#There are 2 missing from 2015 and 2016 but those are between God and me

[xamitras]

For many of years I had this tradition of drawing Wirt and the beast once a year to see how much I have improved, then depression hit in 2023 and couldn't continue, but it left so really amazing art in the process

[mgsapphire]

My K-drama recommendation master list Part 2

You can find part 1 here

Look, you gave us relatively new recommendations, what about ones older than 10 years? I'll give you my top 5

Princess Hours (2006) Is a modern Cinderella story. It's 24 episodes long. Available on Viki.

Personal Taste (2010) Honestly, problematic plot if you put your mind into it, but entertaining nonetheless. It's 16 episodes long, each one lasting a little over an hour, available on Viki.

Cinderella's Sister (2010) You hate every character, but there's still something that makes you watch it. Available on Viki.

Thank You (2007) was ahead of its time, it's about a single mother with a daughter who has an HIV+ diagnosis. 16 episodes long, each one lasting a little over an hour. Available on Viki.

Stairway to Heaven (2003) for a good melodrama.

What about romantic fantasies involving fantastic beings?

Guardian: The lonely and Great God(2016) A classic of the genre. It tells the story of a God who was once a man, and is being punished by immortality, unless he meets his bride, who just so happens to be a high schooler centuries later. Available on viki. 16 episodes long with 3 specials, all lasting about 75 minutes.

Hotel Del Luna (2019) it would be unfair to talk about Goblin, without talking about this other masterpiece about a being cursed into immortality and granted special availabilities along with it, but a curse is still a curse, and she must run a hotel meant for ghosts, where after centuries of being, meets a young man who is alive. Availability on Viki, 16 episodes long and each one lastz about 75 minutes.

Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020) You get to see Lee Dong Wook as another mystical being, and Kim Bum is his half brother. 16 episodes long and one special, each one lasting about 65 minutes. Available on Viki.

My roommate is a Gumiho (2021) what's up with gumihos? It's still airing. The title is self explanatory. Available on Viki and Qiyi.

Angel's last mission: Love (2019) is a cute and sad story about an angel who is about to ascend and a ballerina who has a cynical view of the world. Available on Viki. Each episode averages 30 minutes, with 32 episodes.

Doom at your service (2021) About to finish airing. It tells the story of a dying woman who wishes doom upon the world, and the doom who answers her plea. Available on viki, 16 episodes long, each one lasting about an hour.

The Scholar Who walks the night (2015) another Lee Joon Gi entry, but I swear all of his works are great, it's a period drama that tells the story of a scholar who is a vampire and the young bookseller he meets. It's 20 episodes long, each one lasting about an hour. Available on viki. Also, if you've liked Lee Soo Hyuk in Doom at Your Service, I advise you check this one out.

Tale of Arang (2012) two Lee Joon Gi entries in a row? Girl, you have to stop. Anyways, this one is another period piece of a magistrate who can see ghosts and the ghost of a young woman who doesn't remember her life, nor the cause of her death. Available on viki, it's 20 episodes long, each one lasting a little over an hour.

Look, those are fine or whatever, but I started as a K-pop fan, where can I see some idol dramas? Don't worry, I came prepared

Full House (2004) with Rain as the main character is the og idol drama in my opinion. Available on Viki. 16 episodes long, each one lasting about 73 minutes.

Imitation (2021) is currently airing, and it's literally an idol drama about idols. You can find a looot of idols too: Jeong Yun Ho and Park Seong Hwa from Ateez, Chani and Hwi Young from SF9, Park Ji Yeon from T-ara, Lim Na Young from I.O.I and Pristin, and although Jeong Ji So is not an idol, she is the main lead, and I absolutely love her, she's also in Doom at your service. Available on Viki.

Miss Panda and Mr. Hedgehog (2012) features Donghae from Super Junior, and if I'm going to recommend a Super Junior drama, I would rather recommend one featuring him over Siwon.

At a Distance the Spring is Green (2021) is currently airing too, and only has four released episodes, but I've liked it so far. Featuring Park Ji Hoon, and Kwon Dun Bin. Also, I have a lot of opinions about this show. Available on Viki.

I was going to put an IU drama but, all her dramas are good, so go and watch them all, the woman has range.

Dream High (2011) is the king of idol dramas, in my opinion. It talksa about a high school for people who want to be idols. Another one with a long line up of idols, so let me start: Suzy, IU, Taecyeon, Nichkhun and Wooyoung from 2PM, Ham Eun Jung from T-ara. Leeteuk (SuJu and Chansung (2PM) make cameos. Similarly to Imitation, Kim Soo Hyun is not an idol, but he's the main lead. It's 16 episodes long, each one lasting about 65 minutes. Available on Viki.

Wow, quite a few, but they all seem rather popular, do you have some underrated gems? I'm going to have to go down memory lane, but I do

The Queen's Classroom (2013) This one feels like a fever dream, because I'm aware it exists, I watched it back when it first aired, but I can't find it anywhere now. It's based on a Japanese drama of the same name. It's about a strict but warm hearted teacher and her students' lives and struggles. 16 episodes long. DM me if you find anywhere to watch it.

1% of Something (2016) is a really cute drama, the chemistry is off the charts, and if you're looking for skinship, this one is the one for you, underrated arranged marriage kdrama, I'm telling you. It's 16 episodes long, averaging 45 minutes, and it's on Viki.

I'm not a Robot (2017) has a really cute plot, not underrated per se, but not hyped enough. It's 32 episodes long, each one averaging 30 minutes. Available on Viki.

Do you like Brahms? (2020) is a music themed kdrama, really cute and wholesome. If you like 2setviolin and watched their critique on their YouTube channel, let me tell you, the cast actually knows how to play violin and stuff, and there's an actual child prodigy in there. It got so much hate bc of that one yt video. It's 16 episode long, each one lasting about an hour. Available on Viki.

Solomon's Perjury (2016) a good reflection on youth and the pressure society has. 12 episodes long, lasting about 63 minutes each. Available on Viki.

The Greatest Love (2011) is a super entertaining TV show, and just supper funny and cute. 16 episodes long, each one lasting around 65 minutes. Available on Viki.

Two Cops (2017) if you like Kim Seon Ho, I think this was his TV acting debut. It's a hilarious action comedy TV show. 32 episodes long, lasting around 30 minutes. Available on viki.

Do you have any recommendations where time traveling or time is central to the story?

Alice (2020) look, I can't give you a full explanation because it's too mind bending. Let's leave it at detective meets his mother. Available on Viki.

Signal (2016) The premise is similar to that of the movie Frequency (2000) in which there's communication between the past and the present via technology. The plot is based on the real Hwaseong serial murders. Really interesting. Available on Netflix. If you like the premise of communicating with the past via technology Call (2020) is a Korean thriller movie available on Netflix.

