…

JOSH: NO, I SHOULD’VE BEEN HONEST WITH YOU FROM THE START. I DIDN’T WANT TO HURT YOU, BUT IF I’D TOLD YOU ABOUT RAHNE, THIS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED. I HURT YOU. THIS IS ALL MY FAULT.

LAURIE SMILES AND HOLDS HIS HAND, APOLOGIZING FOR NOT HEARING HIM OUT EARLIER, AND TELLS HIM THAT SHE WANTS HIM TO TELL HER ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. HE TELLS HER THAT SHE BASICALLY ALREADY KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED FROM MEGAN, BUT LAURIE SAYS THAT SHE WANTS TO HEAR IT FROM HIM.

JOSH: RAHNE… WAS A PART OF MY LIFE THAT I DON’T LIKE TO THINK ABOUT. WE WERE DATING WHEN I WAS CERTAIN THAT NO ONE WOULD WANNA BE MY FRIEND BECAUSE OF MY PAST. BUT THAT WAS WRONG. RAHNE CALLED ME OUT ON IT AND DUMPED ME AND I WAS ABLE TO SEE THAT SHE WAS JUST A WAY TO RUN FROM MY PROBLEMS AND ACT LIKE THE JERK THAT I THOUGHT PEOPLE SAW ME AS. BUT YOU HELPED ME. I… I LOVE YOU, LAURIE. I CAN’T IMAGINE A LIFE WITHOUT YOU. RAHNE… SHE MEANT NOTHING TO ME. YOU… I LOVE…

LAURIE KISSES HIM, WHICH SHUTS HIM UP. AS HE LEANS INTO IT, ‘I GET TO LOVE YOU’ BY RUELLE PLAYS AS LAURIE TELLS JOSH THAT IT’S OKAY. SHE FORGIVES HIM. THEY CONTINUE TO KISS AS THE CAMERA FADES INTO THE NEXT SCENE. WE SEE SOFIA WALKING OVER TO KEVIN’S ROOM, WHICH SHE FINDS COMPLETELY EMPTY. THE ONLY THING LEFT IS A NOTE ON HIS BED. SOFIA PICKS IT UP AND HEADS BACK OVER TO HER ROOM BEFORE READING IT.

NOTE: SOFIA, YOU’LL PROBABLY WONDER WHY I’M WRITING TO YOU AND NOT JOSH AND LAURIE. THAT’S BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE BEST IF I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING TO THEM FOR A WHILE. OR AT ALL. I REALLY DIDN’T MEAN TO CAUSE ALL THAT PAIN AND I DIDN’T MEAN TO HURT LAURIE, BUT IN RETROSPECT, IT’S PROBABLY A GOOD THING, BECAUSE IT REMINDED ME THAT I REALLY DON’T FIT IN HERE. I PUT IN FOR A TRANSFER TO THE LATVERIAN SCHOOL OF SCIENCE. I FEEL LIKE THAT WOULD BE A BETTER FIT FOR ME. AND IN A WAY, SOFIA, I SHOULD THANK YOU. YOU REMINDED ME THAT I HAVE A DARKNESS INSIDE ME. A HUNGER. SOME PART OF ME THAT WANTS TO DESTROY THE WORLD. AND THE LONGER I STAY AT XAVIER’S, THE LESS SAFE PEOPLE AROUND ME ARE. SO I NEED TO LEAVE. PLEASE DON’T TELL JOSH AND LAURIE. I DON’T WANT TO HURT THEM. BECAUSE THAT’S ALL I FEEL LIKE I’M CAPABLE OF DOING; HURTING PEOPLE. GOODBYE, SOFIA, AND THANKS FOR REMINDING ME THAT I DON’T FIT IN HERE. MAYBE I DON’T FIT IN ANYWHERE. THANK YOU FOR SHOWING ME THAT. KEVIN.

SOFIA IMMEDIATELY BREAKS DOWN IN TEARS AFTER READING THE NOTE. SHE DROPS TO THE GROUND AND CRIES HER HEART OUT AS THE MUSIC CONTINUES TO PLAY. CLARICE ENTERS, TELLING SOFIA TO TURN ON THE TV, BECAUSE THEY’RE GOING TO WATCH TOTAL DRAMA UNTIL THE SUN COMES UP. SHE IMMEDIATELY STOPS WHEN SHE SEES SOFIA CRYING AND BENDS DOWN TO PUT A HAND ON HER SHOULDER.

CLARICE: BABE? ARE YOU OKAY? DID YOU WATCH THE SERIES FINALE OF DOOM PATROL AGAIN?

SOFIA LOOKS UP AT HER BEFORE LEANING INTO CLARICE’S ARMS.

SOFIA: DON’T TALK. JUST HOLD ME.

CLARICE WRAPS HER ARMS AROUND SOFIA’S TREMBLING BODY AND STROKES HER HAIR AS SOFIA SOBS VIOLENTLY. SHE SHUSHES SOFIA AND ASSURES HER THAT EVERYTHING’S GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT. THE CAMERA ZOOMS OUT ON THE TWO BROKENHEARTED LOVERS AS THE SONG CONCLUDES.

WE THEN CUT TO ONE FINAL SCENE AS KEVIN WAITS FOR HIS PLANE TO LATVERIA. A WOMAN SITS NEXT TO HIM AND WE SEE THAT SHE’S EXTREMELY PALE WITH LONG DARK HAIR AND A BLACK SATIN DRESS. KEVIN SIGHS BEFORE ASKING HER IF SHE’S BEEN TO LATVERIA BEFORE, AND SHE RESPONDS, SHOCKING HIM BY CALLING HIM BY HIS FULL NAME.

KEVIN: H-HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?

WOMAN: OH, I KNOW EVERYTHING, KEVIN. I KNOW ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL DISCOURAGED AFTER HAVING YOUR HEART BROKEN. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE HIT ROCK BOTTOM. LIKE YOU’RE A MONSTER WHO WANTS TO BREAK THE WORLD. BUT I CAN HELP YOU. YOU CAN UNLOCK YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL WITH MY GUIDANCE. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU CAN TAKE REVENGE ON JOSHUA FOLEY, SOFIA MANTEGA, AND THE REST OF THE X-MEN. BUT IF YOU GET ON THAT PLANE, I CANNOT HELP YOU. MAKE YOUR CHOICE, KEVIN FORD.

KEVIN LOOKS AT THE BEAUTIFUL WOMAN BEFORE GRABBING HIS SUITCASE AND ACCEPTING HER INVITATION. SHE CLUTCHES HIS HAND AND THEY WALK OUT THE AIRPORT TOGETHER.

KEVIN: SO WHAT’S YOUR NAME?

WOMAN: I HAVE MANY NAMES. BUT YOU MAY CALL ME… SELENE.

WE THEN FOCUS ON THE WOMAN AS HER PLUMP BLACK LIPS PART, REVEALING A SET OF VAMPIRIC FANGS. THE EPISODE ENDS WITH THE TWO OF THEM WALKING AWAY, KEVIN NOT KNOWING WHAT HE’S IN FOR OR WHERE HIS FATE LIES BASED ON HIS CHOICE. EERIE MUSIC PLAYS AS THE EPISODE CONCLUDES.

