#the statues and paintings and callbacks!

[sun-snatcher]

Say what you want about TROP, but the show is ironically what motivated me into delving deeper into the LOTR books and learning more about the lore. The details of the show in terms of culture, design, and aesthetic (a good example would be Númenor) is arguably what made me forgive the reshaping of canon (which should be already be forgiven, considering the problems with rights).

[lathbora-virann]

WIP Wednesday Thursday Friday don't worry about it

Thank you @nadas-dirthalen for tagging me! I'm always writing nonlinearly and am all over the place, so I feel you.

Tagging @elf-trash @cursedhaglette @crimsonphantasmagoria @technicallysorcery @prettycozyghosty (@rosieofcorona I was going to tag you but you were already tagged in the first one lol)

Here's a continuation of this part from the Trespasser reunion and a callback to this moment and the gift she gives him.

Her eyes ran over him, over a face so achingly familiar and yet now so changed. The same beloved freckles were scattered across his cheeks, the same straight brows and full lips and vein at his temple. But now his eyes had shifted, not just their shade but the look behind them and the lines around them. He seemed less pale, a little fuller and a little stronger. There was a new little scar on his cheek that was a stranger to her. And his armour… it was so like those worn by the sentinels at the Temple of Mythal. The same gold and silver, the same breastplate, same leather overcoat and hood. If it weren’t for his bare face, he could have blended in amongst them seamlessly. She wondered if once he had. But unlike them, he wore the remnants of a more recent past over those ancient bones—the pauldron and strap covered in the etching of vines, the thick wolf pet over his shoulder she had once taken such comfort sinking into... Yet as soon as she had that thought, Nymera realised that those pieces were probably just as old as the rest of the armour. Perhaps they had even been markers of who he was amongst the people. And then she caught a glimpse of a familiar leather cord around his neck. The breath of a laugh met her lips as her fingers slipped beneath it, brushing against the skin of his throat as she pulled out the little clay charm that she had made him so long ago. His eyes closed briefly as she did, a short breath leaving his throat and his brow furrowing again. Both the cord and the disk seemed well worn yet well taken care of and her heart ached at the thought. It had been well loved.

“You kept it,” she whispered. Solas nodded, his jaw working like he were holding back tears. His eyes met hers again. “You have been with me always,” he whispered back. No words would ever be enough. No thought, no touch. No escape from the truth. Because it was true—far more so than he even realised. Long before she had been born, long before everyone she’d ever known had been born, her people had been telling stories of a god they thought had betrayed them. The hand that held the cord around his neck bore the sylvanwood ring she had worn for longer than she’d worn her vallaslin, depicting that betrayal and reminding her to always protect her people from him—like every Keeper and First before her. Outside every camp she had ever lived in was a carved stone reminder to always be wary of his tricks. Statues that a lonely little girl had found a kinship with even as she made her clan’s offerings of appeasement at his far-flung shrines. And the man himself—he had been with her every step of the way since she had gained the Anchor. Before she had even woken, he was there. Each time her mark had flared, he was there. Every rift she closed, every road she travelled, every line of ancient text she found, every veilfire she lit, every painting she saw, every decision she made. Every time she looked at her bare face in the mirror. Even Skyhold, the heart and home and symbol of the Inquisition itself, was all because of him. The jawbone worn tight around her neck pressed against her sternum like a constant claw in her gut as she smiled up at him. Nymera pulled down on the cord around his; slowly, gently, deliberately, until he was close enough that she could feel his breath on her cheek. “As you have with me.”

[childofsquidward]

Books I Read In 2022 (and by read I mean actually liked)

Paige the Christmas Play Fairy (Special Edition Fairies #5) by Daisy Meadows

"I can’t believe the show is tonight. Two days ago, I wasn’t even in it!”

⭐⭐(2.5 STARS)

Not my favourite Rainbow Magic book, but it was fun! A few things that I wanted to mention because I know that if I don’t my head will explode:

Rachel's pigtails and the cute little poncho she wore in the first chapter - bring it back.

The goblins in their little togas, pretending to be statues, was actually pretty funny.

The girls' faces as they watch one of the goblins stuff the ballet slipper in his mouth while he climbs up a ladder was also very funny, especially Rachel's face when the goblin is falling and she just has her arms out to catch the slipper.

Paige is so funny. Like, 'yeah I'll help this loser because fairies are nice or whatever, but instead of whipping up something soft for the goblin to land on, I'll drop him in a can of orange paint'.

The ballet costumes are really cute and I like that the style is almost like a more casual version of Paige's outfit.

Kirsty's side-pony was so cute, why didn't we let her keep her hair like that, hm?

I love how everyone's costumes are pretty normal, and then you get to the step-sisters and it's like, over the top wigs, make-up caked on, and the little gigot sleeves. What time period is this play?

A callback to India the Moonstone Fairy aka not a Christmas/Holiday fairy but she still gets mentioned and I love that (The Jewel Fairies was the first series I read and Scarlett the Garnet Fairy was the very first Rainbow Magic book I read and owned).

JACK FROST IS THE EVIL STEP-SISTER, I CAN'T!!!

I lost it at Kirsty telling the audience to warn Cinderella about the 'step-sister', this is exactly like when Dora always said "Swiper no swiping!" I'm actually upset that this made me laugh.

It was very sweet that the King and Queen got Kirsty's parents to come to the show.

[24-guy]

Richie makes his appearance, in a callback to his death referencing Carrie (I think that’s a movie where they dumped red paint on a girl right? I don’t watch movies, I hope so cause I’m proud of this), at homecoming.

as the first song ends, a bucket tips over, and on stage, a massive bunch of blood just. Falls.

and Richie is standing in the middle of the puddle.

now, the lords in black will make richie at least calm down, if not fully take him (because he gave them many more souls than Max did), if offered what values most to someone, by that person, willingly.

not that max knows that when he does it

Instead of Grace giving up her chastity, Max gives up what matters most to him, his status, giving up his dignity, by publicly admitting he felt bad about killing Richie die, and apologize to him, in tears, when at homecoming, Richie appears visibly to others for the first time

-not a loser anon

Right so. Number one, the only thing you got wrong about Carrie is that it's pig's blood they drop on her. But yes. I see the vision.

Secondly. I'm gonna built the fuck off of this and I hope you enjoy it.

What I'm envisioning is that the bucket was planned for someone else entirely. Doesn't even have to be mentioned by name. But whoever planned it sees Richie and is like "welp, it's a nerd either way." and dumps it.

Richie gets covered. By this point he's oibviously cleared off quite a few souls for the lords in black so, they calm him down and, through their ability to now act within the realm of hatchetfield the lights and speakers start freaking out. At first attendees just think it's all a part of the same prank. A prank to make fun of whatever nerd ended up on stage. But then, because Richie is hearing the plan first, he just grins. Which makes the rest of the students freak out a little because this is Richie Lipschitz, he'd run if someone lifted a fist near him, but now he's stood in a puddle of blood grinning.

The lords in black speak through the sound system as the lights slowly transition between their colours, announcing that Richie there is dead. As the lights finish the cycle, richie looks like he's dead, hole in his chest, skin pale and sunken. He's still grinning all the while because they did this. Hatchetfield did this to him and now they're regretting it. Now they will regret it.

The only way to stop it is for somebody to give up what they cherish most. And nobody would give anything like that up for him. Hes just a nerd. His friends didn't even realize he was missing until Steph told them.

And then max stands up, says that he did it. It's his fault. And that he regrets it. Something something, his status is removed because ew, dude, you killed someone? Not cool. And the idea ran out at that point, could you tell?

[blue-dream-rhapsody]

Update (once again with SoJ spoilers)

I am LOVING Turnabout Revolution. We’re on the very first trial day at this point and let’s see:

Apollo being so adamantly dismissive of Dhurke meanwhile Dhurke doing his best Zak Gramarye impression if Zak had actually gone to see his child. But so clearly. So clearly still seeing Apollo as his son.

