#the question is if Lou created enough problems for them to want to write him off quickly

[lover-of-mine]

I think purposely bad. And made worst. Because Tim didn't expect between episode 4 and 5 that those shippers would create a whole new character that never existed. Or that on the side Lou would financially gain and feed them head canons. So now he's like look... Don't you see he sucks.

I actually truly believe the medal ceremony was supposed to be his last scene of the season, then come back for an Ana style break-up. If you look at it organically, there was no reason for the daddy joke scene, and we know he wasn't supposed to be there. I think it was to create an off-putting scene where if he chooses, he could do an off-screen break up and avoid queer baiting accusations.

Lou has already created too much tension. He could still do a break up within a few episodes, but I'm not sure if Tim wants to have the head aches Lou brings... Closing down his cameo is the only reason I think he could be back for a bit. But if that's the case, then he definitely had a meeting, you know.

Okay, first of all, this may sound mean and not trying to and this isn't targeted to you I just keep seeing queerbaiting allegations and you used the word, but Buck is queer, the queerbaiting ship has sailed, a queer storyline not going the way we expected is not queerbaiting. Whatever they do with Buck's love life, there is no queerbaiting just because it feels unsatisfying to us. They marketed Buck as queer and Buck is bi. Not liking the way it was done doesn't change that.

But on the Lou thing, I agree that they didn't plan on having Lou stick around for the whole season, but the relationship was better accepted than anticipated and they are capitalizing on it. Full conspiracy theory, but I think that with how Oliver refuses to talk about bt, and how Ryan changed his tune after 706, something happened behind the scenes that went against what they were told the beginning of the season, because again, a tv show is a living organism that needs to adapt to the circumstances in which is airing, bt brought audience, keep him around a bit longer. The kink scene was there to remind us of how bad Gerrard is, but we could've had that reminder happen with Chim or Hen, so yeah, he didn't have to be there, but keeping bt alive during the hiatus keeps the numbers up while giving shippers time to cool off. And considering the publicity that came with Buck being bi, if they are planning on eventually getting to buddie, they are probably anticipating a similar level of publicity to come from queer Eddie, so they spaced it out to get the most out of both arcs. Especially because queer Eddie has to mean canon buddie and that would break the internet. I don't blame Lou for trying to capitalize from the ship, it keeps him on the role longer and it is exposure, but obviously, there's controlled chaos brought on by the high of a confirmation that a character is queer and there's *gestures vaguely* whatever is going on. There is a chance T will get the Ali treatment, there's a chance he will get the Ana treatment, but there is also the chance he will get the Taylor treatment and stick around while being a bad match for Buck, we don't know the plan and we don't know if Lou created enough problems for them to want to write him off. T is being shown to us in a very specific way, but they can still turn it around if they chose to, because we don't know enough. He is in the same spot Taylor was during s4 so it will all depend on how he will be handled during s8. Sure fanon T is not the character that exists on the show and Lou's cameos probably were shut down because it was creating a level of expectation they didn't plan on delivering, but at this point it could still go in any direction, we can't say anything for sure.

[rpg-elf-girl]

Shadows House

I have a lot of thoughts surrounding this particular show, both good & bad.

Allow me to give a quick summary for anyone who hasn't seen/read it!

Shadows House is about 'a faceless family of nobles who all live within this giant manor, the Shadows House.

When a Shadow comes of age they receive a 'Living Doll' to both serve as their face and to clean the soot they emit from their bodies.

The most important rule of the living dolls is "don't fret over trivial matters"

A task which is difficult for the ever curious doll Emiliko.

Watch this tale unfold as Emiliko & her mistress Kate navigate this ever mysterious Manor together.'

For a fan of slow burn thrillers, horror, slice of life, supernatural & mystery series' this has been an absolute blast!

It's not quite the combination of genres you'd expect from a show, but it works really well here!

In fact I was so into the anime that this is actually the first show where I broke down and read the manga!

Unfortunately there's no official English release, but at least there are some people translating the series!

As much as I'd like to go on about the manga, this post is meant to be more so about the anime so I'll (try to) leave it at that.

Though i feel obligated to warn anime onlys I'll likely refer the manga a lot in a spoiler section latter in this post I'll try to be vague but I can't guarantee anything. For anyone worried about that I'll lable it do you can read on until then.

Everything from the animation to the music was amazing & completely fit the mood of the story! I remember a couple scenes where I actually teared up because of this!

The Ending theme is an absolute banger! I've listened to that on repeat ever since I first heard it! And the Opening is also great! It's cool for it to be an instrumental, stuff like that is pretty rare! I also heard the song in the op as a motif in the music throughout the show! It really sets the right mood in each scene it's in! It's amazing for getting into each episode!

In terms of adaptation almost everything from the beginning to the end of the Debut arc was done amazingly well!

Even with the stuff they cut it still holds true to the spirit of its source.

The main important part that was cut is something that could easily be introduced latter if they decide to go for a second season, so I'm not too mad about that.

However! Everything after the debut is a bit of a different story.

There was a lot I liked about the last couple episodes but there were some parts that were immersion breaking for me.

I've been being vague up until this point l, but I'm planning on going into spoiler territory for both the anime and manga after this. So I'll make a quick spoiler free summary of my thoughts before moving onto that.

I really really loved this show but in my opinion the last 3 episodes were the weakest of them all. They went anime only for the ending. I don't mind that on it's own, but it was rushed and the writing was sloppy at times.

Now I'm not telling you to not watch the show! Most of It's really really good, and I can still see people enjoying the parts I'm talking about if they want to give the anime a try. Overall I've fallen in love with this series and I could never recommend it enough.

If what I'm saying is giving you bad vibes the manga is available and doesn't have the issues I've mentioned. You can look for a translation online, it didn't take me long to find one so don't worry too much about that.