[taiblogcomics]

Half-Assed and Half Done

Hey there, razor blades in the candy. It's Halloween! I'm here to give you the biggest scare I can think of: the knowledge that we're only halfway through Countdown. Are you terrified yet??

Here's the cover:

Oh yeah, I haven't been coy about this at all, but the halfway point is where the comic finally reveals what it's counting down to. It's the only part of "I'm replicating reading this from week to week" that I haven't tried to hide. Mostly coz ultimately it won't even matter! I'm still just gonna call it Countdown in running text for simplicity. Anyway, here's a cool poster of the Monitor. Probably Solomon? Does it matter? Does it do anything for anybody? Off to a great spooky start for Halloween, eh~?

Halfway point recap! The Multiverse Crew are half-dead from Monarch's attack. Jimmy Olsen is half-dressed on his adventure with Forager. Pied Piper and Trickster are half-lucky having just escaped the Suicide Squad yet again. Karate Kid and Una are half-desperate chasing yet another lead to cure his disease. Mary Marvel is half-gone down her turn to evil under Eclipso's tutelage. And Holly Robinson and Harley Quinn are half-exhausted when their training camp turns out to have military prison overtones. Sadly, we're not half done this review yet, so let's get into it!

So how do we celebrate this, the precise halfway point of our long ongoing maxiseries? Well, it's mostly a recap issue. Oh boy! If you didn't think comics could have clipshows, I am here to disabuse you of this notion. Yes, all but the last few pages are of Solomon addressing his fellow Monitors on the whole of the situation. Mayhaps this will finally inspire them to do something? Also, we get a group shot of all these Monitors, and if they're meant to represent their respective universes, I wonder which universes the tiny Monitor represents. Or the bug-faced one.

A noseless female Monitor says Solomon hasn't presented any evidence that all these events link together to form a multiversal disaster they should care about. Solomon's retorts that they're only seeing things from the limited perspective of their own universes, whereas only he has the big brain to see the 52 universes as a collective. He uses the evidence of Crisis on Infinite Earths as his proof. Once, after all, there was only one Monitor. But then the universes eroded and now they're split into 52 separate beings. Isn't that worse, he asks. Well, the readers sure think so, so maybe he has a point~

Solomon warns that they now stand on the brink of another such multiversal cataclysm. And sorry, but no. Obviously they didn't know it at the time, but Final Crisis was hardly on the level of its two previous Crises of the Infinite variety. (It was also hardly "Final", but if Final Fantasy gets away with that 16 times, we'll let it slide here too.) Like, Final Crisis was a big deal. But it didn't have any multiverse-threatening consequences. The threats were all pretty Earth-localised, from what I remember. Ah, the benefits of hindsight.

Anyways, Solomon starts banging on about Monarch being the biggest problem, with his dipping into other universes to recruit his army. One Monitor even points out that they made Forerunner, and she defected to Monarch's side. And since she's been his herald to each of these universes, isn't this kind of their fault? So between Forerunner and the recruits from Earth-3, he could easily set himself up as the literal Monarch of the entire multiverse. Or, perhaps a single unified reality made from his conquests.

Another Monitor points out this doesn't prove anything, and Solomon then turns his attention to the New Gods threat. You know, if they all die, it could bring about the end of the Fourth World? And that was something Final Crisis was about. They had to kill the New Gods twice just to get to the story where they actually were meant to die. Anyways, Solomon posits that the serial murders of the New Gods are a deliberate act, which I suppose stands to reason. Like, he means it as i to subvert a prophecy, but his word choice was weird. "The New Gods are dying! Not as fortold, but a deliberate act!" So really, it's not that they're dying that bothers you, just the method.

In one of the only times other characters besides the Monitors do something in this issue, Forager and Jimmy Olsen warp in onto Apokalips and start battling Parademons. This naturally shows a very strong display of Jimmy's survival-based powers, and Solomon submits for their approval that whatever force has empowered Jimmy to such a degree clearly has an interest in seeing him survive the coming Crisis. The other Monitors murmur among themselves about these facts, which is just another iteration of "Should we do something?"

So following that, Solomon next brings up the big point: their wayward fellow Monitor, the one dubbed "Bob". Now he's the one Solomon is actually big mad about. And while Solomon is ranting about how dare Bob help the multiversally doomed in their search for the oft-rumoured Ray Palmer instead of standing against them, it actually picks up in the background where last issue left off: Jason Todd having shot Donna Troy, while Kyle Rayner attacks him in retaliation. Literally, something that should've been a major focus is just shown in a few frames in the background while Solomon narrates over it.

Anyway, Solomon posits that Bob is the worst because, while nobody else truly knows that their actions will lead to an alleged multiversal crisis, their brother most certainly does. This makes it their mission to stand against him in particular. The Monitors, the eternal observers, must now do something. In fact, they must go to war! What is it good for? Absolutely nothin', but slowly the various other Monitors begin to agree. And they all start cheering "United as one!" while pumping their fists in the air, all while Solomon stares down at them, smirking like a jerk.

Meanwhile, on the monitors (the screens the guys are watching, not the guys themselves), Bob breaks up the fight between Jason and Kyle and teleports them out. Kyle's still steamed, but not as much as Donna, which is fair since she was the one who got shot. She belts Jason in the stomach, then kicks him in the back of the head. Having read Red Hood and the Outlaws for many years for this blog, that's pretty satisfying. Not satisfying to make up for the dumb part that follows it, but pretty good.

And ah yes, said dumb part. Kyle marvels that Donna is up and around, and Bob reveals that her feigning unconsciousness was to let them mask an escape in the confusion. Donna then says it doesn't make up for Jason having shot her. Except she doesn't use his name, she instead makes a portmanteau of his last name (Todd) with the R-slur. Use your imagination, I won't write it out. Kyle follows this with a dumb grin and "Ha! Good one, Donna." Which, no, it wasn't. This is out of character for both of them, and while that word was in more common use back in 2007, it's still pretty offensive for a superhero to say.

Bob interjects, having just sensed his brethren uniting as one, and rushes them to teleport again, insisting finding Ray Palmer became all the more urgent. And while they warp out again, we cut back to Earth-15. You remember, that "perfect Earth" from a few issues back? Some caped individual dressed in black (no, not Batman) is beating the hell out of Lex Luthor, ranting on and on about what he wanted to do, what Lex failed to do. Lex, bleeding and trembling, asks what it was he was supposed to have done. And said figure tells him that he could've made the universe perfect.

Anyway, after that strong bit of foreshadowing, the Monitors are no longer in their base, but zipping around in a big spherical space station. You know, a Death Star. Great look, Solomon! They're still talking, debating where to strike first. And of course, the big question to this is, who has the most to gain from a big multiversal dustup? This ends the comic by showing Darkseid in his own quarters, standing around in contemplation, and showing his big action figure collection all over his chessboard. Hmm, who indeed~?

Well, this issue sucked. Like, it would've been kind of bland as a regular issue, but instead it's the comic equivalent of a clipshow while Solomon rants at us for almost 20 pages. This might be the comic where the fewest things actually happen, and one of the only things that does happen is Donna Troy using an ableist slur. So, you know, not a great issue!