The fact Apollo and Trucy now have being adopted kids to bond over and Trucy very clearly wants to but Apollo is just too Nope about it right now, poor Trucy

Her calling Dhurke “Dad” in about the time it took her to call Phoenix “Daddy” is really funny but Phoenix. Phoenix you need to tell them.

The whole Thalassa timeline is becoming very confusing now but I think I’m getting it, both of Apollo’s parents being musicians (at some point) though. Also wondering if traces of Jove were why Thalassa began singing when she lost her memory, if some part of his music was still in her mind and that led her to singing

The fact we have the option to say “No” to helping Dhurke and it feels like the right choice based on how Apollo seems to be feeling, I kind of love that

Me seeing the statue and urn and especially the scroll in the guy’s office: Imagine Phoenix walks in here, sees the fucking gravy scroll on the wall and has an immediate trauma response, turns around and walks right back out

Also me finding out Edgeworth is poking around Kurain: LET ME SEE MY BOY

Athena never made it to picking up Phoenix and we were making callbacks to “Pearl is 9 she can take care of herself”

Shitty painting of a scene relevant to a crime scene: please don’t be Larry please don’t be Larry OH MY GOD PEARL!!! HOW ARE YOU!!!

Okay the fucking. The fucking cave. Fucking. Ace Attorney made me cry in the fucking cave. Dhurke said he’d come back for me and he never did and all these years I’ve felt that betrayal like a knife in my neck and now I’m drowning and oh? Dad? You came back for me?

Less dramatic the sass on Apollo regarding the box was killing me though “not that I’d need to zoom in with this AMAZING lighting”

But god am I gonna like Nahyuta at the end of this god damn it

Apollo has had the two worst witnesses/I assume culprits in the series’ history and both in the same game (Reus and Atishon-Wimperson) give my boy a BREAK (and I mean worst in the sense of like. Insufferable assholes. Not that they’re bad at being witnesses/I assume culprits)

I know it’s not really personal but Phoenix triggering my rejection sensitivity by proxy also Dhurke has said more nice things about Apollo in the three hours he’s been here than Phoenix has said to him over all three AJ games and it’s about TIME

I don’t remember exactly what was said but it was something about all Defense Attorneys being troubled and I was like Um??? I think every Prosecutor we’ve dealt with has been severely troubled and we are DIRECTLY responsible for triggering Klavier’s, hitherto the most normal one

Turning Phoenix’s themes into “this is bad for me actually” music stings because he’s your opponent is crazy. It was kind of a matter of time before we faced off with Phoenix in some capacity but I still kind of love that they’re doing it like this. Still wanna strangle him

Although loving the petty from the outside. “Yes Mr A-W we’re all very familiar with how great you are please continue your fucking testimony”

Also the fact he keeps being like “BUT OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE DEAD HE WAS VERY CAREFUL IN RESTORING THE PRECIOUS STOLEN ARTIFACT”

Phoenix: “When have I ever come unprepared to a trial?” (insert that image of SpongeBob gesturing at the overwhelming pile of diapers outside his house)

“While you were on your little cave adventure—” I NEARLY DROWNED MR WRIGHT.

Finest Italian plastic

That’s about as far as we got. This might approach Bridge for favorite if it keeps going like this. Which given the ways it’s calling back to it even if just to me I guess makes sense

My mom realizing who the client was for the first day of the DD special episode was priceless

(Assorted thoughts with whole game Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice spoilers under the cut)

Of course, we finished the main story DD cases before playing it so I had to kind of check myself with Fulbright and Blackquill not being fully explored chronologically. But it being Phoenix’s first trial after getting his badge back was just so good because of course an orca would be his client

In all I really enjoyed the case, I think she did too. I kinda liked that it ended with it all having been an accident (apart from the cover-up). She also definitely lost her shit again when it came down to “you loved ‘we’re gonna defend the orca in court’ now get ready for ‘time to cross-examine the orca in court’”

In all DD was fine, but not my favorite of the games

ONTO SPIRIT OF JUSTICE SPOILERS

Ahlbi feels like he could be a weirdgirl sidekick if only given the chance, we spend comparatively little time with him but I’ve found him endearing the same way I have found all the weirdgirls endearing

My mom was horrified Gaspen was the first prosecutor and meanwhile I was cackling that this man fled to a different country and spent months garnering a glowing reputation only for the man who humiliated him to show up and do so AGAIN on his new turf

“What are you going to cross-examine the dog now??” “Maybe I will, don’t threaten me with a good time”

Also we love Klavier so we kept shittalking Peeslubn as an inferior musician

Across multiple cases again and again we’ll either verbatim say the next line Phoenix says or get into thinking about the mystery and end up getting right to the next thing that comes up and I think we’re becoming the Ace Attorney

Speaking of predicting the next thing that will happen in these games—

My mom (after asking about Gumshoe and being told he’s probably not there): Will Ema be in this game?

Me: I dunno (vaguely remembering seeing her rendered in 3D so assuming so but not wanting to say anything)

Ema: (literally shows up three seconds later)

For magical turnabout though um

Nobody told me about in the recording Trucy’s smile slipping for just a moment as she realizes what she’s looking at then “entertainers should always have a smile on their face” kicks in and you see it happen in real time

Also Apollo Perceiving on her for the first time and her starting to cry in front of her brother who she doesn’t know is her brother but Phoenix ended AJAA saying he’s the only one who knows how she really feels on the inside (terrible) and something about more of her family knowing her real pain and god dammit

Rite of Turnabout was frustrating but Maya was there so I forgive it for its sins

Turnabout Storyteller though?? How fun was that shit??? Simon shot up to my second favorite prosecutor and seeing Nahyuta flustered was very cathartic, I really do appreciate one-day trials sometimes for just getting it done

We’re just starting the last main case and I can’t wait for whatever’s gonna happen

[dajana-m]

Azure Claramay Peinture

"I am Azure Claramay Peinture of the renowned Peinture family. It would do you good to not forget that."

Biography

Name: Azure Claramay Peinture

Nickname(s): Bluey, Reine Des Arts (Rook), Barracuda (Kamasu) (Floyd)

Voice Actor (JP): Miyuki Sawashiro (VA of Raiden Shogun from Genshin Impact, Kyoko Honda from Fruits Basket and Kurapika from HunterxHunter)

Gender: Female

Age: 17 100+

Sexuality: straight

Height: 5'9"

Race/Species: immortal portrait human

Homeland: Queendom of Roses

Birthday: August 9

Star Sign: Leo

Family: Azurline Peinture (twin sister deceased), (older brother), Callus Peinture (father deceased)

Occupation: student, artist

Twisted from: the portrait of the girl with the blue flower

Professional Status

Dorm: Terrovania (@terrovaniadorm )

School year: Second

Class: 2-B

Best Class: Conjuration, Dark Magic

Club: Equestrian Club

Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous (usually right hand)

Favorite Food: Peeled Apples (it HAS to be peeled, NO EXCEPTIONS!!!)

Hated Food: Unpeeled Apples

Likes: painting, perfection, macarons, tea parties, purple, sunsets, birds, art, seashells, her brother (all of his reincarnations)

Dislikes: imperfections, not being listened to, her father, being locked indoors, her twin sister, cat family

Talents: singing, piano playing, painting

Hobbies (other than art): Gardening, Horseback Riding, Tea Making, Cooking

Unique Magic: Painted Reality

"Don't deceive the one and only. Only I, shall stand worthy, if you wish to see me dead, you'll see your mangled body instead, now, I introduce you to a Painted Reality!"