Also! if you're an anime only who's finished the series and want to know where to pick up the Manga I'd recommend at least skiming through the beginning. I know it might not be what you're looking for but there were a bunch of small scenes that either got cut or were merged for adaptation purposes that I think are super cute & give more context to different aspects of the setting. However! Pay close attention during the "night watchers part" something important got cut .

~~~Now for spoilers!!!!~~~

I don't want to make it sound like I'm some manga purist who hates the very thought of the slightest change from the source. I'm anime only for a lot of different shows and I've always despised it when that type of manga reader reared it's ugly head.

While I'll admit some changes did bother me I won't make a fuss about the smaller stuff.

With that said!

I hinted earlier in this post that I didn't have a big problem with Robe-same being cut. That was because without them there it does make for a more complete story if they only get one season to work with.

If there is another season they can easily be introduced latter on. Like maybe Emiliko & Shaun can meet them when the Debutant class reunion is going on before they talk on the roof (or right after that) I actually think that would be the perfect time to introduce them (other than the time they were supposed to appear, but I digress)

Louise teaming up & being friendly with Kate can be explained with some dialogue changes at the first Debutant Class Reunion. Louise can say she was just trying to show off or that she just wanted to get back at Edward and that she isn't interested in helping Kate with her problems. Things can then go on as they did in the manga.

Kates being reckless & telling everything to John can be explained by her being extremely panicked when Emiliko went missing, as long as there are some lines of dialogue adressing this it's fine. Though I do wish she tried to keep some stuff a secret but couldn't because Shaun tries to interfer because he's still brainwashed, or something along those lines. It felt a bit weird after she just told Emiliko to keep that stuff between them. Still that could be explained by how panicked she was.

There are other things, but I don't want to drag the post on too long. Most of the issues can be fixed with little changes here & there.

I never had a problem with the idea of them going in an anime only direction. I just want to have a good time with the show.

Unfortunately I can't 100% vouche for the direction the show went in. There were elements that I can't excuse, even viewing it as it's own entity instead of an adaptation.

My main complaint with it is how they handled the brainwashing of Ricky & Lou. They didn't say a word when the Debutants were talking badly about Edward & even went along with a plan to go against him. It makes absolutely no sense!

Shaun freaked out when John only suggested that he didn't have to be loyal to the house. These guys were flat out rebelling against an adult! It felt like Ricky & Lou didn't have a purpose & were just there to be there.

The whole point of the coffee is to influence shadows against doing stuff like this. It makes the coffee seem pointless and the adults seem dumb for relying on it to control the kids.

I haven't even brought up the fact that both of their brainwashings were broken by something as simple as a few kind words. It straight up contradicts the rules established by both the Anime and Manga.

This becomes very apparent when you consider all the trouble John & Kate went through to free Shaun & Emiliko.

This was my biggest complaint, but I have some other issues as well.

The next big one is how they handled Edward.

1. Why on earth would he even consider kidnapping Emiliko when he had complete control of the childrens wing? Before this point he was depicted as being a lot more crafty than this. He could easily have Kate monitored or something.

2. Why didn't he use his powers to stop them like what he did to Maryrose & Rosemary when they fought back being taken to the adults wing? He's already shown off his power at this point, why not?

3. Why did he reveal his soot powers at all!? Especially while using his face in front of the kids! The whole unification thing is one of the biggest secrets of the house for good reason! There's no way he wouldn't get in huge trouble for exposing it to children!

Here are some other related questions.

Why didn't Kate, Emiliko, & John react to Edward using soot powers? They shouldn't know about unification yet so why didn't they act shocked, or say anything about it?

Is Edward being banished even an option in the Shadows House? Wouldn't the third floor lords just dispose of him rather than risk letting him leave?

How did John even get a veiled dolls outfit? Louise had to use her powers to get Kate one & she left a long time ago.

I can't think of much else at the moment, but I think you get my point.

Please don't take this as me saying that I hate the show because of these episodes. Even if I consider them the weakest of the series I still found a lot of parts to be very enjoyable!

Like I thought it was adorable When Edward was attempting to interrogate Emiliko & she kept being her sunshine self pretending to eat & falling asleep.

Barbara getting to tell off Edward for breaking the rules was great!

I loved seeing Shaun hatch the plan to get Kate into the adults wing to save Emiliko.

Seeing John (attempt to) sneak around the adults wing had me rolling!

The ending scene of Shaun, Ricky, & Lou singing gave me the chills.

(Though I wonder how they'd handle Shaun & Emiliko being brainwashed again since they already used the scenes where they're freed)

Kate & Emilico being propelled by John back to the children's wing was absolutely amazing! I found Shaun & Ricky running over to catch them to be super sweet! (Not to mention the way that scene was animated was absolutely gorgeous!)

Getting hints to what was supposed to come after the debut was nice, at least the groundwork is there in case this gets a season 2!

To (try to) wrap this all up while there were a lot of things I loved and disliked about this show I still had a really fun time watching it!

I kinda hope there's a season two just to see if they can tidy up the mess that the last few episodes created.

Regardless of whether that happens or not I came out of this with a series I absolutely adore.

Heck I could make a whole other post about the manga. (Hopefully one that's less ranty)

Anyway! I won't take any more of your time.

I hope you all have a wonderful day/night! And I hope to see you in my next post!

(Sorry if this one was a bit of a mess!)

[lovingmyselfcore]

Skate Into My Heart

Chapter Three; Uh oh

BESTIES

I'M ALIVE AND I DID THE WRITING THING

@ciaraloves (or @perseusjackson-jasongrace ig) LOOK AT ME DOING THE THING

As soon as Nico left the locker room, Piper pounced on him. Literally.

He was forced to take a step back and caught her by the shoulders, “What’s up?”

She was practically vibrating with excitement, “Annabeth’s back!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Come on!” She grabbed his hand and yanked him through the hallways and into the main rink where a crowd of people had formed next to the bleachers.

It was the rest of the team and in the center was Annabeth, a duffle bag slung over one shoulder, looking exhausted as all hell but she was grinning as the team peppered her with questions and play-by-plays of the practices she’d missed.

Piper shouldered them into the center so Nico was directly in front of Annabeth, Piper on one side and Calypso on the other.

“Hey, Nico,” Annabeth said, still grinning. She stepped forward for a hug and he let her, burying his face into her neck and breathing, already feeling the responsibility leaking from his tight shoulders. Annabeth was like a big sister to him, not that he’d ever admit that, but still.

“You want to get out?” Nico whispered into her neck.

“Yes,” She whispered back emphatically. Nico could barely stop himself from laughing but as they pulled apart he saw the genuine relief in her eyes and felt himself worrying. He needed to talk to her, about the team and skating, about Will and of course, if she needed to talk about why she’d been gone for so long, he’d do that too.

Apparently, Calypso recognized that too and, bless her heart, muttered something to Leo, and together they captured the team’s attention, allowing Nico to tug Annabeth away from the crowd and out of the rink. She sighed as soon as they were ejected onto the city streets. Nico stuck an arm out and she smiled and linked their arms.

“Where are you headed?” Nico asked as they walked the short distance to the car garage.

“Oh, probably just my apartment.”

Nico nodded, “I wasn’t sure if you’d be staying with your dad or not.”

She shook her head, “He doesn’t even know I landed yet. I’ll head over in the morning.”

Her voice was stiff and Nico took that as his cue to change the subject. “So I have something to confide in you.”

She perked up almost immediately and he swallowed hard. But she just looked at him with those gray eyes and he reminded himself that this was Annabeth. That she wasn’t going to get angry with him.

At least, he hoped not.

“I’m talking to one of the hockey players,” He said casually.

Her grip on his arm stiffened and he braced himself but she was still just looking at him.

Finally, she grinned, “So when you say ‘talking to’...”

He groaned and felt himself flush, “Oh, shut up! Just friends.”

She hummed and released his arm to dig for her keys in her jacket pocket. “Is he nice?”

“No, he’s a dick,” Nico said sarcastically.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. “I don’t know why I even bother.”

“He’s blonde,” Nico offered.

“Oooh,” Annabeth drawled.

He rolled his eyes and she burst out laughing, her voice echoing off the stone walls of the parking garage.

“Is he gay?” Annabeth asked.

Nico nearly flinched and passed it off with another eye roll, “I don’t know, Annie, that’s not something that’s come up in casual conversation.”

She glared at him and Nico, being the mature adult he is, stuck his tongue out at her. She did it back then shook her head. “Too much time with Percy,” She muttered and Nico snorted. She grinned at him.

“So he’s okay?”

That sobered her immediately. “Yeah. Well, as okay as he can be. I’m only here for like two weeks because he insisted I come back, but I’m leaving as soon as possible,” She glanced sideways at him, “Not to leave you alone again, though.”

He shrugged off the flash of selfish hurt he’d felt, “I’m good, Beth.” But he wasn’t good. He’d just told her about Will, and not even the start of the way his stomach would twist when he saw a new text from the hockey player and not the same twist when he panicked. And that also meant his chances of performing solo again were climbing. He didn’t know how to feel about that part.

“Stop that!” She exclaimed, halting once they’d reached her car.

“Get some sleep, Annabeth,” He said genuinely then smirked a little, “It looks like you need it.”

She threw a balled-up receipt she’d found in her bag at him, “Dick!”

~~~~

“Hey, Nico.”

Nico nearly leaped out of his skin, spinning to see Persephone in the living room.

She snorted, “Didn’t mean to scare you, sorry. Did practice go well?”

His phone buzzed in his pocket, “Yeah. Annabeth’s back.”

Persephone hummed, reaching up to untwist her hair, sending it cascading down her shoulders, “That’s good. I know you’ve missed her,” She said with a knowing look in her eyes that made him shift uncomfortably.

“Yeah, definitely, um, I’m tired we learned some new moves for Regionals today, so,”

“Yeah of course.” She was still smiling.

“‘Night Persephone,”

~~~

Nico flopped face-down onto his bed with a groan. He knew Persephone though he had a crush on Annabeth; he didn’t blame her, he’d never really made it a point that he didn’t. He wished he could come out to her and his dad, he didn’t really have a reason why he hadn’t besides the weight of anxiety on his lungs.

His phone buzzed again, and he wriggled upright to yank it out of his pocket.

Will: Distract me

Will: My mom is driving me insane

Nico grinned to himself, both of them were dealing with mommy issues at the moment.

Nico: idk how you expect me to distract you

Will: Just tell me about snakes or smth

Nico: you think i just have fun facts about snakes on hand?

Will: Yeah?

Nico: good

Nico: cause i do

Will: :)

Nico: snakes can slither 12.5 mph

Will: Good lord

Nico: snakes have internal ears but not external ones

Will: ??

Nico: they can’t create their own body heat which is why theyre in the sun all the time

Will: Hmmmm

Nico: they smell w/their tongues

Will: I thought they had nostrils??

Nico: they do

Will: what

Nico: it’s their Jacobson’s organ my dude it works in mysterious ways

Nico: not really but yk

Nico: sCieNcE

Will: ok….

Nico: if you get bored of snakes i’ve also got a bunch of random cheetah facts

Nico: i love cheetahs

Nico: very cool

Nico: fast cats

Will: Lmao go ahead

Nico: but first

Nico: why’s your mom driving you insane

Nico: if you want to tell me ofc

Nico: not trying to be weird

Will: Nah you’re fine

Will: She wants me to focus entirely on med school and not hockey

Will: She’s trying to get me out of it, actually

Will: Do something ‘respectable’

Will: Not turn out like my dad

Will: Even though dad has literally NOTHING to do with hockey

Will: And in my opinion he’s not bad. Not great. Not awful yk

Will: But hockey’s what’s putting me through med school so

Will: Gods, I really just burdened you with that I’m so sorry

Nico: med school huh

Nico: now i can say i know a doctor

Will: In training

Nico: close enough

Nico: you’re a great hockey player and you're going to be a great doctor

Nico: and you can always talk to me, will

Nico: you’re not burdening me with shit

Will: thanks <3

Nico didn’t understand why he blushed. It was a goddamn emoji. Calm down, Di Angelo.

Will: So we’ve been talking for a few weeks now. Can I call you my friend yet?

Nico snorted, feeling like he was fifteen again, sprawled on his bed, in the dark (because for some reason he didn’t turn his lights on) late at night, texting his- well, anyway.

Nico: yea dumbass

Nico: we’re friends

Will: Nice

Will: Now give me cheetah facts you adorable nerd

~~~

WILL

“Will? You good?”