Chicago Typewriter (2017) this one is about reincarnation but we get to see both timelines. Available on Netflix.

Tomorrow with you (2017) Time-traveling but make it ✨depressing ✨. The story of a man who time travels, and how that ability messes with his marriage. Available on Netflix.

What about historical dramas? I don't really watch those, but here are some I liked

The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) is one of the few I've finished. It's really good, it follows the love story of a king. Available on viki. 20 episodes long, each one lasting about an hour.

Gunman in Joseon (2014) Am I recommending you this one because of Lee Joon Gi? Maybe. It has 22 episodes, each one lasting about an hour. Available on Viki.

The Crowned Clown (2019) a story of the Prince and the Pauper if I must give you a description that is relatable, but if you know the book titled Skogland, it's closer to that. It's 16 episodes long, each one lasting about 80 minutes. Available on Viki.

I'm a little ashamed to say this, but do you have any BL? I do, I do

To My Star (2021) is a story about an actor and a chef, and how they learn to cohabit after the actor is forced into hiding. You can watch either the movie version or the drama version, both available on viki.

Color Rush (2020) is a modern romance fantasy about people called Monos who can't see any color unless they meet their Probes, however this may turn dangerous as the Monos may experience obsessive behavior, so what happens when a young high schooler meets his probe?. You can either watch it on its drama or movie version. Both available on viki. By the way, if you're a long time deobi and was wandering what happened to Hwall, he's one of the main leads.

You Make Me Dance (2021) follows the story of a university dancer who is in debt and his debt collector. Available on viki in both versions. The movie is 107 minutes long.

Just Friends (2009) is a short film, but ahead of its time, if you can't tell by the year it was released on. It's a cute story about a man who visits his boyfriend in the military. I found it in dramacool.

That's all from me, if you have any specific genre or them you felt I didn't add in, do feel free to tell me.

[plainlo-inthemorning]

Shine a Light, part 6

A Loki series/Lokane fic. Rating T.

Previously: Part 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

He is already spinning around and bracing himself as his boots touch the concrete, half expecting to see the beast come tumbling towards him.

But the air is mercifully still where the door has snapped shut.

The evening sky above him is heavy with clouds, and a light mist of cool rain touches his face.

Cool.

He looks down at his hands. They are still shaking from the adrenaline, but no longer blue. Nor do his clothes feel rough against his skin.

Did he consciously change back to his Asgardian form as he went through the door? He is not sure. Whatever the shape or shade, his body feels oddly disconnected from his brain and Loki idly wonders if using the tempad so much within a short time span might be affecting him on a cellular level.

Then again, if that was the case would the Minute Men and analysts at the TVA not have been suffering from chronic time travel fatigue?

Who knows, perhaps they did. A number of them certainly looked worn out.

Tempad “jetlag” (an apt mortal word) or not, unwillingly running into variants upon variants of old enemies on this treacherous timeline coupled with the incessant longing for her has caused Loki’s grip on reality to slip ever more from one destination to the next.

What reality? a mocking voice in his head whispers, sounding maddingly similar to the little devil clock.

You have no idea where you are, who you are or where you’re going. You’re a man out of time, for all time, always.

He straightens and draws in a few deep breaths, surveying his new surroundings: A narrow brick terrasse. At the back wall, a glass sliding door reveals a room covered in darkness, but as nothing moves inside (his night vision remains far superior to that of mortals), Loki turns instead to take in the view of … London.

There is a taste of early spring in the air, and before him as far as the eye can see, the rooftops and spires of the city stretch out into the distance.

Millions of little lights flicker in the dark and the fumes of traffic and city grime mix with whiffs of different cuisines drifting out of air vents.

He has been here once or twice before, though not in decades, and there are whole clusters of towering structures of glass and steel that he does not recall from on his previous visit.

The house by the ocean in 2016, Budapest in 2015, New York in 2014 and now London in what he assumes must be 2013. As methodical as the backwards count has proven to be, as confusing are the destinations and varying seasons.

Only they cannot possibly be random.

Free will is an illusion.

The eerie feeling that even this, his ill-thought-out ‘quest’, is being guided by an invisible hand in charge of his destiny is so dispiriting it’s comical. He can’t quite decide whether to feel perversely honored that some higher being – a version of He Who Remains? – would take interest in toying with him, or furious that he has been singled out for this preposterous punishment of drifting through another Loki variant’s timeline.

It is no use dwelling on either emotion. He has no one to measure his pride against, no one’s expectations to live up to expect for his own, and, frankly, by now that bar is scraping the floor. There is no telling where the female variant of him went and Loki has no means of contacting the TVA or the analyst-interrogator even if he wanted to (he really does not anymore).

Loki unclenches his fists.

Seeing as each destination may have been an intentional set-up for whatever bizarre reason, the question is which character from his past he will encounter in this place. He vows to himself that no matter who he bumps into, he will attempt to reactivate that silver tongue of his and gather actual, useful information.

No more chaotic exits.

Provided no one tries to kill him on sight or squash him through a wall.

The terrace is furnished only with an old sun chair and a few plants, but the room beyond the glass door appears very lived in, with books stacked on the floor and several shelves, a large couch, a couple of armchairs, and what looks to be an adjacent kitchen area with a dining table.

Amazing how most mortals spend their years in such small, crowded dwellings.

Using only his magic, he slides open the door. It makes a low swooshing sound. Quiet as a cat, he steps over the threshold.

//

It hits him immediately, like walking into a wall: The scent of lavender.

And Thor.

The apartment is quiet, but they were here and recently.

He has been delivered right to them.

Loki is once again frozen in place.

His initial plan when knocking out that man in the canteen at the TVA and stealing his tempad was to find Thor and Jane at the scene of his own moral redemption (well…) on Svartalfheim. Where he supposedly saves their lives. Find them and use the momentum of their unfiltered gratitude to deliver the news that, most regrettably, the universe is likely coming to an end if they do not devise a plan together to prevent a multiversal war – preferably enlisting the help of Thor’s colleagues, too, and in the best of scenarios, Asgard.

Seek out Thor before saving Jane’s life, and Loki would have to first win his brother’s trust in the aftermath of the attack on New York. Find Thor after Svartalfheim, and there would be the small matter of explaining how the variant faked his own death and, after having thus broken Thor’s heart again, took the throne of the Realm Eternal.

Not an ideal conversation starter, even for them.

From the reel, he knows that there were other moments, much later, when he and Thor would become friendly again. After Ragnarok, before his end.

But Loki also knows that this need to get to Svartalfheim has as much to do with her as it has with Thor. Perhaps even more so.

Something important transpires between himself and the brown-eyed scientist on that brutal, barren planet and if it is the last thing he does, Loki will find out what it means.

