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overthinkingkdrama · 3 years

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Jona's Top 10 Dramas of 2020

Is it too late to post this now? Too bad. I’mma do it anyway. I lived through the plague (so far) and I had a strange/sad/productive 2021. If I want to put together my top 10 list for 2020 over a year after the fact, then that’s between me and the drama gods.

Let’s get the disclaimers out of the way: When I put together these lists I try to only include dramas that FINISHED airing in 2020. Which means that I will occasionally include something that started airing in the previous year if it ended after January 1st. (Don’t think that happens here though. Don’t quote me on that.) These rankings doesn't necessarily reflect any sort of objective quality among the dramas listed below, but rather my personal enjoyment.

Also, it’s probably worth saying that I’m assembling this list with the help of hindsight in 2022, so I’ve come back and revisited some of these damages and sometimes my opinion of them has warped and changed in the intervening time.

Alright, let’s just get into it...

10. Nobody Knows

I came away from Nobody Knows with several major impressions. The first was a strong sense of atmosphere that nearly superseded for me the story of the drama itself. An eerie sense of foreboding and of things unspoken. The second was that I need Kim Seo Hyung in more roles like this, just all the time. Give them to me. There can never be too many of them.

The biggest issues I had with this drama, and the reason it’s appearing so low on this list, have to do with the plot itself. There turns out to be essentially 2 different mysteries, one that bleeds into and ultimately gives way to the second. The first is sadly stronger than the second, which quickly descends into contorted plot contrivance, and the primary villains end up devolving into monomaniacal cartoon characters, which somewhat undermines the dramas atmospheric strengths.

Although Nobody Knows cannot in the end match either the religious horror of Save Me or the morally fraught missionary killer aspects of Children of Nobody, it does a respectable job of both. The real highlight of this drama (aside from Seo Hyung’s incredible collarbones) are the ambiguous relationships it explores between the main characters. I love the slow-to-form partnership/comradery between Young Jin and Sun Woo, the tense rivalry/dependence between Young Jin and Eun Ho’s mother, and the surrogate mother/son merged with an unusual friendship-between-peers dynamic between Young Jin and Eun Ho himself.

9. Flower of Evil

I'm slightly embarrassed about how long I spent agonizing about where on this list to place Flower of Evil. The reaction of the fandom to FoE was pretty polarized, with one half enamored by easily the angstiest romance of the year and the other cringing at the regressive "I can fix him with the power of love" themes and the highly suspect police work. Trouble is, I can't help but kind of agree with both parties. I've managed to categorize this drama in my brain somewhere between Healer and Money Flower (which is already going to sound like heresy) because of its sexy, fast paced, makjangness.

The thing about FoE is that it doesn't really work as a thriller and it doesn't really work as an investigative murder mystery. There's just too much about the script that is over-the-top self-indulgent to be taken seriously. Objectively speaking, FoE is not a better drama than Nobody Knows. But I had way more fun watching it. I consistently enjoyed myself during the run time, and looked forward to it during the week. This was helped by the solid chemistry between Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won throughout, as well as Lee Joon Gi's irrepressible penchant for chewing every piece of scenery in sight. Also, shout out to Kim Ji Hoon for his turn the hottest unhinged psycho of the year.

Flower of Evil watches like a fantasy wish fulfillment for a very specific kink. What if your husband was the perfect house husband? He cooks, he cleans, he's great with your daughter, and he's a babe to boot. Except he's secretly a psychopath with a dark past who is soft for only you. You pile on a whole lot of whumpy physical and emotional suffering for said husband and well...turns out I happen to share that kink.

8. When the Weather is Fine

In my MDL notes I called When the Weather is Fine the "generic coffeeshop AU of Kdramas" and now in 2022 I can't seem to come up with a more fitting description than that. Hats off to past me. When the Weather is Fine does also feel like the result of stretching 2018's Little Forest into a full length drama. It's a cozy drama, and it unfolds at a gradual pace. There are a variety of melo elements which I found to be appealing and well done, while the drama consistently continued to serve soft, healing romance. I did get the feeling that there was a little bit of something missing toward the end, and maybe the writer felt that too, as the plot seemed to shift its focus to the heroine's mother and aunt instead of the leads in the last week. That being said, I was still glad I watched it. This is the kind of thing that I wish Park Min Young would make, instead of the trendier office dramas she seems to favor that all blend together after a while.

Side note, in a twist that nobody could have seen coming in 2020, it turns out that WTWIF might actually be a better mountain rescue drama than Jirisan. Huh.

7. Mystic Pop Up Bar

Mystic Pop Up Bar has a premise that is pretty well trodden out both in anime and dramas generally, and for that reason I went into the show with zero expectations because as many times as I've wanted a really good "wish granting" drama surrounding some kind of magical business, it almost never works out the way I want. And there have been quite a few of them (just in the last year there was the drama special Handmade Love and The Witch's Diner). Much in the way that no matter how many times they make robot/AI romance stories, they somehow never manage to scratch the itch for me in particular, and so I keep waiting.

The thing that makes MPUB work is not that it's attempting to turn the trope on its head, or that it's doing something I've never seen before. The magic is that it plays its story almost entirely straight, even taking into account it's frequently comedic tone. It knew exactly what it wanted to be and it kept it tight and lean, telling the story it wanted to tell cleanly in 12 episodes and then gracefully bowing out. It escalates to a beautiful, emotional climax that kept me invested to the end. It served up some great found family material. It also gave me Hwang Jung Eum as the sort of heroine I've wanted from her for such a long time. And I was pleased to see Choi Won Young really living up to his full "daddy" potential.

6. Do You Like Brahms?

Do You Like Brahms? has a lot of the gradually paced, comforting romance elements that I liked in When the Weather is Fine, but wound up being a more fully fleshed version, in my opinion. I was a fan of both Eun Bin and Min Jae going in, but this drama really cemented Min Jae as a full blown romantic lead in my mind, which he went on to confirm was not a fluke in the far more comedic Dali and Gamjatang in 2021. Also, I think I might just be enamored with dramas that deal with classical music and the industry that surrounds it.

The things that really put DYLB? a cut above for me, came down to the character writing. I thought they really captured the wonderful mixture of longing and insecurity felt by each of the characters in different ways throughout the story. I was particularly struck by the heartwarming and heartrending incompatibility of the particular insecurities of the leads and how that took its toll on the relationship in a really realistic way, despite the fact that they clearly adored one another. I was also impressed by the handling of Jung Kyung's character. From scene to scene she swung radically from making me want to throttle her to breaking my heart, all of which was captured masterfully by Park Ji Hyun, making her one of the most interesting and fully fleshed second female leads in recent memory. Although the drama gets a bit bogged down in the last 3rd during the inevitable "angst arc" the ending was so satisfying it made me forgive everything.

5. Hospital Playlist

I've made it no secret either here or on twitter that I hate medical dramas. I can't stand them. It takes a lot for me to get over a dramas medicalness so that I can watch it. Usually that means there better be psychopaths or murder or it's gonna be a hard pass from me. So you can imagine my distress when this incredible cast was secured for not just one, but three seasons (though mercifully it wound up being only 2) of a slice-of-life medical drama helmed by none other than Lee PD and screen writer Shin Won Ho of Reply series fame. It felt like a cruel prank the universe was playing on me in particular. I knew that I had to watch it and I was quite frankly ticked off about it.

Hospital Playlist doesn't even attempt to be anything other than a medical drama focusing on the day to day lives of doctors, though the many fan-servicey scenes of the lead 5 friends playing in their hobby band worked as a sort of peace offering for me in particular. Virtually none of the character arcs or love lines panned out the way I wanted them to, and yet the trouble with this show is that no matter how hard I tried to be dissatisfied with it, it had my heart almost immediately. There was just something magical and profoundly human about it. I cried all the way through it, I loved every character in spite of myself. Touche, show, touche.

4. Kairos

Much like Mystic Pop Up Bar, Kairos is a drama that is playing with a very familiar concept in dramas of the past five or so years, that simply executes on that concept exceptionally well. As recently as 2021 with the drama Times staring Lee Seo Jin and Lee Joo Young we seem to fairly regularly get dramas involving supernatural phone calls from the past or the future allowing the characters to communicate crucial information and change the past before tragedy strikes. It's a compelling idea, but so specific that you would think it would be hard to wring much plot variety out of it. Plus, with the exceptional and beloved Signal sharing the same playing field, it's easy to make unflattering comparisons.

I think the real charm of Kairos resides in the cast and the (platonic) relationship that develops between two strangers, living three months apart, devastated by loss, connected only by the brief conversations they are able to have once a night. Shin Sung Rok and Lee Se Young are phenomenal here. For as much as she has gained recent attention with The Red Sleeve and I generally admire her body of work, I think her role in Kairos is my favorite to date.

This is also a remarkably stylish production, with some really clever and unique camera work. I appreciated the use of the orange and blue color grading to distinguish the past from future. If you're interested in a thrilling, twisty plot with a healthy dose of delicious melodrama, then this one for you.

3. Stranger 2

Second seasons are still fairly rare in Kdramaland (as much as Netflix seems dead set on throwing off the ratio) and truly excellent second seasons are nearly non-existent. The fact that Kdramas tend to be limited run series that tell a complete story is one of the things that attracted me to the genre. Even when they aren't complete recasts and misguided disasters, the sequel can rarely hold a candle to the original. (Spoiler alert for my 2021 list: Hosplay 2 is not gonna be on there.) Make the act you're trying to follow a near masterpiece in its own right, then you've really got your work cut out for you.

And yet, despite all this, I was looking forward to the second season of Stranger almost as soon as I finished the first one. Myself and its many other fans then waited patiently for 3 years for it to come out. And miracle of miracles, it did not disappoint me.

This drama does a wonderful job of picking up where we left off, not just in terms of the characters and their story, but more importantly in terms of tone and taut absorbing plotting. I watched this one breathlessly every week and despite its slow burn nature and the frequently technical aspects of the plot, I enjoyed ever episode.

Due largely to the choice to keep a certain favorite dirtbag prosecutor largely off screen for much of the season, and that of keeping the leads apart or in forced adversarial positions for the majority of the first half, I would still not say that Stranger 2 matched or surpassed its predecessor. But it came damn close, and I would recommend it without hesitation.

2. Extracurricular

In my time watching and commentating on Kdramas, I've watched quite a few shows about adults that behave like children. I've also watched quite a few dramas about teenagers who are written like adults. It kind of comes with the territory, to the extent that it feels notable when a drama comes out that writes its teenagers like teenagers, while portraying them as getting into decidedly adult trouble.

In general I have mixed feelings about the prestige television approach to Korean dramas through streaming platforms like Netflix, Apple TV and Disney+. On the one hand, many of the dramas I've watched on these platforms seem to have all the problems endemic of the Western shows that drove me into the arms of Kdramas in the first place. (Specifically, gratuitous violence and sex scenes that do not drive the plot and incomplete stories transparently angling for future seasons that may or may not materialize.) But I'm also conscious that the freedom and inflated budgets that such dramas generally afford their creators make it possible to put out dramas we would never get to see on Korean network broadcast stations. Extracurricular is one of those shows that I can only imagine watching on Netflix, and its an example of what such platforms can uniquely offer.

My memories of watching Extracurricular the first time involve binging the whole thing in a very short period of time with a sense of stomach-clenching suspense about what was going to happen to the characters. While I did go back and rewatch parts of it recently, and I'm not sure that the show stands up to multiple viewings, I still really respect what the show was trying to do. It was frequently dark, morally ambiguous, with challenging and unlikable characters doing bad things. It watches more like a piece of Korean crime cinema than a Kdrama. It kept me consistently off balance. Even though it ends on a cliffhanger and no future seasons seem forthcoming, the open-ended nature of the drama suits the material, making it worth the watch regardless.

1. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay

Every once in a while, I come across a piece of media that seems to have come about through my own unspoken desires. As though the creators went spelunking in my brain looking for material. It's Okay To Not Be Okay is one of those dramas. But don't get it twisted, this drama has definitely achieved something well beyond my own skills and imagination.

From the themes to the aesthetics, IOTNBO seems specifically designed to make me fall in love with it. From the gothic romance elements and twisted fairytale motifs to the unflinching yet supremely empathetic take on mental health and trauma, it had my number from episode one. It manages to both allegorize and deromanticize it's very heavy psychological themes in a way that I'm still trying to wrap my head around. Somehow through all of that it manages to weave a compelling and affective love story about two very flawed people slowly trying to get better. And that doesn't even really scratch the surface of everything that I loved about this drama. As much as Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Jin absolutely devour their scenes, they aren't even the highlight!

Oh Jung Se as Sang Tae is nothing short of perfect. I believe that the writer and show runners as well as Oh Jung Se himself must have felt very strongly about representing this character in a fully realized, intensely human way. Clearly a lot of thought and love and research went into writing a character with autism and doing it right. The dramatic arc that character goes through, working through his trauma, growing and changing and becoming a better older brother is so beautiful. I've really never seen anything that holds a candle to it.

I could go on, and maybe I should do so elsewhere, but I just loved this drama from beginning to end. It really touched me. It took the top prize in 2020 easily, and became an immediate entrant to my top 10 dramas of all time.

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forasecondtherewedwon · 4 years

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Only in a Sitcom

Fandom: WandaVision Pairing: Darcy Lewis/Jimmy Woo Rating: T

Summary: Darcy has no idea what the hell’s going on with this WandaVision thing, but neither does Jimmy. It’s kinda fun to have somebody to binge-watch alternate reality TV with.

read ch. 1 one / 2 two / 3 three / 4 four / 5 five 6 six / 7 seven / 8 eight / 9 nine / 10 ten 11 eleven / 12 twelve / 13 thirteen / 14 fourteen 15 fifteen / 16 sixteen / 17 seventeen / 18 eighteen

this fic is now complete!

Darcy, Jimmy, and Monica have been working their way across Westview in as straight a line as possible, knocking on every door in every cute little cul-de-sac in their path. It was Jimmy who asserted they should never put their backs to a dangerous situation, but Monica who overruled that statement, pointing out that they were more likely to stay focused if they didn’t keep staring at the fight in the sky.

Darcy thinks they were both right. There’s a tingle rippling up and down the back of her neck, like she gets when she’s up in the middle of the night, spooked by shadows her anxious, overtired mind is too eager to turn into monsters, but the heebie-jeebies give her the energy to work quickly. She takes on an entire crescent on her own, readying people for a departure she’s certain they’ve been longing for. As she’s coming out the crescent’s other end, she realizes the Hex is getting brighter; the red storm clouds are being sucked back into themselves to leave a thin daylight.

Standing at the corner, she watches Jimmy and Monica emerge from the street opposite. Darcy jogs over, wincing. Wanda could’ve put orthotics in these Escape Artist boots. They’re blistering her feet.

“This has to be a good sign, right?” she asks, motioning to the calm skies.

“Look,” Monica instructs. She jerks her chin and Darcy and Jimmy follow her line of sight to see Wanda, Vision, and the twins coming up the main road.

Darcy gasps.

Wanda’s gone from bumming-around-the-house sweats to battle-ready chic. With her armour-like bodice, gloves that leave those magic fingers free, and an usually-shaped tiara framing her forehead, she’s both intimidating and otherworldly. But she’s smiling. Darcy would call it a sad smile and it hurts her heart to see it, even though she doesn’t understand.

As Wanda passes them with her hand held fast in Vision’s, she turns her head to nod at Monica. It’s in her eyes too, the same thing that’s in her smile. Something tired but present. Gone are the comedically darting glances of her persona as the bumbling new girl in town and the frazzled energy of a mom trying to corral a couple of superkids. It looks like she’s finally letting go of the illusion/delusion.

“Can we do anything for her?” Jimmy asks as the family continues on down the middle of the street.

“No,” Monica says. “The rest is for Wanda to do on her own.”

“We might as well head back towards the center of town,” Darcy says. “We don’t need to waste time at the edges. They’ll be the first to wake up.”