Will blinked, Jason coming in to focus in front of him. “Uh, yeah.”

“That was believable,” Clarisse said sarcastically from behind Jason.

Will attempted to shake the fog from his head, “Yes,” He repeated.

Jason just blinked at him and Will was formulating an excuse for why he was so tired besides the fact that he’d spent all night talking to a cute figure skater with a ridiculous amount of animal facts stored in his small body when Coach Hedge’s voice boomed from his seat on the bleachers, “Solace! You alive?”

“Yes, coach!” Will shot back.

“Then why are you just standing there? Get back to the game! You too, La Rue and Grace!”

“Yes, sir!” They all barked back.

Clarisse gave him a once over before skating back to her goal and Jason went over to Will’s spot with him, “You sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah, just tired.”

Jason opened his mouth, probably to question why the mom friend of their group was tired enough he nearly tripped over his stick but Will just said, “It’s fine, Jase. It’s not a big deal.”

“Grace!” Coach Hedge screeched.

Jason gave up on trying to interrogate Will and skated back over to his spot.

~~~~

“Mama, please,” Will tried, but his mother cut him off.

“Willaim. Hush. How’s that girl you said you were dating?”

What?

He was silent for a beat too long.

“Oh, baby,” His mother’s thick southern accent drenched her words. “You broke up? I’m so sorry.”

Oh gods, Lou Ellen Blackstone.

Will and Lou Ellen had dated for two months a long time ago, and when they were still dating he’d told his mother about her to get her to back off of his personal life a little. Their break up hadn’t had a huge fallout, Lou Ellen had told him through tears in his living room that she was aromantic. They were still friends, had been even before they dated, actually, and talked to each other pretty regularly.

But the problem was, that had been three months ago, and he hadn’t told his mother about their breakup. He knew she’d ask why, and he didn’t want to out Lou Ellen or make her a devil in his mother’s eyes. So he’d procrastinated coming up with a reason until he’d forgotten about it entirely.

And now it had come back to bite him in the ass.

“Yeah we broke up a little while ago,” He forced himself to sound choked up, which wasn’t hard, giving the way his panicked brain was now sprinting in circles on his lungs. “I just didn’t disappoint you.” Probably the most honest thing he’d said in weeks, but that’ll be unpacked later.

“Honey,” She sighed sadly and Will didn’t know whether or not that was on his behalf or hers.

“Well, it’s okay, because I’m dating someone new.”

“Oh?” He could hear her spine straighten. “Is it someone I know?”

No, mom, it’s not one of the country girls I grew up with.

“No,” He winced at how southern he sounded. He’d been talking to his mother for five minutes. “You don’t know him.”

HIM. Good Gods, Will. Yeah, you came out as bi to your mom, but still, you haven’t actually mentioned a guy to her yet.

She was silent for so long his heart joined his brain in the track meet happening on top of his lungs. “What’s his name?”

He was so she’d spoken that he blurted, “Nico.”

What. The. Fuck. Willaim.

Apparently, his heart had won that damn track race.

“Well, what I was leading up to before you told me about what happened,”

Will hummed non-committally, trying not to sound like he was taking relieved breaths as she spoke.

“The family’s come for a reunion and you should bring that boy!” Will choked on his spit.

“Mom, I don’t know about-”

“No, William. There isn’t a set date yet so we can work around your schedule,” Fuck. “I insist, Will. I need to meet this boy you clearly like very much, even though all you’ve said is his name, a mother knows.”

Umm, what.

“Sure,” Will said, sounding a little strangled. “But we have a game this weekend.”

“Alright, William.” She sounded the way she always did when he brought up hockey. “But as I said, we can work around your schedule and his. Talk to him about it, and let me know.”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Will repeated. “I’ll do that.”

She hung up and he was left staring at the wilting daisies at his kitchen table.

What had he just done?

[imaginedisish]

Noise Pollution (Colin Ritman x Reader) (Bandersnatch)

A/N: Heyyoooo. This took me waaayy too long to write lol. But, here it is!!! (It’s based on an anon request about present-day!colin being super into conspiracy theories, so he and the reader talk ab them. I kinda took it in a different, but similar direction) The title is based off of a Portugal the Man song. It’s a bop go listen. Ight it’s 12am where I’m at and I gotta wake up at 6 tomorrow so GN GUYS! Stefan fluff tomorrow...get ready :) (once again thank you for all the love xxxxxx)

Summary: Present-day!Colin and the reader meet after an English lecture at university, and they quickly hit things off. (lots of fluff...and getting high)

Warnings: Drug use, some language, pretty much it! oh FLUFFFFFF <3 (au)

Word Count: 1,857

Tick, tock, tick tock. 

Time passed by slowly as you stared down the clock, waiting for the weekend to begin. You felt as though the longer you stared at hands, the slower the clock moved. English was your favorite class. It had to be, since you were an English major, but the week had felt so long. You needed to relax. You needed a break. 

“Now can anyone tell me how Austen displays the separation and disconnect between class through Harriet and Emma’s relationship?” You professors asks, his eyes glossing over the bored class. He knows he’s losing the his student’s attention as the grasp of the weekend reaches into the minds of each individual student. 

You look over at the blonde boy a few seats down from you, his feet resting on top of the empty chair in front of him as he clearly dies of disinterest. He adjusts the silver frames resting on the bridge of his nose, and rolls his eyes at the professor’s question.

“Mr, Ritman,” Your professor calls out, annoyed. The blonde boy’s eyes perk up. “You clearly have an opinion, care to take the floor?”

“Not really, mate. But thanks for asking.” The sarcasm in the boy’s voice is evident. 

And inexplicably sexy, you think to yourself. Giggles drift throughout the classroom at his response, and you can’t help but smirk along with the rest of your peers.

“I want an answer, Ritman. Or else,” your professor pauses for dramatic effect, “I’m failing you for the remained of the semester.” The blonde boy rolls his eyes once again, and sits up appropriately in his seat. 

“Emma is a know it all twat who thinks marrying off her less fortunate friend to some filthy rich wanker is going to solve all her problems,” the blonde boy quickly rambles. He then pauses, collecting his thoughts. 

“Language, Mr. Ritman,” your professor reprimands. 

Then he continues on. “Emma has independence due to her personal wealth. Harriets lacks the social status of Emma, therefore limiting her independence and choices in society, thus highlighting the unfair advantages of the upper class during the time period.” Everything he says is so nonchalant, yet so intelligent. The whole class is in awe of his statement. 

The blonde boy has a brain, you think to yourself.

“And would you look at the time! Class dismissed!” The blonde boy stands as he says this, motioning for the rest of the class to stand as well. The room bursts into a booming laughter. 

“Not so fast, everyone. Your Jane Austen test will be on Monday. Prepare yourselves accordingly,” Your professor says finally, as your peers rush out of the lecture hall and into the arms of the weekend. 

Unlike your classmates, you take your time getting your things together. You carefully place your laptop in your bag, then throwing your heavy backpack over your shoulders. You begin to walk down the stairs.

“I like your shirt,” You hear from behind you. The voice is familiar. You turn around.

Blonde boy.

“Th-thanks,” you stutter, caught off guard by his compliment.

“The Strokes are a brilliant band. Julian Casablancas fucking shreds,” The blonde boy smirks, looking down at your shirt. 

“Yeah, they really are,” you say, smiling, starting to feel much more confident. 

“Colin, Colin Ritman,” Blonde boy says, extending a hand out towards you. You accept the gesture, putting your hand in his. 

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N),” You say to him, he nods in response, pulling his hand away from yours. 

“Well, (Y/N), what else do you listen to?” Colin questions, walking ahead of you. You catch up to him. 

“Oh, well I love David Bowie!” You exclaim, a smile plastered on your face. David Bowie really got you going, you loved that man and all his music. 

“He’s a pretty amazing guy,” Colin says, opening the door for you. You two walk out of the bland lecture hall. “You ever listen to Arcade Fire? They worked with Bowie a couple years back.”

“Yes! I absolutely love them! Bowie produced their Reflektor album,” You say back, your smile growing by the second. 

You two continue to walk around the hallways of the building, talking about bands like LCD Soundsystem, Arctic Monkeys, Nirvana, The Beatles, and your shared loved for new wave. 

“Look I know we just met and I’m probably just some cocky bloke to you, but would you wanna,” Colin pauses, tensing up, scratching the back of his neck, “hangout or something? We can go back to my place.” Butterflies flutter around your stomach excitedly. 

“I’d love that,” You say, and Colin grins and relaxes. You two walk side by side, your arm occasionally brushing against his. You two talk the entire way to his flat.

“So what made you chose to be an English major?” Colin asks, arching a brow in your direction. 

“I love literature. I hope to be an author some day,” You say back to him. He smiles at you, admiring your passion. “What about you?”

“For fun, quite honestly. I’m a video game programmer and designer,” Colin answers. “I work for an up and coming company called Tuckersoft.”

“That’s amazing!” You’re awestruck. He was so intelligent, so witty, so ambitious, so attractive. His blonde hair was practically translucent in the sunlight. His blue eyes shimmered, collecting rays from the sun as if it was what they were created to do. 