It does not make any more sense now than it did when he sat in the kill me kind of room, transfixed by her face, but if he had had any initial doubts as to whether he was simply imagining the magnetic pull of her, those had been effectively shattered to atoms when she threw her arms around his neck outside the white house.

“Where did you go, handsome?”

Nothing on this timeline seems to be playing out as it should. Which of course also means that the events on Svartalfheim may never have occurred at all.

On this timeline, a variant has more or less befriended the Avengers in the years after New York when, according to the proper Loki fate, he should have been on Asgard. And, in a few years from now, the variant will somehow be with Jane.

Jane, who has stayed in this very apartment. With Thor.

Briefly, Loki is back to wondering if Thor dies and how, but then he remembers what Bruce said about their “family soap opera” and Loki’s “victory”.

Could it be that he and Thor actually fought over Jane?

As much as he wishes it otherwise, even Loki finds it hard to believe that his variant would have beat the God of Thunder in a fight. The might of Mjølner is formidable. And though his brother has not quite discovered it himself yet, Loki has always suspected that Thor has his own kind of magic.

Then there is Jane: Without having ever conversed with her, Loki would be surprised if Jane would appreciate being treated as a prize to be won.

He is getting a headache. A rare thing for a god, but there is no putting the puzzle together with so many pieces missing from the board. Since he has no hope of using the tempad to transport him off Midgard, maybe the best thing to do would be to just wait here and see if Jane and Thor come back. He has been specifically sent here, has he not?

Without really noticing, Loki has moved to the blue, puffy couch. He sits himself down and leans back into the soft cushions, letting out a sigh. When was the last time he slept or ate anything? There is a sense of fresh paranoia as he realizes that he cannot remember doing either at the TVA, expect for when he fell asleep during research.

“Time works differently at the TVA. You’ll see”.

He stretches his legs out in front of him and yawns. On the wall opposite from the couch is a paper calendar: 2013.

He takes in the rest of the apartment but does not magic any of the lights on. There is the open kitchen, a tiny hallway with a coat rack and a few pairs of shoes, and two more doors to the left of where he is sitting.

Getting up suddenly feels immensely tasking, but Loki nevertheless hauls himself to his feet and goes to inspect the other rooms. First, there is the washroom. The scent of lavender is stronger in there, even more inviting, and spotting a stack of fresh towels on a shelf, he considers taking a shower. It is not as if he cannot easily use magic to uphold appearances (wait, were there showers at the TVA?), but that is no substitute for the soothing feel of warm water running down his body, relaxing his tired muscles.

Yes, he will shower. And cast a spell on the apartment, so he will be alerted if anybody attempts to enter.

He takes a small comfort in his powers being restored.

Loki reckons the other door leads to the sleeping chambers but just to be sure, he magics it open with a flick of his wrist.

A window with closed blinds. A wooden bookcase to one side, volumes and magazines piled high. An old, white wardrobe with brass grips. A pile of clothes strewn haphazardly on the thick yellow rug on the floor near a large, unmade bed.

Unmade – and not empty.

//

Loki stands perfectly still, one hand still raised.

Why did he not sense that someone was here?!

Seeing as Clint (Bird-Eye?) managed to surprise him in Budapest, perhaps Loki’s “wolf’s ears” really are failing him.

Even so, his nose is working just fine. Unless …

Then he knows. Of course.

His tongue tastes bile.

Inching closer, he sees the black hair spilling over the madras. His own lean, sculpted body whose long limbs and handsome Asgardian features Loki has never felt less appreciation for than right this very moment.

The variant is deep asleep. And half-naked under the sheets.

Something twists in his stomach at the scene. Something small and pathetic and evil that wants out. A foul, winged creature batting against his ribcage with sharp claws.

He takes another step forward.

How has the variant not been alerted to his presence yet? He seemed strong – very strong – in 2016.

Loki studies his twin’s face. His own exact face. Same high cheek bones, same long, dark lashes against a pale complexion. Only this close, the man’s skin has a faint ashen sheen to it. A few tiny beads of sweat glisten on his temples and, yes, Loki hears it now, his breathing is slightly labored.

He is injured. Enough to dull his senses.

It is not the madman from the Void, as Loki had feared after their first encounter. His energy is quite different from any of the other variants, and Loki suspects he may be the closest to a perfect double that he’s encountered yet (and please, let this one be the last. No more variants or Loki will forget which life was his own).

Stepping so close he can lean over the bed, the reason for the variant’s sedated state becomes evident:

Tied around the man’s mid-section, just about visible over the sheets, is the upper edge of a large bandage. Loki sniffs. Yes, he can sense the wound and the ugly tinge of dark magic still surrounding it, like a poisonous signature: This was inflicted by a blade of the dark elves. The variant has come from Svartalfheim after all.

The cut must have been near fatal, but from the smell of it, it is healing well, aided by the variant’s own powers and what can only be human medicine, judging by the clinical odor.

Even so, why was he not taken to the healers on Asgard?

Because he is evading his punishment for the attack on New York, Loki guesses.

Thor and Jane must have brought him to London instead of delivering him back to Odin. Although thanks to Heimdall’s watchful gaze, the All-Father will be aware of what has transpired. In his condition, the chances of the variant being able to use his magic to shield himself from Heimdall are next to none.

Still, he is here. No one has come for him yet.

Loki does not know which is stranger: That the variant is legitimately, badly injured and not currently in the process of dispatching Odin off to some home for the elderly in New York, or that Odin has allowed the variant to be taken to Midgard instead of the dungeons.

Presumably neither the All-Father nor Thor are aware of the variant’s role in Frigga’s death.

Though he tries to shake them off, the images remain crystal clear: The queen mother, killed by one of Malekeith’s monster.

A shiver suddenly runs through the variant’s body on the bed and Loki holds his breath. The man shifts under the sheets but does not wake.

So, dear ‘brother’, your Nexus event was that you nearly died for the people who care for you instead of following up your heroism with deceit, as I would have done.

What sentiment.

The winged creature growls.

Loki could kill him right now.

Kill him and take his place.

It would be easy, so easy to slit his throat. It is not as if he has not committed murder before.

“I don’t enjoy hurting people. I don’t enjoy it …” But this is not ‘people’.

This man is a murderer as well.

The variant has already veered spectacularly off course from his fate, and yet there are no Minute Men next to his bed, holding him accountable for his “crimes against the sacred timeline”, nor will he be apprehended in the following years.

This man got “the Time Keepers’ stamp of approval”, just like the Avengers.

It is so monumentally unfair it is enough to make Loki’s fingers grasp for an invisible dagger. The variant’s existence makes a mockery of the life that was cruelly stolen from Loki by the TVA and for that he loathes him with every fiber of his identical body.

