#I WAS TOTALLY EXPECTING *THAT* TO HAPPEN BUT WHEN IT DID HAPPEN I WAS SO OVERCOME WITH FEAR

[namgoonerr]

ɪ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ғᴇᴇʟ ᴍʏ ғᴀᴄᴇ~ɴᴀᴍɢʏᴜ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

tw: smut, oral (m!recieving), mentions of drug use, swearing, mdni

You don’t know why you took them. To pretend you were someone you weren’t? To feel more or to feel less or just not feel at all. You don’t know why you made most the choices you did, yet you made them anyway.

To say you weren’t totally shocked when the games you entered turned out to be games of death would be the truth. You were a addict in extreme debt who could only keep a job for a bit over a month maximum, so when a man in a suit playing ddakji in a subway offered you a way to pay off all your debts you thought ‘what’s the worst that could happen.’

You somehow managed to make it through the first game with somewhat ease. When you were back in the bunk room you looked around, observed the others there with you. The people who stuck out the most to you were player 456 the guy who supposedly had played the games before though you thought he was full of shit, player 149 an older lady who seemed to know player 007, you could only assume they were related, and lastly player 230 and 124-230 being a ‘rapper’ but he just seemed stupid and 124 following him around like a toddler.

During the second game you somehow found yourself on a team with that “rapper” and toddler. While waiting for your teams turn you were sandwiched between players 380 and 124 who’s names you learned were Se-mi and nam-gyu. You were watching the other players who were up though you really were lost in thought, about what? You didn’t remember. Though you did remember glancing over and noticing colorful pills inside 230 or thanos cross. He was offering Nam-su some before you decided to speak up.

“Give me one.” You reach your hand over nam-gyu waiting for thanos to hand you one “Señorita I-" You roll your eyes not caring for the rest of his sentence and wanting the colorful pill "Look you either give me the pill or I freak out and get all of us killed" He stares at you before saying something and handing you one of the pills. You didnt know what he had said nor did you care.

after that you hung around them, not that you wanted allies or felt comfort in numbers, you felt comfort in drugs, which thanos provided. You also found the whole place boring without some conversation. After the third game se-mi and minsu voted to leave which clearly angered nam-gyu and thanos was annoyed but no where near as upset as nam-gyu. You voted to stay not for the fact nam-gyu was pressuring your whole group to vote stay, but because you had nothing to go to outside of the games expect the possibility of an eviction notice.

After the voting everything was truly a blur to you, granted you were tired and high, all you know is by the next day both thanos and se-mi were dead. You didn’t know what minsu or nam-gyu were doing and you truly didn’t care but you did care for the cross, which you had no clue of it’s where abouts.

“y/n, psst” you could hear someone talking to you but all you could think was where the cross might be. A high chance that it went with where ever the hell thanos body went, but there was a possibility somebody took it but who? Definitely not mi- “y/n.” your thoughts were interrupted and you turn to see nam-gyu standing beside your bunk, you noticed the little things but especially his dilated pupil-which could only mean he had the cross. “You have it?” you draw out and he raises a brow before laughing “Oh you mean the cross? Yeah, I have it, but I don’t plan on giving you anything out of it” he adds and that’s when you fully pay attention to him. Thanos had pills like none of the others you’d ever had, they were super strong and made everything better “W-what, no, come on nam-gyu I’ve done nothing to you” you whine, you didn’t want to have to beg him for them, but you were in the slightest tempted too “see you were the one of the group who really stood out, I almost found you interesting” you wondered what he meant but didn’t care enough to ask since you were more focused on the refusal to give you a pill. “Nam-gyu, please, I-I voted stay like you wanted, so come on” he rolls his eyes “you did that for yourself bitch” you turn your full body to face him. “Nam-gyu please I’ll do anything” that seemed to work, he thinks for a minute before his voice got lower “While everyone lines up for food, come to the bathroom” you were confused, taken back a bit before realizing what he meant as he walked off

You weren’t into nam-gyu though you didn’t find him ugly by no means, and without one of those pills before the game you were done for, so was fucking nam-gyu in the bathroom in exchange for a pill really so bad? As you walk past the lines for food you walk to the bathroom, not thinking about what was about to happen but about the cross and what was in it.

After entering the bathroom it was a matter of seconds before you found yourself on your knees taking his tip in his mouth and in one swift thrust you’re gagging on his length. “Who would’ve thought of all people you’d be on the bathroom floor taking me” you roll your eyes before gagging a bit as he sets his pace. You glance up at him seeing the cross around his neck. He quickens the pace tossing his head back and grunting before he glances down at you. “Fuck-” you feel the tears forming in your eyes as you take his length down your throat before hearing his groan before feeling the warm white liquid fill your mouth before he slowly pulls his dick from your mouth before you hesitantly swallow every drop and watch as he pulls up his boxers and the green tracksuit pants before you speak up “uh the pill?” he looks at you before opening the cross and handing the pill over and walking out.

a/n: first time writing smut not my proudest work and lowk rushed

[diarylogbook08]

🎭 STRAYKIDS REACTION

Scenario: Them as your boyfriend, you trip over nothing, fall spectacularly or in the most dramatic way possible… in front of them. Chaos ensues. 8 very different responses to one clumsy moment. Pairing: Member x reader (GN) Genre: Fluff, crack Warnings: mild secondhand embarrassment, some teasing, soft comfort Taglist : @miracle-sol Want to be tagged in future Straykids content or any random updates from my brain’s weird corners? Slide into the comments or my DMs anytime! I promise I’m friendly—unless you bring up pineapple on pizza 🙎‍♀️ Requests : OPEN ✨click here to send yours. I might say no if it’s too wild for me, but I promise I’m nice about it. You can also check the 📜 Shipboard Code of Conduct section from my masterlist for my major no-go themes list. Spread love and good vibes only, please! 🫶

Chan

You are both walking peacefully side by side, when you suddenly loose your balance because you didn't look where you put your feets. Chan is quick to react. 🐺 Instant Dad Mode activated.

He would instantly grab you by the waist cuz he has crazy reflexes, will ask if you ok like, “Are you okay? Are you hurt??” while already checking your knees and everything while you try to catch your breath and process what just happened.

"Hey, you're ok ?" he would ask again softly (just to be sure), while looking you dead in the eyes with concern as hell, like a worried mom. You would only nodd as a response.

Does a full-on injury assessment. “Ankles? Knees? Pride??”

"Watch out your steps next time, love" he would add with a gentle smile, not letting his hands go off your waist. Hides his laughter poorly — he tries so hard not to laugh but his dimples betray him.

Rubs your back comfortingly while chuckling under his breath. Keeps checking if you're actually fine for the next hour. Starts watching where he walks more carefully, just in case you trip again.

Also Expect him to give you a piggyback ride if you so much as scrape your knee. Tries to stay calm, but inside he's panicking a bit.

Leeknow

Sees you trip and just stares blankly for 3 seconds like… did that really happen? Then blinks once. “…You good?”

He will laugh. Not loudly — just a smug smirk. Would 100% make fun of you “…you sure gravity doesn’t have a personal grudge against you?”, “Should I buy you knee pads?”, “Was the floor that attractive or were you just testing gravity?”

But if you’re actually hurt, he switches gears FAST—suddenly full of care and concern, mumbling “stupid uneven pavement.” And would help you while sending death glares at the ground like it personally offended him.

Even if you are fine, will secretly checks your elbow for scrapes while pretending he doesn’t care.

Later that day: massages your ankle in total silence like it’s no big deal. “Next time, look where you’re going… dummy” but he says it softer than usual 🥺

Also might tease you about it for months: “How’s the floor? Did it win?”, “You need a leash? Or a helmet?” Brings it up when you least expect it.