Your heart thumps loudly in your chest. You had always admired Colin from afar in class, but now you two were actually interacting. There was something special about him, but you couldn’t put your finger on it. 

You two walked a short way more before stopping in front of a tall high rise. 

“This is the place,” Colin says. You two head inside, and up to his floor. 

His apartment was spotless, something you didn’t expect at all. He seemed like a slacker. Everything had an organized, designated place. It was gorgeous, modern, clean lines and vibrant colors everywhere. 

“Your apartment is beautiful.” You walk over to a large bookshelf, searching through Colin’s extensive collection. Fahrenheit 451, The Great Gatsby, Richard III, The Scarlet Letter, Crime and Punishment, and many more classics adorn his wide range of novels. He even had some collections of Sylvia Plath’s poetry, which happened to be your very favorite. You select one, and skim through carefully. 

On the top of the bookshelf is Colin’s record collection. He had everything from The Beatles, to Radiohead, to Queen, to Lou Reed, to Arcade Fire, and more. It was the biggest collection you had ever seen. 

“Quick question,” Colin asks. You hear a lighter click behind you. “Do you smoke?” A joint rests in between Colin’s index finger and thumb. You nod. Colin smiles, and lights the joint. He plops himself down on the couch, and puts the blunt precariously in between his lips, inhaling deeply. He motions for you to sit down next to him. 

You sit next to him, Colin passes you the joint. You part your lips, carefully placing the joint in the gap you created. You inhale slowly, relaxing into your high. 

“Want some music?” Colin asks, his eyes now slightly bloodshot. 

“Play some Beatles,” you say, allowing your eyes to fall closed. 

“Good call,” Colin responds, standing up, and walking over to his bookshelf. You open your eyes to see which record he selects. You watch as he picks up The White Album, and you can’t help but giggle lightly. “What’s so funny? The White Album isn’t good enough?”

“No, it’s just,” you laugh heavily now, taking another hit from the joint, “Paul is dead. You know, Revolution 9?” Colin joins in and giggles with you, creating a chorus of laughter. 

“I love conspiracy theories,” Collin says, setting up the record, placing the needle on the now spinning vinyl. Back in the USSR starts up, and you hum in pleasure. Colin sits back down next to you, and you pass the joint back to him. “Wanna shotgun?” 

You’re taken back for a moment, and Colin could tell. “If you aren’t comfortable we don’t have to do that, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to make you feel-,”

“No,” you giggle. “I was just shocked that you finally asked, I didn’t think you were going to.” 

Colin smiles and nods, taking a big hit from the blunt. He leans into you, and presses his lips against yours. You part your lips, and Colin does the same, blowing the smoke into your mouth. You suck it in carefully, and he presses another kiss against your lips before pulling away. 

“How was that, love?” Colin coos. 

“Perfect,” You whisper back. 

You two continue to talk through the entire first side of the record, practically ignoring the fact that it’s on. 

“What if we’re living in some simulation, (Y/N),” Colin says, bringing up the topic of conspiracy theories yet again. He adjusts his glasses as he awaits your answer. 

“I mean if we play games like The Sims, someone has to be playing us in some universe, right?” You state, matter of factly. 

“That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time!” Colin practically shouts, his excited state making you giggle. “Free will is a construct, so is time. It’s all consumerist bullshit. Noise pollution, ya know? All talk, no real proof of any existence or truth.” 

“That whole “time” thing you just said, it isn’t even a theory, it’s a fact,” You state confidently. 

“Exactly. Society forces time upon us. It’s used to keep us in line, you know?” You nod, agreeing with him as he rambled on. 

After a while, you feel your eyes begin to grow heavy. You rest your head against Colin’s chest. You two had stopped talking about conspiracy theories, and he switched the record from The White Album to Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by The Cure as per your request. You didn’t want to have to hear Revolution 9, and Colin thought it was adorable that you were so scared of a song. 

You two just sit there, resting on the couch, taking your newfound relationship in. You listen to Colin’s heart beat heavily in his chest. Every now and then he takes a deep breath, the sound making your stomach somersault. 

“Hey Colin?” You call out, as if you don’t know where he is. 

“Yeah, (Y/N)?” Colin replies. 

“I think I’m in like with you,” You say, laughing and closing your eyes. Colin suddenly brings a hand up to the nape of your neck, and he begins to play with your hair. His free arm wraps around you, keeping you pressed against his body. 

“I think I’m in like with you too, (Y/N),” Colin purrs. “You wanna stay over? We don’t have to do anything, we can just keep doing this.”

“I’d like that a lot,” You say back, looking up at Colin, a wide smile stretching across his face. 

You two stayed there, in Colin’s apartment, together, all weekend, free from “the noise pollution” of the “consumerist lies” of the London streets below.

It was the beginning of something beautiful.

[louisfrecklesss]

LCH [5] | Louisentine

Description: Clementine gets confused with her feelings while she’s spending so much time with Louis, especially after babysitting baby AJ together.

Words: 1,757 

Ship: Clementine x Louis

Warnings: make out session

Genre: Fluff, High School AU

A/N: it’s so fucking cold here in London, yes I live in London for those who don’t know. everyone seems to like this fic better than the other one? at least you like one of them because I don’t like my writing at all aH. anyway, I love you all. thank you for reading!

CHAPTERS

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

__

It’s been a or two week since Clementine has agreed to this deal with Louis, and not for one second has she thought it was a stupid idea. She could see from hanging out with his friends that they do pick on him a lot, Mitch the most; they’re not bullying him but he is the joke of the group only because he is the lesser of them. Clementine knew that if she was in his shoes she wouldn’t know if she would be as strong as he is.

So, here they all are in the common room of the school. Mitch, Aasim and Marlon sat opposite the couple who were seated on one of the large body bean bags. Clementine sat crossed legged in between Louis legs as he rest his chin on top of her head, her hands held his fiddling with his fingers while she scrolls through her phone with the other. 

“When are your friends getting her, babe?” Louis brushes his thumb over Clementine’s hand to get her attention, the girl switches tabs on her phone to their conversation reading the answer for Louis.

“I think they’ll be here in five, I’m not sure to be honest with you.” She looks up at him meeting eyes with him to which he winks at her causing her to look down smiling. Every time he winks, event though he has done it so many times, it still seems to make Clementine blush like crazy.

Clementine meets eyes with Marlon who is vaping the whole entire room up. “Brody?” His eye brows frown at the question before looking towards the door of the room; just in time, Brody walks into the room with Clementine’s friends. Louis knows them but they haven’t all chilled together as ‘friends’. 

“Baby!” Brody practically screams as she sees Marlon in the far corner, he opens his legs up on his seat inviting her to sit on his lap. It wasn’t too long before they were all over each other.

Aasim turns away from the couple. “Looks like it came straight out of a porno.” Violet, who came in with the rest of Clementine’s friends, high fives Aasim before taking a seat next to him. 

“Oh right, guys, these are my friends. Violet, Sophie an-”

“Ruby!” Clementine is a little shocked when the rest of the boys know who Ruby is. “Darling.”

Ruby giggles when Mitch and Marlon continue to shout her name. “Don’t y’all darlin’ me.” 

“You know each other?” Louis questions.

“We always pretend to be sick so we can pay our little Ruby a visit, right Aasim?” Marlon hits Aasim with his elbow a couple times before he is rewarded with a punch on his arm. “Or is it to see that asian guy that is always sick but never fuckign speaks?”

“James?” Ruby questions sitting on the other side of Aasim who physically tenses in his seat, Louis tap Clementine lightly pointing at Aasim before smiling down at her. Clementine saw what he was talking about and mouthed the ways how cute before engaging back in the conversation. 

“James is pretty fucking hot.” Clementine states nodding her head along with her fake boyfriend. 

“Oh yeah, James has my heart.” Louis clenches his chest and Clementine lifts her hand to high five him behind her. The group just break into a fit of laughs including Aasim himself. It was only recently that Aasim came out about his sexuality so it was hard for him to joke about it still.

“Too bad his gay Clementine.” Mitch adds pointing at the girl who frowns slightly earning a hurt expression from the boy behind her. She tilts her head back looking at him who pecks her lips quickly earning a surprised expression from her, nevertheless, she grins.

Sophie is almost glued to Violet’s side not knowing these people enough to really fit in; Clementine notices this telling her to come sit opposite her which happened to be right next to Mitch. Mitch offers her a small smile to which she returns before saying something to him which Clementine can’t hear, she’s just glad that she has someone to talk too. 

“So, party tonight? My house, everyone has to be there because I said so.” Marlon says standing shortly after, he goes round getting everyone number and adding it to a group chat, not too long after everyone receives his address.

Louis admires his girlfriend as he sees her shaking her head softly. “I don’t do parties.”