Why should the variant have any more right to live?

Because he will make her happy.

Loki forces himself to rein in the rage. The man will play a part in Jane’s life.

He stares at his sleeping double.

The variant is worthy.

Or just simply unbearably, ridiculously lucky.

No matter what, he must live, but if Loki stays here much longer, he fears the variant’s chances of making it past 2013 will rapidly decrease by the minute.

Loki cannot stand to look at him, nor will he contemplate the fact that the variant is comfortable enough in the apartment to discard his clothes.

If he does, he will stab him to death. And relish in it.

Loki is about to magic himself away to find somewhere nearby to wait for Thor and Jane’s return, when a noise reaches him from the hall outside the apartment.

Someone is coming towards the front door, keys in hand.

Jane.

//

He should leave immediately. Disappear before she can turn the key in the door.

But he does not.

Still looking at the sleeping, half-covered form in front of him, something finally snaps instead. The winged creature shrieks in delight.

A quick spell ensures that no sounds from outside the sleeping chamber can reach the variant, no matter how light his sleep becomes.

Another one renders all the light switches in the apartment useless.

Then Loki swiftly picks up the clothes from the floor, looks it over, and changes his own black outfit into what he is holding: A dark green, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of soft, well-known black leather pants that makes him feel both a bit homesick and a lot stronger.

Don’t do this, don’t do this.

A voice, not the clock this time but his own. He ignores it.

He does not know what Jane’s relationship with the variant is of this time or what state of mind she expects to find him in, but she has let him stay here – and right now, she is alone.

Her fingers weaving through his hair while the sun beat down on his back.

His conscience will not allow him to kill the variant, yet Loki cannot resist the temptation to be him.

Again.

But just for a heartbeat or two.

This last part he promises to himself and to her, though it does nothing to bury the shame.

Perhaps he did not change at all during his time at the TVA. Perhaps his true, villainous self just lay dormant, biding his time, while various oppressors walked all over him.

Is a stolen moment with her worth more than his honor? Is it worth jeopardizing his one chance of enlisting Thor’s help?

Yes.

Yes, it is.

This is lowest you have ever sunk.

Shut up.

He steps out of the bedroom and closes the door behind him, but not before catching a glimpse of himself in a mirror on the wall. His hair. The variant’s hair is noticeably longer. He cocks his head to the side once and the difference is levelled out.

In the hall, Jane is fiddling with the keys. When the lock clicks, Loki is sitting on the blue couch again, trying to appear casual while his pulse is racing as fast as when Bruce turned green before him.

And there she is.

Hair windswept, cheeks flushed from the cool evening air, wearing a dark green parka, jeans and boots.

Her eyes find his in the low light and a warm smile spreads on her face. His heart leaps into his throat.

“You’re back”. She does not stop to take off her jacket or attempt to turn on the lights before coming towards him and, unsure of what to say, he stands up. She stops in front of him, apparently a little unsure of the situation herself. She bites her lip.

“So how did it go?”

Her voice sounds at once both concerned and hopeful and her eyes are wide with expectation.

She is searching for some sort of positive affirmation and so Loki smiles down at her and says the only thing that seems fitting:

“It went well”.

Jane exhales loudly and her smile returns. “It did?!”

“Yes”, Loki replies, grinning at her (her smile is too infectious) and hoping she will not ask him to elaborate on whatever the subject is.

“Of course it did! I mean, you’re still here, aren’t you? Oh Loki, I’m so insanely relieved!” Jane laughs and looks like she is about to throw herself into his arms (automatically he reaches for her) when she stops herself mid-motion. “Sorry! I nearly forgot. Again!”

She takes one of his hands in both of hers, and Loki swallows hard as her fingers softly caress his with unmistakable intimacy.

“But seriously, you two didn’t fight, like fight-fight, did you …? I hope Thor didn’t …”. She trails off and looks at him questioningly.

“No. No, we didn’t fight. Don’t worry. We both … behaved”. Loki tries to catch up while keeping his replies as vague as he hopes he can afford.

The variant and Thor have had words, and Jane has worried about the outcome. Could it have been a discussion of whether to return Loki to Asgard? But then why has Thor not come back to the apartment?

In fact, why go anywhere else to talk at all, with the variant being as beat up as he is?

Because he and Thor both expected a row not suited for the indoors.

“Okay, you sit, you’ve moved around enough for one day. I’ll fix us something to eat and you’re going to tell me everything”. Jane gently lets go of his hand, then shoots him a teasing smile. “Unless you’ve emptied the fridge. Again”.

“Um”, is Loki’s inspired contribution to the conversation.

“Uh oh, pasta it is then”, Jane laughs, and goes to shrug off her jacket and boots in the hallway, revealing an open flannel shirt with a white T-shirt underneath.

Was she wearing the same thing that day in the desert town? It looks familiar.

Jane flips a light switch next to the coat rack and makes a “huh”-sound as nothing happens. She tries a lamp next to the dining table with the same result.

“Has the electricity gone again? Was it out when you got back?”

“Ah, yes. It was”.

“The landlord seriously needs to fix this, that’s the third time this week…good old London”. Jane scoffs but does not sound all that bothered.

“Can you work a little magic for us?”

When Loki does not move, Jane walks up to him (now even shorter without her footwear) and lightly places a hand on his arm, nudging him back on the couch. “Sit. And shine a light, please”.

He lets her push him down, and her hand moves up to rest on his shoulder. Now he is the one looking up at her. She is standing between his legs and there it is, the affection in her eyes that almost makes him forget that he is not the man it is meant for.

He wonders for how long he can get away with not saying anything remotely coherent before she suspects something’s amiss.

Obeying her wish, he holds out his palm and a small, orange flame appears, casting a warm glow on both their faces. Motioning with his fingers, he makes the flame float elegantly over the low coffee table in front of the couch where it stills in the air.

“I was thinking more along the lines of just making the electricity come back on, like last time, but okay, that is very pretty too”. Jane looks at the little light with wonder and Loki thinks he sees the stars in her eyes again.

Then her attention is back on him. Her fingers brush against his hair. They linger by the curls at the nape of his neck.

“I don’t know if it’s relief, but it’s almost like you look a bit … different”. Jane’s eyes roam his face, his hair. “Do you even still have a fever?”

Before Loki can answer her hand is touching his forehead.

Jane shakes her head in surprise. “It’s much better than this morning. Maybe it was good for you to get some real air after all. It has been almost three weeks …”

How easily she touches him. How sad that he's not used to being touched anymore.

He has only to lay his hand on her forehead in return and he could use his powers to reveal glimpses of her past (yes, he kept many of his gifts from the female on Lamentis).

More specifically, what has happened between her and the variant.