But would also secretly put a hand on your lower back while walking everytime “just in case you decide to dive again.” or offers a hand next time you walk anywhere but still with a little tease and sass — “Don’t want the sidewalk to win again your highness.”

Changbin

Panics like you were hit by a truck. Absolutely panicking even if you barely stumbled. “OH MY GOD—BABE?! ARE YOU HURT??” —volume: 200%.

He rushes over, trying to help you up but probably trips a little himself from the adrenaline. Panics first, asks questions later. “WHERE DOES IT HURT?? IS IT BROKEN??”

Will overreact. Like “Do we need a hospital? Ice pack?” Holds your hand tightly afterward and won’t stop asking if you’re okay for the next hour.

You: “I just tripped.” Him: “Okay but what if you broke your ankle??” Which makes you roll your eyes. You try to tell him you're fine. “You almost DIED,” he insists. “I just tripped, Binnie.” he repeats in a sacrastic whiny voice. “SAME THING!”

Once he confirms you’re okay, he calms down “Okay but next time I’ll just wrap you in bubble wrap. Problem solved.”

Spends the rest of the day walking extra close to you like a bodyguard.

Definitely tells the story to the other members like it was a near-death experience. Says to everyone that he “saved your life.”

Hyunjin

Laughs. Immediately. No shame. Then gasps dramatically, throws his hand over his chest like he just witnessed a tragic opera.

Drops to the ground beside you like you’re both in a rom-com. Cradles your face dramatically. “How dare the floor hurt my angel.” Starts fake crying if you say you’re fine just to keep the bit going

Helps you up with so much flourish it’s like a romantic movie. “My love, are you hurt? Say no more — I shall avenge the sidewalk.” Yes, he’s serious. Yes, it’s also a bit for show. But he genuinely cares.

Also acts like he just rescued you from a burning building. Stares deep into your eyes: “...Was it gravity… or fate that brought you to your knees?” Makes sure you’re not hurt, then says, “You fell for me, huh?”

Once he confirms you’re okay, he absolutely loses it. Cannot stop laughing once the drama fades. “Your fall was like... art. Should I paint it?” And teases you “My clumsy little muse.” – now it’s your permanent nickname.

Han

😮 Eyes widen like a deer in headlights. “OHHHHHHH nooooooOOOO—” while making zero moves to catch you.

Tries to catch you but ends up falling too. “Even when we fall, we fall together. That’s love.” Then Starts laughing

Helps you up while still giggling like a gremlin. “You fell like… so gracefully. Like a majestic flamingo.”

Offers to kiss the wound but accidentally bumps heads with you in the process.

Pokes fun at you every 5 minutes after. “Wanna hold my hand so you don’t fall in love with the ground again?” Says things like “Watch out for that vicious step over there 👀”

Makes up a dramatic story: “The floor was jealous of your beauty and ATTACKED.”

Will randomly bring up “that one time you tried to high-five the pavement”

Felix

Concerned Angel Mode. Soft gasp, soft voice. “Oh no, darling… are you okay?” Drops everything, sprints over, and lifts you up like you're royalty.

Turns into a golden retriever with anxiety. Presses your hand gently, checking for sprains like a real-life medic. “Does anything hurt? Do i need to call 911? Blink twice if you're in pain.”

Once he made sure you're okay, helps you up gently like you’re made of glass, dusts you off, and checks for any scratches. Flashes you his famous gummy smile while helping you up slowly “Want me to kiss it better?” 😚

Gently scolds you: “You need to be careful, sweetheart…” 😟 Lowkey wants to carry you everywhere after that.

Offers a piggyback ride for the rest of the day.

Tells the others not to make fun of you — then whispers “you did look kinda funny tho 🫣”

Will gives you a band-aid with a cartoon character on your scratches if you have some, and bakes cookies later as a “get well” snack — even if you didn’t get hurt.

Seungmin

Tries to hold in laughter with the most sarcastic concern ever. “Oh nooo… you’ve fallen… and can’t get up… tragic.”

Films it if possible. Sends it to the group chat with zero shame.

Finally comes over and says, “Was the floor too fast for you?” Helps you up, brushes you off, and pats your head like a puppy. Will also totally roasts you. “Do I need to enroll you in walking classes? I hear toddlers are great teachers.”

Will randomly say “watch your step” every 5 minutes for the rest of the day. Yet is secretly worried and subtly glances at you, making sure you don't have bruises or something.

Will not let you live it down, roasts you for the next 7-10 business days. “Should I install floor mats wherever you walk?”

Brings it up any time you act confident. “Remember when you lost a fight to the sidewalk?”

The type to nickname you “Gravity’s Favorite” for the rest of the week — or even for months.

I.N

Yelps and jumps toward you like a golden retriever pup in distress. “Nonononono—are you okay?? Are you dying??”

Fussing so much. Tries to help but ends up panicking and fumbling everything. Asks three times if you’re hurt before believing you. “You’re not seriously hurt, right? Tell me you’re okay.”

If you’re fine, he nervously laughs, because it was kinda funny but also scary. Also can’t stop teasing you gently after.

Low-key flustered because your clumsiness is cute, but also “Please be careful next time.”

Buys you bubble tea afterwards as an apology. Might also fffers his hoodie for comfort like it’s emotional first aid.

Tells his hyungs later like it’s the funniest story ever—does impressions and everything. Might also calls his mom later and tells her the story as well.

Will replay it in his head and giggle to himself for the next 3 days.

｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆ ♥ ｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆ ♥ ｡･::･

🌀 In conclusion...

You tripped. Gravity disrespected you.

Stray Kids? Reacted like it was the season finale of a drama.

Tag yourself:

Are you Chan's concerned dad mode, Hyunjin’s Oscar-worthy collapse, or Lee Know’s judgmental slow blink?

Which reaction is your favorite? Reblog if you feel personally attacked by gravity sometimes. 💀✨

★彡 [ end transmission ] 彡★

[amarriageoftrueminds]

I have to say, I don't think a friendship between Peggy and Bucky has any canon basis to make this plausible -- they were only in the same place twice, only 'spoke' once, and she wouldn't deign to look at him.

And he didn't exactly look fondly on her either; both times he was in her presence he arguably cockblocked her from Steve. I don't think it would feel true to either character to have them be friendly; or even pretend friendly. I don't think they've got it in them.

.

It's a long-established aspect of Howard's character that, actually, he was that bastard all along.

He has always been a lying thief who abuses his position to steal ideas from poorer scientists and then market them as his own (something Tony also does.) He never cared who he worked with. We see this in CATFA, AC, and the Ant-Man scene.

And his tie-in CATFA comic reveals that, just like Peggy, even Howard's admitted reason for joining the war effort was only to stave off boredom. Not for a moral reason, like Steve.

If past behaviour is a predictor of future behaviour, then the fact that Howard died with serum in his trunk suggests he stole from SHIELDra one too many times.

(And in this 'Peggy is Hydra all along' verse, it happened because she wasn't around to cover for him any more!)

As per What If...? season 2 we know that both Howard and Peggy knew about TWS's identity and didn't care to help him.

(It's actually Howard who argues against even trying to help him, because he believes there's nothing of Bucky left inside... but he later reveals that he knows this untrue, because he appeals personally to Bucky to stop him shooting someone....not TWS. Peggy, as usual, does nothing.)

Plus I think Howard's tone of resignation and total lack of surprise, when he recognised TWS as Bucky in 1991, speaks to a man who was not just finding that out in the moment. He definitely knew in advance.