“Clementine does not do parties.” Violet says to clarify the point that Clementine just made. Louis did not seem too happy about this, he stood up making Clementine fall back onto the bean bag slightly. 

“No, princess, you have to come.” Clementine smiles to herself before standing up to placing her hands on her hips. 

“Nope, sorry.”

Louis flutters his eyelashes at her, bringing out his puppy dog eyes before moving closer to Clementine. He hopes this works on her because it works on most people, he can even see in the corner of his eye, Violet crumbling and slamming her hand on Aasim’s leg. “Come on Clementine, please.” Clementine looks back at her friend briefly before looking back at him. 

“No.”

Everyone boo’ed and complained as Clementine grabs her stuff and Louis hand. “I have to babysit my baby brother, and you’re going to help me.” She addresses the last part of the sentence to Louis who rolls his eyes gently, following behind the girl. 

“We all know that’s code for sex!” Marlon shouts as they both start to leave the room. 

“Louis is going to have to wait longer than that!”

~

Lee runs around the house picking up all the mess as well as trying to find his car keys, AJ is screaming in his highchair not wanting his Dad to leave him. 

“Daddy, it’s here.” Clementine hands Lee his car keys, he thanks her kissing the top of her head. 

“I’ll be back in an hour, I just really have to finish that paperwork sweetpea.”

“I know Dad, go.” She tries to push him out of the house. 

“And thank you too, Louis.”

“No problem, Paps.” Louis returns to feeding baby AJ who stops crying once the spoons meets his lips; Louis makes funny faces at the baby causing him to giggle almost choking on his own laugh. Clementine loves watching Louis play with AJ and call her Dad ‘Paps’. It makes it so real, a little too real. But she never bring up the fact that this isn’t real because she wants to feel like it is even when it isn’t.

“Everyone is going to be there, and I have to go because it’s my bro’s party. Open up AJ, woosh.” Louis guides the food into AJ’s mouth before turning to Clementine for a reply.

She sighs before laying down on her couch. “Fine, but I swear to go you can’t leave me alone Louis.” 

He turns to her almost jumping up and down. “Of course I won’t babe, thank you so much. You’re amazing. Isn’t she amazing AJ? She’s so great right?”

Clementine smiles at them closing her eyes to rest slightly, without Louis she would have had to babysit AJ all by herself and she’s been so stressed and tired from school she just can’t function. She’s unsure of how long she’s been laying there with her eyes closed but Louis joins her on the couch laying beside her with half of his body on top of her due to the lack of space. 

“AJ is sleeping, I put him to bed.”

“I don’t know what I would do without you Lou.” Clementine opens her eyes to meet Louis staring at her; she can see all his freckles up close, even the opens that overlap each other creating and even bigger freckle. Louis could see that Clementine was avoiding his eyes, he wants her to look at him even though she was but not at him. His hand grabs her cheek brushing thumb against it slightly, her eyes flutter shut slowly enjoying the feeling. 

“No, look at me.” Louis whispers against her skin, she doesn’t listen at first until he says it again this time in a more demanding tone. As soon as he eyes meet his, she slams her lips against his;. this is the second time that they have shared a kiss during this entire relationship. But it’s the first time that they’ve kissed because they wanted too and not because someone was coming and they had too, like the first time. 

Louis’ hand grips her face firmly as he pulls her into the kiss more, the uncomfortable position makes Louis move on top of her instead. Clementine’s arms wrap around his neck pushing him onto her to the point that if it was any further than it would stop her breathing. They pull away from a second only to get air before Louis mouth is on her neck, leaving soft kisses everywhere. A soft breathe of air leaves Clementine’s lips as she bits her lips, one leg moves around Louis waist as she moves him back to her lips. 

Clementine’s hands grab onto his shirt pulling him in closer, Louis lets out a small groan feeding more into her lips. She parts her lips asking for more to which he gives her, it wasn’t just a dry kiss anymore as their tongues met each other. Clementine could barely control her breathing before the front door slams open and Louis rolls off Clementine almost as quickly as he rushes towards the kitchen. 

Lee walks in with his back turned towards the door trying to get all the shopping bags into the house. “Hey kids, I did some shopping.”

Clementine is breathing heavy trying to compose herself and reply to her father; Louis can see that she is no state to reply muttering the best response he can. 

“That’s great Paps.” He shouts from the kitchen taking down a large amount of water from the glass in his hand. 

“W-we’re, um, going to a party Dad. Don’t wait up!” Clementine grabs her coat and rushes out of the house. Lee looks to Louis for an explanation, who has a red face, shrugs his shoulders and rushes after Clementine.

[ezmisery]

The White Dog of McClean Maternity Ward

It was impossible to work on the ward without hearing about The White Dog. The rumor traveled as if it were an animal itself, walking from person to person with a sullen limp. Rumblings would start from the patients, then move to the orderlies, and finally the medical staff. And once the patients were off the maternity ward they brought news of the dog to the general population. It was unruly. Embarrassing, really. But we had no control of it.

I had been working at McClean for over five years. It was a job I thoroughly enjoyed. As a psychiatrist, I knew I wanted to work with the patients most in need. And I couldn’t think of anywhere more in need than McClean Mental Hospital.

We housed a diverse group of the mentally ill. From the light-end of the spectrum, where patients only visited once a month, to the deranged and violent inmates we housed 24/7. I began my career in the eating disorder ward. At first I was slightly unnerved by the ribs protruding like tree branches. The patients were walking skeletons. One slipped on a wet floor and broke nearly all her bones as if she were an elderly woman. I spent two years there, working non-stop on food plans and boosting self-esteem.

It lost its appeal pretty quickly. I got bored of doing and saying the same things over and over. I stopped feeling like I was making a difference. Sure, my patients needed me. But their problems were so benign.

Eventually I moved to Ward 6. This was the ward for the ‘worst’ of society. These were the patients who were admitted without their consent, most likely due to a violent outburst or self-harm incident. I balanced a caseload of forty three people. During my time in this ward I was bit, punched, tackled, and vomited on. But I loved it. Being able to reach out to those who could barely function…it was thrilling. My heart beat faster every time we had an incident.

But even with these dangerous patients I lost interest. It became monotonous to try and help them only to see no progress. These people were beyond help. I felt like I was wasting my time with them.

I’m not sure exactly why I transferred to the maternity ward in particular. Well, if I’m being honest, it was because I thought it might be more exciting. The patients I worked with were messed up, sure, but adding a baby to all that crazy would make things even more stimulating. I’ve always had a bad habit of wanting as much drama in my life as possible. Plus the extra pay didn’t deter me either.

But this isn’t the point. I am trying to write about the White Dog. My first run-in with the legend came from a woman in Ward 6. Marlene. I met with her weekly for treatment just like the other patients. She was completely unresponsive to any form of questioning. The hour would be spent asking questions that received silent answers. I figured she was too medicated so I lowered her dose of anti-psychotics. The next session she remained quiet, but more afraid than before.

“How is the new dose feeling?” I asked her.

She didn’t respond. I resisted sighing in frustration.

“I thought today we could go over some things in your file. You’ve been with us almost three years. And I see before Ward 6 you were on the maternity ward-”

“Don’t put me back there,” Marlene cried out suddenly. “He’ll come for me. He’ll come back. He follows. He takes.”

My curiosity spiked, I lay down my notebook. “It is good to hear your voice.”

“Please, no. He is so cold. Cold.” She drew her knees up to her chest and began to rock back and forth.

“Who are you speaking of, Marlene?” I leaned a little closer.

Tears sprouted from her squinted eyes. The color left her skin. “The White Dog,” she whispered. Suddenly she slapped herself in the face and then pulled her earlobe so hard it split. I was used to violent outbursts so I called an orderly and we dealt with the situation quickly.

I wrote the incident off as a symptom of her psychosis. Making up stories can help patients cope with stress or trauma. Marlene had lost the child she was carrying when she was in the maternity ward, so it made sense for her to imagine some sort of monster to explain the loss. I mentioned it briefly to another psychiatrist, Doug, during a meeting and he laughed. The reaction was so strange I pressed him on it.

“You’ve never heard of the ‘White Dog of McClean’?” He grinned. “It’s our own personal urban legend.” Doug split his time between maternity and Ward 6, so I listened closely.

“I figured it was just something she made up.”

“No, the patients have created an entire monster story for this thing.” He chuckled. Doug was an easy going guy; perhaps too much so. He didn’t take his job very seriously. “Supposedly there is a white dog that haunts the maternity ward. It prowls from room to room, ripping babies out of the patients and then swallowing them. And if he isn’t satisfied with the infants, he’ll go after the women too. They say he’s almost as tall as a man with fur so white it looks cold to touch.” He locked eyes with me for a moment before breaking away in laughter. “It’s all bullshit. Just a story the patients tell themselves. Don’t worry about it.”