She points to where the Hex is shimmering on the horizon. The seconds pass and the shimmer looks messier, a weave of overlapping wires fritzing with energy. The edge is coming closer, but unlike when Wanda pushed the boundary farther, closing it around Darcy and her S.W.O.R.D. nemeses, this isn’t menacing. Wanda’s powers are no longer looking to consume more territory, they’re contracting. Faster than the incoming wave of the walls, the Hex goes dark. The red glow is intensely magical in the sudden night.

The three of them fan out, hitting the houses in their new route, and make their way back to the town square. They’ve been telling everyone to remain in their homes until they receive further instructions to evacuate, but Darcy spots a figure on the sidewalk by the department story. It’s Agnes, except… not as they saw her lately. No wild hair or billowing, layered outfit. No levitation. Darcy’s wary in the face of the woman who appears so much like her former self, the one supposedly under Wanda’s control. This Agnes has a damn Peter Pan collar poking out of her sweater! She couldn’t look much less threatening.

“What do you think?” she asks Monica when she joins her.

“I don’t know.” Monica peers across the street at Agnes in the dark and when Agnes notices, she flashes a wide smile.

“Well, maybe we should— Hey, no, wait!”

But the Captain strides across to meet Agnes. Darcy almost follows in her idol’s wake, but she quickly remembers that Monica has powers to protect herself that far exceed the right hook Darcy used to drop Agent Handcuffs. Whatever Agnes’s deal is, Darcy knows she’s an entirely different kind of beast from an asshole S.W.O.R.D. agent.

“What’s going on there?” Jimmy wonders, coming up beside her.

Thanks to the stress of trying to speak to as many citizens as possible in a short amount of time, including looking dozens of people still under mind control in the eye and aching for their lack of agency, the fear of and for Wanda as she witnessed that clash in the sky, and, really, the car crash that’s still pretty recent, Darcy reacts to her boyfriend’s presence by wrapping her arms around him tightly. With his tie pressed to her cheek, she feels him hug her back.

“I don’t know,” she says, carrying on the conversation without pulling away an inch, “but Monica’s finding out.”

“Agnes looks like an average Westviewer again. It’s disconcerting.”

“She must’ve been faking right up until she went head-to-head with Wanda.”

“And now she’s one of them for real.”

“Seems like,” Darcy agrees.

When Monica returns to confirm Agnes’s newly mind-controlled status, Darcy peels herself most of the way away from Jimmy, leaving her arm around his back, beneath his FBI jacket. He rests his arm around her shoulders.

“I don’t know what we do with her,” Monica says, hands on her hips. “We can’t undo what Wanda did, but do we leave Agnes here in Westview, trusting that she isn’t able to hurt anyone? Do we bring her in?”

“If it’s beyond our power to help her, maybe we just leave her here,” Jimmy suggests. “Wanda knows where she is, so we let Agnes stay in a place she can be found when or if Wanda decides to release her.”

“It’s tricky,” Darcy says slowly. “Agnes is capable of doing so much damage, and I’m sure she’s going to get good and angry while Wanda has her trapped inside herself. You and I know how that feels,” she says to Monica. “But that Agnes is secure—as far as we know—inside Sitcom Agnes, like little Agnes nesting dolls. I don’t know if this is the kind of punishment she deserves for pushing Wanda to the brink, but I do know it’s not going to be pretty if that inner Agnes is unleashed with nobody around to mitigate the consequences.”

“Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division,” Monica says softly.

“Hmm?”

“S.W.O.R.D. That’s what we’re supposed to stand for. I think, without Tyler Hayward around, it’s high time S.W.O.R.D. went back to its roots of trying to understand exceptional people, circumstances, and technology instead of just attacking them.”

“Sounds as though you might have a plan, Captain,” Jimmy says. Darcy glances at his face and catches his small, knowing smile.

Monica beams back.

“The former Director may have kicked me off the base, but I’m still S.W.O.R.D. and I still believe in my mother’s original goals for the organization.”

“Hey, it’s your legacy,” Darcy says. “You have my vote for Director.”

“You want to put Agnes under S.W.O.R.D. observation?” Jimmy asks.

“Not just Agnes. Not if Wanda’s willing to listen.”

With the sky rapidly lightening, Monica roughs out a plan that involves a partnership between S.W.O.R.D. and Wanda Maximoff. A partnership because any other dynamic would surely fail. After what they all witnessed today, it’s obvious that someone as powerful as Wanda can’t be held against her will. In exchange for Wanda making reparations to the people and town of Westview (not the least of which will be repairing all physical damage, which Monica knows Wanda’s capable of, since there’s no longer a Monica-sized hole in her living room wall) and an agreement to be held in the custody of S.W.O.R.D., under the leadership of Director Monica Rambeau, Monica thinks she has plenty to offer Wanda.

“You think she’ll do that deal?” Jimmy asks.

“That’s my question too,” Darcy says. “I mean, without the deal, Wanda can go where she pleases, right?”

“But she’ll be alone,” Monica counters. “We know what her loved ones mean to her. That’s what all this has been about—Wanda doing whatever it takes in order to go through life less alone.”

“What can you give her?”

“Vision,” Jimmy says abruptly. “The other one, the one who left. You think he’ll be back.”

“I think he’ll want answers,” Monica agrees. “Whatever Hayward did to him, he did at S.W.O.R.D. and I’m betting that Wanda will see that’s her best chance to reunite with Vision.”

“Vision will come back,” Darcy says, putting it together, “and Wanda will be there waiting.”

“And in the meantime, we use her expertise as we continue our work in a… more transparent vein. Give her access, keep her busy.”

“Keep her happy,” Jimmy cuts in. Monica nods her acknowledgement.

“Yes. Show her what it’s like to help people again. What better way to remind her there’s more to the world than her artificial paradise than to have her consult on the work we’re doing in space?”

“If you need somebody to sell Wanda on the space angle, I’m your girl,” Darcy volunteers.

“I’ve already had some ideas about that,” Monica promises with a smile.

Her eyes focus beyond Darcy and Jimmy and they turn to see what she’s looking at. Black hood drawn up over her head, Wanda’s walking back into the downtown. Alone. Darcy hopes that the fact that she’s black-hatted doesn’t mean she’s already decided against working to redeem herself to rejoin the good guys.

“You better stay in touch too,” Monica tells Jimmy, shifting as she prepares to intercept Wanda.

“If you reach out to Darcy, I’m sure I won’t be far,” he says. Darcy’s heart performs quick, happy thumps.

With that, Monica walks purposely towards Wanda. Darcy watches her cautious body language and Wanda’s tension in response to being accosted, but there isn’t any visible escalation. When FBI vehicles and the team Darcy assumes belongs to Major Goodner roll up the street, Wanda doesn’t flee. Darcy looks to Jimmy.

“You better go take charge,” she suggests.

He gives her a bashful smile.

“I will in a minute. The evacuation should run like clockwork after all the prep we did. With the Hex removed, everyone’s free.”

“They’re free, I’m free…”

“Are you free Saturday?” The smile’s a little slyer now.

“After all this, I don’t even know what day of the week it is,” Darcy admits, “but yes.”

He laughs.

“What are you thinking?” she asks, twisting to face him as his hand moves from her shoulder to her waist. “Quiet night in watching TV?”

“You know, I think I need a break from TV for a while. How about a movie?”

Darcy grins.

“You buy the tickets, I’ll buy the snacks?”

“Deal,” Jimmy says, and smiles against her mouth when he ducks his head to kiss her.

#my writing #Only in a Sitcom #wandavision #wandavision spoilers #Darcy Lewis #Jimmy Woo #Monica Rambeau #Darcy Lewis x Jimmy Woo #Darcy x Jimmy #Vision

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findingjoynweirdstuff · 4 years

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Dream SMP Recap (February 14/2021) - Foolish Stares at a Wall for 10 Hours

Foolish stares at a wall for 10 hours.

Ponk finally shows Sam the Woo Station, and Karl hosts the next episode of Tales From the SMP: “The Wild West!”

A summary of the week’s total events can be found at the end of the post.

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VOD LINKS:

Foolish stares at a wall for 10 hours

Ranboo

Awesamdude

Jack Manifold

Karl Jacobs

Badboyhalo

Captain Puffy

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- Foolish stares at a wall for 10 hours

- Tubbo and Ranboo attempt to save Michael from the Nether, but jockeys can’t go through portals.

- Foolish stares at a wall for 10 hours

- Jack prepares for a date with Andrea by searching for sandstone.

- Jack, Ranboo and Tubbo all come to see Foolish, who is staring at a wall for 10 hours. They place blocks to bid on.

- Awesamdude finally gets to see Ponk’s Woo Station...and he says YES!

He sees the blue room with the gift and reads the book.

- Foolish stares at a wall for 10 hours

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It’s time for Tales from the SMP: “The Wild West!”

Townsfolk band together, hoping to stop the reign of terror of a trio of bandits.

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The cast:

Karl plays Karl Jacobs

Quackity plays Jack Kanoff

Sapnap plays Mason

Connor plays Connor “Flint Michigan”

Ranboo plays John John

Tubbo plays Percy the banker

Technoblade plays Sheriff Sherman Thompson

Fundy plays Ron Ronson son of Ron Ronson who is the son of Ron Ronson, but you can call him Michael

Corpse plays Crops

Bad plays William Williamson

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- Karl comes on in a mineshaft.

- He goes to a saloon to see an argument break out between the bartender and three customers.

- They introduce themselves as “the bandits.” The Democrat-Haters specifically.

- Karl confronts them, and the Democrat-Haters leave with threats to be back.

- John John shows Karl around the bar.

- The priest got shot and died. The church is empty.

- They go to the bank and the banker tells John he owes a lot of money. $100.

- Percy is angry that John John hasn’t paid off his loan.

- There are Wanted signs for Sir Billiam.

- They go into the Sheriff’s office. He’s heard of the bandits. He’s one week from retirement, and the only person in town with a gun. The town used to have more money, but Sir Billiam took all the money and ran.

- There’s a hardened criminal in the Sheriff’s cell, a cannibal named Crops. They make a deal with the reverend to give him one of the bandit’s heads if he promises to help them.

- They go into the Post Office and find a man with a salmon on his hat. His name is Ron Ronson, son of Ron Ronson, who is also son of Ron Ronson, but you can call him Michael. He eats Japanese lanterns and has a chicken wife.

- They set off fireworks which kill Percy’s bee. He feels burning rage over this. They pressure Michael to help with the bandits.

- Michael kills his wife and hands the corpse to Crops.

- Karl speaks with John one on one, saying Michael’s terrible. They only want him as a meat shield. Percy whispers to the Sheriff about sliding money under the table.

- They walk into a store and meet the shopkeeper, William, who specializes in muffins.

- It’s Crops’ feeding time. He consumes his food.

- They drink copious amounts of alcohol, especially Michael.

- They go to the gun range. This doesn’t seem like a good idea.

Michael gets shot by Percy. He gets badly wounded, goes to the hospital and is okay. Percy healed his leg, so now they are on even terms. William practices his aim.

“Great shot!” - Michael

“Almost great shot!” - Michael

“Great shot!” - Michael

- Karl asks, if three of them have guns, why haven’t they stopped the bandits yet?

- They try giving Crops a gun and he’s quite good. This may not have been a good idea.

- As it gets late, Karl leads them to discuss their strategies elsewhere, at a campsite.

- Karl suggests they do a 10-pace duel. The Sheriff will duel, Percy volunteers, and Michael volunteers, but Karl instead throws the gun to John. Karl eventually thinks it over and decides that Crops should be the middleman.

- Jack Kanoff rides in on horseback, interrupting their campfire talk. Mason and Connor soon arrive as well.

- Jack suggests they do a standoff.

- It’s high noon.

- Connor and the Sheriff take ten paces and fire. Connor instantly dies.

Great shot!

- Next up is Crops. Jack chooses to go up against him.

Before they even take ten paces, Crops turns and shoots Jack in the back.

- Last is John and Mason. Mason puts on the boots of his fallen friend.

John is shot by Mason and dies. He drops so, so much milk.

- Karl is furious at the loss of his first friend in this town, and tells Mason that this one is for John: he’s going up against Mason next.

Mason asks for Karl’s name. His full name.

Karl says his full name is Twitch.TV/KarlJacobs

- They take ten paces and fire. Karl hits Mason and Mason dies.

- They pay respects in the church and Karl heads off.

- Karl finds himself back in the Inbetween. As he walks around, he sees many other Karls, just the same, running around the courtyard.

- He reads the books, which tell him that the Inbetween is alive, ever changing. A place to be at ease.

- He finds another book that tells him to look under the tree, but that book tells him, over and over again, to not stray from the path.

- He reads the last book.

“I know you don’t want to lose your friends. I don’t want you to either.”

“This will be the last time you travel back to your original library, but it may look a little different this time around.”

---

- Badboyhalo hangs out with Quackity. They have a build-off with each other.

- Captain Puffy also does a chill stream. She covers the land near Hannah’s house in roses as a Valentine’s Day gift.

Upcoming Events:

- Jack Manifold wants to meet with Technoblade

- Many visits with Dream

- Prison guard introduction stream

- The hotel reveal

END OF WEEK RECAP:

2/8 - Puffy leaves a note for Techno, Puffy commits arson against Ponk

2/9 - Ponk destroys Puffy’s house, Karl moves the library with George and Sapnap, Sapnap visits the prison

2/10 - Nothing much happens.

2/11 - Quackity’s couples therapy

2/12 - Ponk continues work on the Woo Station, Fundy builds a gameshow, Puffy rebuilds her house

2/13 - Bad and Puffy speak with Techno, Ranboo speaks with the Crimson

2/14 - Sam sees the Woo Station, Foolish stares at a wall for 10 hours, Tales From the SMP: “The Wild West”

#dream smp #dream smp recaps #long posts

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oswlld · 3 years

Text

Sooooo im sure there’s other/better things to do but instead, I have composed this Watchlist that I am sure will never be finished, under the cut. Pls feel free to also send recs for movies/shows for me to check out!