Description: This spell grants the user the ability to bring others (animate and inanimate) into a realm of their making. It's a realm of paint and art and is completely under their control, anyone and anything in that realm follows their bidding. This does include outsiders, it can warp ones views on the world and drives whoever stays long enough inside of it insane. Of course, they can be removed. However, a part of them will always remain in the realm, this part are their largest insecurities, faults and secrets, ready to be seen and exploited by the realm's master. Due to how powerful this spell is, it's very easy to accumulate blot when used too often, to be safe, Azure only uses it once to twice every half a month.

Backstory

Azure was the shadow. Azurline was the light. That was how it was supposed to be...well, until Azurline's untimely demise. To cover up the fact that his prized daughter was dead, Callus Peinture staged the death as Azure's.

She was forced to like the things Azurline liked, eat the foods Azurline usually ate and sing the songs Azurline would sing to their father at night. She hated it.

One day, her brother came back from his scholarship at a famous art school to come paint her. She wouldn't let him and threw a tantrum every time he tried. Although he was able to paint her, once. It was while she was unaware and when she found out she threw a fit and locked everyone out. It was on that same day, that she committed suicide, and her soul moved into the portrait of her made by her brother. After a century spent in the boring confines of the grey canvas, she was awoken when a black carriage entered her realm, thus starts her journey at Night Raven College.

Trivia

Peinture is a callback to the game, and is the name of the music played when painting.

Azure is French (this was decided because all of the soundtracks were French named)

Azure has killed many a painter who dare to try and finish her before her brother. Only her brother has that privilege, in every life. Which is why she still is in black and white smh

The magic mirror's initially choice was Heartslabyul, however it ultimately decided on Terrovania

Like Professor Crewel, Azure often wears half and half clothing, one side always being black and the other another color

The reincarnation of Azure's brother attends RSA

Azure once had a cat, it scratched her face however and she has despised the animal (and any other related to it) ever since, with this, she despises Leona for the sole reason that he's a part of the cat family (talk about petty)

© 2023 @dajana-m & @the-dumber-scaramouche | did you know that not plagiarizing other people's works and claiming them as your own is completely free and saves both parties a lot of trouble? Which means no reposting, no translating and NO COPYING.

The full body drawing of Azure is her version of the Terrovania uniform, is much nearer since she was raised to be neat and tidy in a sense, she also prefers it like that.

[bigskydreaming]

That point about a sure thing is the problem. It used to be there were safe pictures and prestige pictures, but then came the Nolan movies showing a safe picture could win an Oscar. Hell, comics are falling victim to this too, hence writing for trades and circular storylines.

Oh for sure, comics have been victim to this for awhile. I mean, that's been (one of) my biggest gripe(s) with Taylor's Nightwing run from day one....its basically just regurgitations of the biggest beats from Dick's 90s run, redressed in shiny new Reboot universe set dressing but aside from the superficial changes, literally no new narrative ground is being broken anywhere. When was the last time Dick Grayson actually changed or grew in any kind of meaningful way that wasn't just a revisitation of an older story or a wink-wink callback to someone else's run?

Its both interesting and sad that the bar is so low that X-Men comics were able to lure me back to being so invested in them merely by shaking up expectations. Like, the funny thing about the current (controversial) era of X-Men comics is there's a lot, a LOT about the stories and character choices being made that I fundamentally DO NOT LIKE. Don't even get me started on Percy's books, I hate so many of Duggan's takes, etc.

But the thing that keeps me coming back to those comics, despite all the elements I dislike or disagree with, is at least they're doing something NEW. At least there's no real way to see what's coming from one month to the next, because they kinda threw out the old playbook with the whole Krakoan paradigm, whereas so many other comics are so wholly paint by numbers that if predicting next month's issue was the way to win a lottery, I'd be financially set for life.

And the thing that's really interesting to me about X-Men comics these days is for all that people act like Hickman reinvented the wheel with his shake-up of the status quo there....he didn't, actually? "There's nothing new under the sun" remains just as true there as it does in DC-landia. But the novelty lies in how he APPROACHED the idea that there's nothing really new that can be done with comics, versus say, Taylor's approach.

What I mean by that is....one of the biggest fundamental changes to the X-books these days is the whole "mutants have 'conquered' death" thing. Mutant resurrection/immortality. On the surface, it IS a brand new paradigm that radically changes the nature of storytelling in X-Men comics. But dig just below that....and this story element is not remotely new at all. Not only did the Judgment Day event highlight the fact that Marvel itself has its fair share of immortal societies already....and not only can anyone who's watched the 2003 Battlestar Galactica show confirm that mutant resurrection - both in mechanics and themes - is literally just....Cylon resurrection......

The most interesting thing about the whole concept of mutant resurrection to me, is its simply an embrasure of the age-old, much commented upon fact that....nobody ever truly dies in comics! Everyone comes back, sooner or later! There's NOTHING new, fundamentally, about the idea that mutants can now come back to life....because they've literally been doing that like clockwork ever since Jean Grey first pulled that particular rabbit out of the hat!

90% of A, B and even C list mutants have already died and come back at least once, loooong before the current Krakoan era. Hell, I can only think of a handful like Bobby and Hank who HAVEN'T died and come back in the past.

Its not the story beat itself that's new, or feels new.....the newness lies entirely in the APPROACH. The fact that they took this basic, fundamental staple of comic book storytelling.....the idea that nobody ever truly dies for good.....and were like...how can we look at this from a new angle? What if we're not trying to come up with a brand new, never before seen IDEA, but simply....come up with a new CONVERSATION to have around ideas that people are so used to seeing play out, they've taken it for granted that there's nothing new to even be SAID about that idea?

And that's the difference, IMO....because the novelty of the current storytelling paradigm in the X-books, if you ask me.....lies purely in the fact that for decades, the inevitable resurrection of characters in comics has been treated as a gimmick, or even an embarrassment. Like I mean, so many times when characters are brought back, the writers just kinda speedrun through the logistics of that particular resurrection almost as if they're embarrassed by what they're doing, if that makes sense?

Almost as if there's this undercurrent where they're like "yeah yeah, we KNOW this is fucking ridiculous, we can't believe what's coming out of our mouths either, but what can we do? This character is a money maker so its not like we can just LEAVE them dead, so we had to come up with SOME way to bring them back, so just....ignore the elephant in the room that is how fucking ABSURD this sounds or feels and just go with it so we can get to the part where nobody cares that this character was dead and came-back-via-ridiculousness five minutes ago, we're back to just telling stories with them as usual."

In contrast, the current X-book model for narrative death decided to just....lean directly into the idea that all major characters - given enough time - will always come back anyway....and just decided to run with that to its furthest possible degree. Build in a blanket explanation that works across the board, that extends the benefits of this comic book trope to EVERY character within this particular franchise, refuse to be embarrassed by the logistics or 'necessity' of it, and just.....go wild with it. See what you can come up with when you're not narratively wincing every time you dance around it, but instead are just running straight at it with clear intent.

THAT'S the difference between reinvention and regurgitation, IMO. Its not about the WHAT you're doing that's old or familiar or that's been done in some fashion before.

Its about the WHY you're doing it. What you hope to achieve by doing it.

And when you boil things down via that particular lens....

...and on the one hand have comics replicating, even industrializing a single, familiar story beat in order to maximize the number of new story beats you can catalyze from that one singular launchpoint, all in the aim of igniting new conversations about the whole nature of death and immortality and exploring themes of identity and the soul and 'what really makes us who we are' and 'what happens to a society that no longer fears death, does that beget innovation or just stagnation'....

....and then on the other hand, you have comics just recycling old, familiar story beats as blatant nostalgia bait aimed solely at reigniting in readers the feelings and conversations they already had upon the initial telling of these story beats, based on the logic ‘well if it was popular once, it should be popular this time too, that’s as close as we can get to a sure thing, makes doing it a safe bet’...