But I did worry about it. I didn’t think it was real, obviously. But the effects of a common psychosis were fascinating. If what Doug said was true, multiple women had the same delusion. It was passed back and forth like a virus. Now that I’m writing this down and thinking on it, maybe the Dog was the reason I transferred wards after all.

Whatever brought me there, even on my first day I could see the effects of the legend. Patients begged to be moved to a different ward. They never wanted to be alone. At night the women would scream with fear at any noise. Most had to be restrained to avoid serious injury to themselves. My first few days on the job were shrouded in chaos. Orderlies ran after women with giant stomachs. The nurses were jaded, handing out medicine with barely a look. Doug was the only other psychiatrist on the ward so we did most of the heavy lifting.

I had seventeen women on my caseload. It nothing compared to my previous work. I saw the patients for some light therapy and med changes. A lot of them had to be taken off the heavy stuff due to the baby. Weirdly enough, all of the women came from Ward 6, where I had worked previously. One patients stood out to me – Lou.

Lou was barely eighteen. She was thin as a rail but could do a lot of damage to herself. She had lived at McClean for almost her entire life. In recent years, she had made immense progress. Her habit of cutting was almost completely cured. She spoke positivity about getting a job and living on her own. We were all quite proud of her.

I sat down with her and saw a completely different person. Not only had she resorted back to self-harm (as evidenced by her fresh scars) but she was also making no sense.

“Lou,” I said softly, “You need to slow down and tell me what’s going on.”

“He wants the baby so bad he’s going to take it before it’s ready chew the head like a lollipop pop pop pop chew spit pop.” She stared deep into my eyes as she spouted this nonsense.

“Who? Who wants the baby?”

“The Dog. Pop pop split bleed bite the tiny skull until it breaks breaks breaks breaks breaks.” I could tell she was trying to tell me something important.

“Lou, I don’t understand you. Can you go slower?”

“Slow is death slow gets you caught against a wall hurt up up rip sh sh sh you’ll wake the baby.” Her hands were twitching.

I moved closer to her. “No one will hurt you, Lou. You are safe here.”

She leaned in, her voice a bit quieter. “The Dog hunts when the swans are asleep and the people pretend he is one of them.” She spit violently onto my cheek. “She’ll die she’ll die she’ll die she’ll die!”

“Who?” I wiped her saliva off my face.

For the first time she stopped and said something coherent. “My baby. He’s going to kill her tonight.”

I was scared Lou would try and abort her child, so I put in the order to have her restrained until the morning. I went about the rest of my duties and left for the night. The next morning Lou was dead. Her child’s heart had stopped beating. Her stomach was severely bruised and one of her hands was sliced open. There was no explanation as to how any of this happened.

I was thrilled. Not because she died, obviously. But because it was such a mystery. The psychosis was so strong she broke out of her restraints and literally ended her life. I vowed that I would spend the next night in the ward to see if anything like this could be replicated. And prevented, of course.

I made space in the day to see every one of my patients. None of them seemed surprised about Lou. “It was her turn,” Jade told me in her deep, depressive voice. “The Dog was hungry.”

“Whose turn is it tonight?” I could barely contain my excitement.

“Oh doctor. It’s mine.” She rubbed her hands over her belly. “Can’t you see how ripe I am? How delicious I’ll taste? I’ve been asking to get out of this ward since the damn thing was put in me. But I’ve accepted it. I am his now. At least I won’t be afraid anymore.”

I made sure Jade would be restrained and decided I would monitor her room that night. She was the only patient who said the Dog would hurt her. I left her door open and sat in the doorway, her file in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

The night began as usual. Some of the women screamed to be let go. Jade fell asleep without incident. As the darkness stretched on I revisited her file. She had murdered her husband because she believed he was inhabited by the devil. Sent to Ward 6 when she was 28. She was there for two years before transferring to the maternity ward.

I had to reread that twice. Two years in Ward 6 before being transferred…so she had to have gotten pregnant in the hospital. But the patients were segregated by gender. She never should have come in contact with a male patient at all.

That’s when things began to crumble. All of the women here were from Ward 6. All of them had to have gotten pregnant inside the facility. But how? I ran back to my office and scoured the records. Lou had lived her entire life in gender segregation. How could she have gotten pregnant? How could any of these women?

Slowly I walked back to Jade’s room in complete confusion. The hall was cold. Everyone had gone completely quiet. Jade’s open door swung in the non-existent wind. “Hello,” I called out, the hairs on my neck standing up.

A howl sounded from inside her room. Believing it was Jade, I ran through the entryway only to stop suddenly in my tracks. Standing in her room was a huge white dog. It was almost six foot tall. Its fur was ice white. It had two wounds on either side of its body. Hanging from the wounds were unborn dog fetuses. Streaks of red bloodied its teeth. It looked at me with dead, yellow eyes.

I slowly backed up but the thing growled at me. It wanted me to watch. Carefully it stood on its back two legs and hovered over Jade’s body. It bit down on her stomach. The bones made a sickening pop. Jade awoke and began to scream. The Dog ripped at her throat, leaving her voiceless and gurgling. It then turned to me. I was breathing heavily. The room seemed to be spinning. It slowly approached me. I swear I heard it laughing. It lunged at me and I fell backward, hitting my head and passing out.

…

I don’t work at McClean anymore. After that night I couldn’t bring myself to go visit that cursed building. My logical brain tells me that what I saw wasn’t real. Doug said maybe I had too much coffee. But whatever I saw still lives in my brain. I don’t know how many women died on that ward. I try not to think about it. I was an over-eager idiot who thought I could cure something real. It was real. Logic be damned it was real.

All I know is that if I stayed in that job, I would have ended up just as crazy as my patients.

[tam-nya]

NINJAGOOOOO? :^000

Under cut because it’s quite long (I wrote way too many quotes haha)

Top 5 favourite characters: Zane, Nya, Jay, Cole, MorroOther characters you like: Acronix, Cyrus Borg, Kai, Lloyd, Dareth, Skylor, Misako, Lil Nelson, Ed & Edna, Neuro.Least favourite characters: Eh I guess I don’t care about most of the skeleton and snake villains from the pilots to season 2. Skales is good though.Otps: JAY X NYA GIVES ME LIFE! I also love Kai x Skylor, Ed x Edna, and Misako x Garmadon. And Ray and Maya seem cute together.Notps: Let’s see... Morro x Lloyd, Lloyd x Kai, Lloyd x Garmadon, and Cole x Zane are the worst to me.Favourite friendships: I love the friendships among all the ninja, especially Lloyd + Kai, Cole + Jay, and Nya + Zane!Favourite family: Jay’s! Jay is a fantastic character, his adoptive parents are lots of fun, his discovery of his biological father is cool and his biological mom is beautiful.Favourite episodes: Home, Tick Tock, the Royal Blacksmiths, The Surge, The Titanium Ninja, Only One Can Remain, and The Temple on Haunted Hill.Favourite season/book/movie: Well I really love S3 the most! But S4, S5, and S6 are close in awesomeness too.Favourite quotes: Let’s see... Sorry if some are slightly off,  I might not remember completely correctly.

“There comes a time when every boy must become a man. What kind of man is up to him.” - Garmadon“We must all grow up someday. When that time comes, we must remember the lessons of our childhood, because our childhood is the greatest training of all.” - Wu (I think?)“We honour our ancestors, because if we do not look to the past, we cannot envision the future. On the Day of the Departed, we remember those who are no longer with us, and spend time with those we are still fortunate to have.” - Wu“You are like the sunrise. We cannot begin the day without you.” - Zane“Even in the darkness, we have the choice to reflect the light.” - Zane“I used to think technology would be the answer to all our problems. But then I saw it create new problems. Devastating problems. And then, a Nindroid named Zane saved us all. He was the perfect balance between us and technology. He taught us that life should be a balance, and if we focus on one at the expense of the other, that’s when the balance is off. Technology can improve our lives, but so can people.” - Cyrus Borg“You know, I think the real reason sailors name ships after women is because we name them after the most important people in our lives; mothers, wives, sisters. The people we can count on to be by our side when things get rough.” - Cole“I don’t feel anything anymore.” - Cole“It’s like I don’t exist anymore.” - Cole“Everyone wondered what powered Zane. I’d like to think it was brotherhood, because he powered me. And he’ll still power me as his memory lives on.” - Kai“I have no friends.” - Jay“Haven’t I suffered enough?” - Jay“Well, I’m HOOPED! And I haven’t brushed my teeth in a week!” - Jay“We’ll see who laughs when I have to go commando!” - Jay“Care for a mucus salt sandwich?” - Jay“Are you seeing what I’m seeing? Of course not, because all I see is my life flashing before me!” - Jay“You should never swear. It’s a sign of weak verbal skills.” - Jay“The only thing decided about you, Zane, is that you’re weird.” - Jay“I’m a tall glass of water!” - Nya“Now, I need to go before the perfume toxins enter my bloodstream and I go into shock.” - Nya“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go write a song about my feelings.” - Lou“I hate waiting... it’s beneath me!” - Morro“You can only save those who want to be saved. Goodbye, Sensei.” - Morro“Eh, kids. That’s why I never had any. Not because Gayle keeps rejecting my marriage proposals even though I’d make an excellent provider.” - Dareth