Sidenote: At the time Peggy retired, Alexander Pierce was in charge of SHIELDra, and later promoted Fury (who is, if you think about, the perfect public face for a 'totally not Nazis at all' organisation.) One wonders why he'd let Fury go ahead with the Avengers initiative, given how badly that turned out for Hydra. Perhaps Pierce expected it to fail, or saw it as a way to get more enhanced people unwittingly working for them?

And re: the train fall.

I think the secret point of that train mission was always to capture and headhunt Zola, rather than anything to do with Bucky.

Maybe Peggy and Zola were in contact (more than likely, since she was mysteriously nearby to Krausberg with no official reason for being there. How did the Howlies find out he'd be on that train, in that location?)

But even if they were in contact, Zola wouldn't want to risk his creation's death -- especially not with such an unpredictable method.

I think he intended to kill Steve, so that Bucky (being, then, the only surviving supersoldier) could become his golden ticket to a job in America.

As far as Peggy would've been concerned, Bucky's death is an unexpected perk, because it leaves Steve lonely and vulnerable to her manipulations.

Personally I just can't see any version of Peggy who's a friend or a willing beard (even if that's what Steve thinks she is). The monstrous ego (assuming Steve is hers), the violent temper, entitled sense of persecution, the delusions of grandeur... they're just too integral to her personality to be feigned!

Plus I think she has the depth of egomania to be a Nazi spy and yet still believe she could 'have' Steve, even after he found out. She'd believe she's 'a good enough sort of woman' to make him see sense.

(And I don't think she could maintain that 'we're only pretend dating' cover when she has real Alzheimers. I can see a Peggy who builds her own mythology for so long that she starts to genuinely believe it; that they really were dating. And Steve only humours her because he thinks it's a symptom of her mental decline; that she is just a harmless old woman.)

So the other day @musette22 and I were talking about Peggy Carter (or rather I went on an angry rant about why I don't like her) and that made me think of a Peggy that was very much Steve's friend, beard even, as much as she was a Nazi regardless. And that got stuck in my head so take some extended thoughts:

A Peggy that is outwardly a mirror to Steve; in gender and perhaps sexuality as well as social class and upbringing. But no less "takes no shit" than Steve, no less kind than Bucky, no less of a role model than Sarah. Her morals however are very much a polar opposite to Steve's, but we as the viewer at most get hints of it during CATFA

Steve genuinely considers her a good friend. And she genuinely likes him, for what it's worth. She clocked Steve as queer right away, went "oh I like him" pre serum and offered to be his beard after. Keeps the creeps away, she told him, and gives you a reason to not accept any courting that won't get you kicked out of the army

She does the jealous girlfriend thing we see in canon anyway, despite of course not actually being his girlfriend (and the whole thing being abusive as fuck) to "keep appearances" but ultimately she gains his trust somehow

They enjoy each other's company in how little time they have together

But behind the scenes she's pulling strings

As soon as Steve rescues the 107th, uses that trust to get insider information she's not supposed to have

Why would she know what the Howlies do and where they are? She's intelligence, not a soldier

She deliberately makes them have a couple of close calls with Hydra by passing along that information

And then comes that goddamn train. Of course Peggy knows that Bucky fell. But she also knows that Bucky should have survived, because she knows that Zola had managed to create a stable super soldier serum

She prevents Steve from looking for Bucky and makes sure Hydra finds Bucky instead

The plane wasn't part of the plan on her side, she wasn't informed, and she's not happy about it. It comes to no surprise to her that Steve wouldn't give her approximate coordinates though. Because as she so foolishly said in that bar, Bucky had made his choice and Steve chooses to follow him

Peggy does mourn Steve, she also mourned Bucky, because they were her friends, even if the friendship was a farce, and she's not stone cold despite everything. But she's still very much got her eyes on a bigger thing so

She initially deliberately prevents Howard from tracking the plane by skewing the data

And she goes to talk to Bucky. Who spits at her, realises the betrayal and refuses to give up despite her very clearly telling him Steve was dead

It takes 20 years to break Bucky to a point where they can use them as TWS

During that time, Howard has shifted gears as well. He's quite aware he's working with Nazis, has been for a while, but he doesn't know about TWS's identity (because for as much of an asshole Howard turns into, I don't think he woulda been cool with that) until that fateful day in the 90's

Which was Peggy's call, because he defied her one too many times, and she has too much power to deal with him personally

At some point, Peggy steps down from what is now Shieldra (because there's no way she woulda survived to die of Alzheimers without being a top dog in Hydra), and Fury takes over Shield, builds the Avengers, and the story as we know it unfolds

Steve defrosts just fine because they have a couple of decades worth of experience with Bucky, and suddenly they have two super soldiers at their disposal

Steve goes to visit Peggy who "comforts" him, of course she does, she's still got the awareness regardless of which time she thinks she's in to keep their friendship going. Tells him about her life and the kids she's got, maybe even about queer rights improving

He doesn't know about Hydra. Doesn't know about Bucky. Until that day on the bridge, when they come face to face and TWS breaks. But Hydra, they're so close to winning, it doesn't really matter. But then they lose

Bucky runs, and Steve goes after him

And Steve finds more and more information on TWS. The data dump, of course, but also in old bunkers and labs. And burns the rest of Hydra to the ground in the process

And he recognises the handwriting in some of the older documents. Finds the report on the day they told Bucky he was dead. And exactly who was behind all of it

And now he also mourns a friend, two of them really, but one at least never lied in his face in this time. He's angry, yes, betrayed, yes. But also just disappointed. And Hydra burns

Peggy dies of Alzheimers and Steve still goes to the funeral, to see for his own eyes that the person he thought was his friend can't ever harm anyone again

We as the audience can only connect the dots so much without flashbacks, and we do get those. But only at the very end do we get the whole picture. And we mourn right alongside Steve (and Bucky, once he remembers)

[whileinthe80s]

THE OLD GUARD 2 ❤️‍🩹

First thoughts

I DON'T THINK I'LL EVER RECOVER FROM THAT ENDING IT FELT LIKE MY HEART STOPPED OR SOMETHING. That aside.I can say it was an overall enjoyable watch but that's not enough yall. Had to turn a blind eye on some major unsatisfying plot points. Im glad that everyone had a decent amount of time on screen. Not a lot of complaints there.

Booker dying was fucking horrible and Andy had to watch!!? that shit was heartwrenching, but it was totally expected from booker. I knew he was gonna pull some shit like that the moment he got that immortal lore from Tuah. It's sad to see booker go but he TRULY AND FINALLY made his choice. It would have been nice to see him take his time with it though. His reality to him was a hellscape so what he did feels fitting. It did feel a bit rushed (like every thing else in the movie) because its something I knew he would do but it really didn't have to happen so quick. Especially after they've decided to leave the story unfinished. Could've given the man some time with it.

Tuah is great. he's only really a segway for the immortal history plot line so that's about it.

JOE AND NICKY MY SWEET SWEET JOE AND NICKY.. I was honestly just extremely happy to see them again. Love that they were being goofy. Love that Nickys immediate instinct when Joe said he wanted to be alone was to follow him because he knew when he was hiding something. I think that's a nice little acknowledgement of they're centuries together because I believe if Joe was saying he wanted sometime alone to just be by himself nicky would know that too. (Nicky would probably also know that Joe would never even want such a thing as to "be alone" sooo). The conversation they had about them possibly ending was cool. Wish it was a bit longer though.( or its probably just me never having enough joexnicky). Them driving was HOT. Had to say it like damn.