[programbounda]

( yeah these are just gonna be lazy Doodles really but uh. i love Two Brothers @exitimachina )

[dimepdf]

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐄𝐌𝐌𝐘 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒. + 𝐉𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐇 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐍

masterlist. / taglist. / any request? synopsis. Y/n and Joseph treating Jimmy Kimmel like the clown he was.

pairing. joseph quinn x reader

genre and warnings. fem reader, black coded, 2022 Emmys, couple fluff, established relationship, social media au | —  i tried to power through the Emmys stream for this fanfic....yeahh babe i turned that shit off instantly.

Joseph Quinn and Y/n L/n together at the 2022 Emmys.

Stars from every niche and corner arrived out and about for the 2022 Emmy Awards this year, strutting across the red carpet with their dashing and gorgeous looks.

Y/n/L/n not only won an Emmy for her well-deserved supporting role in Stranger Things, but she also showed up on the red carpet with her co-star and boyfriend, Joseph Quinn. 

Her iconic dress is already one of many to trend, making a statement in her gem covered leg brace, the actress was known for going all out when it came to her unexpected fashion sense.

Arriving on the carpet in a Dolce & Gabbana black and golden studded train that trailed from her deep open back cut, the beads were arranged in a stunning pattern that was copied onto Joseph’s suit jacket. Just another iconic matching outfit added to the couple's archive. 

Sadly, the auburn hair stage was missed, settling with a much more tamed dark brown as her hair was styled into a cute side with two golden hair clips parted into a bob with thick curls that flared up at their ends.

The power in this couple never fails to turn heads! Joseph Quinn and Y/n L/n looked positively smitten on the Emmys carpet, pausing to gaze into each other's eyes and reminding us why they are one of Hollywood's cutest couples. 

Since the couple is known for their lack of PDA, cameras caught all they could as the two held hands strolling down the carpet smiling and cracking a few jokes as Y/n hobbled down the carpet.

Despite the fact that the Emmys are a complete shambles, from the odd choice dragging on for bits to the awkwardly interrupted winning speeches.

When Y/n L/n accepted her award for supporting actress, despite Jimmy Kimmel laying on the stage beside her feet.

Y/n seemed unbothered by the white man making a fool out of himself for the second time of the night, as she simply started her speech off with: "Some people just don’t have any home training!" apparently a lot of actors agreed as the room partly broke into cheers and shouts of encouragement.

The rest of her speech was not only inspiring for black women in the industry but also apparently just a little too long as her speech was rudely cut short, being shooed off stage by some top flop 90s playlist of songs. 

But with enough time to already be one of the most heartwarming moments as the actress’s smile never seemed to fade as she sat next to Quinn throughout the night, who showed his lady some comfort as his hand was placed around her shoulder the entire time.

Though the couple appears to have skipped the afterparty, with Joseph and Y/n taking their celebration home to tuck in the young star Ellanore L/n just before bedtime.

🔖 @prettyeyedmaureen @hornyavengers @blkroyalty1 @1shyshy1sana @harrycanyonmoonn @freyawhitexxx1 @bucky-daddy-barnes @eldriidd @ycarlii @guitarromantic @lafresamilk @haechaniebom @biggestslutever-1stnamegrea-blog @eddiesbitchx @stitched-mouth @misaamaneswifey @kiszkathecook @imahoforthings @kyyellaxi @hotgirlsshareaccounts @thegirlbeyondtheuniverse @cybergnf @notbeforelong @snailchess @joletown @killjoys-n-whovians @livvie-jpg @mocswift @coldspoons @ragingginger24 @milkiane @ordelixx @alexloveskili @inglourious-imagines @gamegirl1996 @angelsarecallin @cellywatt @delishtequila @shawtywithcash @yazmunson @actual-mom-steve-harrington @tsukishimawhore @corey-is-a-huge-simp @jaydesworld96 @foffaaa @jackierose902109 @disaster-rose @migirl323

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[measuringbliss]

Glee Rewatch 1x20. What's the Glee Club all about, in the end?

At the time I'm writing this, I'm half-comatose because today sucks and I never sleep enough so I guess it's time to continue my rewatch!

Thankfully Principal Figgins is just as delirious as I am as he's very scared of colored hair and sick-ass outfits.

I'm Team Alice by the way. Jasper can join in if he wants.

(Are you confused? This post might enlighten you!)

Figgins's argument against gothic fashion makes just as much sense as my university department's decision to forbid laptops and phones, that is to say, you can easily debunk it and it is mind-numbing that such a person is in charge of, well, anything.

Thankfully this is Glee we're talking, and surely people IRL are much more thoughtful and logical and aren't complete asses, right?

Needless to say, the viewer is supposed to be on Tina's side here and she's absolutely right to scare Figgins away later in the episode by pretending to be a vampire.

Look at them! Burt and Kurt are on the same wavelength (look at the patterns!). That's good to see. The party is deceitful, just like Kurt's behavior towards Finn. There's lights, mirrors, ~ethnic food~ that is actually just tuna, it's artificial, it's trying to make Finn feel welcome, but it doesn't work because it's *too much*, just as Kurt's actions towards Finn. It's too much and it's not going to end well.

I love how the shortage of red lace and tinsel is a clear sign for the Glee Club that Vocal Adrenaline is doing Lady Gaga.

This trio is a very peculiar one. Color-wise, Quinn has been wearing red a lot recently. She's giving me Little Red Riding Hood vibes. Who's the wolf? Society, obviously. Society's gonna try to dry up Quinn's hope and faith to make a mindless zombie of her. Thankfully we all know she ends up marrying Rachel so everything's fine. They both wear blue! Mercedes meanwhile is set apart by wearing black and grey.

As much as I'm not into Shelby as a character, the scene where she sings Funny Girl and Rachel understands she's her mother is very beautiful. It's one of those rare, great Glee moments.

I think Shelby knew Rachel was in the room. She had to know, right? Do you think she decided on the Gaga number specifically so that Rachel would notice and investigate it?

As usual Will and Finn's clothes are very similar in spirit.

I guess this is the part where I mention I was at one of Gaga's Chromatica concerts? I'm no Gaga afficionado but the music was really good! She was very touching too, although I didn't particularly care about her "I play piano and sing" parts but to each their own, right? I enjoyed the experience. It was essentially a Pride Parade.

Anyway Kurt and Tina are rocking those outfits, and Quinn is jealous. Do we need to analyze those outfits? Kurt's is extravagant, you can't miss the pointy shoulders (a play on typical masculine shoulders that are more rounded), open collar (decolletage), the wig (higher status). Tina's is a bit more puzzling because we generally see less of Tina. The diadem is foreshadowing for season 4 (no it's not) and Tina's general development past S2 (no it's not); she's bubbly in this scene in a stark contrast to her goth persona from before. She's a side character who has multiple sides!

Quinn is all in pink! Suits her well, obviously, she looks like a real princess (the dress, the long gloves, the tights and shoes), if a bit rock'n roll-ish, say Louis XIV's court mixed with Interstella 5555. She tries to seem all girly and typical, but there's a strong personality underneath. Also, her spiky thing next to Tina's bubble is certainly a recipe for disaster. Gosh I love her outfit.

Mercedes's outfit is diva-esque but like Kurt there's an emphasis on the shoulders, mixing masculinity and feminity and exagerating it to the point of burlesque. I'm... not very fond of her look but she does rock it.