Well. Those are two totally different approaches to 'the old is new again' - and only one of them holds any appeal for me whatsoever.

[retro-plasma]

sage & papyrus pls !!

sage - what ‘medium’ of art (poetry, music, fiction, paintings, statues etc.) is the most touching to you? why do you think that is?

either fiction or music. or both combined that’s always a doozy. idk something about reading what’s happening and having to imagine what’s happening and what someone is feeling and put myself in that place really just… yeah. lmao i’m not v articulate tonight but u get me

papyrus - if you put your ‘on repeat’ playlist on shuffle, what’s the first song that comes up? what do you like about it / associate it with?

ok so i love this song it just feels like a hug to me. mayday parade was (and still is) a comfort band of mine for awhile and this song came out while i was in the thick of my relationship w my abuser. i remember being so excited to see a new song by them - it was a new release on the anniversary edition of their title album so it was a callback to their earlier music that i loved. and when i played it for the first time, it just…. brought me this profound sense of peace in one of the most difficult moments in my life. i remember just laying in bed w it playing on repeat in my headphones while i zoned out for awhile and didn’t have to feel any of the hard stuff until i fell asleep and got the best sleep i’d had in months. it fr put me in a trance lmfao it was exactly what my lil overwhelmed brain needed. so now ofc that’s what i associate it w

[startledpixel]

Feb/March 2024 media thread

I didn't forget about this, it's just that Infinite Wealth was the only thing I finished in February :P

Movies

On the Job (2013) - Part of a Filipino miniseries I stumbled on while browsing HBO Max that's actually a six episode recut version of two movies, On the Job and On the Job: The Missing Eight. I've only seen the first two episodes, which are the first movie. It's about prisoners who are smuggled out to do assassinations at the behest of politicians. It's gristly and violent, but it also paints a captivating world of Filipino slums, overcrowded and rowdy prisons, and smoky rooms full of politicians who insert a line of English here and there to show off their worldiness as they convince a naive federal cop to acquiesce to their corrupt status quo. The cinematography is great and the music is fantastic. I'd like to check out more Filipino cinema because my only experience is like, corny Dolphy movies we rented that one time a Filipino grocery had videos to rent when I was a kid. Finally, the last reason I recommend this is because Tatang can get it. This is a MILF and DILF lust blog, I will say whatever I want.

Books

Death's End - Did I finally read the last book of The Remembrance of Earth's Past series because I found out the 3 Body Problem show on Netflix includes characters from that and the second book, not just the first one? Yes. That said, it's a fantastic conclusion to the series, building on the first two books and weaving in more complexities of humanity and twists of astrophysics. I'm still processing the whole thing, but I will say the "history book" framing device every other chapter bled into other chapters, and made it feel drawn out at times, like stuff was just happening for a long series of pages without actual scenes. I did really love the scaled cyclicality of certain events that hearken back to the earlier books, because I will always clap like a seal at good callbacks. Now I can watch the Netflix show and be annoying about whatever my opinion will be about it.

Games

Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth - My video game event of the year!! Hawaiʻi worked better than I expected, I didn't think a beach would be fun as a game but Dragon Engine Honolulu is wonderfully varied. I loved the party chats and buddy bingos, Sicko Snap and Crazy Delivery own my life, and the gameplay improvements felt smooth and were welcome, though I miss the shortcuts where you could set skills. The story's end doesn't reach the heights that Y7, Y0, or Gaiden do, but I think the locale, themes, and dual-protagonist aspects were RGG's primary goals with the game, and the story mostly served those goals. I would like the next game to have a smaller, more focused story, and to either drop the Ichi/Saeko thing or figure out how romance storylines actually work. Kiryu's arc and remembrances were definitely an emotional treat (what a beautiful conversation he had with Kashiwagi), though they overshadowed Ichiban's story towards the end. But overall, it was a blast spending time in Hawaiʻi and Yokohama with all of my old and new faves.

Unicorn Overlord - I'm not done with this yet, I'm in Bastorias rn, but I've played so much that I'll add it here. Plus, the main plot still feels as basic as all the reviews said, so I don't think I'll miss anything by waiting until I finish. The unit-style RTS gameplay is a blast to tinker with, though it does get overwhelming at times with all of the variables, plus trying to figure out what to do with a new character joining your army pretty after much every battle. The character subplots are a highlight, particularly the ones for Travis, Virginia, and Aramis. It feels like a lot of the characterization comes through these subplots, the excellent English voice acting, and vibrant battle animations. If Vanillaware does a sequel and writes a better overarching story, with maybe fewer characters, they could really have a all-around classic strategy game.

2024 stuff I am watching/playing/reading

I'm trying to watch more movies and read more this year, in addition to gaming. Before I go on RGG8 hiatus on Thursday, I see people do this on twt and I wanted to do it too. I was gonna add ratings but I got in my head about it. Maybe in the future. This post only includes media finished this month.

Movies

Rashomon - Toshiro Mifune is so fearless in his acting, and it's fitting that we see his telling of the story first, where he gallops through the tangled woods with swashbuckling ease. I also really love Machiko Kyo's work here, it feels like the perspective of her character changes a lot based on who's telling the story, and she embodies all of her versions well.

Seven Samurai - In both of these movies it's interesting to see the origin of all these tropes I've seen in other media. The realist leader, the crude rogue, the eager youngster (Isao Kimura why are you such a smiling cutie), the serious swordsman. Even the coordination with the villagers and Kikuchiyo being the butt of jokes reminded me of ATLA a little bit. I also liked how easy it was to follow the strategy and eventual village siege scenes.

Books

Our Wives Under the Sea - Oceanic horror and lesbians sounded great, but overall this is possibly not for me. Some passages were striking, and I get that the pacing is supposed to feel drawn out because that's the uncertain situation the characters are both in, but the overall tone felt dispassionate and eventually felt hard to maintain a connection to until the last 40 pages.

Games

Dave the Diver - Good gameplay, but two annoyances:

Why is everyone so unnecessarily mean to Dave? Basho and a few other characters warm up to him but with everyone else it still feels mostly transactional by the end, saved only by the fact that Dave is good-natured (easily taken advantage of?).

I don't like when you unlock something and the UI goes "New Content!" Like damn, this isn't a mobile game, peel the product management sticker off.

That said, as a game the diving/diner combo is fantastic, there's a surprising amount of variety beyond the gameplay loop, and I learned a bunch about sea creatures (in addition to stuff from Our Wives, hahah). But I think Spiritfarer set a high bar for story in management sims, and I wanted this game's story and characterization to match its bells and whistles.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - My experience with Shu Takumi games is that there's sometimes a certain arbitrariness to game choices (my first game of his was Ghost Trick). But I did get used to it after a while. I really liked the continuity and development between cases, especially with Edgeworth's character, and I think these games have absolutely peak character design, animations, and musical motifs. But please, why was the mascot vase rotation in the last episode so finicky??

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! - Very fucked, lives up to the hype.

last seen online - A "psychological horror escape room game", it took me a little over an hour to play. Enjoyable, not too obtuse to figure out, and it really does capture the AIM/Winamp/Xanga era aesthetic (though I did spot a few anachronisms). I'd like to check out more analogue horror media like this.