ANDROMAQUYNH IS HEREE!!...I enjoyed their developments. Totally would have loved to see how Quynh navigated her rage if she hadn't immediately connected with Discord. But Discord found her so i guess that was never meant to happen. (Andy getting her immortality back is great and all now who's gonna give it to Quynh🫠. The whole transferring immortality thing is crazy af tbh.)

Discord feels a bit unfinished. Like how did she lose her immortality. The whole shift in the story of immortality itself is quiet unsteady tbh. Like do you only ever lose your immortality if you get wounded by the last immortal? If that's the case, Lykon???. Or is their initial concept of death coming unexpectedly to all living things still on the table and the thing with the last immortal just speeds up the process.

Nile is still cool af. Love to see her taking charge. Her finding a Weapon was cool!!. But again there really wasn't much room in the movie for any deep personal development moments. Something was always going on so we missed out on that from Nile aswell.

There's a lot left unanswered and the movie just ended at THE most worrying point. Really for a second thought i could see the fam in a happy ending (minus booker💔). They took that from us.

I'm just suppppper happy they're back. And I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the movie. Sure it has some rough edges and were allowed to be upset about these characters that we love but honestly I'm good. Our worst case scenario has been averted. It sucks that we've waited 5 years and now we have to wait again for god knows how long. ( maybe we won't even have to wait if neflix chooses to not renew it for a third🤡 but honestly who the fuck leaves a franchise like in a fully unfinished state. they MUST renew it right right right????!??!? can't even call it a cliffhanger its simply an unfinished story so they must.)

[housemdork]

house md rewatch: 2x18, "sleeping dogs lie"

house flexes his nonexistent conflict resolution muscles & the infamous liver-trap lesbians make their appearance.

being risky and throwing this at the top of this recap: i don't really like this one. it's messy and repetitive. cameron especially suffers, and i found myself getting (unduly) annoyed by her. above all, though, it's the fact that we've had this conversation about "people are innately bad!" "no they're not!" about 12 separate times this season alone. i agree that it's always worth investigating, but we have GOT to diversify the circumstances, and having foreman unleash a petty squabble, seemingly at random, doesn't do it for me.

for my complaints, i'm going to do away with chronology and structure this more so to defend myself lmfao.

the lack of a reason for house to not have read cameron's article is annoying. she's right for being pissed off about it (i genuinely CANNOT imagine this happening to me in academia), and i get the point they're trying to make about Shit Happens, but it feels empty. when wilson presses house about it, the reason is just "i didn't care enough." house has too important of a relationship with cameron to get away with just that explanation alone!

cameron disagrees with house's statement that being selfish = being human; "that's not the definition of being human. it's the definition of being an ass." SNORE WE GET IT ALREADY.

i don't find it out of character for foreman to do what he did...but i'm perplexed by how he totally shuts down cameron in the end. it's not even OOC for him to claim that they're not friends (though it is bullshit), but this is giving nothing more than the network tv-necessity of setting up tension that climaxes in upcoming episodes - 2x21 and 2x22.

house's hypocrisy pissed me off soooo badly in one moment especially. when he's talking with wilson, he doubles down about human nature being selfish. he says: "i could be the kindest, gentlest boss in the world and foreman still would have done what he did because that's who foreman is. we can only hope that cameron has learned something." why is cameron expected to learn/adapt when you JUST SAID that the fellows changing is impossible??

lastly - and please don't cancel me lmfao - i'm not sure what to do with cameron's resolution, or lack thereof, in 2x18. i took issue with how she handled hannah, the patient, and her girlfriend, max; she all but forces hannah to admit to planning to leave max, and then hangs that over her head for the remainder of the episode. i feel like, in previous episodes, cameron drew these revelations from patients naturally because she's very tender with them. but here, she wields the knowledge like a weapon. she said that it was none of her business...girl.

i'm hesitant to say that i don't like this, though, because it can also serve as a growth opportunity, and that's very compelling. cameron's stalwart belief in kindness is challenged by a problem that confronts her directly (the article), the ultimate hurdle. and yet, her continued disappointment in foreman after hearing that max was liver-trapping hannah? that doesn't add up. i feel like 2x18 just sent cameron backwards like 7 steps. we're lacking the nuance that season 1 and episodes like 2x06 afforded her.

i can anticipate a chorus of "well house does the same thing!!" coming at me, but house being an asshole is baked into his character, and his characterization isn't sent backwards every time people confirm that they're assholes themselves. he also has the defense of The Greater Good to fall back onto (however faulty), which cameron lacks in 2x18. more on this later.

trust that i'm sitting with the discomfort of agreeing with house doing the ethically wrong thing over cameron's moral compass. she is technically right; they're sitting on relevant information that would affect the course of treatment for the patients. it's a direct confrontation of immediacy/morality and, again, the Greater Good, that works in some ways and fails in others.

now for the parts that i did like:

in the face of cameron's (understandable) protestations, house finally says what i've been getting at since 1x01: sarcastically, "i want to save her. i'm morally bankrupt." that's the Greater Good i'm talking about.

see!! you cannot be a doctor without loving people, house!! cameron's shortsightedness in 2x18 hits her like a truck in this moment, and i find the declaration on the whole very satisfying. that house is being sarcastic/vindictive is extra poignant because this is still a trait that he can't/won't observe within himself. it superficially confirms cameron's accusation that he's only keeping hannah quiet to solve the puzzle, but do the ends justify the means here?

the end of 2x18 argues that yes, the means are justifiable. and i think this is cheap! 2x18 just whips cameron around and kicks her when she's down (i guess i'm back to complaining LOL). max gave hannah the liver in part to (say it with me) liver trap her so she can never leave. it's a boring gotcha. hmm...this is giving me a vision of the future...where love/devotion/sincerity and the manipulation thereof takes place via a liver transplant...*

you know what/who my FAVORITE part of the episode was? dr. lisa cuddy!

the second house's nonexistent conflict resolution skills fail, he calls in the cavalry, the woman whose entire job is resolving shit that house starts. she knows she's being manipulated/lied to here, but she's adept enough to do 3 things:

see through house's bullshit to know that there's a massive ethical qualm lurking beneath the surface.

understand that, despite everything, house works toward a benevolent Greater Good that she believes in, too.

confirm in her own direct, compelling way that this is the right course of action for the patient (with the knowledge she has).

cuddy listens to the patient in a way that house never could, and understands the broader purpose more than cameron can so far. and her direct involvement with the transplant speaks so much to her character. again, another thing house won't do, which allows cuddy to bridge the 2 polar opposite ways of viewing people together. she's a grounding presence in an otherwise melodramatic, slightly OOC episode imo.

*i'm back to complaining because is 2x18 NOT just a lesser 6x10? do we not revisit a very similar issue in season 6 with wilson and his "friend" tucker, just inverted? does wilson NOT donate part of his liver in hopes of legitimizing himself and his relationship to tucker?! talk about reheated nachos. IMBD rates 2x18 a 7.9/10 and 6x10 an 8.8, so the irrelevant, subjective metric of episode success Has Spoken lol.

2 concluding notes:

gay people who live together plagued by insomnia & house not sleeping well because he's living with wilson? whatever.

the diagnosis of the literal Plague was also dumb. it didn't even go anywhere.

i can't be too mad that i don't love this one. i'm getting greedy from the excellent wilson run that is 2x14-2x17 (and then 2x19). i got ahead of myself. they have to recharge his batteries. if i'm being unnecessarily harsh, i apologize. i can't vibe with em all, though!

[destinygoldenstar]

Pomni Is A Fool

Pomni's backstory actually really tells you how much her being in the circus is SICK KARMA.