But not without revealing himself in the process.

Her left hand is still on his shoulder while the other now travels down the side of his cheek. He leans into her touch and closes his eyes, just breathing in the scent of her skin when he feels her bending down and locks of her auburn hair tickle his face.

He opens his eyes and looks right into hers, inches from his.

You have not earned this.

You are deliberately, selfishly, monstrously taking advantage of her.

I am a monster.

And then her mouth is on his and he does not say no.

To hell with his soul.

--------------------------------------------

For a second, she thinks she feels him tense up.

But as soon as her lips melt onto his and he immediately, hungrily reciprocates the kiss, everything is right again.

Crazy, sure, but also oh so right.

Jane literally never wants to stop kissing him.

She actually told him exactly that the other night. Or, accidentally blurted it out as they were coming up for air, since she is falling for him so fast her brain apparently cannot keep up with her mouth.

Immediately she had felt embarrassed, but it did not last longer than it took for him to raise a teasing eyebrow at her and pull her close again. “Why, Doctor Foster”, he had purred in that low voice that he absolutely knows makes her go weak, “by all means, please…(and he’d kissed her) don’t…(another kiss) stop … (kiss) Ever”.

Then he had leaned back a little, still gently cupping her face between his large hands, and flashed her the most gorgeous, happy, wickedly lascivious smile she had seen on him so far.

Not many people radiate smoldering sex appeal while simultaneously suffering from the agonizing pain of a wound inflicted by an alien sword, but of course Loki pulls it off with flying colors.

From there on, there had been no returning to ‘movie night’.

Now, trying not to break the kiss, Jane carefully moves to sit herself down on the couch as well, making sure not to press against him. For two weeks, they have been making out like teenagers whenever they are alone. Somewhat hindered by his injuries, obviously, which prohibits him from moving much – it is both very, very hot and insanely frustrating.

The first time she had kissed him, he had been too stunned to move a muscle anyway.

The second time, he had nearly ripped the wound open again.

Since then, they have tried to take it slow, although on more than one occasion, Loki has been all but begging to throw caution to the wind – “I’ll heal!", “It doesn't hurt!” (said as he looked like he was going to pass out), and, Jane’s favorite, “It might make me heal faster”.

His impatience would be quite funny if it was not because Jane was feeling just as dizzy with want.

She has been going for a lot of runs in Hyde Park lately.

“Do you have a death wish?!”, she had asked him teasingly at one point when he had spontaneously grabbed her hand as she passed him the kitchen and pulled her tight against him, only to groan loudly in pain when her body collided with his bandage.

Then he had looked suddenly very serious and let her go, and she had instantly regretted the comment.

She knows enough about his past not to joke about things like that.

“Oh. Oh, no”.

That was all her mind had been capable of thinking when she and Loki had locked eyes in the palace on Asgard, right after she had slapped him (surprising both herself and everyone around her).

He had looked down at her with his trademark arrogant smirk, except as soon as Thor and Sif had turned away, his gaze had turned infinitely softer, and Jane had felt something monumental start to shift inside of her.

Something that had nothing to do with the Aether coursing through her veins.

Not long after that, on that awful, doomsday-looking planet, he had saved her life. Twice in quick succession. And for a horrifying second, it had looked like he would die right in front of her.

The memory makes her involuntarily shudder a bit and, drawing her legs up on the couch so she can twist to face him more directly, she runs her fingers through his long, silken hair, and nips at his lower lip… and is startled when his head jerks. For real this time.

Jane draws back.

“Are you okay?”. Perhaps things did not go as smoothly with Thor as she had hoped.

It was a big ask after all.

Once more she feels a sharp pang of guilt. It is not just her and Loki’s worlds that have been turned resoundingly upside down in a matter of one turbulent month.

Loki seems lost for words, and the sadness flooding his face shocks her.

He is far from okay.

In fact, he looks close to tears. Were it not because she had just felt his cool forehead, she would have assumed it was the fever flaring up.

Jane feels her stomach tie itself into a knot. They are taking him away from her before they have even had a chance be together.

Or, even worse still, he has regretted everything about their unlikely union.

“Jane, I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry…”

Here it comes, Jane thinks as nausea builds. Erik is about to be proved right about him.

She lets go of him. He is clearly wrestling with himself.

And he does look different. Is this what him dropping the mask looks like?

It is more than just his facial expression, it is his entire posture. Even wounded and half delirious with fever, Loki usually carries himself with no small amount of pride.

His eyes are so lost.

What the hell is going on?

“Just tell me, Loki”. Jane tries to disguise how alarmed she suddenly feels. His touch is the same, and yet it is like a stranger is taking over the man in front of her.

He inhales deeply and runs both his hands through his hair. Entirely without wincing as he lifts his elbows above his chest, she notices.

“Okay”, he begins. “Jane…” (the way he says her name, like he is tasting the word) “…you have every right to hate me for what I’m about to tell you. I truly deserve nothing less.”

She feels the tears welling up.

“I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe you’re doing this.” Her voice breaks and Loki has the audacity to look taken aback.

“Are you being dragged back to Asgard, or are you dumping me? After trying so hard to get into my pants?!”

It comes out way too harshly, and Loki appears genuinely flummoxed.

Also, his face has gone red.

“Oh, Jane, no, he’s not going to… He won’t leave. I mean- ”

“What?” A chill runs down her spine.

“’He’? ‘He’ who? Thor?”

Before he can answer, they both jump a little as her phone suddenly goes off in her bag by the door.

That inane ringtone.

She still has not changed it.

Erik. She promised she’d let him know as soon as …

Jane wants to ignore it, but then her mentor will most likely keep calling and she cannot put it on silent from the couch. Loki probably could though, but she is not about to ask.

“Wait”. She holds up a hand and gets up.

While rummaging in the bag, a single tear runs down her cheek. No. She will keep her composure and listen to what he has to say like the commonsensical grown-up woman that she is.

Was.

She’s only just begun to get to know him properly, so why does it feel like she won’t be able to live without him?

She pulls out the damn phone and presses the button on the side.

The she straightens up again and turns. “Okay, Loki …”

Jane gasps.

The room is dark. And empty.

No, he didn’t!

“Loki!”

No answer.

She stalks over to the couch and frantically looks around. Nothing.

“Loki, don’t you dare!”

The phone vibrates in her hand. Shaking all over, Jane answers the call. “Erik?”. Her voice is very small. “Yes, hi, Jane, it’s me. Listen, has Loki gotten back yet?”

She starts crying. “Erik, he left. He was here when I came home and just now, he disappeared! He didn’t even say goodbye.”

She can hear how desperate she sounds.

“What do you mean ‘disappeared’?” Erik sounds confused.

“He is gone! I turned my back on him for one second and he vanished!” Jane’s voice breaks.