(Side note please Mike gimme your entire wardrobe.)

Santana's outfit is very precocious in terms of the show, as she hasn't yet developed much of a character but it's *exactly* the aesthetic she goes for later in the series. Dark, showy, sultry, and exceedingly distingued. Very classy.

Brittany's outfit is weird in that "old sci-fi series" department, the kind that is ridiculous. It somehow works on her. I have no idea what the lobster is supposed to mean. Is it astrology-related?

The scene between Finn, Kurt and later Burt is hard to watch. It's sad for everyone involved, but I think it was absolutely necessary. Kurt needed to be told that his behavior was inappropriate and made Finn genuinely uncomfortable. And Finn needed to hear Burt's talk to have a good look at himself.

And you know what? I admire Finn's courage to try and make ammends the next day. The next day! It's one of his characteristics, he's always trying to do his best, even when he's lost. And here, he knows that he was bad and shows himself as more mature than Kurt, who refuses to talk about it.

"I'm proud to be different. It's the best thing about me." is totally something I would say. You can really feel that the writers knew what they were doing with Kurt, he feels real and resonates in a way a lot of other characters simply don't.

Anyway, the episode ends on a cute note! And I personally feel a bit better. Isn't that what the Glee Club is all about?

[b-rainlet]

Tbh, if the new Batman Movie already casts a twink for the riddler - abiding to the law(TM) - but doesn't let him dress like the absolute fashion disaster he is, I feel like anything can happen.

Mark Hamill as Joker. Who said Batman and Joker have to be the same age. His - clearly alluded to be Harley Quinn - Sidekick is a 10 year old girl who's really into gymnastics. No one asks how he required the kid. It's just assumed that's his daughter although they look nothing alike.

Or Teenager Joker. And I don't mean Gotham's 'Let's cast a 25 year old' Teenage Joker, I mean an actual 16 year old. He has voice cracks during his evil speeches. He also has clown gadgets but there's no big fight scene because he always bolts as soon as Batman arrives.

The biggest mayhem he causes is being a fucking nuisance.

[katlyn1948]

Because I can’t seem to get it OUT OF MY HEAD! Here’s something I’ve been working on...it’s no where near ready to be posted on AO3 but I really wanted to share a bit of it. It’s a Gendrya AU based off of Julia Quinn’s “To Sir Philip, With Love.” The story isn’t the same and I’ve changed a few things for the sake of how I want my AU to go, for example there are no correspondence between Arya and Gendry...let me just share what I have so you know what I mean.

Also...let me know if I should continue!!

The Westerosi countryside was a refreshing change of scenery compared to the bustling streets of King’s Landing. Arya had begged her mother for a summer away from the upcoming season, and to much of Catelyn Stark's dismay, she finally conceded and allowed her daughter to skip this year's social season.

Arya had thought they would be staying at their seaside estate, but her mother insisted on going to the city, if not to display her daughter for marriage, then for the petty gossip that was sure to come of sociable young women parading around to find a husband.

The tantalizing idea of spending her summer at home was quickly dashed when Arya’s mother announced they would indeed be traveling south.

“But mother, there isn’t a need if I’m not to be apart of this year’s season.” Arya tried to convince her mother otherwise, but the woman was set in her ways.

“Nonsense,” she chided. “Just because you wish not to find a husband does not mean we have to make ourselves scarce.”

“I haven’t wished to find a husband since you first started parading me around.” She said under a hushed tone so that her mother would not hear. But Catelyn Stark had the uncanny heat anything her children said. Her mother gave her a hard stare, the center of her brows creasing with diffused anger.

“Arya Stark, the only reason I agreed for you to take this season off was due to the fact your last five seasons ended without a husband on your arm. But you are nearing four and twenty! The older you are the harder it is to find a suitable young man. Why, your sister was ten and nine when she married Willas, you should—”

“Yes, yes I’ve heard it all before!” She waved off. “I’ll find a husband when I find a man that is worthy of my hand.”

She slammed the book she held hand a bit forcefully, giving her mother a knowing glare.

“By the gods child, you will be the death of me! Not even your youngest brother objected to marriage!” Catelyn shook her head and gave a defeated sigh. “You really wish not to attend to the city?”

Arya gave a curt nod.

“Very well, I had entertained the idea of you going to the countryside to visit your Great Aunt Maude. She wished to have your sister, but of course she’s busy building her family. I could send you for the summer. She’s needing help with her estate.”

Arya hadn’t ever heard of a ‘Great Aunt Maude’ but if it meant her escape from the gossip then she would gladly trudge through mud and grime in the Westerosi countryside.

Which she expected to be lovely. Except for the humidity.

As she was bustling away in her carriage her mother provided, watching the sand dunes change into soft rolling hills, there was an excitement in her bones. It was an area of Westeros she had never ventured to before, yet had longed to see.

Albeit, she was there under the guise of taking care of her ailing Great Aunt, one of whom she’s never met, let alone heard of. According to her mother, she was her father’s aunt...on his mother’s side. She was ancient, by all accounts, and driving her nurses mad. She has requested the company of Sansa, Arya’s much more capable sister, whom she swaddled once as a babe to join her at her estate. But considering Sansa predisposition, Arya it was.

She had no qualms about taking care of an ailing family member, especially one belonging to her father, but she’d never met the woman. Arya had not the slightest inkling as who or what this woman was.

She was widowed; that much Arya knew, and not just this once. According to her mother, Aunt Maude had married and been widowed three times. All of her husbands had left her with hefty sums, more than enough to sustain her for the rest of her life.

Arya had wondered why she was requesting assistance from such distance relatives, surely the woman had had children sometime during her three marriages. Turns out she had one. A son, who perished in the Great War long before Arya had been born.

The poor thing had no one else to turn to.

So yes, although she’d be taking care of woman who was sure to croak in the next day or two, she’d be happy to if meant she was far from social season.

Too bad her hair didn’t agree.

The moment she step foot outside of the carriage, her hair turned to nothing more than a nest atop her head. It wasn’t hot out, no not like the summer heat King’s Landing was sure to give, but it was sticky and dress she had been wearing clung to her icky skin. She gave a grimace as she tugged at the collar of her riding jacket, trying desperately to relieve her body from itself.

“Got to love the humidity.” The footman said as he helped her from the high step of the carriage.

“Is it always like this?”

“During the summer, nearly everyday. It’s worse when it rains. But we’ll get a few days of the perfect summer breeze.” He gave a small smile, whist-fully daydreaming about said days.

“Such things to look forward to.” She said under her breath. So far, the country was shaping up to be a disaster, and Arya had the sinking feeling they were only to get worse.

[melisusthewee]

WIP Wednesday - Let’s Talk Music

Thank you to @cleverblackcat @kittynomsdeplume @noire-pandora and @morganlefaye79 for tagging me!

I don’t have any writing to really offer today.  I’ve been trying to work on that Haven fic but unfortunately Aloysius hasn’t been co-operating with me despite all my best efforts to make him speak.  I may take a break from writing and pivot towards completing some art memes, but Wednesday just sort of crept up on me and here we are.  So instead, I’m sharing something that both is but also isn’t a work in progress?