She's a supermarket accountant who 'got bored of things' and sought out mild thrills like urban exploring, and posting videos of it on YouTube.

When Jax calls her a YouTuber, she replies with "Not really. Nobody watched them." While looking at her drink sadly.

So basically, she was a thrill seeker, and an attention seeker. (I say that cause Zooble also urban explored, but didn't post anything about it)

Which... at first when I heard this backstory, thought it was VERY out of line with the Pomni we know.

After all, from just the Pilot, everyone has characterized her as 'the embodiment of anxiety'.

Doesn't help that Glitch's Merch and Ads ALSO put that aspect of her front and center.

I kinda suspected there HAD to be more to her than that. But I also thought this would still be an aspect of her and played into her past life.

Especially given how much more layers we get of who Pomni is in the other episodes.

She's NOT just anxiety. She's someone who has ZERO direction in her life and considers herself and her abilities worthless.

She is a nihilist who has extremely low self esteem, so much so that she believes that when she dies, nobody will care about her. So at the start of the show, she's a loner who wallows in her negative emotions, not even bothering to interact with her peers. Willingly. Which also adds to development of anxiety and depression.

She DOES want friends, as shown with Gummigoo. But as shown by her reaction with his 'death',

She LAUGHS at losing him.

It's almost like she EXPECTS these results, and expects her own misery.

"I knew it would end up like this"

Which, YES, is anxiety.

A lot of people think anxiety is "PANICKING AND CONSTANTLY NERVOUS"

THAT'S NOT WHAT IT IS. THAT'S JUST THE SURFACE LEVEL.

Anxiety is an emotion centered around uneasiness of an unknown outcome. And in the cases of a disorder, you just naturally expect bad things to happen to you. Some people have a better handling of their anxiety than others.

That is until she is rescued in literal hell by Kinger, and he gives her sound advice on how NOT pointless life is.

Also something to point out: Evil Pomni, the opposite, is an apathetic gremlin who takes pride in action, with such an inflated ego (taking a nap in the field before catching the ball and gloating about it). Obviously the opposite of Pomni's current state, as someone with high empathy and low esteem. Evil Pomni is high apathy and a high ego.

This post is also neat in explaining the evil clones

Wouldn't it be crazy if this was a potential ugly side Pomni had before the circus? (Just more subtle than this exaggerated evil clone)

(Personally, I wanna see her crash out in the future)

BUT THIS IS THE THING THAT REALLY SCRATCHED MY HEAD.

Pomni is also shown to do pretty poorly with the more thrilling adventures. She wants to LEAVE these. In every instance, she's shown desire to NOT be a part of the adventures.

Kaufmo. She bails.

Candyland. She doesn't want to be there.

Mildenhall Manor. She's afraid of horror, and when she accidentally falls through the scary door, her immediate plan is to get out of there.

The only time she's not in pain during an adventure is in the normal ones. Spudsys, Stargazing, the bar, these adventures are when Pomni is actually... chill. Especially Spudsys.

So, I read this as Pomni naturally gravitates towards the mundane lifestyle.

BUT HER BACKSTORY DOES NOT SUPPORT THIS.

Her backstory tells us she was a totally different person prior to the circus. She did NOT enjoy her mundane lifestyle as an accountant, and was a thrill seeker who LIKED exploring, and adventures. She also was seeking attention by posting on YouTube.

THIS SOUNDS TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE POMNI WE KNOW IN THE SHOW.

So, what, is this simply OOC?

Call me reading too much into it, but MAYBE THIS IS THE POINT.

It's not out of line if we see her nihilistic traits in the start of the series and 'feeling like she's nothing'.

Her life was depressing. Nobody noticed her. Nobody watched her videos or took any interest in her.

Which could also be why she's a jester. Jesters are attention seekers and prominent members of the royal court.

The design gimmick for the TADC characters is that they are a twisted cartoony version of their internal struggles.

Gangle is a frail ribbon who is literally two faced because that was her life prior to the circus. Zooble has a body designed to constantly be changing and never feel comfortable because they never found themselves in their old life. Ragatha is a ragdoll because dolls were considered wealthy toys in the past, but she's a kind of doll designed to be able to take beatings because of her abuse in her prior life. (She also has one button eye, which indicates harm and partial blindness) You get it.

Pomni is a jester, who in her past, was never noticed despite her attempts. Which is a sick karma of what she wanted to have and be seen as. (You could also link a YouTuber to the modern equivalent of a jester) A FOOLISH DESIRE TO THINK SHE COULD BE WORTH THE ATTENTION.

So she craved adventure and attention. Something more in her life.

But when she actually ends up in the circus, she rejects it. She only goes on the adventures out of obligation, but DOESN'T enjoy them.

Funny, you'd think she'd be interested in this stuff. But no.

She got the thrill-seeking life she wanted. And she hates it. She fears nearly everything about it.

...so maybe that's why she gravitates towards the mundane adventures.

This whole circus, for her, is a sadistic version of karma, and God's way of punishing her for wanting more out of the life she was given.

You never know how much something means to you until you lose it.

If she could go back to her old life as an accountant, back to when the world made sense, back to when everything was fine, she would. And she'd never complain about it again.

She didn't need these thrills, or this attention, or any of these wild adventures in order for her life to have a purpose. All she needed was to just... live life.

And said life got taken away before she could realize that.

HER LIVING EMBODIMENT IN THIS CIRCUS, IS THE FOOL.

[lucysarah1875]

Levi Dating a Swiftie

I was talking with @levisbrat25 about this, and I was honestly surprised by how many people in the fandom love Taylor too. So here it goes.

First of all, Levi is definitely not a Swiftie—but that’s not really surprising. The man isn’t a fan of anything, really. Fandom? Not his thing—unless it involves cleaning supplies or tea. And honestly, that’s just how Levi approaches everything. TV shows? Movies? He might say, “I liked it,” and that’s the end of the conversation. If he really liked it, he might recommend it. But then he moves on without a second thought.

You or Hange probably have to remind him when the next season of a show he likes is coming out. He’ll respond with a gruff, “Oh. I’ll keep it in mind.” Same with music. If an artist he enjoys drops a new album, Spotify will have to notify him—because he’s not checking for it.

That said, while he doesn’t get your excitement over Taylor, he definitely finds it endearing. Especially when you’re vacuuming and dancing around to “Cruel Summer,” or cooking while screaming, “We are never ever getting back together!” at full volume.

He’s also the one who somehow manages to get his hands on official merch and tickets—because he’s always awake at 3 AM when the drop happens. You still don’t know how he pulls it off, but he shows up with rare stuff like those signed Folklore CDs without fail.

He might not understand your love for Taylor, but he could listen to you ramble about her for hours. Theories, Easter eggs, hidden messages—he’s not following, but he loves watching your eyes light up. That’s why he keeps surprising you with merch.

Ever seen those clips of people screaming “All Too Well” at the top of their lungs? Levi’s the one in the background, looking like, “This person has completely lost it.” Especially in the car. As soon as the song ends, he’s like, “Are you done? Can I put the news on now?”

Out of all her albums, Folklore and Evermore would probably be the only ones on his playlist. The calm, melancholic vibe is more his speed. But he does get annoyed when “Shake It Off” gets stuck in his head because you had it on repeat for days.

And did I say Levi isn’t a Swiftie? Because guess who totally is? Isabel. You two could talk about Taylor for hours—and Levi just quietly accepts it.