“Look, Jane, I really can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe you misunderstood him? He came to see me not two hours ago after that thing with Thor and, well, let’s just say he went out of his way to make a case for himself. And you…”

“What? What did he- ”

“Jane?” Darcy’s voice cuts through. She must have taken the phone from Erik. “The lunatic is absolutely batshit crazy about you, okay? Stop blubbering. He’s probably just bored and fucking with you since you’re not actually f- ”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Muffled sounds, as Erik wrestles the phone back.

“Come on over, Jane, okay? We’re all still at the lab. Ian’s made tortillas if you can believe it”.

“But…” Jane wavers. Is Loki really playing a joke on her?

Erik is not taking no for answer: “Jane, don’t indulge these little games of his, okay? Come have dinner with us, and I’ll tell you what he told me before. And if he isn’t back later tonight, it’ll be my pleasure to enlist Thor to beat the crap out of him. It’s long overdue”.

Despite herself, Jane cannot help but smile.

“Okay. I’m coming over”. She exhales. The feeling of unease is subsiding a bit.

“Good girl”, Erik says. “Tell her to bring beer!” Darcy shouts from somewhere in background.

Jane hangs up and puts on her boots again. Loki and Erik had an actual conversation with no casualties?

She grabs her jacket and slams the front door behind her.

He really is infuriating, that prince of hers.

If he turns up later, she will make him pay dearly for scaring her.

No making out for a week.

(Yeah, right.)

To be continued in part 7 ....

This was supposed to have been the final chapter. Only 'someone' needed extra time star gazing. Please forgive me him!

[aion-rsa]

Line of Duty Timeline: Can This Help To Solve the Jo Davidson DNA Mystery?

https://ift.tt/3s4cUyW

Warning: contains major spoilers for Line of Duty series 1-6.

You could say we’ve taken this too far. You could be right. You could also say that, for a Line of Duty fan attempting to solve the Jo Davidson family mystery, it’s useful to know that Tommy Hunter was 13 years old when Jo Davidson was born, making him more likely to be her brother than her father. Or that John Corbett was born two months after Jo Davidson, making it impossible for his mother Anne-Marie McGillis to also be her mother.

And then there are the real questions, such as: the day before AC-12 raided Hillside Lane Station in series six, it was Kate Fleming’s 35th birthday. Did she bring in doughnuts? Had Kate come in worse for wear from one too many glasses of white in Frederico’s with Jo? The people demand to know.

Taken from police records glimpsed on screen and episode scripts, below are the key dates mentioned in Line of Duty, in chronological order, right from the start. We’ll update as series six continues. Use it to bolster your theories and beat your friends in arguments. Carry the fire, team.

Prior to Series One

16th July 1963 Edward Gerard Hastings is born. Aged 2, sniffs out a ring of corrupt toddlers at his playschool 10th May 1965 Future OCG leader John Thomas ‘Tommy’ Hunter is born in Glasgow 12th April 1976 Lindsay Elizabeth Denton is born. With a fringe 22nd April 1979 Jo Davidson is born. Suspiciously 3rd June 1979 John Corbett is born to Anne-Marie McGillis in Northern Ireland 1982 19-year-old Ted Hastings joins the Royal Ulster Constabulary, one of two Catholic officers in his unit. Befriends a CHIS named Anne-Marie McGillis 18th April 1989 Anne-Marie McGillis is kidnapped by the IRA 23rd September 1985 Steve Arnott is born. Wearing a waistcoat 3rd November 1985 Kate Fleming is born. Crime doesn’t know what’s about to hit it 29th June 1989 Ted Hastings is injured in a pipe bomb explosion that kills a fellow Catholic officer, he suspects a deliberate attack and a cover-up conspiracy. He moves to England. ca.1990 A teenage Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan starts working as a caddy for Tommy Hunter at the Edge Park Golf Club 1990s A group of 17 men including Tommy Hunter and CS Patrick Fairbank routinely sexually abuse the boys at Sands View children’s home 14th November 1998 Social worker Oliver Stephens-Lloyd is found murdered by the OCG after pursuing the Sands View boys’ abuse allegations. It’s made to look like suicide 21st March 1999 John Corbett joins the police service, aged 19 29th July 1999 Joanne Davidson joins the police service, aged 20 29th November 1999 Ryan Pilkington is born to mother Keely on the Borogrove Estate 2001 Anne-Marie McGillis’ corpse is found with signs of torture by the IRA 9th May 2006 Kate Fleming joins Central Police, aged 20 15th October 2007 Steve Arnott joins Central Police, aged 22 2005 A 15-year-old Lisa McQueen is admitted to a police programme for teen offenders

Series One (Unknown 2012)

– Steve Arnott’s counter-terrorism op is botched and CI Osborne demands a cover-up. Steve refuses and is recruited by Ted Hastings at AC-12 – DCI Tony Gates receives the Officer of the Year award and is investigated by AC-12 for manipulating his unit’s stats – OCG money launderer Jackie Laverty runs over her accountant. Her lover DCI Tony Gates helps to cover it up. She’s murdered by the OCG, who blackmail Gates to cover up a string of drug murders – DCI Gates gets a confession from OCG leader Tommy Hunter, delivers him to AC-12, then kills himself by stepping into traffic so his family receive a ‘line of duty’ pay-out November 2012 Deborah Devereux is arrested for assault against a neighbour, DI Buckells at Kingsgate Station has the charges dropped in exchange for sexual favours

Series Two (September – November 2013)

21st May 2013 DI Lindsay Denton terminates her pregnancy, at lover DCC Dryden’s behest 16th August 2013 DCC Mike Dryden is photographed by the OCG engaging in a sex act with underage victim Carly Kirk, who goes missing that day. To fake an alibi, Dryden takes responsibility for his wife’s speeding ticket issued that evening 5th September 2013 A police convoy transporting former OCG head-turned-witness Tommy Hunter is diverted by DI Lindsay Denton, then ambushed and three officers are killed 14th September 2013 Tommy Hunter and DC Georgia Trotman are murdered in hospital by bent copper DS Jeremy Cole September 2013 – DI Denton is charged with conspiracy to murder, remanded until the 18th of November 2013, released, then rearrested and sentenced to life, serving 585 days inside until her successful appeal.