It’s “in progress” because while I’m happy with where it currently is, I’ve said that about playlists and soundtracks before and later changed them.  I’ve worked hard on this and talked several friends’ ears off about songs I’ve heard or artists that seemed to work and thanks to their feedback I think this is a really good one.  It’s gone through several edits as well, and may potentially even go through more down the road.  So I’m saying this counts for today.

If you give it a listen (and I hope you do because I’m very proud of it so far), I hope you enjoy it and maybe discover an artist you didn’t know before.  It clocks in at around 51 minutes and features 13 tracks which span Quinn Trevelyan’s story and important events of the main game through to Trespasser.

If you are interested, below the cut is a list of tracks and a brief blurb or description about who or what they’re meant to represent.  I was going to go into things in more depth and talk about how I built it, why I picked the songs I did, and the B-Sides that were left on the cutting room floor, but after realizing I had written nearly 4 pages about just as many songs, I realized it was too much for anyone to read.  So below is just a very brief summary and I think that most of the music would speak for itself, but I’m happy to expand more on anything that anyone finds either interesting… or confusing.  (There is also Solas content because I knew a few of you love that.)

You have to click on this sentence to go to the playlist because Tumblr’s coding for “Read More” seems to be conflicting with the HTML code to embed a functional playlist.  Because of course it is.

Quinn’s tarot card is the Wheel of Fortune as his story is a series of unpredictable highs and lows.  What the Maker giveth, He also taketh away.  The playlist follows that trend of highs and lows with upbeat songs followed by darker or more mellow ones.  Whenever I create a playlist, I try to think of a general tone or sound that I want to be carried through the soundtrack.  I want the overall genre or sound to tell the story as much as the individual songs.  Because of that, you’ll see artists repeat a couple of times, and when they do it’s always intentional.  You’ll also notice that most of the vocalists are male.  This was again intentional because this is Quinn’s story, and he’s a man.  They are his songs and I wanted the vocals to reflect that.

The Cult of Dionysus - pre-Conclave Quinn

Quinn at his most basic and stereotypical before any character development happens whatsoever - poppish, upbeat, and maybe just a little obnoxious.  He smokes, he drinks, he fucks, and nothing else matters.

The Sound of Silence - Aloysius’ Theme

I like Aloysius as a more practical view and examination of Quinn and the cult that grows around him.  He affords an opportunity to look at Quinn both as the Herald but also as just a person.  He is stoic and mild-mannered, a dutiful soldier, and an excellent foil for Quinn.  This is also absolutely a reference to an Arrested Development joke.

Isle of Dogs - Quinn’s true theme

Quinn is a walking disaster constantly falling victim to his own hubris.  There’s a morose sort of resentment to the lyrics, of someone who is constantly struggling against the tide.  In a lot of ways, this is basically a reaction or push back to all the crap I have put him through.

Providence - “In Hushed Whispers”

There are no Templars here.  The first few lines relate a lot to the dismissal the fledgling Inquisition receives from what remains of the Chantry, but the rest of the lyrics are very much about the mages and Fiona’s dealings with the Venatori.

Seven Devils - “In Your Heart Shall Burn

No male vocals in this one to symbolize the change in perspective.  This is both a bit of an easy and obvious choice for this story beat.  Female vocals for Corypheus might seem strange, but when I created my Warden’s soundtrack I tended to use powerful choruses and female vocals for anything related to Blight, Archdemons, or the darkspawn.  I carried that idea over to this as Corypheus is one of the seven Magisters.

Caesar - becoming the Inquisitor

This is a softer and quiet interlude in the wake of the loss of Haven and struggle through the snow.  If the previous song marks the end of the first act, this song marks the beginning of the second.

King - “Here Lies the Abyss”

In my written world state, Alistair is both the king and the Grey Warden contact (this goes back to that longform fic I am working on).  I suppose it’s a bit unfair because in the end that has a major impact on why Quinn makes the decision he does at Adamant (a rather threatening letter from the Warden helps too).  Think of this as a duet between Quinn and Hawke.

My Type - the love interest

“Here Lies the Abyss” was completed first, then a romance triggered, then “Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts”.  This is that sort of inbetween interlude and is very much inspired by how I may have flirted with multiple characters a little too much and basically triggered several romances at once.  I also went into Quinn’s playthrough having no idea who I was going to romance and just let him shop around.  And it came down to a coin flip in the end, so “you have a pulse and you are breathing” is pretty much the only standards he has.

Boheme Supreme - party at Halamshiral

All I have to say is that I love techno swing, every single lyric in this song is perfect, and I want you all to picture Quinn Trevelyan walking into the Winter Palace with his Inner Circle entourage around him, dressed up in that outfit I drew with that peacock feathered cap and having a drink in his hand throughout the entire night’s affair.

Hell’s Coming With Me - “Doom Upon All the World”

This is the climax of the main game, the rematch between Quinn and Corypheus which I have to imagine is more impressive in concept than it was in game.  I chose the dialogue option when Corypheus calls Quinn an imposter, “I am the Maker’s chosen” as his final challenge.  Sometimes it’s easy to forget that this main is actually very Andrastian.  But he is, and the lyrics, “I am the righteous hand of God/And I am the Devil that you forgot/And I told you one day will see/I’ll be back I guarantee/And that Hell’s coming with me” are the perfect declaration.

Paradise - Jaws of Hakkon & The Descent

Another interlude song.  If the previous one is triumphant than this one is the beginning of a bad turn.  In the interim between the events of the main game and the Exalted Council, things begin to go wrong in little ways.  His relationship with Cassandra begins to break down, eventually ending in the two of them having frequent spats and going their separate ways after returning from the Frostback Basin.  This song is deceptively sarcastic about how good things are.

I Still Love You, Judas - Solas’ Betrayal

Solas… oh, Solas.  Does this song indicate a very complicated and layered relationship between Quinn and Solas?  Yes! Have I attempted to unpack any of this?  Nope!  Have fun with this one!

Tagging for this week: @kita-lavellan @silvanils @nivenor-krosis @drag-on-age @rosella-writes @inquisitoracorn

Battle Cries - Quinn and Cassandra

I saved this one for the very end because it is a story within a story.  It is sad and bittersweet, but also not.  This entire thing feels to me like a duet between Quinn and Cass on what was good, what could never last, and that it’s all over now but that’s okay.  Because “this isn’t a breakup, dear heart, it’s a season finale.”  Does this mean that Quinn sounds like Joey Batey when he sings?  Sure, why not.

[sincerelyreidburke]

Ooh! One thing I didn't put in my big seamster!Quinn post but I think 100% applies to him: he has picked up the habit that some sewers do of ironing literally everything. This also includes his grad gown bc he was a stressed out senior who didn't check the material tag and melted a big hole right into the shoulder

(The original seamster Quinn post!)

Okay, absolutely YES to this. He irons everything. He bought a little portable iron to bring to college, and he uses it religiously. I also imagine that he irons Nando’s stuff, especially his game day dress clothes, because Quinn feels personally responsible for making his boyfriend look presentable at all times. I’m not crying at the thought of Quinn ironing his dress shirt like a housewife while Nando sits patiently just watching him like the big softie he is. (He does this with post-grad Nando’s work clothes, too.)