[pancakehouse]

hi !! sage & papyrus :))

hiiii maria how are you babe!!!!

sage ⇢ what ‘medium’ of art (poetry, music, fiction, paintings, statues etc.) is the most touching to you? why do you think that is?

i'm going to say film/tv! i appreciate so much the encompassment of film - the outfits, the set details, voice inflection, facial expressions. it's also just a huge way i've bonded w people in my life! sooo many specific memories w my fam and friends over the years watching certain shows or movies, and now making references to them are little inside jokes / callbacks to those times and it is so LOVELY esp as i get older and more separated in distance w them <3

papyrus ⇢ if you put your ‘on repeat’ playlist on shuffle, what’s the first song that comes up? what do you like about it / associate it with?

from eden / hozier came on!!!!!!!! huge!!!!! this is one of my all time favorite songs, just so many of the lines are insane and wild and i think about constantly. tragic/magic, wholesome/lonesome, wretched/precious ... idk it's like a gut punch every time, this song is soooo insanely visceral.

also the line 'you're familiar like my mirror years ago' is SO. GOD. i associate that part specifically w like a terrible awful very bad no good ex of mine bc he'd start singing it to himself whenever passing a mirror which is. unfortunate. but it's alright that song is my fav fav fav lavvvv it so much!!!!!!

send me a cute word from this list!

[first-of-her-nxme]

but My Featherbed is Gendrya it's canon

I'm sorry but it's not a song about Arya and Gendry. It's the song about the three couples: Duncan and Jenny, Rhaegar and Lyanna and Jaqen/Aegon and Arya.

The featherbed is a symbol of luxury, of royal status. GRRM mentions it in A Game of Thrones. When Sansa is invited by Cersei, she is so impressed with the luxury of silks and feather pillows in the queen's chambers.

My Featherbed is a song about a crown prince in love with a "forest lass". It's a song about the conflict between love and duty.

It's a song of the Targaryen princes who fell for the maidens of the tree. The maidens that the princes weren't allowed to marry.

Jenny, Lyanna and Arya are associated with flowers, forest and trees. Jenny used to wear flowers in her hair, Lyanna used the shield with a weirwood tree painted on it and Arya wore a dress adorned with acorns at Acorn Hall. Each of them is a forest lass.

In the song, the prince wants to make his beloved his queen:

My featherbed is deep and soft, and there I'll lay you down, I'll dress you all in yellow silk, and on your head a crown. For you shall be my lady love, and I shall be your lord. I'll always keep you warm and safe, and guard you with my sword.

It's not a love confession of the blacksmith but of the future king.

And the girl replies:

And how she smiled and how she laughed, the maiden of the tree. She spun away and said to him, no featherbed for me. I'll wear a gown of golden leaves, and bind my hair with grass, But you can be my forest love, and me your forest lass.

It's a choice between the crown and love, they can't have both.

As we know Duncan had to give up his claim to the throne in order to marry Jenny. Rhaegar had already been married when he met Lyanna and he had to choose between love and duty as well. Jaqen/Aegon wants revenge and the Iron Throne back but he has met Arya and in the end he will choose her.

In the books the song is played when J/Aegon is away. He left Harrenhal and Arya stays with Gendry. Eventually they both find themselves in Acorn Hall.

Arya and Gendry wrestle in the smithy and when it's over she looks like a victim of rape. Her pretty dress is ruined. And then we hear My Featherbed, the crown prince’s love song for the maiden of the tree.

Why the prince's song, not some folk song about the commoner in love with a high born girl? That would be fitting if it was a song about Arya and Gendry. But we hear the song of the prince proposing to the maiden of the tree instead.

It's because it's a callback to the tourney in Harrenhal during the false spring. At this moment, we learn what happened between Rhaegar, Lyanna and Robert. Rhaegar crowned Lyanna a queen of love and beauty and it made Robert angry. When the prince left Harrenhal, Lya stayed with jealous Robert. Robert "demanded his rights", we know how brutal he could be with women, how he raped Cersei. It was the last straw and Lya decided that given a chance she would run away from him and that marriage.

In A Song of Ice and Fire, time is a wheel. The same stories happen over and over again. Jaqen, Arya and Gendry repeat the story of Rhaegar, Lyanna and Robert. Their story is not exactly the same, Gendry is a better man than his father was. The core of it is the same though: love, jealousy, rejection of a Baratheon in favor of a Targaryen.

In the current timeline My Featherbed is Jaqarya song. Perhaps I should say Aegonrya? :)

Thanks for the ask!

[haleigh-sloth]

I put together some final thoughts on the past arc, cuz now that it's pretty much over and we can look at the past 20-ish chapters as a whole, I have some.

Apologies in advance cuz this turned out long.

I feel like with the appearance of Stain and Aizawa, the mention of Kurogiri, the callback to Toga, and the end of Dek's solo adventures, it is finally safe to give some final thoughts on the past arc. Specifically talking about the chapters ranging from 306-324.

I want to iterate that I am completely in understanding of the fact that the author is very much overworked, and that if he had been able to take a proper break after the war arc, (or a proper break in general) this past arc would have been better. This is not a jab at the author's abilities, because the man can tell a story. We've seen him do it. He's capable of it, especially when his heart is in it. Which, for the record, I don't think his heart was in this past arc at all--not like it was for the war arc and the very few chapters following up to 305. I think he was forcing these chapters out because he had to. Anyway.

Hardly any progress was made in the plot this past arc. Almost every chapter was boring. Like, we usually get HYPE when spoilers drop! Notice how that hype has completely died down. I will say that chapter 314 lit a bit of a spark in the fandom, but that spark died immediately when we got the three completely useless explosions (All Might's car, Nagant, the mansion in the forest), and when we kept seeing Endeavor and Hawks--two characters in desperate, desperate need of some serious development--remain completely stagnant and hollow.

Yes, some moments were worth being excited about! Toga came to Ochacko's mind, Midoriya has thought of Shigaraki several times--as well as thought back to specific lines from his (very important) speech--Shouto went off on his dad in front of UA, and Bakugo and Midoriya finally had a moment of clarity and unification. Those things were all nice. But beyond that....

I think my biggest issue is how Hawks is being handled right now. Other bloggers have said it before, but Hawks feels really retconned and it seems like Hori is backing out on kicking Hawks's ass in-story. Twice's death feels as if it didn't even happen. Which, I'm still holding out hope that that is going to change at some point down the line. BUT--the fact of the matter is that the writing has reduced Hawks to this extremely flat, 2-D character who only is constantly accompanied by/associated with Endeavor and cannot seem to exist in-story otherwise, not thinking a single thought about the fact that Endeavor is a grim reminder of his abusive past, not struggling or regretting even a little bit about the fact that he murdered someone who was running away crying, and suddenly has all these optimistic lines that really don't belong with his character. So after waiting all this time for his character to have the same substance he used to during the war arc and before, it's going to feel extremely jarring for him to suddenly be as important as he potentially could have been to the end game, and suddenly go back to being as complex and intriguing as he used to be out of fucking nowhere. I mean I'm holding out hope still, because Twice deserves better. And Hawks being made into a flat Endeavor worshipper is pretty cringe. There is still time for change though 🙏🏼, for now. Hawks is on thin ass ice.

Endeavor....ugh. Stagnant, plot-wise. But his character is fine, for now. His arc is pretty straight forward, but there's concern it'll just be....lightly painted over with a completely uncalled-for layer of optimism. Like, it's already optimistic and hopeful that his family is going to be together in the end. Nothing story-wise has changed that ending to come. If anything, because of the ridiculous happy-go-lucky last few chapters (sans 325-326), I'd say it's even more solidified. The question at this point is how dark and serious will it get on the journey to that ending. Will there be any stakes, any losses, etc. Endeavor should not get to remain a hero in the end. He shouldn't, and as of now I still think he's gonna lose his hero status in the end. But....heroes and civilians alike do not seem to give a single shit that he abused his family. They only yell at him because of what Touya did. Not because of what he did to his family as a whole, or the fact that he's still considered a fucking hero in the eyes of society. It's very...disappointing, and raises the possibility that nothing will actually be addressed with him and he'll still be a "hero". Nothing has called him out, except for Shouto! But Shouto has hardly had ANY screen time in so long, that it doesn't feel as heavy watching him (rightfully) bitch out his dad. That's another issue that would result in a way longer post than this already is, but Shouto needs his arc back. He still hasn't gotten it back, still. Yes, the kids are back on screen, but it's obvious which kids are gonna be saving some villains, so it'd be nice to put some focus on them and their inner struggles and their arcs, instead of pandering to everyone ELSE pointlessly if they're not going to carry the plot further (Endeavor and Hawks I'm looking at you).