Best musical moment: ZANE’S FUNNY SWITCH DANCEMoment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: The entire show. But I guess I love the Royal Blacksmiths scene with the ninjas dancing and then snuggling at the end.When it really disappointed you: I guess Zane’s drastic change in personality after his sacrifice disappoints me but ah well.Saddest moment: Zane’s death and funeral, Garmadon’s death, Garmadon’s SECOND death (when Lloyd meets his dad in the Cursed Realm but it has to be destroyed minutes later) Morro’s death, Nya’s death, and the Day of the Departed Scene where they’re remembering their lost loved ones and when Cole is fading from existence. Jay’s endless suffering in Skybound is pretty sad too.Most well done character death: ZANE’S! IT FRIKKIN RIPS YOUR HEART OUT.Favourite guest star: n/a?Favourite cast member: Brent Miller, he’s so sweet to his fans and makes wonderful videosCharacter you wish was still alive: I think it’d be interesting if Morro was still alive.One thing you hope really happens: Just more hella emotional scenes and more Jay x Nya moments is all I need!Most shocking twist: Cole turning into a ghost was really shocking to me.When did you start watching/reading?: I started lowkey watching 2-3 years ago maybe but I only became hella involved a few months ago.Best animal/creature: The lego people!Favourite location: Borg Industries is really cool.Trope you wish they would stop using: *shrugs* I guess villains being related to snakes in some form is getting overused (S3, S5, and S6 were different though) but I actually like how they’re used in Hands of Time, so it’s okay.One thing this show/book/film does better than others: Uhh it deals with heavy themes better than other kids cartoons and it has amazing CGI animation in my opinion. And I think the characters and humor are great too.Funniest moments: ...Where do I begin... I already listed some funny quotes before. Admittedly I find the S4 scene where a fortune cookie explodes in Cole’s stomach really funny. And Jay screaming/overreacting is often funny. I also like a lot of humor involving Zane’s weirdness, like when he was sitting in the fridge.Couple you would like to see: I wanna see Kai x Skylor again and see it develop more.Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: Ehh don’t really care.Favourite outfit: The ninjas’ teacher outfits in The Surge are so cuteFavourite item: Does Zane’s falcon count as an item?Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: Yes... lots of lego sets, some books, all the DVDs, stationery... but my favorite thing is my lil Cole ledlight keychain!What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: I don’t think I’d be one of the ninja, but I’d still love to be friends with them.Most boring plotline: The pilots!Most laughably bad moment: Ehhh I guess some of the humor involving the skeleton and snake villains but it’s funny to my little brother, so at least it appeals to the target audience.Best flashback/flashfoward if any: Zane’s flashbacks about his creator raising him and then dying after erasing Zane’s memory. And Wu’s flashbacks about Morro’s descent into darkness.Most layered character: I think Nya.Most one dimensional character: The Overlord because he’s literally just an embodiment of evil :PScariest moment: The Overlord’s dragon form at the end of S2 was rather creepy. And Morro can be terrifying, especially when he possesses Lloyd.Grossest moment: I guess that would be Jay talking about mucus sandwiches and making Cole vomit but I find that hilarious because I’m weird.Best looking male: Honestly I think Jay is the cutest but they’re all extremely cute.Best looking female: NYA IS SO CUTE AND BEAUTIFUL AND PRETTYWho you’re crushing on (if any): Well, none really now but it was Zane before.Favourite cast moment: Brent Miller interviewing any of the other staff.Favourite transportation: I think the Bounty is cool.Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): The Cloud Kingdom scenes are pretty, scenes with water are pretty, and the scene at the end of Day of the Departed where the lanterns are going into the night sky is pretty.Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you:Best promo: I like the S3 trailer but I guess I’m biased haha... the music is cool though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIuGSfSKZPEHonestly though the trailers for seasons 3 to 6 are all cool!At what point did you fall in love with this show/book:When I saw the scene with Zane in the apron and everyone laughing at him while he was just confused. :P

[rcsportstalk-blog]

NBA Season Preview ’19  (Pt.1)

By Anwar Jones

What. is. GOOOOD!?!?! It’s October and you already know what that means. The NBA Season is upon us and its about to get crazy. You thought last year was wild??? Check yo self, we got our Annual ‘NBA Season Preview’ below!

Be sure to hit us with your comments & subscribe to our Full Episodes at rosecitysportstalk.com

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Pacific Division

Golden State Warriors

So this off-season the Warriors mimicked Thanos in Infinty War to take it’s reign over the league to another level, while the other teams got their Star Lord on, allowing GS to obtain the last Infinity Stone, also known as Demarcus Cousins. Just like fans wanted to slap Star Lord, we should challenge our favorite teams’ GM to a duel for just sitting idle while the Dubs signed Boogie for the mid-level exception. It’s not hyperbole to say this is the best starting five ever. We may only witness this collection of stars for one season, with the rumblings of a KD departure and the inability to give a max contract to Cousins under league rules, this reign could be over with a snap of the finger. If that fate comes to fruition, the damage will already be done, as the Dubs will more than likely win their 4th title in 5 years and cement themselves as one of the top dynasties the NBA has ever seen.

Player to Watch - Can KD win a MVP on this stacked squad Record - 63-19

Los Angeles Lakers

The Magic Man has been dropping dimes in La La Land for almost 40 years, so it’s only fitting he assisted the Lakers in escaping basketball purgatory. Magic has brought Lebron James aka Maximus to battle in the Staples Center Colosseum. As if Laker Nation wasn’t already entertained by past Gladiators, like the great Black Mamba, the Big Aristotle, or the Goliath known as Wilt the Stilt, Maximus is here to restore past Showtime glory. To earn his freedom he must win the crowd and raise another banner to the rafters. King James will rely on some fiery young fighters looking to make a name for themselves in Ball, Kuzma, Ingram and Hart. He will seek wisdom from another gladiator, Rajon Rondo to help in his journey, but it will be up to Magic to bring in another established soldier to help the true King bring the trophy back to the Roman Laker Nation in the near future. It is why we are here. 

Player to Watch - Which Youngblood with be Lebron’s right hand man Record 53-29

Los Angles Clippers

Jerry West is the Professor X of the NBA, the behind the scene orchestrator of multiple dynastic teams. But he will need to tap into his cerebral vortex to make the Clippers a champs. The Logo will find a way to rebuild this team quickly, his reputation speaks for itself. It’s safe to either rookie Shai Gilegous-Alexander or Jerome Robinson, if not both, will be steals in the draft because West always finds gems. They have set themselves for the future with the space for two max contracts and tradable assets like Tobias Harris, Sweet Lou and Patrick Beverly to land a disgruntled star. The Clippers window to jack the city from the Lakers came and went, so they might as well just head north to Seattle, bring back the Sonics and establish a new where they will be loved and embraced forever. Can’t be a side piece forever.

Player to watch - Will Shai Gileous-Alexander be the best point guard of the draft class Record- 34-48

Phoenix Suns

GM Ryan McDonough caught the Jim Buss Holy Ghost during the off-season. His grand scheme of paying 35 million for the combo of Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson to help lead them to the playoffs was just delusional. It’s reminiscent of the Infamous summer of 16 and the tragedy that was the Deng and Mosgov. Trading an unprotected 1 st to move up 6 spots into the mid lottery is borderline criminal. The Suns won the lottery and added some solid young buildings blocks in Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Eli Okobo and Deanthony Melton, but Robert Sarver had enough. The fact that McDonough once had too many talented point guards to make happy a few years back to not having a starting caliber lead guard was too much to overcome. Sarver should’ve done it weeks ago so he focus on partying at the country club. Luckily Phoenix has a human bucket machine in Devin Booker, that they can convert to the point and hopefully create James Harden 2.0

Player to Watch - Can Ayton justify being the 1 st of the draft from day one Record 24-48

Sacramento Kings

This is the dawn of the post apocalyptic season for the Kings faithful and they can look no further than the self proclaimed Vladefather. He is literally out here making offers teams can’t refuse, like giving up an unprotected 1 st rounder for the opportunity to sign Rajon Rondo, Wes Matthews or Monta Ellis. That’s insanity. Clearly Vlade’s favorite of the Godfather trilogy was the third rendition and he’s using his platform to create his own spoof. Yet again the Kings failed to add the necessary talent to even sniff the playoffs so it’s all about development this season. They have a little bit of hope with sleeper prospect Harry Giles. If he can stay healthy and continues to build off his promising performance during summer league they may have stumbled upon a gold mine. Fox has a nice future and Marvin Bagley should be able to score with ease considering his skill set. It’s not all bad for the Kings from a talent perspective but remember they are by far the worst team in the West and don’t have their pick. The Vlad-Father better avoid the desert.