Also yes, he melted his high school grad gown 😂😭😂😭 it was a total disaster and an accident; it took place the morning of graduation so he could not get a new one. He probably gave it a super quick patch job with some other random fabric. His little handful of grad photos is an interesting sight.😂😂😂

When Samwell graduation comes along, he does NOT make the same mistake twice.😂😂😂

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #343

“i slither like a viper and get you by the neck  /  i know a thousand ways to help you forget about her”

What's your favorite kind of bear? I don't really know. I just like bears. Have you ever sent a FWD because you were afraid? Ha, yup, as a little kid. Would you ever date more than one person at a time? Nooooo sir. Have you ever rebounded... or been someone's rebound? No. What’s the biggest argument you’ve ever had with a family member? Did things ever go back to how they were beforehand? My grandmother cursed me the fuuuuck out one night as a kid because I was in a mood and didn't tell my mother goodnight. I still remember being called an ungrateful bitch with her like an inch from my face, and admittedly, I was being rude because I wanted to go home, but it kinda scarred me for life. For the remainder of her life, I was always sort of on edge around her and was convinced she didn't like me. Have you ever experienced some kind of natural disaster? I've been through lots of hurricanes. None that massively affected my life, though. If you have pets, do you feed them human food or do they just get regular pet food? If they do get human food, what’s their favorite thing to have? Venus is a snake, so she obviously doesn't get food meant for humans. Roman is very well-trained to not beg or make a move for people's food; he tried once as a kitten, and giving him a pop taught him right away. Have you ever been in a physical fight? Who won? No. What’s the mode of transport that you take or use the most? The car. Mom's, specifically. Have you ever had a zoo keeper experience or anything where you’ve been able to go behind the scenes and look after/feed the animals? No, but I wish. :( Would you ever want the responsibility of being a politician or a similar position of power? NOOOOOOO. What’s something your parents do that really annoys you? Mom is *always* right, pretty much indisputably. And she WILL have the last word. Dad, meanwhile, can be pretty rude to people. I don't think he realizes it half the time, but still. It's not an excuse. What is your main source of anxiety? Social interactions. What’s your favorite 90s cartoon? Pokemon. Describe the moment you realized you were falling in love with someone. I'd rather not. What’s your favorite sparkling water brand/flavor? I've never tried sparkling water. What’s your favorite makeup brand/brands? I don't have a favorite, considering I don't wear it nearly enough and have never even bought my own. I just use whatever Mom buys. What are some female names you would name a baby? Alessandra is my favorite for sure. I also love Anneliese, Justine, Evelyn, Chloe, Evangeline, Quinn... There's a lot. What about male? Severin is my favorite, and I also like Damien, Vincent, Victor, and Luther. Do you have any subscription boxes? No. What fictional creature would you like as a pet? I want a dragon, goddammit. Idc if it can breathe fire ok I want a dragon. Ewoks are also the one and only thing I enjoy from Star Wars. What kind of dwelling do you live in? Just a one-story house. Is there anyone you work with that you don't get along with? Why? N/A Do you have an opinion on adopting/purchasing a pet? PLEASE adopt, especially with cats and dogs, given the number of strays. Purebreds tend to have so many underlying issues, and besides, it's just a LOT of money for an animal that probably wouldn't outlive a mutt. Don't feed the machine if you can. What's your favorite chain restaurant? The Cheesecake Factory or Olive Garden. Why were you last pulled over? I’ve never been pulled over before. What was the last thing you've done on the water? Just kinda swam around a bit in the ocean. It was so warm, totally like a bath. I do NOT miss that sun poisoning, though. Are you cool with swimming in a lake? I think I'd do it if someone invited me to, and the lake didn't look filthy, of course. Do you have a drone? No. What's your favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant? We have this tiny, local Mexican place that's really good. I don't know the name of it, and I wouldn't share it for obvious reasons. What do you order from there? Chips and salsa of course, along with a shrimp and cheese quesadilla, and finally their cheesy rice. What's your favorite ice-cream flavor? Depending on my mood, it bounces between vanilla with chocolate syrup or just plain chocolate. Do you have any t-shirts from any local businesses? No. Do you listen to any talk shows or podcasts? I used to listen to Mark, Bob, and Wade's podcast, but I'm like... ten months behind, haha. What's something someone calls you that you find endearing? I like "love" a lot. What's your favorite children's book? I loved books like The Rainbow Fish, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Stellaluna, 10 Minutes 'til Midnight, What Makes a Rainbow?, Chrysanthemum, etc. Is there a new season for a series you're excited to come out? Meerkat Manor comes back this summer, and I am fucking HYPED. How old are you? I'm 25. What is something unique you enjoy about the one you like/love? I tease her about it all the time, but it's really cute that she keeps all of her snakes' good sheds in her room. Proud reptile mom. Are you more liberal or conservative? I'm close to the middle, but I lean towards being more liberal, and I seem to go more that way with time. Do you watch American Horror Story? I used to. I saw the entire first season and really liked it, and then I almost finished the second, but I lost interest. The story got a bit stupid imo. I'd be willing to watch other seasons, though. Does your hometown have any urban legends/scary stories? None that I’m aware of. The people there are scary enough. What's the scariest nightmare you remember having? Let's not talk about it. Are you medicated? Uh very. Are there any apps you're addicted to? Nah. Did you have a favorite stuffed animal as a child? It was initially a bunny holding a polka-dotted blanket, then it become a moose I got from Cabela's when in Ohio. Do you still collect stuffed animals? Only meerkat ones. Have you ever stolen/borrowed clothes from an ex? Haha I've worn Jason's pj pants before and they just kinda... became mine, lol. What's the last movie you watched at home? The Shining, I believe. What's the last movie you watched in theaters? The CGI remake of The Lion King. I still don't get why it was received so badly. Have you ever had eggs cooked over a campfire? I don't think so, no. If you do drink, what's your favorite alcoholic beverage? Margaritas, generally. However, Sara's dad made me this absofuckinglutely incredible chocolate drink before that tasted like a milkshake. It had like, no alcohol flavor, which worked out well for me considering I very much dislike that taste. Are there any songs you've been listening to repetitively lately? There's a new one every day lately, haha. Today it's Halocene's cover of "Love Bites (So Do I)." Cereal, granola, or oatmeal? Cereal. What TV shows did you grow up watching? You gotta gimme an age group... but I'd say the typical stuff for kids of that time. What does your phone case look like? It's just a boring purple that came with it. What were your favorite toys to play with as a child? I looooved playing with my "family" of a father crocodile, a mother deer, their two "children" (a fawn and smaller croc), and "friends" that were little Pokemon figurines. Then there was an evil t-rex with two stupid sidekicks, haha. I can't remember what dinosaurs they were. What's the most embarrassing thing you can ever remember doing? Hold on, lemme find my book. Do you remember what you dreamt about last night? I only very faintly recall dreaming about my cat Roman. Have you ever done anything embarrassing in a dream? Thank FUCK they're just dreams. Do you vape? Nah. What was a song you loved as a child? So uh. Apparently. I loved "Dookie" by Green Day. It's an undying story from Mom about how it came on once at a putt-putt place and I apparently started yelling "dookie!" and dancing. Do you enjoy the Arctic Monkeys? Yeah, I love some of their songs. Are you going to see Finding Dory? You bet your sweet ass I saw it. I've cried everytime I've watched it. Have you ever been horseback-riding? I have not, but I would love to. When was your last piercing? Whenever I got my tragus done, which I can't remember. What did your first crush look like? I don't remember my puppydog love first crush, but I can talk about my first REAL crush, Sebastian. He's a skinny dude with short, brown hair and a lip piercing... I can't remember which kind. He dressed in an emo style, and Facebook pictures at least suggest he still kind of does, I think. Is your body more curvy or flat? Well, I'm not at all skinny, so... What's your least favorite holiday? Probably Christopher Colombus Day, honestly. You didn't discover shit. Don't pretend to me it's worth celebrating in a clean conscience. if you’re having a boring day what do you usually do? If I'm rock-bottom bored, quite honestly, I normally nap, even though I know I shouldn't. Do you turn to food when you're upset? Ugh, I'm admittedly an emotional eater. I got way better about it, and then I started up again. Is your bf/gf good with your parents? I don't have an s/o. Do you think soda should be served at school? Vending machines are fine I suppose, as I don't believe they should be free seeing as they're nothing but sugar content, and I feel schools shouldn't just hand that out to kids at lunch or something. Do dogs have feelings? They sure do. Are you afraid of snakes? Oh no! I adore them. I respect snakes and am going to give wild ones their space for sure considering I don't recognize every native venomous one, but nevertheless, I'm not afraid of them. They are so vital to the ecosystem and are incredibly fascinating animals that deserve our protection. On that note, PLEASE do not kill any snake you come across in your shed or whatever. Call someone to relocate the terrified thing. Favorite snack? It depends on what I'm in the mood for, really. Ever seen The Notebook? Read the book, seen the movie plenty of times. Do you think cussing is trashy? No. Who is the most famous person you’ve met, if any? Nobody. Do you own any animals that aren’t domestic? No. Have you ever feared that you would lose a body part? No. Do you like gore? Yeah, generally. Do you like to drink water? Ugh, I really don't. I wish I did. Have you ever had a wax? I used to get my eyebrows waxed. Do you have any sets of matching bras and underwear? No. Are you any good at improv? Not at ALL.