[REVISED 02/05/24]

[All dates are subject to change, depending on my mood honestly] —

SHOWS - Scheduled High on the Hog (in prog) African Folktales (in prog) Devil’s Plan OR Murderville (Feb ’24)** Three Body Problem (2/15) Always a Witch (3/11) 23.5 Degrees (THAI, Coming Soon) Triage (THAI, April ’24) Tear Along the Dotted Line/This World Can’t Tear Me Down (ITA, April ’24)

SHOWS - Sched TBD No Regrets in Life Hometown Cha-cha-cha [Joan’s Galaxy] Revenant See You in My 19th Life Replacing Chef Chico Gudetama My Daemon First Love: Kieta Hatsukoi Alice in Borderland s2 3 Will Be Free Tooth Pari: When Love Bites Choona [Sesham Mike-Il Fathima] Life’s a Glitch: with Julien Bam [Jinn] If I Hadn’t Met You [Triptych] The Greatest Robbery of Brazil’s Central Bank Nobody’s Looking 1899 Black Sails Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Our Universe Life in Color [Light & Magic] Abbott Elementary** **= upon bestie’s request | [= pushed to 2025]

—

MOVIES - Scheduled Over the Moon (2/10) American Symphony (2/11) Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang (2/11) Your Name Engraved Herein (2/12) Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir (2/24) Happy Together (2/24) The Holdovers (2/26) Bobi Wine: The People’s President (2/27) Rustin (2/28) American Fiction (2/29) Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (3/1) Nimona (3/3) Society of the Snow (3/4) Elemental (3/6) El Conde (3/7) Oppenheimer (3/8) The Boy and the Heron OR Poor Things (3/9, TBD) Moonlit Winter (3/16) Polite Society (3/22)

MOVIES - Sched TBD My Big Fat Greek Wedding Rewatch** Cinderella, Brandy ver.** Seoul Vibe Yellow Door: ’90’s Lo-Fi Film Club Marry My Dead Body Between Maybes Seasons A Faraway Land A Perfect Fit Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui Joyland The Takedown Beyond the Universe Buddies Entergalactic Sorry to Bother You They Cloned Tyrone The Tragedy of Macbeth O Brother, Where Art Thou? UNKNOWN: Cosmic Time Machine Where the Wild Things Are Clue The Creator [Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire] [Suzume] [LEGO Star Wars films]** [The Mummy]** **= upon bestie’s request | [= pushed to 2025]

—

Completed: LIZIQI Luca Behind the Try Gunpowder Milkshake Disney Insider Cosmos Possible Worlds The Mitchells vs the Machines Fantastic Mr Fox Muppet Haunted Mansion Star Wars: Visions What If…? Behind the Attractions Encanto Hawkeye Space Sweepers Chef’s Table Bad Buddy Wolfwalkers Make Happy Eternals Lupin Song Exploder Ali Wong Special Semantic Error Maya and the Three Tick, Tick… Boom! Turning Red Flee Street Food Latin America Among the Stars Twenty Five Twenty One Driving Home 2 U Killing Eve La Casa de Papel (DNF) Breaking Boundaries Doctor Who Special The Artist Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner Cutie Pie (DNF) To My Star Making Fun Now You See Me HUMAN The World Within Moon Knight Blueming Sound of Magic Reset Bullsh*t Sucker Punch MARVEL Assembled Series Star Wars: Forces of Destiny BLACKPINK Kieta Hatsukoi Sketchbook Midnight in Paris Obi-Wan Color Rush Plus and Minus Badhaai Do To My Star 2 First Kill KinnPorsche Ms Marvel Newsies: the Musical Old Fashion Cupcake Mirai Lightyear Sense8 Rewatch Sandman Extraordinary Attorney Woo WWDitS s4 Hannah Gadsby: Douglas Everything Everywhere All at Once Lord of the Rings Rewatch Vice Versa Parent Trap Rewatch She/Hulk Alice in Borderland Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor Glitch Sleep with Me Werewolf by Night Cherry Magic Cherry Magic: The Movie Bad Buddy Rewatch Andor Disenchanted Knives Out: Glass Onion Midnight at the Pera Palace Roman Holiday Doom at Your Service The Guardian Pinocchio Klaus Vice Versa Rewatch Heartstopper Our Great National Parks Fire of Love RRR A Trip to Infinity My Year of Dicks Le Pupille Puss in Boots: Last Wish National Treasure: Edge of History Gap the Series Wakanda Forever The 1619 Project My School President The Martha Mitchell Effect Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths Run for the Money Night Ride The Sea Beast The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse Tár An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It Summer of Soul Stranger at the Gate Marcel the Shell with Shoes On Ice Merchants Haulout The Flying Sailor Elephant Whisperer Somebody Feed Phil Vincenzo Midnight Museum Paper Girls Mandalorian s3 The Wandering Earth Art & Tech Bird in Hand All Those Sensations in My Belly How My Grandmother Became a Chair Udahnut Zivot Bombay Rose Latin History for Morons The Day of Becoming You Wet Hidari Mao’s Mango Cut King of the Sea Star Wars: Visions (s2) Our Skyy 2 (VV + MSP + BB) Across the Spiderverse Mr Pete & The Iron Horse BJ’s Mobile Gift Shop Kukeri Keys to the City My Tooth, Your Love Voices Rising: Music of Wakanda Forever Show Me Love The Half of It The Eighth Sense Kabe Koji Secret Invasion (DNF) Glove Chicken Stories Goodnight Henry La Plongeuse The Tobos Dial Tone Salvation Has No Name Hysteresis Soft Animals Cat and Moth The Little Mermaid Our Beloved Summer Drifting Home I Told Sunset About You Ball People Well Wishes My Love, Your Love Meow or Never Stranding Stay Mountain Myrna the Monster Under the Skin I Lost My Body Barbie Lupin, p3 Wendell & Wild Haunted Mansion Secrets in the Hot Spring Over the Garden Wall A Time Called You (DNF,) Once Upon a Crime The Oskars Fantasy ONI Black Holes Doctor Who Specials The Holiday Interview with the Vampire, s1 Schitt’s Creek The Good Place Rewatch Flavorful Origins Chevalier Last Twilight Moving BlacKKKlansman

Pls see tags for more info - thank you!

#this is jessi #not me avoiding responsibilities #my nav page doesn't include the following but i have seen and love themmm:#LOST/Fringe/Chuck/The Imagineering Story/Salt Fat Acid Heat #ALSO: Orphan Black!!!#Also I am a huge wimp so no horror/gore/zombies/gratuitous violence

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addictedtostorytelling · 3 years

Note

I want to know your thoughts on this episode. I'm losing my shit omg 🤩

also, from anon:

Thoughts on the last episode? God, I'm not ok, the ring scene is just... everything we haven't had in 21 years!

hi, @sassylittlewoman and anon!

here are my thoughts on the episode:

while the case of the week once again strained credulity—just once i'd like to see this show feature a crime that could conceivably involve an actual human person who exists in real life, no identical twins, chemical explosions, doomsday preppers, or baby beauty pageants about it—it was nice to see grissom and sara doing some honest fieldwork together again, with some callbacks to previous cases (see episodes 02x05 "scuba doobie-doo" and 04x02 "all for our country") thrown in, to boot.

oof, that acknowledgement that covid is a thing that exists in this fictional universe was awkward!—and very weird, considering that no one seems to actually be wearing masks or social distancing except the grissoms, who inexplicably stand six feet away from each other at all times, even when they're holding hands or giving shoulder rubs, which is incredibly unnatural for them, given how they usually are. are we now to understand that the csiverse is a "post-covid" world?

the "sara loses her wedding ring" storyline was some serious romcommy goodness. i'd guessed ahead of time that that's where the writers were gonna take that particular plot thread—once they introduced the concepts of the loose ring and the human goo in the sneak peek and promo, it was kind of inevitable that they'd "go there"—but watching it play out in real time hit different. if we could time travel back to 2004 and tell sara that in the future she'd even have a wedding ring to lose, much less one that came from grissom, she'd never believe us. i love that this is her life now, and i love that her prince charming found the ring for her, and i love that we as viewers got a quasi-wedding scene out of it. a++++

still wish we would've gotten to see a kiss there, though. it's getting fucking ridiculous at this point.

anson wix took way too long looking at the license plate on sara's rental car for my liking. girl is in danger. that was a very deliberate held shot there.

not sure how sara snuck max inside of the building without anybody noticing. is there a back door to the lab? seems like an incredibly risky move, though one that did of course pay off, in terms of max making the connection between wix and woo (fwiww).

gilbert grissom giving his wife a backrub because she's stressed is *chef's kiss*

sara sidle fixing her husband's tie is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just keeping a mental inventory of all of the plot points that have to be resolved in-between now and the finale, and there are a lot of them: 1. the hodges case (which will involve proving hodges's innocence, plus proving the guilt of the siblings wix, plus putting a lid on all of the potential exonerations); 2. getting max restored as lab director; 3. grissom's landsickness; 4. the romantic tension between folsom & allie and the fact that they're kind of having an emotional affair behind her (yet unseen) boyfriend's back; 5. emma hodges being on bedrest and in danger of going into preterm labor due to the stress of the trial; 6. revisiting serial killer jeremiah dalt, if he's at all relevant to the hodges case, as we were led to believe that he perhaps is?????; 7. something something about hodges going missing per the spoilers for the finale; 8. a "come to jesus" moment where the grissoms finally get in trouble with the da or undersheriff for all of their extralegal investigatory activities; 9. some sort of reckoning with nora cross; 10. the grissoms decide what to do from here (once the hodges case is resolved, one way or the other) in terms of going back to the boat or staying in las vegas; etc., etc.; etc. there's not a lot of narrative real estate left to fit all of that stuff in, so they'd better be pretty economical with their storytelling.

that's all i've got.

thanks for the questions! please feel welcome to send more any time.

#answered #sassylittlewoman #asks: csi #**#my meta #meta: vegas #cv 01x08 #spoilers csi vegas #let's talk shop #csiverse

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bowl-of-shortness · 3 years

Text

A Journal?

Overthrown AU

——————————————

Day 599

Date: X̴͉̪̓̀̿̒̄͋̎͘͠X̷̨͖̙̥͎͓̀́X̸̧͇̫͙̫̣͇̼͍̩̀̈͗X̸̛̺̦͇͙̐̃̎̅̐ (it’s scratched out)

Time: 6:00 am

Bright and early per usual, I threw on my favorite pair of boots and overalls before heading downstairs for breakfast. Mom made some hot chocolate along with pancakes this morning, a nice little treat, I having a feeling today is going to be pretty good! Pancakes and hot chocolate in the morning, yum.

Time: 7:30 am

Did some small work on the farm before the bus for school showed up, just pulled out some pesky weeds that were bothering the crops, I bet they feel a lot better now! Anyways, on my way to school. The bus ride is always a bit long since I’m all the way out into the country but I don’t mind. I just put some music on on my scroll and daydream about a characters adventure.

Today, this character is fighting an evil king that’s been terrorizing his town, by the end of the bus ride, he’s beaten the evil king and takes his place.

Time: 8:00 am

1st period started, I always struggle to keep myself awake in this class. My teacher just goes on and on and on in this monotone voice and it’s SO BORING UGH. I hate science class, at least 2nd period is fun.

Time: 9:15 am

Now THIS is one of my favorite classes, P.E. I get to run around and play stupid games with my friends, what’s not to like? We’re playing dodgeball today, and I’m gonna be the KING!

Time: 9:18 am

I think I accidentally just hit my classmate in the head. Oops... let me go make sure she’s ok.

Time: 10:00 am

Math. I’m decent at it. Nothing really to mention about it, just working on geometry.

Time: 11:30 am

WOO HOO! LUNCH TIME BABEYYYYYYY! I love this time so much because I get to eat food and talk to my friends, and also maybe daydream about what I was daydreaming about earlier. I love this time. This story is getting intense! The old rude king comes back to challenge the new king, he luckily loses and runs off with his tail tucked between his legs ha!

Time: 12:35 pm

Phew! One more class, My classes change everyday so unfortunately I won’t have P.E. Tomorrow :(. Anyways I’m in history right now, I also really love history, it’s so interesting hearing about and thinking about those time periods. I hope I get to live through a historical event some day!

Time: 1:45 pm

Sorry for not writing, I got caught up in harvesting this years corn for the farmers market. I always love the farmers market, so many things to do and buy. It’s also fun to see how much money my family and I can earn, maybe I can ask mom if we can buy a cake for pops. Ol’ pops isn’t doing so well, he got sick a while back and hasn’t been getting better, I wish I could help him...

Time: 3:30 pm

Once again, got busy. This time mom put me in charge of looking after pops, she said no to the cake. Pops seemed extra bad today, why do I have the feeling this day is gonna end terribly? Just gotta keep my head up I suppose.

Time: 6:00 pm

I’m outside right now, mom and auntie are fighting about pops. Auntie wants my mom to stop taking care of him, “he’s gonna die anyways” she says. I hate auntie, she’s a jerk. Gold digger just wants pops’ money. I think I’ll stay out here for a while longer, maybe go on a walk, there’s a nice breeze right now. At least that’s good.

Time: 7:45 pm

I’m back outside, not by my own will though. Auntie stuck me out here, said “if you like running off like that then you can stay out of the house.”. I hate her so much. Earlier I thought I heard rustling in the field, probably the wind, it’s starting to get cold and it’s picking up. I hope mom lets me in soon. This day started out so great, why did it have to go wrong?

Time: 8:00 pm

I saw something. Just now. Out in the field. It looked like a person I think, I couldn’t see it’s face cuz it had its back turned to me. Tall, all black, pointy looking things on its head (maybe a crown?), looks like it’s got a cape of some kind.

Time: 8:02 pm

Mom let me back in the house finally. She’s mad at auntie. Why do I have a pit in my stomach suddenly, like something really bad is gonna happen?

Time: 8:10 pm

That figure is still out there. I wonder what it’s doing, it’s just, standing there, and the meadow grass looks like it’s dying around it? Maybe I should close my window...

Time: 8:11 pm

It turned around and looked right at me with these bright green eyes. It’s just staring at me, I’m gonna text mom about it. This guy is creepy...

Time: ?

It smiled and laughed at me. I know. I know. I know. I need to tell mom, we need to leave now.

Time: ???

I can’t find them. I can’t find any of them, mom, pops, or even auntie. I looked back outside, the figure is gone, I feel like I’m being watched.

Time: ??!!!??!!?!!?!!???!!!?????

I heard screaming and came downstairs, they’re all ash now, I don’t want to breath. I don’t want to breath them in. He’s here. Oh gods he’s here. Inside my house. Him. Help me please. If someone reads this please help the rest of my village, please. I ran back upstairs, I heard him laughing.

Time: !

H el p—_ *the page is covered in ash and fingerprints*

#overthrown ozpin au #tw: implied death

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aspiestvmusings · 4 years

Text

WV1: PARALLELS

Parallels, Callbacks, Foreshadowing...

SUPER LONG POST!

PARALLELS, CALLBACKS, REFERENCES

...WITHIN WV + MCU + TO OTHER TV/FILM

Wanda/SW doing “astral projection” - reading a book while “another her” is making tea at the same time VS Dr. Srange astral projecting himself in his film as he was studying.

Wanda sitting on the porch in the countryside after everyone calls her a villain after her actions VS Thanos in his countryside cottage after the snap. Smilar aesthetic VS Hulk going to a cottage in the middle of nowhere at the end of rhe 2008 film to reflect on the damge he did + learn about his powers.

Wanda vs Agatha VS Tony vs Thanos: Agatha cheering that she has won, ready to direct her power (Wanda’s power she “drank”) against/at Wanda & then nothing happens has the exact same energy as 2014-Thanos snapping and just the hollow noise happening... The realization of the villain that their opponent has outsmarted them, using tricks (”magic”) - misdirection. If you’re not powerful enough or don’t have as much knowledge as the other, you can still win...because misdirection works. All those powerful & evil characters have one thing in common = they think they are “inevitable”, but they always fall for the tricks played on them. In here knowledge is not “power”, but weakness as it overboosts the villains confidence. Flourish!

I want to break free... Hex Vision wanting to get out of the hex & free from Wanda’s “mind control” (she can’t control him, but she tried). He wants to find answers, and help people in 1x06 VS White Vision after regaining his memories (but most likely not his soul & humanity & connection to Wanda) wants to get away, to break free of Hayward’s mind control (hence letting other Vision unlock his memories). He most likely wants to find answers, and help himself & others....

In ep 2 Vision's (stage name: Illusion) magician in their magic act uses the word "Flourish"" as his magic word [instead of abracadabra] before/after every trick VS In 1x09 Jimmy Woo says "Flourish!" after he uses the magician trick (he learned from Scott Lang) to free himself from cuffs. It is a reference to Jimmy watching "WandaVision" & hearing Vision say that because, as WAnda points out, you don't say the word out loud when doing your magic tricks. Hence it’s not a reference to just Jimmy being a magician..since Antman film, but to that ep 2.

In episode 2 Vision as "Illusion" wears a cape as part of his magician outfit VS part of the real Vision's outfit is a cape! (that he originally added to his costume in AoU after seeing Thor’s costume & cape)

The show starts with Wanda & Vision arriving to WV in 1950s as characters & doing everything they can to hide their identity and powers from everyone. Being afraid that everyone finds out about their secret... [until they start to realize that somethings wrong & what Wanda did...] VS The whole family walking through WV as themselves...in their superhero outfits. Not hiding the true selves from anyone. Coming in terms of who they are. Works both as MCU development & reference to sitcom development of how “ideals” have been portrayed on screen.

Wanda's birthing screams & energy spending: Wanda "giving birth" to Vision in ep 8 flashback VS Wanda giving birth to the twins in ep 3. I feel like in a way her subconcious was reminding her of the "birthing pains".

Wanda mind controlling Agatha - giving her “nightmares” in WV ep 1x09 = is so similar to how she mindcontrolled Tony in AoU...giving him “nightmares”. Sneaking up on them... VS what Agatha did to Wanda in ep 8 looked similar...she “mind contolled her” and showed her a story...she wanted her to see (her origins...) Both mentioned that it was easy to do, because the controlled person was so full of doubts that it didn’t tke anything to make them “see things”...