Other smaller complaints:

I can't get over how there were three chapters dedicated to Ochacko and that megaphone. We got Toga out of it, but at what cost..

The villains were established to be central to the remainder of the main kids' arcs, but hardly any mention of them at all. It felt to me like the plot was literally dancing around that topic. Just trying to put it off for as long as possible.

I don't really have complaints about 325 and 326. They could have been better if everything leading up to them was...worth getting excited over, but ultimately they're okay. They at least gave us mystery (Stain and All Might) and suspense (Aizawa and Kurogiri) to look forward to. I hope Hori can enjoy himself more in the remaining parts of the story. It seems like when the happenings in the story are actually interesting, the story-telling is significantly better and the author seems to have more of a solid idea of where he's going.

He deserves a break too.

He has talent, I want to see that talent carry out the story to its end!

Anyway, here's to better chapters to come 🍻 🍻 🍻

[wildishmazz]

Thoughts on fixing S2 of Picard from someone who was very frustrated by it

Cut the Soongs. Just altogether - cut them, the only thing they added to the show was screentime for Brent Spiner and Isa Briones. That, or, increase the runtime and have them be sidekicks for

the First Husband of the Confederation, accidentally brought back in time rather than being killed on La Sirena. Picard et al are trying to make their future happen; he's trying to make his future happen.

A big problem with the plot was that there wasn't really anyone who had a good reason to want the Confederation to happen. Q wanted Picard to restore the timeline to prime. The Borg Queen was acting to make the fascist timeline happen, but she didn’t seem to have much in the way of a motive for doing so. Adam Soong was on board with the plan when he was told there was a statue in it for him, but he wasn't facing anything like an existential threat. Jon Jon Briones' character has a solid reason to try to make the Confederation happen; it's dirty, and brutal, and nasty, but it's his home.

If you were to include the Soongs at this point(with the explanation that Kore was the ancestress whose face Data recreated in his paintings and thence daughters) you could include a moment where Jon Jon's character and Kore have to improvise to explain themselves, and he passes her off as his daughter. Also Noonien Soong is clearly meant to be a direct descendant of hers, so removing her from the timeline at the end would require the addition of a line or two like “Of course, if you want to come back and live a normal life for a while, you can totally do that.” to explain why there isn’t a gap.

Cut Tallinn. The callback to Gary Seven was nice and all, but The Watcher had no need to resemble Laris. There was no connection there, especially since she was killed at the end with no indication that she had already passed her genes on. If you want Orla Brady, find a way to bring Laris back in time as well - hell, make it the Confederation version of Laris, then there's a dilemma where restoring the prime timeline will erase her from existence(a la Chakotay's girlfriend in "Timeless"), something that can be used to try to tempt her across at some point(unsuccessfully, or at most temporarily) to the other side.

Instate Ducane. Wells(H.G, anyone?) is a fine alias for Time Agent Ducane to be using on 21st century earth. Obviously cut the "Carbon Creek" reference backstory, it felt shoehorned in anyway. Have him berate Picard for meddling with the timeline, then join forces with the crew when he's convinced that they're actually trying to fix it. Seven opines that he’s trustworthy. After all, she’s worked with him before, in “Relativity”. Have him stranded - his timeship only exists in one future, so it's nerfed whenever the other one is set to happen and he isn’t overpowered. It appearing and disappearing serves as an indicator that they’ve switched which future is being set up at any given point. He does pretty much everything useful that Tallinn did. And - being an agent of a vague yet menacing government agency - he has a hand in the ICE raid.

For bonus points, reveal at the 11th hour that he's actually from the timeline where the Confederation is his history(he calls Seven “Madam President” in some otherwise unremarkable dialogue), so they've been unwittingly working against themselves the whole time. Picard gives him a big convincing speech about not clinging to the awful future just because he thinks it's inevitable, in favour of striving for a better future instead. They scramble to undo everything they've set up leading up to this point and switch the future back again, so that his ship disappears. Ducane's story ends with a bittersweet moment(for him) where he accepts that he can't go home, but it's in service of a brighter future. His secret service connections would also help with

Rios staying in the 21st century, acknowledging that it's dangerous for him to do so as a totally undocumented person who has already been worked over by ICE. Have him actually mention that when he announces his non-departure, and accept the risk as a sacrifice he's willing to make to stay with Teresa. Ducane has a little influence to get them to leave him alone.

Pair Elnor up with Rios. Have him detained by ICE too, and have the existence of a literal illegal alien be the first thing that gets Ducane's attention. Have the ICE agents so focused on bullying and hurting their victims(and so unimaginative) that they accept "it's a congenital condition" as an explanation for his ears and put him on the bus with the others. If he bleeds, it's only when they're right about to be rescued and it's too late for anyone to call Area 51. We had two Romulans available for the traditional wearing-a-funny-hat-or-headband-to-disguise-the-pointy-ears in this series, and neither was used. That’s a travesty.

Alternatively, still kill him, but have the Borg Queen tell them that she can revive him for up to 72 hours if they give her something in return; a bargain they really, really don't want to have to make with her, so that's a ticking clock for them to get the future back into shape.

Hire a child actor for Picard who doesn’t have to deliver his most important lines facing away from the camera in order to mitigate how his wooden performance breaks the immersion.

Have Guinan be the one who dives into Picard’s memories with him. Give her a gadget if necessary, maybe one she snatches out of Ducane's hand. He is from the 29th century, after all, his [technobabble] can be further fetched than anyone else's. Demonstrate/create her “beyond friendship and beyond family” bond with Picard. If they can get to Teresa’s clinic, they can get to Guinan’s bar, and he’d feel a lot safer there anyway.

The Yvette story. Oh, dear god, the Yvette story. It was atrociously bungled, but here's what might have helped a little - either

a) Picard does not remember an abusive situation at all(so a serious, real world life-ruining issue isn't degraded to the status of red herring because it looked, walked, and quacked like abuse but actually she was just crazy), only confusion about what happened because no-one told him what was going on with his mother(out of a misguided desire to protect a child) and he filled in the blanks with "it must have been my fault"; or

b) he does remember abuse, and comes to learn what awful trauma happened to his father to make him that way; resulting in Picard not absolving him, but still understanding and empathising with him, and coming to peace within himself. Yvette can still be mentally ill, after all, she’s statistically more vulnerable to abuse than if she wasn’t. Her state would be exacerbated by gaslighting and isolation. The way Maurice dealt with her already constitutes abuse; but in the show we saw, he was completely let off the hook for it as soon as focus shifted to her depression. Which is bloody irresponsible.

And if a), explain why Maurice isolated Yvette away from support and healthcare, and wouldn’t get help when she was clearly in crisis. Maybe he was a sincere believer in the power of essential oils and the evil of vaccines. Maybe he was a tradlifer who thought that all she needed to cure her depresssion was fresh air and simple living. Go on, chuck a topical issue in there, show how people who mean no harm can still wreak death and destruction on the people around them by their ill-informed antics.

And if you’re not going to follow up on cryptic, prophetic-sounding utterances like “trapped in a forest, a splinter in her flesh”, don’t include them in the final cut.

[everyonewasabird]

Brickclub 3.2.6 ‘In Which We Catch a Glimpse of La Magnon and Her Two Little Boys'

We’re getting very deliberately mixed messages about Gillenormand now.

With Monsieur Gillenormand pain was translated as rage; despair made him furious. He had every prejudice and took every possible liberty.