[sunmontuewrites]

Oops! 1500 words of a meet cute between Kurt and Dave because I was distracted... 

               “I cannot believe we are doing this!” Dave mutters, because dressing up in 80s aerobic gear and going along to a Zumba fitness class as part of team bonding/celebration is not something he ever really thought he’d be up for, but his team are filled with awesome people, all of them taking part and he doesn’t want to be the one digging his heals in. But he can still complain a little.

               “Stop being a grump Dave! You’ll enjoy it, I promise!” Santana declares.

               He seriously doubts that, but he also tries to be more positive about the whole thing. Everyone has gotten into the swing of things, the outfits are as outrageous as they are amusing and his own aqua spandex outfit and sweatband look almost understated amongst the other neon and glitter his female co-workers are sporting. One of the other guys has decided a hot-pink mankini over the top of an orange body-suit was the way to go, but Dave has lines he’s not willing to cross and that is one of them. Especially in public.

               Some of the other guys are already a few beers down, stating that they need the courage and Dave decides if that’s what they need to wear a mankini in public then so be it. They walk as a large group from their office, thankful that they had all decided to do this. Dave has his clothes and other gym gear in his bag, because while he’s going along with this, he’s not wearing it out to the pub afterwards. He knows he’s going to need a shower and he hopes that this gym has half-decent showers.

               Their manager pays all the entry fees, agrees that they can pose for a photo and Dave just grins along with everyone else, because he’s definitely not the most ridiculous looking one. They place their bags in lockers, he grabs his bottle and towel, because while some of them have joked that a Zumba class isn’t a proper workout Dave is pretty sure it’s going to have them all sweating by the end of it. Then he’s following the others into the gym he looks around, there’s far too many bloody mirrors around, throwing back the reflection of him and his neon-covered team into infinity and he really didn’t need the evidence that while he might not be the most ridiculous he still looks pretty ridiculous. He sighs, because he’s committed now and he did skip the gym this morning knowing he would be doing this.

               Fortunately they seem to have all decided via silent communication that they’re taking the back of the room, and there are nearly fifteen of them so he guesses that maybe being in the front would be distracting for the other people there. There’s more guys than Dave thought there would be, about a third, and some are definitely easy on the eye. One guy in particular seems to be super friendly, moving around and talking with several people and Dave guesses they’re all regulars. He’s wearing dark blue yoga pants, the ones that are maybe meant to look like a pair of jeans; loose white singlet with Zumba written across it in gold letter and a plaid shirt tied around his waist. It’s not a look that Dave would normally think people would wear to workout in, but then the guy in question is jumping up on the platform in the front and –

               “We seem to have a lot of new people joining us this evening. Welcome!”

               Fucking Murphy’s Law. Of course the guy’s ass he’s been admiring is also the instructor. Something Santana failed to mention deliberately if the smirk she is giving him right now is any indication, and her place beside him is clearly not a coincidence. Not that the guy is likely single, not with the way he smiles and swivels his hips as he looks out over the heads of the others in the class. Fortunately the class starts and Dave is too busy trying to follow the non-verbal instructions, hissing out apologies as he turns the wrong direction a few times. He can’t help it, the guy seems to be looking at him every time Dave looks up and he feels more and more self-conscious, making more mistakes because of it.

               All in all, it’s a fucking disaster, nearly the entire team all over the place, but everyone is having a good time; laughing at themselves. Santana, Quinn and Brittany all have the moves down exactly as they’re being shown, which is no surprise considering this was their idea. When the class ends he’s dripping sweat, just as he suspected he would, it was a good workout. He prefers running or a fast game of hockey, but this was definitely fun and he knows if he did it regularly he’d learn the moves as well. He wipes his face with his towel and takes a long drink and sees it in the mirror, the instructor walking towards them.

               “Why is he coming over here?” Dave asks quietly, edging toward the door where half the team have already gone through, some having left even earlier having not been able to make it through the one-hour workout.

               “We’re regulars, he always comes over and chats after classes. He’s really friendly,” Santana says, and she’s grinning wickedly like she knows Dave spent the entire hour fighting off a completely inappropriate erection. Which he didn’t, but only because he’s over thirty and has a modicum of control now.

               “Hi Kurt! Great workout as always thanks…”

               “Did you all enjoy yourself?”

               “Yeah, it was great. We’re celebrating the successful end of a big project…”

               “So, the outfits aren’t you’re normal attire then? I thought maybe you were trying to revive 80s active wear…”

               “I don’t think we’d get taken very seriously if we wore this in the office…” Quinn says.

               “Well, it’s been the highlight of my week. Looks like a fun team to be part of,” he says and then he’s looking right at Dave. “You looked good out there,”

               “Uh…” Dave blinks, not quite sure that he’s talking to him. “I was an uncoordinated fish flopping around…” he mutters, embarrassed, then oh. He’s being flirted with. Holy shit. He runs his eyes over Kurt’s face, this time wondering if the bright spots of pink are maybe due to something other than the workout.

               “You were a good sport, doesn’t mean you didn’t look good.”

               “Uh, I’m Dave. I uh, work with this lot…” He winces slightly, because he has zero game, however Kurt is smiling and looking pleased, or maybe just amused. “Uh, maybe we can get a drink sometime?”