Vision telling Wanda in a past film that he wants everyone to see her the way he does (the way Monica does in WV) - that she is not simply a villain, not someone to be afraid of like the WV people are after the hex, as the world was after Lagos... VS The Hex! Vision telling her that "I just wanted to see you” & “and there you are”... at the beginning of their goodbye scene as the hex goes down...

Wanda & Visions final goodbye scene being them standing in front of a window ...the end of their journey together VS The Wanda/Vision scene in Scotland...the first scene that reveals their relationship to viewers...is also of them standing in front of the window... Visual Parallels

WV series setting up the next decade/phase looks a lot like IM films setting up first decade/phase. Both more character centered & more character driven spries & journeys. Personally...my favourite kind. WV setting up Wandas journey VS IM setting up Tony’s journey. Question is... will she choose the “hero” or the “villain” path. Go Tony’s route, or opposite? Time will tell.

In ep 9 when Wanda throws a car at Agatha & goes to check on her, we only see her/the witches boots under the car VS The classic image of the Wicked Witch of the West’s boots/shoes under the rubble in Wizard of Oz.

Visions co-worker, Jones says: "I wore a turtleneck" in episode 1x02, when Mr. Hart is firing him VS Vision wearing a turtleneck as they say goodbye to the kids & to one another in 1x09

In ep 8 flashback to the day Wanda arrived at Westview, and was driving throgh the town, she saw the people she cast in supporting roles in her show. Among them was Jones' (Harold), who was putting up an add on the billboard about teaching piano lessons VS In ep 2 Jones was playing the piano during his performance on the talent show.

Wanda driving through WestView as she first arives in reality - the town & the people seem in a non-happy state (people alone & depressed, town in ruins, she alone) in 1x08 flashback VS Wanda & Vision driving through WestView as they first arrive in the TV freality (everyone fake-happy & not alone, buildings & businesses flourishing in 1x01

Vision as the magician Illusion using the phrase "fllourish!" for his magic tricks (that Agatha messes up & Wanda corrects) in the TV-freality in 1x02 VS Wanda after seeing the state of the town & people (that to her seem like her own experience) making the place flourish (alive again)! in1x08 flashback

In episode 1 Agatha introduces Wanda to the womens magazine named "Glamorous" as there is an article there about "seduction tecniques". They read the article/magazine together...Agnes plan to trick Wanda into creating kids VS In episode 3 we see Wanda reding the same magazine (but a different edition...now from 1970s) as she relaxes on the sofa while the hoover is cleaning the house by itself. [PS. The title of the womens magazine in eps 1 & 3 nd Wandas stage name Glamour in ep 2 are actually references to the words other meaning... magic]

In 1x01 Vision tells his boss Mr. Hart that no, he does not have a skeleton, when he's asked if he has a skeleton in his closet VS In the 1x02 sitcom opening credits we see Vision go through walls & floor/ceiling. As he moves downstairs from the closet we see wht appears to be a spider/a villains mask & spiderwebs there. And... bones.

When Monica blips back in the 1x04 flashback scene she encounters a doctor/person in the hallway who says to her "Do you have a phone? I have to call my wife" VS In episode 1x05, when Vision unlocks Norm's mind from Wanda's control, one of the things he says is "Where's my phone? I have to call my sister. (She's taking care of our dad. He's sick)." [and we remember fro Endgame that after being bipped back everyone wanted to call their loved ones...as the 1st thing they did...]

Wanda throwing a car, her car, at Agatha (when she can't use her power directly againt her) to stop her in 1x09 VS Wanda throwing a car at Iron Man/Tony in CA:CW to stop him.

In ep 8 Agatha tells Wanda "And here you are (making breakfast for dinner)" VS In ep 9 Vision tells Wanda at the start of their final goodbye scene "And there you are."

In ep 1 the Harts comment that Wanda made "breakfast for dinner" when they see the food prepared for this surprise event VS In ep 8 when Agatha is holding the twins on a leash she mocks Wanda for using her super powers on simple things like that, saying "...and here you are making breakfast for dinner"

In 1x01 Vision saves the day by calling Wanda covering the bosses eyes with her hands " a traditional sokovian greeting" when she thinks she's welcoming her husband home VS in the 1x08 flashback to her childhood we see that her mother covers her eyes with her hands the same way. Yet another subconcious detail from her real life.

We learned during the ep 8 flashback to her childhood that Wanda’s powers manifested (probability hex) at age 10. It mightve been the first time she “properly” used her magic abilities VS When Billy & Tommys powers manifesting (Billy: mind reading + “seeing the future” & Tommy: speed) in more concrete way when they are 10 -year-olds... PS. 10 = X (roman numerals) = X-gene (mutants)

In ep 1 Wanda says “my husband and his indestructible head” (as a comic lline)...but VS Vision’s destructed head... aka Thanos ripping the Mind Stone out of Vision’s head in 3: IW, and in doing so “destructing his head” PS. THANKS FOR REMINDING ME TO ADD THIS ONE, @ecstaticreverie

Ms. Hart keeps saying "Stop it!" (with more & more concerned voice) as Mr. Hart chokes in 1x01 VS Wanda keeps saying "Stop it!" (with more & more concerned voice) when she sees Visions body being dismantled...like a machine in the 1x08 flashback.

The Mind-Stone shape: The hexagonal shape of the Mind Stone in Vision’s head VS The shape of the Mind stone painted on the “cabinet of mysteries” in ep 2 used for their magic act VS The mind’stone shaped detail in the center of Wanda’s new Scarlet Witch costume’s “collar” PS. THANKS FOR REMINDING ME TO ADD THIS ONE, @ecstaticreverie

During the 1x08 flashback scene to a time after the events of A1: AoU we see Vision enter Wanda's room at the Avengers compund through the wall, instead of the door, d then they have a meaningful conversation about grief. VS In the movie CA:CW we see Vision enter her room through the wall...instead of the open door... as Wanda & Steve are talking about the events of Lagos...This is where Wanda says "Vis, we've talked about this [entering though door instead a wall]"

During the ep 3 sitcom opening credits we see Vision build a swingset for the kids-to-be, but it falls apart VS During the ep 8 flashback therapy scene at Avengers compound Wanda & Vision are watching Bryan Cranstons character on a sitcom on TV build something & it falls apart (falls on him, hurting him...and Vision asks qhy it's funny)

Vision quoting Shakespeare in WV 1x02: “All the world’s a stage & all the men & women merely players..” VS a role in a Shakespeare play mention related to Trevor Slattery in IM3

In ep 4 one of the specialists in the truck tells Darcy (after she tries to question him) "We'e not supposed to talk" VS In ep 7 Wanda tells the director/person [Agatha all along] behind the camera "You’re not supposed to talk", when during her sitcom a voice from behind the camera replies to her.

Darcy’s fist & last scene had similar energy. We first see Darcy in a militay vehicle, on the way to the hex base. She comments that “we got a full cown car”, when she realizes they’re bringing on top experts from every field. VS When Wanda’s expanding hex traps the base everything is turned into a circus...and agents into clowns etc. VS Darcy uses the “clown car” to stop Hayward. She rams his military vehicle as he tries to flee with the funnel ytruck/clown car (it’s changed shape, but since it in reality the same kind of miitary vehicle it can stop Haywards car)

In ep 5 Hayward "shoots" at the kids & Wanda, when he lets his guys take over the drone Monica is using & fires a weapon at the family VS In ep 9 Hayward actually shoots the kids (from a gun), when Wanda puts the twins in charge of dealing with the military.

Hayward asking Jimmy about Wanda’s superhero name in ep 5: “No funny nickname?” VS "...and that makes you The Scarlett Witch" - Agatha "giving" her the funny superhero nickname in 1x08. Only...in this context it seems more like royal title than a superhero nickname.

Wanda giving Vision the meat tenderizer (it looks like a small hammer) & him holding it in WV ep 1x01 VS Vision lifting & giving Thor's hammer (Mjölnir) to Thor in A2: AoU

Episode 1 ends with Wanda creating wedding rings for them..from "nothing" VS Episode 9 ends with the wedding ring on her finger being the last thing that disappears after she's taken down the hex & "re-absorbed" the energy of the Mind Stone she created him from. We can still see the ring on her finger a moment after the yellow has disappeared...and then that's gone, too

The newstories on the screens et SWORD lobby are all about the snapped people being blipped back & families reunited & celebrating etc during both Wanda's visit we see in ep 8 flashback AND Monica's visit we see in ep 4 flashback. [Wanda's visit happened earlier, but the door had been replaced before Monica's visit... that had to be next day...no later]

During a flashback memory scene in ep 8 to a time when Wanda was a volunteer for Hydra we see her watching a tv show/sitcom "The Brady Bunch" on TV where a little girl with blonde hair in braids is putting her doll to sleep VS In episode 3 when Vision on practicing changing diapers he's doing it on a (girl) doll with braids..tied with similar red bows as the girl/character on TV. The same exact doll.

Wakanda is located inside a giant protective dome/bubble - an "invisible" energy field protects it & the barrier stops intruders VS Wanda creates a giant protective dome/bubble (hex-shaped) around WestView - an "invisible" energy field that stops people from entering or exiting...

The “fallen/hurt/dying pose” parallels: Vision in A3: IW after Thanos killed him VS Vision in WV ep 1x06/1x07 after exiting the hex & falling apart VS Monica in WV ep 1x03 /1x04 after being thrown out from the hex VS Nat in A4:E after falling on Vormir… #VisualParallels

When Agnes introduces hersef to the new neighbours she brings a plants as a housewarming gift in WV episode 1x01 VS This is the first things that glitches in episode 1x07 as Wanda “loses control” of reality

SNAPS: "Sugar Snaps" is the name of the breakfast cereal Wanda eats in 1x07 VS “SNAP” is part of the add on the billboard in WV 1x08 flashback scene when the hex take sover the city VS Thanos snapping his fingers in A3: IW & wiping half of he universe "out of existence" VS Agatha snaps her fingers in 1x08 when she disappears from the audience seats VS In ep 1 Agnes says that “this menu can be done in a snap” to Wanda

The heart drawn on the wall calendar on the date Friday, August 23rd was an abbreviation & was referring to Vision's boss & his wife coming to dinner in 1x01... when neither could remember the significance of the heart or date. Also... "Who needs to abbreviate?" (when theyre both superheroes) VS The heart Vision drew on the property deed of the land he bought for them. Next to the text "to grow old in" - V. (abbreviating his name) in the 1x08 flshback VS The heart on the calendar on the Date Wednesday the 10th in the opening credits for Wandas sitcom freality in 1x07 VS The heart on top of a building in the 1x02 episode sitcom intro

In ep 8 flashback Wanda says "I can't feel you", when he cannot read/feel Vision & the Mind stone (connection) as she is trying to connect to the dissected parts of Visions physical form/body VS In A3:IW when Wanda is trying to read the Mind Stone during the scene at the hotel in Scotland, she says "I just feel you" (not what the stone is trying to warm him about) VS In A3: IW as Wanda is about to destroy the Mind Stone & Vision along with it, he tels her to not worry, cause she could never hurt her, and adds "I just feel you"

In ep 9 when Wanda meets White Vision he puts his hands around Wanda's face, and she in her delusion expects that this is her Vision & he's just doing "their thing" (when they can share a "mindstone link" like that), but instead this machine starts squeezing her face/skull...because it has been given the order to destroy/kill Wanda VS In the end of episode 9 as Wanda & Hex Vision are saying goodbye she puts her hands around his face (doing "their thing"...trying to feel him as long as possible...as his face is the last thing to disappear with the hex) and doing so lovingly.

In ep 7 Monica lands the "hero landing" after Wanda "throws" her into the air VS In ep 9 Wanda lands the "hero landing" when Hex Vision attacks White Vision who is trying to crush Wanda's skull VS In ep 9 Hex Vision lands the "hero landing" when both visions fall to the gground & create a crater into a road.

In the ep 8 flashback Wanda descibes her grief as "I'm so tired. It's just ike this wave washing over me...again & again. It knocks me down, and when I try to stand up, it just comes for me again. And...its just gonna drown me." to Vision VS Monica describing the feeling she felt under Wanda's mind control in the hex as "There was this feeling keeping me down. This hopeless feeling. Like drowning. It was grief."

When Vision was born in AoU he flew to the window....and saw reflection of himself. This is how his journey in MCU in this form began VS The scene with Wanda & Vision saying goodbye by the window in ep 9 starts with Vision moving to the window (before Wanda joins him) to look at the hex world shrinking outside & seeing his own reflection on the glass). His last scene in this form was a direct parallel to his first scene(s). #visualparallels

Wanda & Vision saying goodbye...to say hello again some time & some place at the end of WV 1x09 (the scene by the window is similar to the scene we were introduced to the couple) VS Wanda & Vision at the beginning of A3: IW having a conversation by the window, in Scotland (the "I just feel you" scene) #visualparallels

In episode 2 when the sitcom world goes from b&w to colour, the camera circles around Wanda & Vision...making a 360 degree trip around the room VS In episode 9 as Wanda & Hex Vision are saying their final goodbyes in the saem living room the camera circles around them...doing several 360 degree circles around the room...as Wanda/the hex takes down the house layer/decade by layer/decade... #visualparallels

Wanda & Vision family watching TV every night before going to bed in Wanda's TV freality on WV VS Wanda watching TV with her family in Sokovia - the last happy memory before trauma hit her (1x08 flashback scene) VS Wanda & Vision first bonding at the Avengers compound whilw watching TV together (1x08 flashback scene). He's learning "being human" with her help & she's learning about dealing with her trauma.

In ep 8, when Agatha takes down the "walk on memory lane" illusion & Wanda finds herself in her basement, she hears her twins [Billy & Tommy] calling for her "Mom!" because Agatha has kidnapped them... VS In the post end credits scene when we see Wanda make herself a cup of tea + read the Darkhold at the same time, we/she hears her twins [Billy & Tommy] call for her "Mom!" It is not revealed if she's just having a "nightmare" of that moment from ep 8 or is she imagining it, or is she hearing them for real...calling from somewhere [other dimension]

Vision's plan was for them to move from big city to a small town, build a house & start a family/life together. Grow old together (even if he as a synthezoid presumbly doesn't grow old like Wanda as human would. Though maybe his human form could & perhaps she as Nexus being/witch can/will live for centuries..but they didn't know it back then?) as he had planned their life together in IW (making me suspicious if they got engaged or something...) as revealed in WV 1x08 flashback to the property deed that lead Wanda to WestView VS Wanda creating a sitcom world where decades change...she literally created an alternate reality where they live his plan for them..they grow old together..in a small town... as seen throughout the WV show...

Wanda seeing Vision dressed as the WV character, but looking exactly like when he died in A3: IW w. the mindstone ripped out... in WV 1x04 VS Wanda seeing Fietro dressed as the WV character, but looking exactly like when he died in A2AoU w. the bulletholes in the shirt in WV 1x06 VS Peter seeing Tony as an Iron-Zombie rising from the grave in the illusion Mysterio created to play tricks on him in SM2: FFH

Wanda seen as "evil” by her castmates..when she thought she did nothing wrong. She did not understand her power & as a byproduct she hurt others...unintentionaly & unknowingly...and now seen as the villian by WV people & world...more. VS Agatha seen as bad by her coven...when she thought she did nothing wrong. But she was messing with power that she didn’t fully understand. The question here is will Wanda’s journey ahead copy Agathas or will it be the opposite? Will she choose to go toward “good” or “evil” path? Agatha’s own mother did not believe she could be good. “I can be good.” / “No you cant.” Wanda had Vision, who had always seen the good in her & she had Monica, who could she the good in her, too. As Vision once said: “I wish to understant it (the Mind Stone). The more I understand it, the less it controls me.” If we adopt this to Wanda & replace stone with her power, this is a powerful lesson...that she’s carrying his message within her. He keeps being her moral compass even if not physically there...the memories remain. Vision’s "Be good, Wanda.” combined with the other truths he’s told her as her moral compass might and possibly will help her learn from Agatha’s mistakes. Because at the end of WV she chose the ”good side”, like Tony did at the end of IM. So I see them not copying her journey from comics, but making it a bit different. While in Agatha the book overpowered her, Wanda will overpower the book. Time wlll tell which route they actually chose for her. Wanda & Agatha - analysis TBA

Wanda in WV finale...as her character journey starts saying “you don’t get to say who I am... I decide that” mimics Tony’s character journey start, when he says “I am Iron Man” - he makes the decision to decide who he is, define himself (everyone was caling him a superhero, Iron Man...but he then took how everyone perceived him in his new role & made it his own). VS Carols’ origin story - she chose to “stand up” & define herself VS Monica’s origins story - she decided who she was & didnt let the Hex chnge her. VS What we see with (White) Vision also references this kind of, cause this new re-born Vision comes to a realization on who he is "I am Vision” Wanda & Tony - analysis TBA

THE END

There are many more, but those are the ones I first noticed & the ones I remembered to write down.