Read more

TV

Line of Duty Series 5 Recap: Framing Ted Hastings

By Louisa Mellor

TV

Line Of Duty recap: the story so far

By Louisa Mellor

Series Three (May to July 2015)

13th May 2015 Danny Waldron shoots dead his childhood abuser Ronan Murphy and instigates a police cover-up, later torturing Linus Murphy – another abuser – to death 1st June 2015 Danny Waldron is fatally shot by PC Hari Bains, blackmailed by the OCG 13th July 2015 Danny Waldron’s funeral takes place 17th July 2015 Lindsay Denton is murdered by DI Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan, who attempts to frame Steve Arnott for the crime 18th July 2015 Dot sends an ‘Urgent exit required’ text to the OCG and is shot out of an AC-12 interview. Kate gives chase and Dot is killed saving her from an OCG bullet. She records his Dying Declaration giving clues to the identity of corrupt officers in league with the OCG

Series Four (March to May 2017)

11th November 2016 The dismembered corpse of sex worker Baswinder Kaur is found 25th January 2017 Leonie Collersdale, also a sex worker, goes missing 9th March 2017 Hana Reznikova is abducted as part of the OCG’s attempt to frame Michael Farmer for the Operation Trapdoor murders 17th March 2017 Roz Huntley hits her head at Tim Ifield’s flat and, thinking her dead, he makes plans to dispose of her corpse. She wakes up and in a struggle, accidentally kills Tim Ifield then attempts to cover it up by cutting off his fingers and disposing of his laptop and phone 4th May 2017 Hastings fatally shoots a ‘Balaclava Man’ attempting to extract and/or kill solicitor Jimmy Lakewell from AC-12 headquarters 5th May 2017 ACC Derek Hilton is found dead, supposedly a shotgun suicide but more likely murdered by the OCG. At a later date, Roz Huntley pleads guilty to the manslaughter of Tim Ifield and is sentenced to 10 years in HMP Brentiss Prison. Jimmy Lakewell pleads guilty to perverting the course of justice and is sentenced to HMP Blackthorn

Series Five (February to July 2019)

Late Dec 2018/Early Jan 2019 -Gill Biggeloe, working for the OCG, lies to John Corbett that Ted Hastings is the corrupt officer responsible for his mother’s death by the IRA. He records the conversation 22nd Jan 2019 Operation Pear Tree officially begins, implanting John Corbett in the OCG 15th Feb 2019 The OCG hijack a heroin shipment Eastfield Depot, murdering 3 corrupt police officers 23rd Feb 2019 PC Maneet Bindra is murdered by the OCG. RIP 27th Feb 2019 The OCG hijack a ballistics transport carrying firearms 4th March 2019 Lisa McQueen meets with DCS Hargreaves, whom she’s been blackmailing over his visits to an OCG-run illegal brothel 5th March 2019 The OCG raid the Eastfield Depot, John Corbett shoots Hargreaves dead 10th March 2019 Steve and Kate question Steph Corbett about John Corbett’s NI connections 12th March 2019 Ted Hastings visits Lee Banks at Blackthorn prison, John Corbett is murdered by Ryan Pilkington 14th March 2019 Patricia Carmichael of AC-3 interviews Ted Hastings over his alleged corruption after he poses as ‘H’ in an unofficial undercover op which results in the arrest of Lisa McQueen and the death of Miroslav Minkowicz. Lisa later makes an immunity deal and gets witness protection. Gill Biggeloe is found to be corrupt, arrested, and also ends up under witness protection Late March 2019 Operation Pear Tree is concluded, finding no link between police corruption and organised crime. God, give me strength! 27th July 2019 Ryan Pilkington officially joins Central Police

Series Six (October 2020 – ?)

10th September 2019 Gail Vella is murdered outside her Moss Heath home October 2019 DCI Jo Davidson is made SIO of the Gail Vella murder investigation 2nd or 3rd October 2019 Gail Vella’s funeral takes place 26th October 2020 CHIS Alistair Oldroyd phones his handler to say he heard ‘Ross Turner’ boasting of killing Gail Vella. Det Supt Buckells delays the operation to pick up the suspect until the next morning. 27th October 2020 1:23am: a burner phone found at PS Jatri’s home makes an outgoing call. Operation Lighthouse is diverted to an armed robbery, causing more than two hours’ delay. Terry Boyle is found at Ross Turner’s address at Beechwood House and arrested on suspicion of murder. The freezer formerly containing Jackie Laverty’s corpse is dumped 29th October 2020 CHIS Alistair Oldroyd is found dead 2nd November 2020 Farida Jatri requests a transfer from MIT. She is replaced by PC Ryan Pilkington. Carl Banks’ corpse is discovered at an industrial site, the prints on the knife match those of Alistair Oldroy 4th November 2020 AC-12 tries to raid Hillside Lane Station but are sent back, then return later to seize the Operation Lighthouse files, some of which are missing and later found in DSU Buckells’ car 8th November 2020 Ryan follows Jo to her home address on Croxton Street 10th November 2020 Kate and Jo go for a drink at Frederico’s Bar, followed by Ryan 11th November 2020 PC Ryan Pilkington attempts to kill Terry Boyle, successfully drowning PC Lisa Patel by forcing the police car into Edge Park Reservoir November 2020 A police convoy carrying witness Jimmy Lakewell comes under fire by the OCG. DI Arnott shoots a sniper. Lakewell is murdered in prison by OCG member Lee Banks. DNA deposits found at Farida Jatri’s home reveal that Jo Davidson is related to a significant nominal from a past investigation End of November 2020 AC-12 is due to be merged with AC-3 and AC-9, and Ted Hastings, mother of God, is due to retire

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Line of Duty continues on Sunday the 18th of April at 9pm on BBC One.

The post Line of Duty Timeline: Can This Help To Solve the Jo Davidson DNA Mystery? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[jimintomystery]

So You Decided to Get Into Avengers after Endgame Came Out: A Guide

First of all, I feel your pain.  You had better things to do besides watching a gazillion Marvel movies, but now Avengers: Endgame is in the only thing in theaters and everybody’s going nuts about it.  But this movie is super-duper not accessible.  More than any other Marvel movie, this one assumes you know what’s going on and it can point to the box office history to back up that assumption.  (I’m not a fan of that choice tbqh.)  So now you can’t watch this 3-hour movie without everyone telling you to watch 20 other 3-hour movies.

Well, you’d be justified to say “screw it,” but if you still want to take the plunge, I’m here for you.  I was here when the first Avengers came out, and all the kids who saw the movie were like “I want to read the comics now but it’s hard.”  Yeah, it’s hard.  So comics fans like me helped them out, and now those baby fans know more about the Avengers than I do.  That’s how it goes around here--we work together, to follow the continuity no single superfan could withstand.

This is not a comprehensive guide to the “Marvel Cinematic Universe.”  This isn’t even a guide to the best movies.  This is the quickest way to get you up to speed so you can enjoy Avengers: Endgame.  Don’t let this stuff scare you.  You can do it.

Hashtag whatever it takes.

(The following contains very very light extra mild spoilers for stuff BEFORE Endgame, for people who managed to not care about those spoilers for 11 years.)