Now, if you were dating Levi during the 1989 era, he probably wouldn’t have been a fan of Taylor. Not in a toxic way—he’s not the “she’s a slut” or “too many exes” type—but he’d think she was trying too hard or being overly dramatic. Because let’s be honest, Levi couldn’t care less about celebrity drama. He’d just mutter something like, “Tell Kanye to go fuck himself. End of story.”

If you explained to him how Taylor pulled back from the spotlight and chose to live more privately after all that, he’d just shrug and say, “Mhm. Good for her.” He’s not interested, but he respects the decision—especially if it means young fans like Isabel learn from it. (Let’s be real, he’s lowkey worried Isabel might overshare on social media. She doesn’t listen to him—but she might listen if Taylor says it in a documentary.)

At the end of the day, Levi respects any personal passion or hobby—even if he doesn’t share it. Unless it’s tea or cleaning, don’t expect him to participate.

He’s 100% the kind of guy who lets you play whatever music you want. He rarely sings along, but maybe—just maybe—if he’s in an exceptionally good mood, he’ll join in. And if he does? God bless. Because he’s a damn good singer.

[astrabear]

Nicky asks Booker how they can be sure he didn't sell them out again, and Booker says they can't...

...so what if he did? We don't know everything that happened between him and Quynh, or if Discord was involved at all. What if it was Merrick all over again? "I know a way you can die for real, no guesswork this time, but you've got to make sure I can capture the others."

Being able to transfer it to Andy would have made it even better. "Hey, I don't have to feel guilty about checking out when shit goes down and leaving them with fewer resources, because Andy'll be immortal again! So I'm technically not even betraying them or setting them up, because Andy will save them and Discord won't expect that."

Given what we know of his thought process in the first movie, I can totally see this happening. It's such a stupid, pointless death; it doesn't do a thing to help Andy or the 10 million people at risk from a nuclear disaster. It just gets him off the board in the most self-indulgent, melodramatic way possible. I am less aggravated by that if it was part of a larger plan, even if that plan was yet another betrayal.

(I'm not suggesting this was how Rucka wrote it, but it's an interesting possibility to play with.)

[hiloveitsalright]

Toman High School Host Club

Chifuyu has a weird dream.

Chifuyu is lost. People are glancing at him with curiosity as he runs through the corridors. They are all wearing weird uniforms, uniforms that look somehow like Toman uniforms, but are also school uniforms, and look far more expensive than school uniforms should ever be. Chifuyu, confused, opens doors after doors for a way out of the building, and all he manages is to get even stranger looks from the passerby.

Where is that damned exit?

He’s starting to grow tired of running, now, and slows down to a walking pace. He doesn’t want to talk to any of those weird strangers, but it’s getting more and more necessary. Looking around for some helpful soul, he realizes he stumbled into an empty corridor. At least, it would be empty, if not for the delicate notes of a piano coming from one of the rooms.

Sighing to himself, Chifuyu knocks on the door.

“Come in,” a somewhat familiar voice husher him inside.

Chifuyu frowns but pushes the door open, and a breeze carries flowers petals and the soft fragrance of tea and sweets to his nose. The room is bathed in sunlight and he stumbles in squinting.

“H-Hi!” he greets.

“Welcome!” a chorus answers him.

His eyes do not have the time to adapt before soft fingers appear on his chin. He flinches, but the hold isn’t forceful, and when he blinks once, twice, through the blinding light, he’s met with the purple eyes of good old reliable Mitsuya.

“Oy! Mitsuya! There you are! I was looking everwhere for…”

“For me? I’m flattered. Such a cute little bird came all the way here, just for me…”

Chifuyu cuts himself. Why- Why is Mitsuya speaking so weirdly? Also, he is very, very close – not that Chifuyu minds, okay! Mitsuya is his bro and ride-or-die and Chifuyu trusts him with his life… but he’s still super duper close, close enough that Chifuyu can see the sparks of grey in his lavender eyes and the soft wrinkle in the corner of his eyes as he smiles. He knows Mitsuya’s pretty; Draken and Baji often call him “the prince” behind his back and not without reason, but–

But this is another thing entirely to notice how unfairly pretty Mitsuya is, right as their noses are brushing and Mitsuya’s hand is holding his chin!

Flushing well against himself, Chifuyu stumbles out of Mitsuya’s grasp.

“I was looking for the exit!” he corrects, hoping an outburst would provide a nice alibi for the flush of his cheeks. “Why are you acting so weird, man?!”

Takashi seems heartbroken for a second and Chifuyu almost feels bad. Okay, he totally feels bad, but no way he’s gonna admit it!

“Look like this little birdie doesn’t want you, Takashi.”

Draken appears like a dream behind Mitsuya. Like him, he’s wearing a more sophisticated version of the weird school uniform everybody but Chifuyu is wearing. He puts his chin on Mitsuya’s head, in a movement that seems very, very close to being natural.

Then, a cocky smile appears on his lips as he brings his hand forward. Chifuyu doesn’t expect anything, but if he had to bet, he would bet all his odds on litteraly anything else. Still, Draken carefully tucks a strand of Chifuyu's hair behind his ear, fingertips taking their time caressing the shell of his ear before he wraps his arm around Mitsuya’s neck, fiddeling with the buttons of his open collar.

“You’re not the only one searching for an exit of your monotous life,” he hums, to a flabbergasted Chifuyu. “I could be your escape, if you’d let me.”

Chifiuyu is hallucinating. Vividly hallucinating, dares he add, because what is happening? Did- did Draken just flirt with him? What in the…

“Ken-chin! I’m out of dorayaki!”

Chifuyu’s head snaps to the side. Mikey! Mikey sounds like himself, at least! If there’s one person that can help him out of this distubing illusions, it’s his leader!

“Mikey!” he calls.

Mikey looks back at him, surprised for a second, before tilting his head to the side, a bright smile crossing his face:

“Hi! Did you bring dorayaki for me?”

There are- there are sparkles appearing from nowhere right behind him. Chifuyu clamps his jaw shut. Is he going mad?

“Come on, Mikey!” Draken roars. “This is the third time today you ask for more!”

“But Ken-chin, it’s not my fault you don’t bring me enough!”

“Stop eating so damn much!”

Draken clicks his tongue, caresses Mitsuya’s collarbone one last time, and swiftly goes back to arguing with Mikey.

Mitsuya, smiling again at a flabbergasted Chifuyu, bows slightly in his direction:

“There is an escape for everyone, here. I’m sure you will find the one you’re searching for.”

And, saying that, he turns on his heels.

Only then does Chifuyu takes in the sight in front of him. The room is huge, a lot bigger than he expected, and filled with antique tables covered in fine cutlery and delicate teacups. Girls and boys alike are discussing over tea and cakes, entertained by none other than Mitsuya, Draken, Mikey, ... All are openly flirting with the other, unknown students, and Chifuyu catches a couple of girls (wait, isn’t that Emma?) squealing in delight as Draken’s hand settles on Mitsuya’s thigh.

Chifuyu has, for lack of better words, no idea what’s happening.

“They’re always like that,” some says next to him.

He flinches but recognizes the voice immediately, facing Takemichi. While he’s also wearing that weird, Toman-like school uniform, he looks so familiar, so unchanged in this whole mess, that Chifuyu feels like tearing up.

“Partner!”

“What’s up? You’re acting weird.”

“I’m acting weird? You’re all acting weird!”

“Is that a friend of yours, Hanagaki?”

That voice belongs to no other than Kisaki, yet another Toman captain. Chifuyu doesn’t know him much, so he’s not quite sure if he’s acting out of the ordinary or not. Asking about him while he’s standing right there is impossibly rude, but could very well be normal coming from him. One thing’s for sure – Chifuyu needs to get to the bottom of it.