That’s Very Bad on many levels. It’s presented with some empathy in an explanatory way, but he would clearly be a horrible person to be stuck with, or if he had any kind of power over you, or if you’re a woman in his general vicinity.

Also, this is a book about pain and despair. Valjean showed up in the text in pain and despair, and he literally couldn’t rage about it because meekness had been beaten into him by nineteen years’ incarceration. Fantine had to swallow her rage constantly. The kind of rage Gillenormand shows is a privilege and a kind of class performance. It’s a marker of belonging to a social class that gets to throw tantrums without repercussions.

God I wish this book would stop being relevant.

Also this is a book about ending prejudices and about pursuing an extremely different kind of “liberty.” Gillenormand flouts and perverts those things.

Then we jump immediately into into his kind of comical pride in having a reputation for sexual prowess into his eighties. And then he pays for the upkeep of kids that aren’t his, and he’s profligate about giving alms.

Whatever he is, he sure isn’t Tholomyes.

But also, all his reasons for generosity are always about his own appearance and his own standing according to the (superficial) old world notions he lives by. Caring about other people doesn’t factor into it.

I’m interested in the mention of his brother who was a priest--what is that doing there? It feels like a callback to the bishop. His brother was a miserly priest, giving as little as he felt he could get away with and “finding thus the means of going to Hell by the road to Paradise.”

Gillenormand is the opposite in that he gives almost without worrying about the amount. Which is definitely better by the standards of this book! It’s this very strange mention in the middle of all of this that seems to suddenly paint him in a good light.

And yet. My hunch is they’re meant to be seen going down different roads, but in parallel. It feels like both Gillenormand brothers found the means of going to hell by the road to Paradise, only, the one did it by hoarding his money, and the other does it by giving a lot of money as self-servingly as humanly possible.

There are a LOT of money worries under the surface of these couple of chapters. There’s the trauma aspect of having money become meaningless during the revolution, there’s the money overspent by his unhappy wives, there’s the way he manipulates people with money, there’s his choice to have an income for his life and not provide for any heirs, there’s this mention of getting cheated out of money and complaining about the pedestrian nature of the grift (instead of the loss, which certainly smarted, but admitting that wouldn’t fit his very class-based self image), there’s his profligate generosity when it flatters him to be generous, and there’s how much more magnificent his giving might have been had he been rich.

A lot of character motivations in this book are around lack of money for the necessities it buys--food, lodging, getting one’s daughter back--and also less tangible things, like pride and the respect of society. Here we see in detail someone in no physical danger from privation. It’s a point of pride with him that he doesn’t care about money, which is another way he signals his class status. Money isn’t his primary motivation, on the surface.

And still, it’s a ghost that haunts the background of nearly every paragraph. His class doesn’t actually remove him from the ways the lives of characters in this book are reduced to money, it just adds a layer of subterfuge about it.

[i-imade-a-thing]

True Colors Breakdown!

Ok I may or may not spent 30 minutes crying after the episode ends. THIS EPISODE IS SO GOOD! HOLY MOLY THE ANIMATION, THE MUSIC, IT'S SO GOOD! CANT BELIEVE THEY'VE DONE THAT TOO-JFC! I cried like twice during the episode too, it's so AHHHHHH! Anyway this will be a list of details I noticed in this episode!

Marcy is preparing for PSAT even through she's like in 7th grade

Sasha's name on Marcy's phone have crown emoji

A picture of ladybug!

Sasha carved her name to the side of library table

BILL CIPHER BILL CIPHER

Marcy's house have those Chinese guardian lion statues

Some of things in thrift shop include: moai statue, meteoroid, lava lamp, flashlight, dishes, lamp, UFO air refresher(?), old telephone, radio, a travel bag, boots, golfing clubs, a mop, and a shovel

A shop in the background have a sign read "Bail Bonds"

Frobo doing >-< eye

Anne, Sprig, and Polly slide down Joe's wing exactly the same way as in "First temple"

We can see an undercover toad in the scene where they're walking toward the palace

Marcy's theme played when she said "make u wish it could last forever huh?"

Grime's roar is bought back from "Toadcatcher"

Marcy is visually nervous in the background when Anne is angry

Sasha really feel hurt when Anne said she's done being friend with her, also Anne's theme being played

Marcy tried to keep her friends together, continuation of "The Dinner" where she prevent her friend from fighting

Anne is REALLY upset

Sal's sandwich shop from the episode "Little Frog Town"

Anne calling Frobo "A big metal baby", like when Polly called Frobo a baby

A lot of callback from Anne's speech: "Cannibals"(A Night at the Inn), "giant killer moth"(The Domino Effect), "combining vegetable" (Handy Anne)

Hop Pop being actor is continuation of him being theatre major and episode "caravan named desire"

"Charlie Big Bottom" is mentioned(HP's pet that he mentioned from episode The Domino Effect)

Wilhelm Scream

"Spranne against the world" ;-;

The doorstop is made by "BIG OL' Doorstops Inc.", they really make good product

Sasha isn't happy when looking at her reflection, unlike Anne who is happy with her's in Bessie&MicroAngelo

Mossman can be seen on bottom left in picture

Shadowfish(?) can be seen on bottom right of the picture

Grime vs Sprig from Amphibialand pilot!

Grime use his glowing eye to see(another question solved!)

Sprig has become physically stronger since ss1

Anne's sword was dropped to where she was being chased by mob back in "Lost in Newtopia"

Anne use Sasha's cape against her, like how Sasha use it during Reunion

When Andrias is telling his story, music box's theme can be heard

Also: the toad and frog from the painting

The frog is the one who stole the box

Burger shop and Gertie from "Scavenger Hunt" can be seen dodging lightning

The bottom-pyramid part is where that creature lived is it?

The fountain from "Marcy at the Gates" can be seen

Andrias is planning to invade Earth

Captain Aldo's 100% dead now

Andrias call Marcy "Mar-mar," using Marcy's trust with him as a weapon

Sasha backed away instantly, but Anne is willing to listen for a while

Marcy holding Anne's hand similar to how she do it in MATG

"Look at how much you both grow, look at Sprig! I give you Sprig! I give you everything!" She is trying to defend herself she tried to use logic to and start to become more and more desperate

Even Sprig is backing away from Marcy

Marcy is smiling while having crying begging for them to understand...it's too real

Marcy's theme can be heard

Props to Haley Tju for making me cry

"I just don't want to be alone," she let go of everything and tell the truth cause she couldn't take the feeling of guilt and loneliness

"Well I guess thats what you get for pouring your heart out over me on flipwart," this show how Andrias got Marcy's trust or Marcy holding up guilt for so long that she's willing to vent to the next person she trust...maybe both

Andrias saying "here we go" while rolling his eyes, this may mean Andrias heard like tons of monologue before

Anne's theme played when Anne cut Sasha's rope

"let's have some fun," Andrias is not even taking this *that* seriously at first

Marcy's theme can be heard when she fires her crossbow

Frobo's "blood" can be seen

Sprig calling Andrias a bully, just like how he called Sasha a bully in reunion

"He is my best friend, in this world, or any other world," is similar to Sasha saying "we're the best team in this, or any other world," back in Barrel's Warhammer

"That's the thing about friend isn't it? The more you love them the more it hurts when they go" Andrias speaking from his experience here

Anne's flashback include: "Anne or Beast", "Reunion", and season 1 ending credit scene ;-;

Props to Brenda Song for making me cry when she said "Give him back!"