Player to Watch – Will Marvin Bagley’s collegiate dominance translate to the pro game Record 20-62

Northwest Division

Utah Jazz

The meteoric rise of Donovan Mitchell was one of the highlights of the 2017-18 season. Watching Spida Mitchell during his rookie campaign was eerily similar to Peter Parker testing out his web slinging potential, as he gradually realized he was a problem for the league. His coming out party came during a surprise upset against the Thunder in the 1 st round, where he looked virtually unstoppable. Now that he’s knows he has great powers, he has the responsibility of building on the momentum and lead the Jazz even further in the postseason. When Rudy Gobert is healthy, Utah is the most menacing defensive in the NBA, so as long as he stays on the court they will be successful. The Jazz had a quiet offseason, so they are clearly banking on their young talent taking a leap. We will see if one of the best coaches in the league, Quinn Snyder will help lead them to the next level.

Player to Watch - Is Donovan Mitchell at the superstar level yet Record 52-30

OKC Thunder

Russell Westbrook isn’t human, he’s not a mutant either, but he is Wolverine. He’s virtually indestructible and although will miss the start of the year no one is overly concerned considering he is made out of adamantium steel. Even Wolverine needs time to regenerate. Year 2 of the Westbrook and PG13 duo will be drastically different and more successful than the first. Now that their roles will be more defined, Russ and George should thrive and play off each other more effectively in the half court without the task of sharing shots with Hoodie Melo. Defensively, this team could be a juggernaut once Andre Robertson gets into the fold, but even without him they can still be great. The addition of Dennis Schroeder was a sneaky move that will no doubt ease the burden of Westbrook and allow him to attack off ball and be able to score more freely. OKC is a sleeper WCF contender.

Player to Watch - Dennis Schroeder can be the third scorer this has desperately needed Record 47-35

Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers are wasting the prime years of Dame Lillard. The second round is this team’s ceiling and it shouldn’t be that way. It’s absolute travesty that Neil Olshey has failed to add the necessary pieces to help out his star studded backcourt. Portland needs a third star, but Olshey refuses to go all in to add one. Cough, Jimmy Butler, cough? The roster has an odd mix of players either ready for prime time or years a way from contributing. Portland needs 3 and D wings, but Olshey fails to address that gaping hole. The roster has taken a set back in a conference that is becoming increasingly more difficult to stay afloat. Maybe Mystique can warn Olshey the sentinels are coming to take Lillard to brighter lights and alter the fate of Portland. Otherwise the writing is on the wall. A miracle needs to happen for Blazers’ fans quickly or their future days are going to be spent reminiscing about the past dominance of Dame Time.

Player to Watch - Can CJ McCollum become an All Star Record 47-35

Denver Nuggets

The Joker is the main reason why we should all take the the Nuggets playoff hopes so serious. Jokic flipped a switch and just blew up last season showing off his unique point-center skill set, reminiscent of another great international center, Arvydas Sabonis. Now it’s up to his backcourt, Jamal Murray and Gary Harris to take this team to the next level. Murray has the ability to be the go to scorer but he has to bring it every night. Denver have a plethora of young players that can get buckets, but they need to buckle down on defense. Coach Malone gained notoriety for his defensive philosophy, so it’s time for him to step up and earn that rep if this squad wants to be a serious contender in the West.

Player to Watch – The Rise of Jamal Murray Record 44-38

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Jimmy Butler saga has wrecked the Wolves’ season before it even started. When Butler exposed Towns and Wiggins for being shook ones, halfway crooks, scared to death, scared to look, it was a wrap. The stakes were already high for KAT coming off his disappearing act in his first playoff appearance but his reputation as an upcoming superstar is on the line. Is he minor or major, a true star or just a stat stuffer are the questions that will be answered by seasons’ end. Thibs is undoubtedly stubborn but he has pull the trigger on a Butler deal before he loses all the leverage for the All NBA performer. Thibs will more than likely going lose his job after the season and so next just ride or die with Jimmy and disregard the future. If that happens it will this will be a lost year for the Wolves. If KAT and Wiggins have any heart they better show it now or the will never shake the soft label.

Player to Watch - Make or break year for Andrew Wiggins Record 37-45

Southwest Division

Houston Rockets

Daryl Morey, why not just bring it back, rewind, pon de replay on a roster that was a CP3 injury away from knocking off the evil empire. This was a confusing off-season for the Rockets, by letting Ariza and Mbah a Moute walk, they lost the defensive switch abilities that made them so special. Adding T.R.O.Y Olympic Melo would’ve been perfect if they maintained there defensive prowess but without it, the squad has taken an unnecessary step back. They will still be in the top 2 or 3 record wise in the West but their championship hopes have dwindled significantly. Morey is a wizard with trades, so it’s a possibility the Rockets still have a chance. I highly doubt Houston will stand pat, the question is will whatever move they make be enough to get one of those rings and things they sing about.

Player to Watch - Can Cp3 avoid his injury playoff curse Record 59-23

New Orleans Pelicans

The theme song for the Pelicans is Biggie’s “One More Chance” but the writing may already be on the wall. Even if the Brow plays at a historic level, New Orleans won’t even make the WCF. Shunning Boogie during free agency was a head scratcher because he was the only chance of pairing the Brow with an elite talent, even with his recent injury history, they had to bring him back. While they were successful without Cousins by playing at the fastest pace in the league and added a perfect compliment to that style of ball in the summer in Julius Randle, it’s just not enough to put them in chip contention. The holes at the wing position and the lack of a second guard will be this squad’s downfall. This season is shaping up to be a long kiss goodnight for the Pellies (turrrbile nickname) with AD signing with Klutch Sports, the rumblings off a Showtime Introduction with the Brow singing “I’m going, going, back, back to Cali, Cali” is on deck.

Player to Watch – Is Playoff Jrue the real Jrue Holiday Record 45-37

San Antonio Spurs

The death of a dynasty is upon us all. Jay-Z once said “It’s a secret society, all we ask is trust,”and within a season we saw that trust erode in San Antonio, thus tarnishing what is known as the Spurs Way in the process. Acquiring the somehow grossly undervalued bucket getter Demar Derozen for a disgruntled Kawhi Leonard was actually a great pickup during the summer. Ask Thibs if he would take that now. The problem that the Spurs have is surprisingly identity. With Kawhi, Parker, Ginobli, and the long gone Duncan, the framework of the championship blueprint is now absent. Pop is looking around the locker room like Will in the last episode of Fresh Prince. The injuries to Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker, and Derrick White couldn’t have came at a worst time, leaving them scary thin of playmakers on the roster. The Spurs 21 year playoff run is officially in serious jeopardy. I’ll never count out Popovich, but he needs to find a point guard ASAP to salvage this season.

Player to Watch - Demar Derozen Revenge Tour Record 44-38

Memphis Grizzlies

Running out this Grizzlies team is like churning out another Fast & Furious, we just roll are eyesand say to ourselves “ Really, another one.” The Grit n Grind crew still has familiar faces on the cast, but the culture is gone and it was replace with nothing but random pieces. The biggest flaw with this teamhas been outside shooting which still hasn’t been addressed which is a Tyrese-like head scratcher. Their best bet is to flip Gasol and Conley so they can get value for their aging stars. The West is so stacked, Memphis would have to play out of their minds to sniff the playoffs. Going out on a limb here but the Slow Mo and Garrett Temple acquisitions just don’t seem like enough to do it.

Player to Watch - Jaren Jackson Jr looks like the real deal Record 30-52

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs are trying to reboot their success with another international phenom after 20 plus years of the same mega star. Dirk was the Dark Knight of European prospects and nothing will top his epic trilogy. Luka Doncic will have to mimic Bain’s childhood rise from the prison to even challenge the reign of his predecessor. There’s a ton of hype surrounding Luka, but Dallas will be satisfied if he is just a Michael Keaton type of Bruce Wayne, but if he is on that Ben Aflek level, the Mavericks are in trouble. Deandre Jordan finally escaped the barricaded door of the Clippers franchise but it’s couple years too late from him to have a major impact. Dallas has good talent on the roster, the Doncic nd Smith Jr will be fun to watch, but a playoff birth is wishful thinking.

Player to Watch - Will Luka Doncic be the transcendent player his pegged to be Record 30-52

That’s a wrap for the Western Conference Preview, be sure to check back for Pt. 2, the Eastern Conference Preview, and do us a solid and share this article!

(Rose City Sports Talk is an unfiltered, laid-back, adult-adaptation of a sports network. If you’re interested in contributing, feel free to reach out. Be sure to check out our Podcasts, Webisodes, and to follow us @rosecitysportstalk503)