“Yeah,” Takemichi smiles. “He’s a pal of mine!”

“And is he here only to look around?”

“I’m just searching for the exit,” Chifuyu muttered, “no need to be rude.”

Kisaki looks him up and down, then sighs.

“Kisaki!” a boy calls from another corner of the room (is that Hanma?). “Stop chatting with those losers and come back to the piano!”

“Don’r be crass,” he answers. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

He turns back to Chifuyu right after.

“Plenty of people come by so-called mistakes and end up enjoying themselves. Why don’t you have a try and see if anyone fits your taste?”

“Fits my… taste?”

Kisaki, not missing a beat, takes him by the shoulder to show him around. Takemichi attempts to follow, but he immediately steps on his shoelaces and stumbles on a girl (Hina?!), knocking them both to the ground.

“Oh no, I’m sorry!” he starts to tear up.

“You’re so clumsy,” she smiles at him, trailing her fingers on his cheek. “It’s cute.”

Chifuyu can only watch in astonishment as Kisaki pulls him along.

“Do you know what you’re searching for?” Kisaki asks him.

“What are you talking about?”

“It seemed like the hard-working prince didn’t fit your standards,” Kisaki declared. “Such a shame – his good-looks, his soft heart and his calming presence convince most of our clients of his natural charms.”

Saying that, he points to Mitsuya, who’s doing careful retouches on the hem of a long skirt, while the person is still wearing them, blushing bright red. His movements are careful, but also sensual. What the-

“The scary but caring kind didn’t work either,” Kisaki keeps going. “Fear and love both make the heart flutter, and being protected by an intimidating man could have been your secret little fantasy…”

Now he’s pointing at Draken. He’s carrying someone on his biceps like that person weighed nothing, a hand on their waist to keep them in place, discussing in a low voice with someone else in the meantime.

“You didn’t react to the cute but dangerous kind… People do enjoy pampering and catering to the needs of a childish boy with a wild side to him.”

That is Mikey, who is sprawled half on a sofa, half on Sanzu’s lap, opening his mouth and awaiting to be fed. His cheeks are pinkish, and his smile wide. People are swooning all around him. He’s not so different from usual, at least…

“Would it be the clumsy, boy-next-door for you, then? Accessible, if not a bit of a loser – the charm of a first love and the awkwardness of a tentative kiss under the rain.”

Is that- Yeah, Kisaki is pointing at Takemichi. He’s sitting betweeen Hina and another girl, rubbing the back of his head as they seem to be comparing class notes, face a bit flushed from the attention. Chifuyu briefly wonders if he should be puking right now.

“No, no, it seems not,” Kisaki continues.

He then stops unexpectedly, and Chifuyu takes that opportunity to free his shoulder from his grasp. Kisaki, now facing him, brings his glasses up with an elegant finger.

“Could it be me, then?”

What…?

“People enjoy someone that can match their brains and offer them a challenge. Someone whose ice walls need to be melted, not insensible to the heated..”

“Gross.”

He and Kisaki look at each other in silence for a second, then Kisaki’s hand is back on his shoulder and the tour continues.

“Well, there is one last option left.”

Chifuyu gulps as Kisaki leads him to a far away corner.

“Some like it visceral,” Kisaki whispers, “feral, even.”

Chifuyu’a heart jumps in his chest. That can only be Baji! He, for sure, will know how to stop this madness!

“There is nothing like impulse and adrenaline to bring people together,” Kisaki keeps going, “and the thrill of fighting for a spot by their side is second to none.”

That, Chifuyu knows quite well! Wait a minute… ‘their side’?

He looks up, and his eyes meet gold.

“Kei… look what Kisaki brought us.”

Baji is there, of course. Lounging on a sofa, one arm over the backrest, knees spread, with a cocky smile on his lips and a glint of danger in his eyes, he’s nothing short of divine.

But the sight that Chifuyu cannot look away from is somewhere else–

Sitting on the floor between Baji’s legs, arms crossed over Baji’s thigh and chin tucked over his arms, is Kazutora. He’s smiling, too, and there is a hint of mischief in that smirk that both irkes Chifuyu and sends a weird but not unpleasant sensation in his belly.

“Pretty boy,” Baji whistles and Chifuyu turns bright red. “All for us?”

“All yours,” Kisaki declares.

He lets go of Chifuyu’s shoulder and slightly pushes him forward. Frozen in shock, Chifuyu stumbles and falls on his knees, face to face with Kazutora.

“Already falling for us?” Kazutora chuckles.

“I- I-”

Kazutora’s face is getting closer and closer and Chifuyu’s losing all control he has on his body and brain.

“Don’t worry,” Kazutora whispers into his ear, “we don’t bite…”

His breath is burning hot on Chifuyu’s neck.

“… unless you want us to, huh?”

A shiver runs down Chifuyu’s body. Kazutora laughs obnoxiously, bringing them both to their feet and immediately pushing Chifuyu on Baji’s lap.

Chifuyu is having trouble breathing now, as Baji looks down on him with an amused smile on his lips.

“You seem a bit lost,” he mutters.

His rough hand reaches Chifuyu’s face, caressing his jaw before wrapping around his throat to force him closer to him. Kazutora is back as well, an arm swung over Keisuke’s shoulder, the other on the sofa between Keisuke’s legs, caging Chifuyu between them.

“What do you think, birdie?” Kazutora proposes.

“Do you want us to play with you?” Keisuke whispers.

Keisuke’s keeping him in place, and Kazutora’s all over him, and both are whispering in his ears, and this is crazy, this is to much…

Chifuyu’s brain overloads.

Chifuyu wakes up screaming and is immediately hit by a pillow to the head.

“Shut up!” Kazutora shouts.

“Why are you both screaming?” Baji mumbles, turning to the side to glare at Chifuyu.

Oh, yes. The sleepover. They’ve been up late eating gross food and watching action movies…

“Why are you making that face?” Kazutora suddenly remarks.

Chifuyu hides his face in the pillow immediately. He has no idea what kind of face he’s making but he’s not going to take the chance, not after- not after that weird, nonsensical dream!

“Did you have a sex dream?” Kazutora gasps.

Keisuke kicks him fron making that much noise but Kazutora retaliates by shaking him fully awake.

“Kei! Kei! Chifuyu had a sex dream!”

“No I didn’t!” Chifuyu argues through the pillow on his face, but even to himself that sounds like a lie.

“Chifuyu, you perv!” Kazutora keeps going. “Tell us! Was it that girl in yesterday’s magazine? Or like, a girl from class? Tell us everything!”

Chifuyu swears to himself, he’s going to bring this dream to his grave even if it kills him. That doesn’t stop Kazutora from pestering him, and Baji from joining in just to make fun of him, but at least, he tell himself, they’ll never know he- he fantasized about them like that!

“Chifuyuuuu,” Kazutora wails.

“Chifuyu,” Baji groans, “just tell us, that’ll make him shut up!”

Mortified, he decides that he really needs to stop reading shojos before bed…

[dragonsoftheeast]

I just realized the cancellation news bummed me out so much I never actually returned to this. Let's go!

Ep 1: wow how could I have guessed

Ep 2: This was crazy!! Even though I expected it to be the coronation it wasn't gonna be like that.

Ep 3: I loved seeing the Forsaken meetup, it really showed the ways they run into each other and explains how they haven't won even though they've been so formidable

Ep 4:This was such a long cold open, reminded me of Nynaeve's Testing last season where you hit the titles emotionally exhausted and was like, WE'VE JUST HIT THE TITLES. I'm gonna give myself a 0.5 for this one though since there were Aiel there.