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mytastessuck · 3 years

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Ween: 12 Golden Country Greats

Yup. Not skipping this one. Wait, come back! There's some good stuff here...if you like country. WAIT, COME BACK! Okay, so country is one of the niche genres that just seem to get worse as the modern era goes on but the thing about Ween is that they're not intimidated by genres most people don't get into. We've seen them do prog, reggae, gospel, funk, whatever the hell The Pod was...they aren't going to let a little thing like unpopularity stop them from paying respect to a genre that genuinely has some gems in it. Alright, most of ya'll have left anyway so let's just get to it.

1. I'm Holding You

Good starter. Great romantic song...hell of a lot better than singing about how poor you would like to be with your wife when you're rich as hell anyway. Just a random comparison.

8/10

2. Japanese Cowboy

Oh, using Japanese Cowboys as an example of something unlikely to happen, huh? Well, guess what album? CANCELLED. So what if it's historically inaccurate to have them? The Japanese can be anything they want to be! Plus, if the Japanese can't be cowboys, where did I find this:

Looking pretty stupid right now, huh?

8/10

3. Piss Up A Rope

Ah, another romantic ballad. And one that Dean wrote for his wife no less. Sometimes, the one thing you need to tell your big-booty partner is to get on their knees and start sucking. The only song that surpasses this one on the romantic scale is a song Dean recorded with Moistboyz...but that's a story for another day.

25/10

4. I Don't Wanna Leave You On The Farm

A lot of love on this album. Appreciate it. Probably the most normal Ween has ever put out in their entire career. Hey, sing this to a farm girl and see if it'll get you laid. Let me know if it works. I need the information for a project.

8/10

5. Pretty Girl

Aw sweet, a hoedown! Grab a partner and swing around to this awesome sound and this bitching fiddle! Woo! Get ready to knock boots about this song about fucking strangers!

9/10

6. Powder Blue

A nice song, more impressive for the instrumentation than for the lyrics. Then again, that could be said about 90% of good songs out there. Anyway, bonus point for including Muhammad Ali in the song at the end. Kept out of the studio release but you can find it on the demo version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-hjgUkIDmU

Never had there been such a historical team-up of an African American icon and a great musician(s) since that time Malcom X teamed up with Hideki Naganuma for the Sonic Rush soundtrack.

9/10

7. Mister Richard Smoker

A nice little ditty about a total assmuncher named Richard Smoker. Nice to sing anywhere, especially in front of the man himself. What? You think he's going to do something? He pokes poop. Fuck him.

11/10

8. Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain

Another PSA from Ween in the form of a parable: when you see a fellow cowboy/gal on the side of the road, it don't matter which side of the line you from. It is your duty to scalp that sucker and scrape the mucus from their best organ. The Lord will reward you for it later.

9/10

9. You Were The Fool

Another good fuck-you song that you can sing to an enemy. Telling them to wash their arm in a pit of mud? There ain't no coming back from that.

8/10

10. Fluffy

A nice love (platonic) for a dog. Peaceful, beautiful and a nice way to close out an album.

9/10

Album Score: 11/10

Next week, we will be tackling one of my favorite Ween albums, The Mollusk. Finally swimming into more familiar territory. See you then.

#ween #12 golden country greats #music #review

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gusgus48 · 4 years

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Marvel Masterlist

Other character pairings besides Loki

No Pairing

At the Bar – Night out with the team goes unexpectedly. https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/694455309656326144/oc-at-a-table-across-from-rhodey-seated-in-front

Be Assertive – Loki tries to help OC make a smooth entrance into a meeting with Kree and other race officials and finds the most hilarious encounter of his long lifetime.

https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/698992031136153600/loki-instructing-oc-upon-how-to-act-when-being

Skillet – OC helps interrogate a double agent to rescue Banshee, aided by her bestie Deadpool.

https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/726434772470120448/skillet-villaindouble-agent-is-being-held

X Venom/Wolverine/Victor Creed

Pretty/Tea Time - https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/626053879804690432/just-got-the-image-of-eddie-and-his-daughter

Butterflies - https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/623077795122298880/butterflies

X Logan a certain new hire to the school discovers why a certain lady that sparks his fancy is unable to speak to him and with a little help from Storm he manages to have a lovely night out on the town on a date unlike any other.

Let’s Flip – Wolverine gets out of a week of mansion duties when oc loops him into going with them to a few stops for their house flipping jobs, that and a fake marriage to play a couple’s advantage in house hunting. Soon though the script gets flipped as Sabretooth is looped into the deal by his brother and a future family business could soon be born.

https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/714109929023258624/lets-flip

Around the World in 90 Days – OC runs into Deadpool after dumping friends who try to overthrow a year long set of travel plans. The assassin tries to kill two birds with one stone and play wingman for Wolverine who has had eyes for OC for a good while.

https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/726440111035891712/around-the-world-in-90-days-how-deadpool-and

x Adopted Brother Eddie Brock, protective bond with James Howlett (Wolverine) and Victor Creed, enemies Bucky and neglectful brother Steve - Brother Dearest - Bucky doesn’t like having to share Steve’s attentions with his baby sister. Mrs Rodgers dies and Steve gets custody and steadily starts neglecting his sister. She hires a bartender in town to be her brother, Eddie Brock. Eddie’s try to protect OC from being sent off to be a ward in a war hospital they both get pulled in as he gets drafted himself, by the Canadian forces. In a blitz attack on base a disguise must be made, a too young boy in the war.

Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3 - Pt 4 – Pt 5 - Pt 6 - Pt 7 - Pt 8 - Pt 9 - Pt 10 - Pt 11 - Pt 12 - Pt 13 - Pt 14 - on Ao3 Pt 14 - 23+

x James Howlett x oc

How Long Are You Going To Take? - One night. One favor. One man set for boot camp in the morning bent on drinking the night away finds himself enamored with the woman set to be in town just one more day who approaches him for a night on the town. That one night will carry him seventy years until he can hold her in his arms again.

Masterlist here

Ronan

Permission – An act of breaking the warrior of an annoying habit is taken as a request of becoming lovers, one he accepts. - https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/619906887409942528/permission

x Ronan Partners/Accidental courting

Death By the Pen – Former hostage on Ronan’s vessel an accidental dropped controller lands you in the middle of an odd Kree courting ritual.

https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/697891636069466112/death-by-the-pen

Ducklings – Ronan is taught by OC what adorable means, answering a longstanding puzzle for him in the process.

https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/726888914886049792/ducklings-weeks-ronan-had-been-telling-you

Now You Woo – Ronan unintentionally insults OC, who he believes to be intending to offer him courtship by Kree tradition of a sneak attack.

https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/726886035876986880/kree-having-a-courting-ritual-to-have-their-future

x Loki/Ronan - Prisoner - Ronan has a plan, one that hasn’t been thought through very well. The supposed hostage isn’t wanted in return for any sort of ransom or blackmailing scheme. But said hostage just might end up being the one to order the Kree Warrior around.

Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3 - Pt 4 - Pt 5 - Pt 6 - Pt 7 - Pt 8 -

Bucky

x Bucky Barnes, Ronan the Accuser Sibling - I Panicked - You did it, you went and panicked, now look what happened.

On Ao3 here

Cat Cup – Bucky buying a gift for oc. https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/694450534668795904/what-the-avengers-see-bucky-shopping-for-a-cat

To The Moon – Blind date gone wrong and the guys swoop in to help out a familiar face the Winter Soldiers feels drawn to.

https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/695383574707372032/to-the-moon

Convincing – Bucky asks help from Iron Man to help calm cheating fears for his girlfriend who wouldn’t believe otherwise he is a super spy. And Tony knowing his reputation calls in Fury for backup.

https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/703355993435848704/bucky-stormed-his-way-into-tonys-office-and

Doorknob – A surprise gift supposedly from his old home lands Bucky looking down the barrel of an adorable romance he never wants to end.

https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/709866308099096577/bucky-being-sent-letter-and-box-that-the-new-owner

Otterable – One awkward slip of the tongue while sedated spurs a shared back and forth surrounding an adorable mammal in love of both land and sea. Including use of a time watch to go back and get a once and a lifetime addition to the game at the urge for a new ID photo on the latest Stark system the team had to use.

https://blankdblank.tumblr.com/post/710026814313185280/oc-going-back-in-time-the-day-they-learn-they-have

...

Bucky Ideas - https://gusgus48.tumblr.com/post/178884820023/bucky-ideas

Hydra Bliss - https://gusgus48.tumblr.com/post/178884838483/hydra-bliss

Bucky - https://gusgus48.tumblr.com/post/174859790848/bucky

Partners - https://gusgus48.tumblr.com/post/176156627128/partners

School Project - https://gusgus48.tumblr.com/post/176158913253/school-project

Fan Letters - https://gusgus48.tumblr.com/post/176159358618/fan-letters

Power Couple - https://gusgus48.tumblr.com/post/178205182103/power-couple

Hobbit Crossovers

*X-Men Hobbit Crossover

Drama/Fuffy You and your younger brother Logan, Wolverine, are transported into Middle Earth, stealing alliances and hearts along the way.

pt1-the-beginning - pt-2-finding-bilbo - pt-3-bonding-with-the-dwarves - pt-4-convincing-thorin - pt-5 - pt-6 - pt-7 - pt-8 - pt-9

Oh Snap – A crossing of dimensions and realities blends a band of dusted X-Men, Avengers and Kree in saving a long lost home in the time until the Avengers left behind in their own world are able to be brought back, only the lost sister of Bucky Barnes has been discovered to be taken again by HYDRA who is in far more control than imagined and is on her own path home.

#Masterlist

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theslythertrash · 5 years

Photo

So whenever I see superheroes I always freak out over small impractical costume things but I have never been angrier at show’s costumes than at bnha and this has been on my chest for several months now and it’s midnight and I’m half asleep so it’s the perfect time to write an essay about it on Tumblr.

Here are my ranking for the bnha costumes for all of 1-A:

I’m fully prepared to be slammed for this. (Also I’m supposed to be an artist so if I ever find some free time I’ll actually draw my babies some proper costumes.)

Midoriya’s is 9.5/10. It has an aesthetic, good color scheme and it compliments his quirk with iron soles and leg/arm enforcements. Has a nice belt, a mask for gas (hopefully) and facial protection. The only stupid thing is his bunny ears mask but it looks good when it’s down like a hood. My only correction would be to make his mask an actual hood.

Bakugo is 8/10 Kacchan also has an aesthetic. His mask is a little ridiculous but I’m fond of it. He also has practical shoes and stuff. HIS GAUNTLET IS SO STUPID. HAS THE MANGA ARTIST EVER WORN LARGE BRACELETS? DOES HE KNOW HOW ANNOYING THEY ARE? YOU CANT WRITE. OR SCRATCH YOUR HAND. OR REACH INTO TIGHT SPACES. I know they’re for storing sweat but sweat is a liquid and if people can invent Aizawa’s magic scarf they can invent smaller gauntlets. Jesus. But his winter costume makes them smaller I think (idk I don’t read the manga but I’ve seen fanart) so 8/10.

Uraraka is 5/10 Uraraka has a cool aesthetic. I enjoy the space theme and colors. A helmet is good since she’s flying around (though I don’t understand why it doesn’t cover her entire head? Protect the back of your head! Also her mouth- that should help against gas and things but I also know she vomits a lot so it’s probably better without one).

However, she’s sexualized too. Even outside of it being skin tight, she has a camel toe? Literally no one mentions it ever and it drives me crazyyyy. Look at her- why does she have that line there? Why? And why is her belt so bulky. How is she supposed to squeeze into tight spaces? AND ONCE AGAIN UNNECESSARY LARGE BRACELETS OH MY GOD. The manga explains her bulky heels and bracelets are to help with nausea but I refuse to believe they can’t invent smaller ones. And also boots without heels. Who is gonna run over debris on heels? 5/10

Iida is 7/10 He is too bulky. Why are they all so bulky. He looks like when he walks down the street he clanks as he walks. Way to be stealthy dude, smh.

Todoroki is fine I guess. Little boring but it’s passable. I wish it had more stuff for his quirk. Like maybe thermal fabric so he can cool down faster? Idk. 7.5/10

Tsuyu is a much bigger improvement over Uraraka. She’s got big ass bracelets again but they look like soft fabric so it’s probably easy to ignore. Her outfit has a wet suit aesthetic so that’s practical. Her goggles look a little bulky again but they are practical. WHY IS SHE IN HEELS. 8/10

Mineta looks like he has a diaper kink and it’s not even there to help his quirk. -10/10

Kirishima. Baby. Put on a shirt. Also what the fuck are those gears. Why are you wearing bulky shit that’s unrelated to your quirk? How are you gonna lie down comfortably when you have large ass rings on your shoulders. Why are you wearing a muzzle thing? How is that related to your quirk? If your gonna put something on your face wear something to protect your mouth from dust and gas. His bottom half is fine ig. I’ve got mixed feels on his cape/skirt thing but at least it’s an aesthetic. 6/10

Don’t get me started on Yaoyorozu. God Almighty. Even outside of the perversion, why does she have a whole ass bookshelf on her butt instead of an iPad for easy access? And not only is it AN ENTIRE BOOKSHELF, its HORIZONTAL. Why do you have a horizontal ass shelf when it can be vertical at the very least? She needs tech with Siri so she can ask what chemicals are in stuff into an earpiece. And also some pants. And a bra. -10/10

Idk what Tokoyami is doing. Being edgy I guess. 6/10 it’s fine.

Kaminari is fine I guess? He’s got the same problem as Tokoyami and Todoroki where it’s just an outfit and doesn’t actually help his quirk in any way. He could include metal bits on his gloves so punches have an extra shock to them. Or maybe a rubber helmet or something to protect his brain from his own shocks...would that work? I’m not a scientist. Maybe carry around extra shock-resistant fabric in a belt or something so he can protect bystanders before releasing a full attack. I REALLY like his added equipment for long-range attacks and I think he could go further with the idea- maybe add cords in the style of bows and arrows? Basically very boring but fine ig. 7.5/10 (solely adding the .5 for his new equipment)

Aoyama looks like he has the same bulky and loud problem as Iida but it’s toned down and I’m low key very amused by it so it’s fine. 9/10 for my flamboyant boy.