               “I like the sound of that. I’ll leave my number with the reception okay? I’m guessing you have to go and finish your celebration with your team.”

               “Yeah. But I’ll, message you. Call?”

               “Message is better, I teach quite a few classes so I don’t often get to answer.”

               “Okay. I’ll do that.”

               “I look forward to it.”

               He smiles, because wow, he’s getting a guy’s number. It’s been a while, but this is looking really positive. Santana prodding him in the ribs doesn’t even annoy him, because despite her protestations to the contrary she’s actually a good friend who cares about him and just dragged their entire team here so she could make his path cross with her Zumba instructor. He hurries through his shower and getting changed into his clothes, eager to get to the reception to get Kurt’s number. He’s not expecting to actually see Kurt there, talking with another staff member, and he swallows, grips his phone a little firmer in his hand as Kurt watches him approach, says something under his breath.

               “Huh. Apparently you can look better than you did before…”

               He lets out a little laugh, because he’s only in jeans and button-down shirt, nothing fancy, because he hadn’t thought he might need to impress anyone; but clearly Kurt is easy to impress. Or he just really likes Dave. He feels his cheeks warm at the thought and he holds out his phone and watches as Kurt simply rings his own phone and okay, he’s going to be creating that contact as soon as he leaves the building.

               “You’re not free tonight are you?” he asks suddenly, because his workmates won’t miss him.

               “You’d blow off your big work celebration for me?”

               “I feel like you are maybe worth it…”

               The look Kurt gives him is scorching and fuck, yeah, it would definitely be worth it

               “I have to take a class in ten minutes. But in about… two hours I could maybe join you?”

               “Yes. I’d like that.”

               “Okay. Don’t forget to send me a message with where you are.”

               “I won’t.”

[whencallstheheart]

Thank you all so much for the questions.  They were fun to answer.  There were some repeats so I skipped over them when they came up again.  If there’s more you’d like to know don’t hesitate to ask!  😀

It’s a little long so I’ll put it under the cut. 

I love a “ask me anything”!! what made you such a fan of the show that you started this blog??

I think I initially saw a tweet from John Stamos congratulating Lori on her new show and that was the first I had heard of it.  I think a couple episodes had already aired.  I hadn’t ever watched anything on Hallmark prior.  I'm a huge Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman fan (which was the first fandom blog I started) and when I watched the first episode it felt sort of reminiscent of that.  There wasn't really anything on Tumblr about it at that time so I started the blog and now here we are.

Are you a fan of historical dramas in general? If yes, have you seen Outlander?

I don't watch many historical dramas but, yes, I have seen Outlander. I'm behind but I do really enjoy that show and plan to catch up eventually.  Another one I liked a lot was Jamestown.  I also enjoy The Alienist.  And Dr. Quinn, of course.  

Where do you live (city) and what do you do to pay the bills?

I live outside Portland, Oregon and I work for a large bank in operations.  Currently working from home.

Were you ever a member of the crazy fanatical hearties group on FB?? Are they really that deluded about the show’s shortcomings?

I am a member of the Facebook group but don't participate or really look at anything but I like to be able to see if someone important posts something.  I just see whatever happens to end up on my feed when I'm scrolling.  Yes, but they're also not allowed to comment anything negative.  It's highly policed so fans can't really have discussions even if they wanted to.

What is your favourite food of all time? The food you would want as your last meal, the food that makes you glad to be alive.

These are hard questions.  Maybe a cheeseburger and fries.  I also really love Mexican food.  One of my favorite meals is something my mom makes which is porcupine meatballs.  It's basically a beef meatball with rice in it with a tomato soup sauce served over mashed potatoes.  Throw some peas on top and I'm a happy camper.

How do you stay so positive about the show when it disappoints you? Like the disaster of season 5!

There were some good things about season 5.  It's definitely just a mindset.  I was sick of people being so negative and dragging me down that hole with them.  I still enjoyed a lot of aspects about the show.  I still cared about the characters.  I wanted to focus on those good, positive things and be happy that we still had a show to watch.  And even now, I don't have many expectations.  I just want to watch and enjoy it and not pick everything apart to the point where I hate it.  It's not a perfect show but it's fun to watch and that's all that matters at the end of the day.  There’s plenty of other things in the world to be mad at and a Hallmark show doesn’t need to be one of them, you know?

What's your favorite pastime and favorite non-Hallmark show? Also, have a lovely day :)

I basically have no hobbies.  Tumblr is my second job.  I watch a lot of TV (too much these days) and I like listening to podcasts as well.  I play games on my phone.  That's honestly about it.  I'm super interesting, obviously.  My favorite show right now would have to be Yellowstone which just ended its third season.  I'm pretty obsessed.  Otherwise, The Killing is high up there.  ER.  Dr. Quinn.

If you could a character on WCTH to hang out with for a day, who would it be? If you could pick an actor on WCTH to hang with for a day, who would it be?

Rosemary/Pascale for sure.

What is your fav color? Music? Other TV shows? Books? What type of job do you have? What State or Country are you from?

Probably blue but it depends on what I'm picking the color for.  

I'm not huge into music or have anyone in particular I really love.  I've listened to The Chicks a lot lately.  I recently watched The Greatest Showman for the first time and promptly downloaded that soundtrack. I don't know.  I just listen to whatever suits my mood. If I'm listening to the radio, it's usually Top 40 stations or sometimes I'll throw a Russian pop station into the mix which is fun.

I watch a lot of shows.  I watch General Hospital and have for like 15 years at least.  Grey's Anatomy, Station 19, Roswell, all the Bachelor nation stuff including some foreign series, Love Island UK, a bunch of ghost hunting and adventure shows lately on the Travel Channel, random shows on Netflix, A Million Little Things, 911 and 911: Lone Star, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, 90 Day Fiance and all its shows, The Rookie, Prodigal Son, New Amsterdam.  I could go on.

I don't read as much as I would like to.  I enjoy the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr a lot (also a Netflix show now but the books are much better).  I mostly just read the trashy free ebooks in the Apple bookstore.

Realistically, could this show run for as long as Heartland has?? Does it have that kind of staying power with the fandom and l do wonder - is it growing it’s audience in any way? Cos that would help it stick around for longer.

Of course.  I think it'll be around for a long time.  We're at 8 seasons and with the reset, we're basically starting over with Elizabeth which is really exciting.  The audience certainly isn't shrinking.  I think the ratings generally stay about the same but more and more people find the show on Netflix all the time.

This is a very girly question but whose wedding dress is closest to your style - Rosemary’s , Elizabeth’s or Clara’s?

Rosemary's was my favorite.

Do you have a favourite colour?? And a favourite brand of make up?

I only wear mascara now because of masks and I honestly might not go back to wearing makeup.  I don't have a brand in particular that is my go-to but I just stick with drugstore makeup.  It works good enough for me since I don’t really care or spend much time on that stuff.

hi! I have some questions for ya! How did you get into watching WCTH? Do you enjoy period dramas in general? If you do, would you recommend any? Is anyone in your family or friends fans of WCTH? Do you like to read? Those are kind of a lot but I’d love to hear from you! Really enjoy your blog and fellow WCTH fans! Thanks for all you do!

No one I know personally watches it.  Or at least I don't know if they do.