Ep 5: I was surprised this was a cold open, but it was great to contextualize the Sakarnen. #SaveWoT so we can see our girl Nynaeve with this thing.

Ep 6: Got the Liandrin cold open an episode too late. Gonna give myself another 0.5 for this one because correct subject, incorrect timing.

Ep 7: Similar to ep 4, they jumped straight into the plot, which made sense cause they DID NOT have room for anything else.

Ep 8: I was surprised that they broke the trend for ep 7/8, but I guess that proves that 2 does not make a pattern. Still, considering what happened to Suian in the ep, I was glad to see them in this time when the plan was taking shape and there was hope. Seeing the shawls was such a bonus.

Total score: 3/8. Not great, but not a goose egg. I'll take it.

my WoT cold open predictions:

Ep 1: The Shredding, ofc

Ep 2: Morgase's coronation as seen in the trailer. i think this'll be a powerful introduction to her and Elaida before we get her in the actual Tower. I think we'll get a Foretelling here too

Ep 3: This is the ep where "Perrin learns the consequences of his rage", so I think this might be Padan Fain meeting up with Dain and teaming up to go to the Two Rivers

Ep 4: this is our Rhuidean ep! Apparently this ep is Rand/Moiraine/Egwene all in different worlds, but I think we might start with an Aiel. Maybe Muradin entering the columns to start?

Ep 5: I think this is where Nynaeve/Mat/Elayne will arrive in Tanchico, and so I'm imagining we'll get Liandrin's backstory and the birth of Aludran, like what's been speculated at that one Tanchico still

Ep 6: I think we may get the chance to see Lan and Moiraine's initial bonding- we know Rafe is a New Spring lover

Ep 7: based on the past two seasons we'll get something related to Rand's birth. But this is the Two Rivers centric ep, I think, "Goldeneyes" So I think it'll be Tam bringing Rand and Kari home to the Two Rivers.

Ep 8: we gotta have our AoL flashback! I'm really thinking this is where we'll get a more up-close-and-personal look at the drilling of the Bore, meet Mierin at her most STEM and get that glimpse of her we saw in the trailer

I will be returning to score myself for accuracy, btw!

[leek-e]

Here is a drawing of one of my favourite changes in choreography in the Australian deh production :)

During Good For You, after Alana and Jared have their little solos, Alana comes to the front of the stage and crouches down with her hands over her head, completely still. At the same time, Jared goes upstage and paces back and forth very quickly - every time he has to turn around he makes stilted and frustrated gestures as if he doesn’t know what to do with himself. I was very excited by this, as it is so unlike the broadway version of this scene where they stand symmetrically on opposite sides of the stage. Instead, Alana and Jared’s reaction to their feelings are clearly contrasted against each other. It seemed so natural too; while they move in formation for a lot of gfy, here it was like they had to take a break from the song because of how overwhelmed they were! Which only made it easier to empathise with them. The whole song was spectacular of course but this particular decision I think was very successful. I have always been intrigued by the contrast between Alana and Jared and it was really brought to the forefront in this moment.

[coconut530]

TEACHERS STRIKE BACK

[itspileofgoodthings]

ALSO I am learning how to teach very introverted students, something my natural skillset as a teacher does not help me with.

[ofgrenvde]

Duke couldn't help the grin that spread across his face when she started talking about second dates and his place. "Slow down there," he said, squeezing her hand back. "You haven't even seen the crayon masterpiece yet. Might change your mind about stealing it once you realize it's mostly purple scribbles." Her teasing about his domestic life was kinda cute. Nobody had ever called anything about his life domestic before, but here she was making jokes about fridge art like it was totally normal. Like maybe having someone over wasn't such a crazy idea. Hearing about his nephew's great taste, he felt all warm and fuzzy inside. The kid really did see the best in everyone, especially him. "Kid's got better judgment than most adults I know," he said. The mysteriously thoughtful comment made him laugh because she wasn't wrong. He had been scowling at her for weeks, trying to figure out what her deal was. "Alright, you got me," he admitted. "Maybe I was plotting something for the first few nights. But then you started talking back and I got distracted." Her comment about ruining her expectations made him smile. Like maybe she actually saw something worth keeping around underneath all the mess.

When she started talking about their story and turning points, Duke found himself really paying attention. Not just waiting for his turn to talk but actually hearing what she was saying. The part about guys realizing they're not just surviving anymore but actually feeling something—yeah, that tracked. He'd been going through the motions for so long that actually caring about someone felt foreign as hell. "You think our turning point happened in that elevator?" he asked, meeting her eyes. The broken lights made everything feel more intense somehow, like they were the only two people in the world. Her thumb brushing against his made his pulse kick up in a way that probably wasn't smart given their situation. But honestly, smart hadn't been part of his vocabulary since he'd met her. Her promise about not writing him out of the story made something tight in his chest loosen. Nobody had ever talked about him like he was worth keeping around before. Most people saw him as useful or dangerous, but she was talking about him like he mattered beyond what he could do for them. "Good," he said quietly. "Because I'm not planning on going anywhere either. And poor Boyd definitely deserves hazard pay after listening to us figure this out."

Rhea tilted her head, letting the softest smile tug at her lips as she listened to him talk about Deshawn’s drawing. “You’re really going to offer me a glimpse into the domestic life of Uncle Duke? That’s intimate,” she teased, the words light but edged with curiosity. “You showing me your fridge art? That’s practically a second date especially since it'll be at your place," she said with her words being rather suggestive as her fingers brushed slightly more firmly against his, grounding her in this moment that somehow felt too surreal and too real at once. “I think your nephew’s got excellent taste,” she added, arching a brow playfully. “If you’re half as good in crayon as you are in person, I’m going to have a very hard time not stealing that drawing for myself.”

When he tried to rebrand himself as mysteriously thoughtful, she let out a low laugh, the kind that lingered a little too long on her breath. “Mysteriously thoughtful?” she repeated, eyes dancing. “That’s rich coming from the man who scowled at me for three nights straight like he was plotting my slow demise.” She leaned just a bit closer, voice softening but laced with amusement. “But hey, if the boot fits…” Her gaze lingered on him for a beat longer before she added, “Though I’ll admit, the whole brooding mob enforcer-slash-unwilling protector thing? Kind of growing on me. Especially now that I know he’s got a sentimental side and keeps children’s artwork on his fridge.” Her eyes narrowed in mock suspicion. “You trying to ruin my expectations of guys forever or what?”

Then came his nudge, that quiet tease, and Rhea turned toward him with a knowing smirk. “That enforcer guy should sound familiar,” she murmured. “Tough on the outside, all scowls and growls, but secretly soft for the one person who sees through the act?” She tilted her chin slightly, like she was considering it. “He’s definitely a favourite. Might even be the main character.” She leaned in then—just enough for her voice to drop into something quieter, something meant just for him. “But you want to know what I think? Every story’s got that turning point. That one scene where the guy realizes he’s not just surviving anymore. He’s feeling. Choosing. And I think…” her thumb brushed his once, deliberate now, “…ours might’ve just happened somewhere between the tenth floor and the fire alarm.” A slow smile curved on her lips as she added, “And don’t worry. I’ll write us out of this elevator before Boyd combusts. But I’m not writing you out of the story.”

[puhpandas]

just watched all the way through john fuhnaffs recent theory and like godd he really is cooking he truly is onto something but like. the idea that Cassies dad did all of thos important stuff and is connected to the mimic and built mxes and did all this shit is like. what do Gregory and vanessa even have to do with anything anymore at this point

[rinsko]

sylusmc gladiator au… you move me.