No Big Deal leitmotif is played throughout this scene

"Look like she can't control it," Andrias knew the box can give its user power

Anne's theme is played again when Sprig running to hug Anne

Grime aimed for Andrias' leg again, just like beginning of the episode

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

"I'm sorry for everything"

One of her eye slowly closed before they other

There is a truck with the word "Home Movers" written and a taxi in the background with the sign "Ub-r"

I can't believe they took one of the fan's favorite character and make her reach lowest point and then DIE afterward. When Marcy is telling Anne about how she doesn't want to be alone it's just...too real. I spent 30 minutes crying when I finished watching the episode. It's just...UGGGHHHH THIS SHOW IS TOO GOOD! The dialogues, the interactions, the characters, the musics, the animations, the callbacks, the continuity....it's just...so good. I wonder what will happen in season 3(I will probably be doing breakdown of the ss3 intro tmr), there's so much to cover!

Overall season 2 is such a good season, it raised the stakes, introduce new characters, have many memorable moments, and I especially like how it reflected Anne's growth from season 1. FREAKING 10/10 SEASON!

...also I probably gonna cry every time I eat mint chocolate chip ice cream now or see Marcy on screen now. send help or therapist plz.

[crystalstar8]

Knights of the Night (Epilogue 2)

Epilogue 2

Ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5, ch 6, ch 7, ch 8, ch 9, ch 10, ch 11, ch 12, ch 13, ch 14, ch 15, ch 16, ch 17, ch 18, ch 19, ch 20, ch 21, ch 22, ch 23, epilogue, epilogue 2

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139240/chapters/71536491

pairing: Jungkook x oc

genre: vampire au, college au, twilight, romance

word count: 1,053

warnings: blood (obviously), kidnapping, child kidnapping, needles, France, human trafficking

notes: vampires, vampire au, college, college au, so many twilight references, blood, needles, kidnapping, children, homelessness, dance, ballet, flashbacks, romance, slow burn, probably no smut, idk yet tho, France, French things, attempted genocide, inaccurate French history, bisexual main character, @strawberriewithchocolate-blog @mozy-j  @daechwitad-2​ @zobadak​ @fallenstar-7​​​

summary: Catalina starts college in a small town all the way across the country. She doesn’t know anyone and isn’t exactly looking for friends. She just wants to focus on dance. But when she meets fellow dance major, Jimin, and adventurous, fellow freshman, Jungkook, Catalina ends up discovering a whole new side to the small college town; one that is dangerous but oh so enticing...

Jungkook was waiting for her outside the building, a rose in his hand. Catalina’s nose scrunched into a smile as she skipped down the stone steps.

France was overwhelming; the architecture everywhere was ancient and beautiful, and the history was fascinating and rich. The people were a bit rude, especially once they realized they were Americans. They were only a bit more forgiving when Namjoon, Taehyung, and Yoongi showed off their fluent French.

The theater Catalina had her audition in was stunning. The outside was all white columns and friezes, the inside was mosaic tiled floors and painted ceilings.

               When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she dropped her dance bag and threw herself into Jungkook’s arms.

               “You got me a rose?” she asked, leaning back just enough to look at the rose in his hand.

               “Of course I got you a rose,” he said. “You think I’d let you step out of an audition without a rose?”  

               Catalina giggled and took the flower from him.

               “How did it go? Did you get in?” he asked.

               “I don’t know yet,” said Catalina. “They’re going to do callbacks in a few days.”

               “Good thing we’re staying for a while,” said Jungkook.

               “But honestly, it doesn’t matter if I get in or not,” said Catalina. “There’s always next year. And There’s always plenty of shows.”

               “Yeah, you have all the time in the world,” said Jungkook. He stared at her for a moment, then whispered, “I want you to turn me.”

               “Oh yeah?” Catalina asked. She had been waiting for this. She knew that he was worried about aging without her, she could see it his eyes sometimes when they went to bed together, knowing she wouldn’t fall asleep. She especially saw it on his birthday. “You’re still young.”

               “I know, but I’m already the same age as you now,” he said.

               “Oh no! You’re the same age as me! You basically have one foot in the grave already!” Catalina giggled.  “You should take your time. You get hotter every year. Let yourself ripen a bit before doing this.”

               He laughed loudly and tugged her closer.

               “That’s true,” he said.

               “Wait until we both graduate,” said Catalina. “We can talk then.”

               “You’re pulling an Edward on me?” he said. “Next thing I know, it’ll be, ‘wait until we’re married’.”

               Catalina giggled and swatted his arm. “You’re being a baby.”

               “I know. I’m kidding,” he said. “I can wait.”

               “Besides, we need time to explore the wonders of blood drinking during sex,” she said. “Did you know there’s aphrodisiacs in the venom when you drink from someone? It’s supposed to make them pliant, but it doesn’t turn them into a vampire.”

               “That sounds hot,” said Jungkook. “Also, I am a fan of being manhandled. I’m not ready for that to end just yet.”

               “I know. We might need a chaperone though,” she said, tapping her chin. “I don’t know if I’d be able to stop once I got started. You smell way too good.”

               “We have plenty of time to work out the specifics,” said Jungkook. “I need time to get hotter each year, so we’ll figure it out.”

               They both laughed as they went to the car waiting for them.

~~~~~~~~~~~

               Taehyung loved the Louvre. It was like a dream come true, wandering the unending corridors, seeing all the classics he’s idolized for hundreds of years.

               “Taehyungie, what’s this one called?” Jimin asked. His hand was covering the informational plaque under a series of paintings depicting a man looking at a celestial globe. Jimin had been doing this for hours, but Taehyung didn’t mind. He loved sharing what he knew about all his favorite pieces.

               “That’s ‘The Astronomer’, by Vermeer,” said Taehyung. Jimin smiled and strolled ahead down the corridor, in search of his next quiz. It was a weekday, so the museum wasn’t very busy. There was a tour group of young students, which Taehyung and Jimin ran into a few times, but otherwise there were only a few stray artists wandering around doing sketches of the statues.

               In the back of his mind, Taehyung knew that the rest of their group was supposed to meet them here at some point, but Taehyung and Jimin were so far into the maze of art that he wouldn’t even know how to direct them once they arrived. He wasn’t worried about it either. He was having too much fun with Jimin to care about the others right now.

               Every moment spent with Jimin was special to him. He still couldn’t believe sometimes how quickly Jimin had reassured and forgiven Taehyung; he was so sure Jimin would hate him for making that decision for him. And while Jimin was struggling getting used to his new life, he made it clear that he was thankful to be alive, that he was excited to spend forever with Taehyung.

               “What about this one?” Jimin asked. Taehyung strolled over to look at what painting Jimin was at.

               “‘St. Michael Vanquishing Satan’,” said Taehyung. “Raphael.”

               Jimin continued down the hall, eyes flitting across each painting. Taehyung was most excited to see David; he heard that the statue was way bigger in person than one would expect.

               Taehyung stopped. The painting he was looking at made his eyes widen and his mouth fall open. The plaque said that the artist was unknown. Jimin must have noticed that Taehyung had stopped moving, because he wandered over, letting out a gasp when he saw the painting.

               They didn’t say anything for a while. The school group wandered past behind them, the children’s voices bouncing off the stone walls.

               “Hey, that guy looks just like you!” a voice shouted from behind them. Jimin turned around to talk with the girl, who was pointing at Taehyung. Taehyung didn’t take his eyes off the picture though. He felt a tear roll down his face.

               “Can I take a picture of you with that painting?” the little girl asked. Taehyung wiped the tear from his cheek and nodded, turning around to face the girl. She lifted her phone and snapped a picture. She gave them a toothy smile before running to catch up with her classmates.

               “Is this Adrianna’s work?” Jimin asked. Taehyung nodded. He turned back around to stare at the painting of himself with his dog.

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A/N:

And that’s a wrap! Thank you to everyone reading this and sticking with me during this story. Reading the comments was my favorite part of this journey. 

This story is officially novel length! I’ve never accomplished that before with a complete work! I’ll be posting this story on Wattpad, and I’m also thinking of changing names and adding scenes to make this a publishable work, so keep your eyes out for updates on that!