Jirou looks like she is going to the mall. She has no aesthetic and looks super boring. I like that her outfit actually helps her quirk with her speaker boots but she should carry around some weapons too. And wear a padded suit for hits. Actually they all should have padding. Goggles and mask would be helpful too. It’s fine I guess. Boring. 6.5/10

Okay, I’ve seen a lot of people complain that Ashido’s is really ugly. I’m actually amused by it so I don’t mind too much. The fur is ridiculous and the colors are loud but they are as loud as her personality so at least it has an aesthetic. I’m more bothered that it’s impractical. It doesn’t help with her quirk. She should have gauntlets similar to Kacchan’s so she can store acid (don’t make them bulky though, please). Padding too. Her shoes can have an extra retractable surface for gliding on acid. It would also probably be helpful to carry around a similar blanket to the hypothetical one Kaminari would have so she can shield civilians from her acid. It’s fine ig. At least she’s not sexualized. 7/10

Shoji looks like he has multiple nipples. At least it’s kinda practical tho. 6/10

Ojiro looks like he was on his way from karate class when a cat died on his shoulder. Once again he’s boring and doesn’t have anything interesting to compliment his quirk. He’s a good fighter so maybe he can also carry around a staff or nunchucks or something. He should pad his tail so the hits are extra hard. Boring but passable if he removes the stupid fur. It looks like it’ll tickle his cheek when he runs.7/10

I actually really like Sero’s. It fits his aesthetics and is practical. His helmet and shoulders could be a tad less bulky but whatever. It would be cool if he had like suction cups on his shoes or something to make it easier to stick to walls but I imagine that would be hard to walk in so it’s fine. 8.5/10

Tooru is naked. She has no costume. She’s 15- that’s so gross. Also she’s probably constantly cold and extremely vulnerable. I can’t imagine all the scraps she gets just from running around. And her sensitive parts are exposed to disease- she’s going to get a yeast infection. And not to be gross on main or whatever but what does she do when she’s on her period? ALSO, how can she feel comfortable running around without a bra? If Mirio can have a costume made of his hair so can Tooru. 0/10

Sato looks like a banana. Very boring with no aesthetic but at least he has pockets to carry sugar in so that’s practical. Some padding would be nice. 6/10 boring

Why the fuck is Koda in shorts. He’s gonna get scraps on his knees. What is that ugly ass symbol on his chest? At least he’s practical with his mask to hide when he’s talking to animals. Personally, I think it’s ugly but at least it’s useful 6/10

Woo I'm done. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk/ midnight essay. Winners: Deku, Kacchan, Sero, maybe Tsuyu. Maybe Aoyama. Absolute losers: Mineta, Momo, Tooru, Uraraka. Everyone else is varying levels of average

Also, I know I said I would only do 1-A but I have a special little place of hate in my heart for Aizawa’s costume so here’s my rant on him too:

JESUS CHRIST MAN CUT YOUR FUCKING HAIR YOU DINGUS. I know you're trying to have a hoboTM aesthetic and you have stubble and blah blah blah- I get it. We got it. (I lowkey think you’re hot) you wanna have dramatic hair. Noted. But you're entire personality is about being practical and not wanting attention. That’s why you disliked All Might. Set an example for your kids PLEASE. Why are you even bothering with goggles to hide when you blink WHEN YOUR HAIR IS A BIGGER TELL. I PROMISE I’M MORE LIKELY TO NOTICE YOUR HAIR DROP THAN YOUR EYES BLINKING YOU DUMB DUMB IDIOT.

Either cut it, put it in a bun (best option imo) or get a hood.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mha #costume #redesign #ugly impractical clothing #rant #rant over

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jadeile-writes · 5 years

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Fanfic Progress Update 47

Hey everyone, it’s Saturday! That time of the week when Fanfic Progress Updates happen. Stay tuned to the end of this post for a spoiler-y glimpse into the next chapter of Adventure Gone Mini AND the next chapter of Shit, the Radio Demon is a part of my afterlife. All of my Hazbin fans are going to yell at me, woo! : D

Current WIPs:

Adventure gone Mini

Fandom: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / The Minish Cap

Summary: Sidon is given his very own Sheikah Slate, the first replica Purah has managed to make, and sets out to travel with Link with the intention of registering warp points for convenient travel in the future. However, when a malfunction shrinks them down to the size of bugs, and they meet little people called the Minish, they have to change their plans from “fun adventuring” to “getting out of this mess”. Not that those two have to exclude one another. Link/Sidon.

Progress: Chapter 33 is the current latest chapter and was posted on 8th of January. Chapter 34 is almost done and the scheduled posting date is 29th of January.

I update this fic every three weeks on Wednesdays.

—–

Shit, the Radio Demon is a part of my afterlife

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Summary: Husk is just your everyday demon, minding his own business and living his afterlife mostly in self-caused misery. He’s been at it for about ten years when he rather abruptly finds himself on the Radio Demon’s radar. Suddenly his life becomes a lot more interesting. For fuck’s sake, he did not ask for this bullshit. Alastor/Husk.

Progress: Chapter 9 is the current latest chapter, and was published on 17th of January. Chapter 10 will be published on 21st of January, and chapter 11 on 24th of January. The rest of the chapters are done and waiting for their turn; the final count is 16.

I update this fic every Tuesday and Friday!

—–

Fine, be a part of my afterlife, jackass!

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Summary: This is not a stand-alone story! This is a compilation of additional “filler” chapters that go between the chapters of “Shit, the Radio Demon is a part of my afterlife”, starting from chapter 7. Read the main story up to that point or further before bothering with this one.

Every chapter of Afterlife is vital to the story: they bring the plot forward, each introduces a new development, each has a reason for being included. The chapters in this, however, are the ideas that couldn’t fit in Afterlife, because they don’t bring the story forward. So, additional fun Husk and Alastor content for this universe, because I feel like it!

Progress: Chapter 3 (ch.11½ Part 1) is done, and will be posted on 26th of January. Chapter 4 (ch.11½ Part 2) is almost done and will be posted on 27th of January. Chapter 5 (ch.11½, unrelated to the other two) is done and will be posted on 30th of January. This fic is looking to be 7 chapters long at this time, but could still change.

There will be no sneak-peeks with this one. You’ll have to walk in blind each time ;) ...But I will tell you this: the next two chapters are a two-parter story, and it’s not fluff. It’s the opposite of fluff. I’m sorry. I wanted to post chapter 5 first to give you fluff, but chapter 12 of Afterlife spoils the resolution of the two-parter, and I didn’t want that to happen. Chapter 5 is able to wait, so it shall do that.

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Drunk Alastor (workname)

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Summary (temporary): Roles are reversed in many ways when a drunk Alastor knocks on Husk’s door and has no intention of going to his own room for the night. And it only gets weirder from there, leaving Husk with a most unexpected arrangement with the Radio Demon. Alastor/Husk.

Progress: Chapters 1 and 2 are done. Chapter 3 has been started. The plan is to start posting this once Afterlife is done with, assuming that I have this mostly written by then. No progress since the last time, as I’ve been busy with Fine, Jackass!

—–

Other WIPs I’m not currently working on but intend to get back to someday:

PoE Drabbles (Pillars of Eternity)

DC Drabbles (Justice League)

Diaphanous Relations (Forgotten Realms, R.A. Salvatore’s books)

Rolling with it (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)

Possibly worth staying for (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

—–

That’s it for the WIPs! Here are the promised sneak-peeks into Mini and Afterlife. (Note: the text may end up slightly different in the fics themselves due to more editing happening before publishing). Enjoy!

Mini

The Hero statue started to freeze over. A pained grunt sounded in the air, and Link recognized the voice as Sidon's.

Hylia damn it!

Link grabbed the only boot he had left and tossed it to the right, as far as he could. An ice ray followed immediately, and Link took the opportunity to jump to the left, leaving his shelter. He locked his sight on his enemy, who was looking confusedly in the wrong direction now.

Hah, sucker! Clearly they weren't used to competent enemies.

Afterlife

TRIGGER WARNING: Suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide

To give Husk some credit, he tried calling Alastor every single day for the first week. Just a line of "Alastor. I'm sorry. Please answer."

Alastor didn't answer him.

*radio interference by the author* --he learned that it was the extermination day.

That’s it this time. See you next Saturday!

AO3 FFnet Purple Crayon Ko-fi

#fanfic progress update

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scoundrels-in-love · 4 years

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Tagged by sweet @aviss a whole week ago, but to be fair, I’ve worked 6 out of 7 of these days, so I have Excuse.

What is the colour of your hairbrush? Black with slate blue back. Name a food you never eat: Raw meat and some seafood, like oysters. No snails, everrr. Are you typically too warm or too cold? Too cold, tooo fucking cold. Or way too hot. Almost no in-between ever. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? On brink of crying, grief reasons. I think. What is time? What’s your favourite candy bar? Don’t have one, whoops. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? No, not really inclined to go either. What was the last thing you said out loud? Thank you, have a peaceful evening to cashier at the store. I never wish good one, because idk, it’ll be good if it’s peaceful, and then you can go home sooner where it can be Good. What is your favourite ice cream? Don’t make me choose, literally changes to whatever I’m eating at the moment right now. Though anything with mangoes always own... And that raspberry one straight out of my childhood that used to be favorite... Mmm. What was the last thing you had to drink? Skyr yogurt drink with salted caramel flavor. Do you like your wallet? Yes, but the little leaf cut-outs have worn through and look shabby now so I am waiting for a new one, but with pandemic, it’s in transit for some fucking 3 months now. What was the last thing you ate? Fresh cabbage and carrot salad Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Not weekend, exactly, but last day off, yes... What’s the last sporting event you watched? Good question. Winter Olympics 2018 skating stuff? Might’ve been sports dancing championship in same year, later. Not sure. What is your favourite flavour of popcorn? Mm, haven’t really tried any of them. Don’t have option to make it at home, buying at cinema is waaay too expensive. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? My avon contact, more than a month ago, whoops. Ever go camping? No, but I’d like to, with right company. Do you take vitamins? Yeah, a whole bunch, by doctor’s orders. Do you go to church every Sunday? Oh nooo. Do you have a tan? I am few, barely noticeable shades darker in scaling pattern on my arms from last summer, but no real tan and sunshine is a myth this spring & as is free time so I wouldn’t have time to even try for one. (not that if I ever do.) Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza? Never had Chinese food, it’s just not a thing here in my town at least, so pizza (which is recent try-out too) wins by default. Do you drink your soda through a straw? Soda? Nooo. What colour socks do you usually wear? Black, almost black gray or blue will do, too. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? This queer can’t drive. What terrifies you? Thought of being unlovable at my very foundations, of only bringing unhappiness to others. Of not leaving anything behind. That I will always struggle like this. Heights. Look to your left. What do you see? Bottle of aforementioned yogurt drink. What chore do you hate most? All of them, but anything that gets my asthma acting up via dust is the worst. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? Hmm, nothing in particular? What’s your favourite soda? Fanta. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru? Again, can’t drive so drive-thrus don’t apply, but I’ve sworn off fast food places anyway now and didn’t frequent them often as is. What’s your favourite number? 9. Who’s the last person you talked to? Cashier at the store. Or my co-workers before that. Favourite cut of beef? I don’t even know them or the differences. Last song you listened to? Red Moon by Kim Woo Seok. Last book you read? Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski Favourite day of the week? Whichever fucking day I have OFF work. Can you say the alphabet backwards? No, no I don’t think so. How do you like your coffee? Bold of you to assume I like it at all. But black, maybe some sugar. I’ve had plain coffee with milk I enjoyed exactly once, I will never know what magic he used. If I have to go for coffee on enjoyment level, then something fancier like pistacchio or peppermint latte or moccachino. Favourite pair of shoes? Either my trusty, ancient leather sandals or my trust, old winter boots. Time you normally get up? On my own? Not before 10. Sunrises or sunsets? Sunsets. How many blankets are on your bed? One regular, 2 throw ones. Describe your kitchen plates. Mismatched and well worn from varying decades. Describe your kitchen at the moment. You don’t want to know. Do you have a favourite alcoholic drink? Apple cider. Raspberry beer is also nice and Moscatel wine gets stamp of approval. Do you play cards? Nooo. What colour is your car? In my dreams? Purple. Do you know how to change a tire? Nope. Your favourite state? Michigan, for frivolous reasons. Favourite job you’ve had? None. How did you get your biggest scar? Being beyond exhausted after work around midnight, coughing my lung out with what turned out to be acute bronchitis 3 days later, and trying to peel ginger with new and sharp knife. Sliced top of my left thumb right open, almost all the way to muscle and got 4 stitches, though you can see marks of only 3 now clearly.

Tagging @it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined @nire-the-mithridatist and whoever else would like to do it, but has not. <3

#rainy rambles #tagged in #tagging games #about me

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elane-in-the-shadows · 5 years

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Red Queen Fan Fiction - Red Huntress Chapter 10

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Epilogue

Find this on Wattpad and on AO3

A/N: As I promised this would be the last chapter before the epilogue, I didn’t want to break it in two parts, so this became awfully long. Please stay tuned until the end ^^°

The frozen ground cracked under her boots; the crisp wind blew with shrill cries. Diana stepped carefully, lest she lost her balance over the iced-over spots. She didn’t understand why Operative Swan would choose this February evening in coldest winter to come to the northern Lakelands, but Diana would go to Swan’s meeting no matter what.

Maybe Swan got stuck in the weather here, that’s why. At least it didn’t rain or snow.

“You okay?” asked Marcus Wolff, walking next to her.

Diana hmphed, but as he couldn’t notice her gloomy expression beneath the scarf wrapped around her head, she retorted, “I live here.”

Wolff hmphed back. He returned to his usual silence, yet a few hours before, he’d literally run into her when she’d emerged from the forest in the afternoon.

He’d grabbed her arm. “Come with me,” he’d urged. “There’s a meeting in Aerzen, with Swan. Someone from here should show up.”

“My parents …” Diana had replied, startled by the offer and his insistence.

Wolff had shaken his head. “No time, it’s 15 kilometers and we have to walk.” He’d glanced at her hunting rifle. “Leave that in my transport.”

Apparently, he’d parked his transport at Armina’s Cordes’s farm, to give the impression he was there too, as the farmer had to stay home.

Diana had enough time to ponder on all this, though she was mostly excited about the chance to see Swan again, a real and obviously important member of the Scarlet Guard. She missed the assuring weight of her rifle but agreed with the problems of showing up armed in another place.

Wolff had been right. It would’ve taken too long to search for her parents who she hadn’t seen all day. What was going on here that she didn’t fully grasp? She almost imagined Wolff picked her up specifically, not just because she’d been at hand.

What if Swan does want to meet with me?

Another gush of wind hit her face and she pulled her scarf tighter. She breathed in its woollen scent, hoping to catch a whiff of Giselle’s as well. The scarf was – among others of its kind – a present from her girlfriend. But after much use in the cold and damp weather, it had begun to smell rather of Diana, the woods and the hunt – and thus did nothing now to quell Diana’s yearning.

There had been no time to tell Giselle of her trip, either. In fact, in her parents’ absence this morning, Diana had invited Giselle over to spend the evening with her. In her bed.

It was a few weeks after their first sex. That first time had been in the darkest and shortest days of the last year, when absolutely no one wanted to be, or urged another, to go outside, that Giselle had led Diana up to her bedroom while the rest of the household sat downstairs, chatting in front of the fire.

Perhaps it really had been hesitation, a waiting for their own readiness, that had stopped them before, because now they found it so easy to sneak away and make love. Almost once a week they gave in to their fiery desires.

Diana snorted, assuming her face was already bright red from the cold, so her blush would be fully inconspicuous. The day had been grey and cloudy to begin with and the falling of dusk came early and was barely discernible. Nothing but frost would kiss her tonight.

I hope this meeting will be worth flaking on Giselle and freezing my ass off.

Operative Swan awaited them in the house of the congregation of Aerzen. Looking as formidable as ever, Swan held a speech that did make her sound like a priest. Again, Diana noticed how much Swan resembled the queen.

But no. Although she’d seen only a few images of Queen Cenra Cygnet, there was something off about their resemblance. Beneath the appearance of a veteran soldier, Diana figured, Swan tried to be charming and recruit people for the Scarlet Guard. The queen would never.

The queen has so much power already, she has no need to win over anyone else. Or just believes she doesn’t.

When Swan finished her speech, a few from the two dozens listening left the house. Diana resisted the urge to follow them – she was past being wooed or excluded. Instead, when Swan retreated into an office, Diana came along with the remaining participants who followed the operative, Wolff among them, and took a seat.

Diana’s eyes toured over the group. She didn’t know how to describe them, but they didn’t look like casual listeners who were only curious – they had experience with meetings like this.

Soon, Swan started a new conversation, a business-like one without the recruitment tone. She reported of several Scarlet Guard successes, staying somewhat vague so the others would have little to betray. Afterwards, she beckoned the group to speak about their hometowns in a similar manner, listening to what they could provide or lacked themselves – which included mentions of threats and abuse from the Silvers and the Reds in their thrall.

It was all very conspirative, and very fascinating. This is it, Diana realized, this is what I’ve waited for.

When a pause fell over the group, Swan’s gaze shifted to Diana, lingering there for a decisive, challenging moment. It was less an ask and more of a dare, and Diana was ready.

“I’m from Sieverling,” she began, taking the same approach as the other speakers and ignoring her throbbing heart. “Our harvest was poor due to the weather, and we have little reserves after the tithe paid at new year.” She swallowed, glancing around the table. “We can ration and share, and hunt for some meat, but there isn’t much game to be found now, and,” – did she sound like asking for pity and alms? – “we’ll have to make do, but it’s our turn in the greeny corvee this year, and we’ve already made bad experiences with it.” She shrugged. “It might get worse.”

The group watched her intently, Swan most of all. It was also Swan whose eyes stayed on her just a little longer, before she cleared her throat and wrote something down. “We’ll see to it,” she said simply, just how she’d replied to the other reports, although shorter and with a brusque note.

The meeting continued and ended with Swan wishing them goodbye – conspicuously devoid of conclusions or promises.

Secretive after all. Diana rose and moved out slowly. Wolff had vanished on his own, so she remained in the building, waiting for him.

It was Swan who called her after a few minutes. “Ms. Farley,” she repeated, “I’m glad you made it here.”

Diana almost saluted. She inclined her head. “So am I, ma’am,” she replied.

“You’re new to this,” Swan stated, more serious now.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Swan nodded. “Well, it’s good you’re so committed, but I think you don’t understand yet.” Her brown eyes bored into Diana’s, and Diana’s greater height meant nothing in this moment. Swan towered over her as her fingers clasped around Diana’s arm.

“You see, the Guard has to cover its expenses in some way, or we can surrender right now,” Swan said.

Diana nodded, but for a second, Swan’s grip tightened like a vice, her gaze never leaving Diana’s face. “If you ask the Guard for help, we’ll expect compensation in return.” Swan let go.

“I promise to deliver, ma’am,” Diana said, unsettled but obedient.

Swan inclined her head, her expression softening slightly. “I’m sure of it.”

“Is there … another mission for me?”

Swan crossed her arms and waved a hand. Diana didn’t understand what that was supposed to mean – besides “wait more” – then Swan sighed. “There might already be something under way. Anyway, I look forward to work with you further, Ms. Farley.”

They shook hands and Diana grasped that their conversation was about to end. Yet she wouldn’t be left hanging again. “Please wait,” she called in a firm voice.

Swan raised her eyebrows, half surprised, half affirmed.

“Will we meet again?” Diana asked.

“How would I know?” Swan sounded almost amused.

Diana frowned. “If so … I’d like to avoid wasting any more time.”

Swan cackled shortly. “Of course not.”

“I want to pledge myself to the Scarlet Guard,” Diana went on, unperturbed.

Earnestness returned to Swan’s face. It took a second at most, but Diana felt like falling until she heard Swan reply “yes”.

Rise, red as the dawn.

So simple. So fitting. So obvious. And yet, the credo filled Diana’s mind like a prayer she’d never needed before. It was done, she was the oathed member “Lamb” of the Scarlet Guard. Though it was rather a start than an achievement, she was elated.

She’d be worthy. She’d bring change. She had to admit she didn’t know how to change what, but that was why she joined the Guard, wasn’t it?

The world had kept her ignorant of what could be, but it was unable to hide its wrongness from her and so many others. It was time to step up, to rise.

Although currently, she stepped the long way home, over the icy ground and through the dark. It was almost midnight, and couldn’t be further from the red dawn.

Wolff stayed the night in Aerzen for some undisclosed reason, but thanks to her hunter’s training, she had no extraordinary problems to find her way home in the night.

She’d almost arrived.

At her home, a lantern shone. From her parents? Or Madeline? Though Diana’s sister was used to their family’s comings and goings in the dark, and would have simply retired without waiting, maybe leaving a candle in her window at most. And the light on the porch was clearly brighter than that.

Diana increased her speed, growing a little wary. But she was hit by surprise nonetheless when she heard Giselle greet her. She rushed the last steps up the porch, into the warm orange light of the lantern and Giselle’s arms.

“What are you doing here?” she muttered. “Why didn’t you go in?”

Giselle hummed instead of answering, shoving away Diana’s scarf and snuggling her face into the crook of Diana’s neck. Diana shuddered when she felt Giselle’s breath on her skin.

“I should go in?” Giselle murmured teasingly. “Who stayed outside half the night?” She chuckled, one hand on Diana’s back, hugging her tighter, her other hand searching for Diana’s cold fingers. “You’re a literal icicle.”

Diana kissed Giselle’s temple, Giselle’s squeak a proof of the coldness of Diana’s lips. Diana laughed, fumbling with her fingers so she could pull an oversized mitten over their joined hands. “You’re warming me now,” she said softly, and meant it. She hadn’t expected to see Giselle after she’d left for the meeting, and now she wished to bring Giselle up to her room and cuddle with her in her bed.

She moaned as Giselle’s hand found its way under her coat and to her bare back. They began to sway, in a manner that only marginally resembled dancing due to the hour, the temperature, their exhaustion and thick clothes. Yet Diana could easily imagine another dance of them, just as beautiful.

Eventually, Giselle went on her toes and kissed Diana on the lips. “You stood me up,” she breathed, “and I demand compensation.”

Compensation.

The word crossed through her mind as they kissed again, longer and deeper. It was the second time she heard this word tonight, and it made her consider. Was this the moment to confess? It was merely a question of time before Giselle would ask where she’d been, why she’d broken her promise, and Diana had no explanation ready but the truth.

Giselle’s fingers cradled Diana’s face but her gaze wandered, up and down and aside, in that adorable manner of hers. “I haven’t waited here for long, actually,” Giselle said. “I’ve heard something and I couldn’t wait to tell you.”

Diana lifted her eyebrows. Giselle threw back her head and laughed. “Well, I don’t know for sure, but the news is already making the round, and Ms. Cordes herself said it too, so …” she shrugged and smiled and – in Diana’s eyes – shone brighter than her lantern ever could.

“Lord Isère bought new land and wants tenants to work it,” Giselle went on. “Tenants like my family.”

Diana squeaked and embraced Giselle. She imagined sweeping her of her feet but was too tired for that by now. Excitement and joy for Giselle’s sake rushed through her bloodstream still. “Awesome!” she exclaimed. “Like you wished for.”

Giselle giggled with her, their joined laughter getting louder by the second until they had to stop to catch breath. “Indeed,” Giselle agreed, “indeed.” She quieted, fingertips brushing Diana’s cheek. “I wonder …” she began, yet drifted off.

“What?” Diana muttered as soon as it dawned on her.

“Would you come with me?” Giselle asked, chewing her lips. She sounded hopeful.

But as Diana stayed silent, trying all she could to freeze her face and give nothing away, Giselle frowned. “I … understand you’d want to finish your apprenticeship as a huntress,” she said, not sounding understanding at all. “But I don’t think the new village will have need of a hunter … “

She was still so close, having only slightly loosened their embrace, but it felt like she was flying way, leaving Diana to fall. Diana fought the sensation, lifting her hand to Giselle’s head, cradling it. “We can –”, she urged – but what? What could she offer?

All she could read in Giselle’s face was disappointment. She inched away and grabbed Diana’s arms. “I don’t get it, Diana!” she shouted. “You always said, you wanted away, you wanted change! What is here for you?”

What is here for me?

The Scarlet Guard, obviously. But that wasn’t why she hesitated. She could still fight with them from the next village over. It was that Diana knew it wouldn’t end there, the Guard would ask more and more from her because that was the one thing Swan was clear about.

And if Diana loved Giselle and wanted to be with her, she had to be open with her.

She shook her head and smiled weakly. She closed the distance between them and let their foreheads touch. The muscles in her fingers tensed, tightening her hold on Giselle’s face, and Giselle took the hand in hers and moved her head to kiss Diana’s palm. She smiled back and Diana remembered how Giselle had beamed only moments before, when she’d talked about her new future.

I have to be honest with her…, Diana thought, her lips already moving as if preparing for the words to say, looking into Giselle’s expectant eyes.

… But I also have to protect her.

She closed her eyes. Diana dreamed of the Red Dawn, but Giselle dreamed of a home in safety. And Diana couldn’t take that dream away from her.

Diana pulled away harshly and both their smiles vanished in an instant.

It wasn’t over yet. She could still go back.

She thought of all those times when Giselle had side-eyed her, full of unanswered and unasked questions. Where had Diana been? Why was she away? Why did she learn to fight?

Giselle had never asked, and Diana had preferred to believe she was just moody, like everyone was. But maybe, Giselle really didn’t want to know, nor cared about what Diana did behind her back and wished for deep down.

If they wanted to go on, they’d need to trust one another. And Diana realized she could not grant Giselle that trust.

She stepped back.

Shock spread over Giselle’s face and Diana craved to reach out, to touch her, just one last time. Instead she balled her fists, straightened her back and gave Giselle a hard gaze, engraving that final sight of Giselle into her mind – even though it was a sight of despair.

“I’m sorry,” she said tonelessly, and turned around, opening the door to her house, dashing through and locking it behind her.

She breathed heavily but bit down her tears and sobs as she sank down. She restrained her cries so much it hurt. Not to wake Madeline, she restrained them as she went to her room, as she undressed herself, put on her nightgown and laid down – and only then, pressing her face into the pillow to muffle the sound, she began to cry.

She wore the nightgown Giselle had given her on her birthday. It was a meager replacement for the real girl’s touch.

Diana fell in and out of sleep.

Madeline went over to her at some point, stroking her back and whispering soothing words until Diana was asleep again.

Later, in the early morning, Madeline chased off Papa when he came looking for her. Diana didn’t care about hunting, or telling them about the meeting. She stayed in bed until it was almost noon.

It was sunnier today, although hardly warmer. When she managed to get up, she wrapped herself in a blanket while washing her face. She looked terrible in the mirror and felt close to crying again when she noticed she wore a nightgown from Giselle, held on to a blanket Giselle had embroidered, and used soap she’d made.

So many parts of her Diana had taken for granted and now they were the only things she’d left from her.

“Stop it,” she whispered to her face in the mirror. “Stop.”

She decided to drink some tea – and realized it would be also from Giselle. But it had to stop hurting, didn’t it? Giselle wasn’t dead, and Diana had a mission waiting for her. Life would go on. The Scarlet Guard, they would be her life from now on.

Downstairs, her mother stood at the kitchen window. And she looked even worse than Diana.

The corners of Clara’s mouth twitched. “Good morning.”

“Mama!” Diana cried out, for a second unashamed of sounding like a little girl wanting her mother to comfort her and not at all like a soldier to be.

Not that she gave in to the impulse, even though she smelled Giselle’s tea, prepared by her mother, drifting over the fragrance of the burning fire. She only held on tighter to her mother, breathing heavily as Mama rubbed over her back.

When Mama pulled away, Diana was ready. Keeping her face straight, she said, “I’ve been to a Scarlet Guard meeting last night.”

Mama nodded, gesturing to the table. Diana sat down, thankful for her mother putting bread and a mug with tea in front of her. Sadness and excitement warred in her and either would make her hands shake.

“I’ve given my oath as well,” Diana continued, warming her palms with the mug and meeting her mother’s expectant gaze. Yet further words eluded her. Shouldn’t she have talked about the meeting first, before mentioning her personal success? She stared into the tea until she found her reflection in its surface –

“Hey.” Mama patted her shoulder and Diana looked up. “Congratulations, lamb,” Mama said and Diana settled back into the here and now, though irked that her old pet name and her Guard designation were the same.

Mama cleared her throat. “I knew about the meeting,” she said and took Diana’s hands. “I couldn’t go there” – she paused and blinked – “because I was on a mission myself.”

“Really?”

Mama nodded slowly, then closed her eyes. “Eleven,” she murmured.

“What?”

Mama looked up. “With last night, I’ve killed eleven Silvers by now.”

Diana was aghast. “You … you never said anything,” she stammered.

“I’m becoming the Guard’s favourite killer,” Mama mused. “Or rather their butcher.” She cackled. She turned her face to Diana who was too shocked to speak.

“Last night, it was at a Silver manor,” Mama narrated. “I was to steal coins and grain, then set a fire for distraction.” Her expression darkened. “It didn’t go as planned. There were guests, and then the house blew up.

“I took what I could, and told the same to the dozen of Red workers at the manor. Also that they should flee and hide here.”

“Here? In – “

“Yes. They’ll arrive in a few days.” Mama sighed. “It was so much, Diana. Enough money to support the Guard for months.” She shook her head. “My handler was elated. Said they can’t wait to finally deploy me on a greater scale.”

In the pregnant silence that followed, Diana grasped the implication. “They want you elsewhere?”

Mama nodded, squeezing Diana’s hands. “Papa too. They’re going to press harder for relocation now, as you’ve become a full member as well.”

So they’ve been asking her and Papa to move for a while. Diana gulped. “I had no idea.”

Her mother lifted an eyebrow. “Really?”

Diana’s head sank. “No. Yes …” She looked up. “It’s obvious in hindsight, isn’t it?” She gasped as a consequence crossed her mind. “But Madeline?”

Mama shook her head.

“She won’t come with us?” Diana asked and her mother declined.

“To imagine leaving my little girl behind …” Mama sighed deeply. “You know she never had any interest. She wants to stay at my family’s farm. She isn’t like us.” A hint of accusation swung in her voice, but not for Madeline. For herself.

Diana squeezed her mother’s hand. “We can’t make her join,” she said quietly, thinking of someone else as well. “That would be worse.”

Mama pulled loose and leaned back in her chair. She stared at her hands, stretching her fingers that were worn from work. Her fingernails showed dark grey stains. From the fire last night, Diana guessed. Or from dead Silvers.

“I thought this place is only good for hiding,” Mama said slowly. “Not for living. But it’s still so hard to leave it behind.”

Diana knew. The coming farewell from her hometown soon left her with a constant ache, a fear of the uncertain future. But this ache was manageable because the future was always unclear, because it also came with a glimmer of hope.

It didn’t stop Diana from sobbing in her pillow the next night. And the next. And the next, as she saw her fate weaving a pattern that denied any option for her and Giselle to be together. She hadn’t anticipated that certainty to arrive so fast, had wished, deep down, to return to her, to give her another chance.

There couldn’t be one, so Diana cried in the dark and every time Madeline would go to comfort her for a while even though Diana didn’t explain why she was sad. It became obvious after a few days anyway, but it was also that Madeline wished to be there for her sister as long as they were together still.

It was enough that her family pampered her, Diana wouldn’t let herself be pitied by the whole village. She had enough to do, preparing their – illegal – leave and instructing the fugitive workers from the manor her mother had burned down. With them arrived resources from the Scarlet Huard, like a reward for her mother’s successful mission. Among the newcomers was a hunter boy Diana took with her to make him familiar with the lands and the forest.

There were times when she enjoyed the idea that Giselle might suspect there was something between her and the boy. At other times, she hated the image. What Giselle really thought, she had no idea. From one day to the next, she and Giselle had stopped talking, as if it was easier that way.

Maybe it was. After all, barely a month had passed when Giselle and her family moved out to Lord Isère’s new settlement; mere days before Giselle’s 17th birthday. Another thing Diana was glad about, for she couldn’t imagine to pretend it was just any other day.

It was painful enough when Giselle embraced her in farewell, like she did with every other youth they grew up with. During her turn, Diana noticed how Giselle’s joyful smile dropped just a little.

Then Diana Farley’s first love, in her best dress and with spring flowers in her hair, climbed onto a cart to leave her past, the village and the girl she’d loved behind, to seek her own path.

Madeline sat on her bed, brushing her yellow hair. It was the June morning before Sieverling’s greeny corvee, Madeline’s first.

She’ll take my place, Diana thought. It was strange to realize since, in several ways, Madeline would really take her place, at least in Sieverling. She’d stay. Diana would leave. Today, it was an order from the Scarlet Guard calling her and her father away to retrieve travel permits and other faked papers for Diana and her parents for when they were moving out of their home village to wherever the Guard wanted them.

Of course they haven’t told us anything yet.

Neither timing was optimal with the corvee coming, but as the participation lists were old, Madeline, the other kids older than ten now, and the newcomers could fill the ranks for the next few days. Unless someone with the delegated Silvers noticed the new arrivals. Unless someone wondered about those who’d recently left Sieverling for another settlement.

Diana swallowed at the thought that came so close to Giselle. She couldn’t bear it. She rose from the bed, preparing for her own trip but occasionally glancing at her sister.

The early sunlight gleamed and sparkled at her golden necklace, a family heirloom from their mother’s family. Uncle Timo had given it and another to his sister Clara as a parting gift. Diana had declined hers, and passed it on to Madeline.

“So you’ll remember us,” Diana had said, clasping the necklace around her sister’s neck.

Madeline had quirked an eyebrow. “So you’ll remember we’re still here,” she’d retorted.

Diana didn’t know if she could deal with Madeline away from her on top of everything else. She looked at her sister, taking another mental image of her. At thirteen, her sister had gotten big, so tall and long-legged. Her hair, straight and thin unlike Diana’s, had grown so long too. Yet she was still quite slight, delicate and childlike.

How can we …?

“Hey,” Madeline stood up, brushing Diana’s arm. “Help me with that?” She pointed to the necklace’s clasp.

“Ah, sure.” Diana reacted slowly, still in a slump. Sometimes she doubted she would be a help to anyone when heartbreak could shatter her like this, asked herself how much her family did only to comfort her. They’d even had a photo taken of the four of them, before they’d part ways.

“Thanks,” said Madeline as Diana placed the necklace in her hand. She looked up to her big sister, with her green eyes, her only facial feature that was more like Mama than Papa.

Madeline put the necklace in a box. “Good luck to you,” she said with a smile and Diana had to smile back. “I confess, I’m kind of excited.” Madeline’s grin widened, her voice going higher in jest. “Who knows, maybe the queen – “

“– will visit us this year?” Diana finished and they both laughed at the old joke. “I hope not.”

As Diana and her father were on their hike to the town were their papers waited in a cache, her thoughts returned to her sister’s old joke. Indeed, she was relieved she wouldn’t meet the Silvers of the greeny corvee, let alone the queen of the Lakelands. Despite her oath, she’d be tempted too much to not act against them in a rush.

Must be Mama’s killer instinct, she considered. But since she wasn’t sure she was ready for another kill, it was probably better this way.

Diana felt better in general, too. She didn’t know where it came from in that moment, but for the first time in months, she didn’t only believe, but also trusted in the cause, and walked lighter for that alone.

I have to stop pitying myself, for fuck’s sake.

In the end, Madeline had it almost right – a royal of House Cygnet granted Sieverling a visit. But it was the king, not the queen, and he didn’t come to retrieve crops, but to bring a flood.

She had been wrong to ever feel sorry about the Silver woman she’d killed; wrong to even think Silvers could be “like them.” She’d thought her ignorance about them granted the Silvers the benefit of the doubt, but if she was true to herself, every interaction with them had pointed only in the one direction.

She snorted as she strapped her boots so tight it hurt. She welcomed the pain these days, anything that distracted her from the gaping hole inside of her.

And tightly-strapped boots made it easier to get over the wet ground she was trudging through. She hated it. She hated the walk, the hour, the landscape, herself. When she glimpsed the puddles on the fields through the dark at the end of the night, a fear rose up in her, together with the memory of Sieverling – and what happened to it and everyone she knew.

He was here too, this place was also flooded, and so is …!

She pressed her eyes shut. Calm down. She chided herself, supressing the ridiculous fear along with anything else she couldn’t allow herself to feel.

She was made of stone and, clad in camouflage, invisible in the late night. The world was shades of grey and as colourless as her heart. Just the new poppy buds, about to bloom today, offered a few bright spots.

The newly-built village looked strange: too clean, almost lifeless – because drudgery simply hadn’t worn it out yet.

She arrived this early so no one would be awake yet. The village looked busy enough, with its animals grazing on pastures and plants growing on the fields. Good to know they seemed to do well.

Fortunately, the settlement wasn’t too large and the house she searched for was located on the corner she came from. She was certain enough it was the right one, with its façade painted with familiar, colourful patterns.

She produced the envelope addressed with Giselle’s name from her pocket and crouched down to shove it under the door. She laid her hands on the door. Then she rested her head against it. She breathed heavily. To know that at least Giselle slept safely, just behind this door …!

She balled her fists and got up. She had no time to linger any longer.

The letter had been short:

Dear Giselle,

I’m happy you found and arrived at the place you wished for.

In the end, we’ve left, too.

She’d struggled, laboured over these few words. But she had nothing else she could say. It had been even harder to convince herself to sign it with her name. It would be pointless to end the letter without it, and still she hated how that single signature made her feel a finality in one more than one way.

Looking over her shoulder, she sighed one last time and headed back to their camp where she hadn’t slept in for a minute.

She hurried but he already expected her, looming as serious and soldier-like as ever.

They had that in common now, like they’d begun to share so many traits. None of them were a comfort though, only necessities.

And yet he took the necklaces and even the photo, she remembered. Memories of happiness she’d decided she wouldn’t afford.

“Diana,” he said, the chiding tone unmistakeable. She ignored him. She’d learned, to her surprise, that the Scarlet Guard had made him a major, a rank unattainable to a Red in the Lakelands’ army. He was oh so proud of it and it showed.

“Diana,” he repeated, firmer now and she could no longer avoid his gaze. His sight hurt her. The scowl was the only expression he wore on his face nowadays, and it’d rip her open if she didn’t answer in kind. So she glared at him while he simply continued, “you shouldn’t have gone there. You know we have to stay hidden. Di –”

“Don’t call me that!” she snapped. She watched his startlement with an icy satisfaction going down her spine.

Her voice and face were devoid of emotion and she hoped that pleased him in turn. “I’m Operative Farley of the Scarlet Guard,” she announced. “And nothing else.”

@elliemarchetti @lilyharvord @goldfincheli @avid-author-activist @maudthebookeater @spookymareshmallow @misslucyhutton @ghostlymaven @olivegreenolives @neyrriz @gamer670 @loveverygalaxybouquetstuff @shadykittentraveler @yjlover @blairistired @onlycosmere @lil-taco-kid @brightfairyyy @scxrletguardsdawn @sxfik @1booklover @orphic-aubade @prayforthewickedz

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siriusist · 4 years

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tagged by @anathenma WOO GIRL <3

rules: tag 10 followers you want to get to know better

name: Lauren

gender: Female

star sign: Virgo Sun || Leo Moon || Leo Ascendent, which basically means I have the usually quiet reserved personality of an analytical, organised virgo on the fact of things, am usually the goofy, chill friend amongst my friends, and don’t like to take anyone’s shit, but if I am disrespected, I’m a sensitive six foot flower and withdraw from the world until I can get over it. xD I don’t like conflict.

height: 183cm/6 feet

age: 27 (YIKES XD)

wallpaper on my phone: (I had to check XD) A calendar of May 2020 stylistically arranged around ribbons

house: Slytherin

ever crush on a teacher: Both my parents and my uncle are teachers and consequently I knew every teacher in my school as actual human people and not ‘crushes’ growing up. So no. XD

coolest halloween costume: I went as the Starbucks logo one year when I was eight, a gigantic Lady Luck die one year with a top hat covered in poker chips and cards. I had some good ones I made: I was creative as fuck when I was 9-11 especially, and I had to be, because I was already around 5′7 and people assumed I was just some weirdo dressing up to get candy (Hearing ‘AREN’T YOU A LITTLE OLD TO BE TRICK OR TREATING’ at eleven CRUSHED me XD)

Favorite 90s tv show:

Okay. So there’s one’s I watched actually as a child of the 90s, and ones that were just always ON in the 90s that I ended up watching. It’s debatable whether these are actually good NOW. XD

That being said, the background ones were Saved By the Bell (ZACH MORRIS IS TRAAAAassssh~~), Boy Meets World, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond.

As a kid, I loved the Aladdin Animated Series, The Hercules Animated Series, CHIP AND DALE RESCUE RANGERS (Which didn’t really hold up sadly but still has the best theme song of all time, fight me), and Timon and Pumbaa.

One I rarely caught but really liked was All That, The Wonder Years, Sabrina the Teenage Witch- occasionally Fresh Prince.

Out of all of these, I still have a super fond spot for Saved By the Bell, especially with the ‘Zach Morris is Trash’ series on Youtube (Seriously, go watch it. It’s fucking hilarious and basically breaks down how much of a serial killer in the making Zach Morris is XD). The clothing is ridiculous and no one really dressed like that in the early 90s outside of commercials and TV (unfortunately). Maybe one shoddy item out of the bunch. Meanwhile Saved by the Bell is like LETS PUT IT ALL ON. XD It was terrible once they got to college, but it was stupid and fun and made me feel ‘cool’ watching it because I was like three and being like, “YEAH, IT’S BRIGHT AND THESE PEOPLE ARE COOL AND I CAN FOLLOW THE PLOT. I’M MATURE.” XD It’s literally still the only one of these I actively watch now in the form of Zach Morris is Trash, so I’ll go with it. xD

Last kiss: Never had a consensual kiss. Make of that what you will. xD

Have you ever been stood up: Nope.

Favourite pair of shoes:

I have terrible plantar fasciitis from sports, so I’m a shoe snob, and have to have properly fitting/constructed shoes. It depends on what I’m doing in them, really. I got a pair of trail running shoes for trail running during COVID, but they’re not the most aesthetically pleasing. I’d say the best mixture between comfort and style are either a good ol’pair of black ankle boots with a slight heel (so I can be 6′2 and intimidate people with my height muhahahaha), or more practically on a day to day basis, I have a pair of Reeboks that are 90s-styled with pastel pink and blue triangles on the side. They’re pretty dope. xD

have you ever been to vegas: No, but my parents have. Basically, they said you tire of shopping after two days, and then you’re just stuck inside hotels and shopping malls there. If you’re not a gambler, drinker, or have a ton of money to splash out on stage shows, I don’t think it’s particularly worth going.

favorite fruit: Mango or raspberry, but they’re super-expensive in the land of Maple Syrup so I usually don’t get them any other way other than frozen in smoothies.

Favourite book:

I could never choose a favourite book. It’s literally like choosing between children. It’s my microcosmic version of Sophie’s Choice. xD Tasteless joke aside, it’d honestly depend on the occasion. There’s a huge difference between entertainment reading, literary exploits, and educating yourself through books as a whole.

My ‘plane’ book (which I’m terrible at flying, so that was a joke), as in, an easy, fun, instantly rereadable read to read on the plane when I used to have super long fifteen hour flights to Australia, was always Mario Puzo’s ‘The Godfather,’ because I also had a huge crush on Michael Corleone.

But it’s also not the ‘best’ book and literally spends an inordinate and honestly disturbing amount of time on the fact that this poor woman in the story (which thankfully in the film, it gets cut down), but the bridesmaid Sonny Corleone has sex with, and how you see his wife indicating his ‘size’?

THAT’S LITERALLY AN ENTIRE SUBPLOT OF THIS BROAD’S STORY I SHIT YOU NOT BECAUSE NOTHING IS ‘BIG’ ENOUGH FOR HER AFTER HIM AND THEN YOU FIND OUT SHE HAS A MEDICAL CONDITION AND GOOD FOR HER SHE’S ABLE TO FIND LOVE AGAIN BUT WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK MARIO PUZO XD IT WAS A LOT OKAY.

(Footnote: I also suffered through his horrific sequels because I love Michael Corleone and will take him in any form he comes in, even horrifically written Sicilian backhill exploits that were never told to us in the original book and were clearly just written because Puzo needed another pay check but I digress.)

Horrific subplots aside, I really enjoy The Godfather for its sheer pulpiness. The book is essentially what Andrew Lloyd Weber is to musicals. xD (Yes, I come with musical theatre burns. Fight me.)

In terms of a piece of literature that I think is amazingly well done? Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Stupidest thing you ever done:

Um, maybe when I was at Cambridge I tried to dye my roots to match the rest of my ‘blonde’ hair at the time, and it turned out bright orange? And because it’s Cambridge, they had this super-strict attendance policy, so I was literally trying not to hyperventilate because it was running close to class (which was across campus) and I was trying to find some way to remedy my hair without it falling out/ someone asking about it. So, I grabbed a toque-cap-thing despite it being literally one of the hottest summer on record in the UK (It was like 35 degrees, it was MENTAL), and had to sprint to class all the way on the other side of campus from my college dodging dodgy tourist groups blocking the sidewalk while I went. Then when I sat down inside, I had to be weirdly rude and wear my hat inside the lecture hall even though the professor was looking at me (it was a specialised program in German Literature) like, “Are you going to take that shit off?” xD THEN I tried to dye it back to brown, and it literally looked like mud mixed with a runny egg had exploded on the top of my head; it was AWFUL. XD So FINALLY I did my research and found a salon, but by THAT point I had done 250 pounds worth of damage to my hair (WHICH IS LIKE 400 DOLLARS CANADIAN AT THE TIME), and I almost had a heart attack and thanked my lucky stars that I had money put away so I could give my parents the ‘parent price’ when they asked why they hadn’t seen me on FaceTime or Skype for like, three weeks, and I replaced my face with a photo of John Cleese from Fawlty Towers, which they tease me about to this day. xD

The other dumbest thing I ever said was when I was so desperate for friends in grade six when I moved to a new school (and because being American was ‘cool’ at the time, apparently), I told everyone I was a dual citizen because my mother LITERALLY GAVE BIRTH TO ME ON THE BORDER CROSSING WHAT. XD And bless this poor bespectacled girl named Mara (who was actually a little class friend of mine), who just said timidly in the back, “That’s not how citizenship works.” xD It basically came out of attempting to be cool and failing, but I’m still SO embarrassed about THAT one that I’d never admit it to ANYONE besides shouting it out into the Tumblr black hole. xD I’m still embarrassed to THIS DAY.

All time favorite shows:

I’ll go for the original run of The Twilight Zone, which has some schmaltzy episodes (I’m really not a fan of any of the episodes entirely dedicated to the Space Race or the weird cowboy fanaticism of the fifties/ sixties, or anything that’s overtly like “ALIENS DID IT SO THERE”), but I LOVE their psychological horror episodes or Dystopian episodes. It’s when Rod Serling’s writing and narrative voice is the strongest and most prophetic, and the twists are usually the best. Other shows have tries to imitate it, or reboot it, but I really think the original, due to Rod Serling’s unmatchable voice, in every sense of the word. There’s lists of some of the greatest episodes, but I remember LOVING the episode ‘A Stop at Willoughby.’ The twist literally made me clap my hands in horror and delight, it was amazing. xD

Other than that? Off the top of my head, Mad Men and Band of Brothers, even though I haven’t rewatched either in ages.

last movie you saw in theaters:

Oh God, before all THIS hit? Probably Rise of Skywalker. I get agoraphobic and itchy if a movie theatre is too busy, and we only have really pokey sort of ones nearby that you’re guaranteed to see someone you went to high school with (terrible), so now that I can properly drive I go out to the big redneck theatre out in the boonies. I miss living in Montreal though, because when you live in a big city like that downtown (and can actually afford to live there), you could see blockbuster movies at like ten in the morning. xD Which would be AMAZING because I’d go to see any of the early Avengers/Marvel movies when they opened, the day of opening, and it was literally me, one old man who fell asleep halfway through and sat near the back, and maybe an elderly couple on a morning date to the movies. xD I get really annoyed with obnoxious movie-goers, and I’m really picky about just being completely absorbed in the movie, so I tend not to go unless I’m guaranteed that space.

tagging: Anyone who wishes to tag me back so I can learn about them <3

#meme #well god this was embarrassing #still hope you found something of interest in there though xD #personal #I indented the longer answers so this was somewhat cohesive

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