The short-short version

There are four main Avengers movies

Avengers 1 (2012)

Avengers 2: Age of Ultron (2015)

Avengers 3: Infinity War (2018)

Avengers 4: Endgame (2019)

Obviously the fourth movie kind of assumes you saw the first three.  More importantly, 3 and 4 are a two-part story (like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I & II), so those two are really really inseparable.

Avengers 1 is the most succinct introduction of the main characters: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, the Black Widow, and Hawkeye.  You could watch the movies that came before Avengers 1 for more detailed introductions, but you don’t need to unless you’re super confused.  (If you just cannot handle the idea of literal Norse gods running around, I guess watching Thor 1 might help, but superhero stories work better if you’re more like “that’s weird but okay.”)

Avengers 2...didn’t go over real well with fans, and it struggled with telling its own story while trying to set up stuff for future movies.  However, since the future movies in question were Avengers 3 and Avengers 4, that’s the stuff you’re interested in.  Also Avengers 2 debuts key secondary characters (the Vision and the Scarlet Witch) and is a convenient way to be introduced to others (War Machine and the Falcon).

Captain America 3: Civil War (2016) came out between Avengers 2 and Avengers 3, and it basically ends up being Avengers 2½.  This is arguably the hardest one to skip, since it fundamentally changes the relationship between Captain America and Iron Man, and sets up where the characters are at leading into Avengers 3.  You also get to meet Black Panther, the Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, and Spider-Man without devoting a ton of time to more movies.  To be fair, Avengers 3 does attempt to explain what has happened since Avengers 2, but it’s kinda hard since so much is going on in Avengers 3.  I happen to like this movie a lot, so I think it’s worth the slight detour.

Avengers 3 is where Thanos comes looking for the Infinity Stones, to put on his Infinity Gauntlet.  It may seem like all the movies are about Thanos and Infinity Stones, but don’t believe the hype.  Prior to this, some of the movies had plot devices that turned out to be Infinity Stones, and some of the movies featured Thanos cameos.  But the actual story starts here--all the teases and hints were just to establish that our heroes have a clue about what’s going on.  Many characters from other movies meet the Avengers for the first time, but if you haven’t watches those movies you’ll be no more or less confused than the Avengers are.

Avengers 4 picks up right where Avengers 3 left off.  I won’t say much about it, except that is trying to pay homage to all the movies before it while also trying to serve as an ending, which is challenging.  To accomplish that I think they sacrificed accessibility, so there are many scenes that depend on you recognizing references to earlier movies.  BUT, I think you can get by just from seeing Avengers 1-3 and Cap 3: Civil War.

Extra credit homework

Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier (2014) shows how Cap, a World War II hero, is adjusting to life after waking up in the 2010s and joining the Avengers.  If you’re confused about SHIELD, Hydra, or the Winter Soldier, this will help.  This is one of my favorites.

Guardians of the Galaxy 1 (2014) introduces a rag-tag band of misfits in deep space, led by a half-human/half-alien mercenary.  Aside from being fun, it delves into Marvel’s approach to aliens and cosmic powers.  If you’re wondering why all the aliens speak English and don’t wear real spacesuits and use glowy rocks to do everything...well, this doesn’t explain it, but it teaches you to chill out about it.

Thor 3: Ragnarok (2017) has very little do to with the first two Thor movies, except that it dramatically tears down the status quo.  The aftereffects of this are felt in Thor’s appearances in Avengers 3 and Avengers 4.  If you would be confused by questions like “why would Norse gods be refugees on a spaceship?” or “why would Norse gods have weird alien friends?” or “is Thor...like, okay?” then this movie will help.

Captain Marvel (2019) introduces Captain Marvel.  A teaser in Avengers 3 made it seem like she’d be a big deal, but her role in Avengers 4 kinda fails to properly introduce her.  I guess they figured everyone would watch this movie.  You certainly can watch this movie, but I don’t know that it’s essential, beyond understanding that “Captain Marvel is hella tough and she’s so cool.”  And I could just tell you that.  So I will.  Captain Marvel is hella tough and she’s so cool.

Wait, what are you leaving out?

If you are concerned that skipping over all the other movies will cause you to miss a key plot point related to the main Avengers series, allow me to briefly summarize what you need to know from them.  That way you can decide whether to sink time into actually watching these movies, or just reading my quick notes.

Iron Man 1 (2008) - Tony Stark becomes Iron Man and meets SHIELD; he’s like “I want cheeseburgers” and his chauffeur is like “sure, whatever”

The Incredible Hulk (2008) - The Hulk exists, pretty much

Iron Man 2 (2010) - Iron Man’s friend James Rhodes becomes War Machine

Thor 1 (2011) - The world finds out Thor and Loki are real

Captain America 1: The First Avenger (2011) - Steve Rogers becomes a super-soldier in 1943, fights the Red Skull with his friend Bucky, and he never got to dance with Peggy Carter, his best girl :(

Iron Man 3 (2013) - Iron Man has anxiety attacks about the events of Avengers 1.  Then he makes friends with a little boy.

Thor 2: The Dark World (2013) - Thor brings his human girlfriend to Asgard to meet his parents!

Ant-Man (2015) - Hank Pym invented shrinky-juice called Pym particles and gave it to Scott Lang.  I skipped this one, tbh

Doctor Strange (2016) - Doc takes over the Ancient One’s job protecting Earth from weird magical dimensions

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 (2017) - Mantis joins the team and Nebula stops trying to kill them so they can be friends.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - Peter kisses a girl, maybe?  I skipped this one too lol

Black Panther (2018) - Black Panther has a genius little sister named Shuri and a cool general named Okoye and omg everybody loves this movie because it’s great

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) - Hank Pym’s daughter becomes the Wasp and they rescue her mom.  I skipped this too (uh-oh I’m a bad Marvel fan)

Now, if you want to marathon all these movies, you go right ahead.   They’re generally very good!  But don’t let nobody tell you that you’ve got to watch them all.  It’s not that complicated.

In conclusion all you really really need is Avengers 1, Avengers 2, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers 3, Avengers 4.  And if you need a hand, you’ve got a zillion people waiting to help.

[here-be-misfit]

Ah I love so many of those cute questions! And I know you like stuff to distract you, so how about you answer all of them? 😘 Can be in batches or all at once.

I hope you are talking about these questions c:

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?I don’t eat cereal tbh

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?YES! I loove cold, especially when it’s all snowy around, then I feel so alive!

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?I have two bookmarks so I don’t use any other objects as bookmarks

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?I take my tea with two spoons of sugar and sometimes with milk if it’s black tea

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?Oh hell yea, I hate my smile most of the time

6: do you keep plants?Nope, I’m not much into keeping plans

7: do you name your plants?Nope

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?I used to write... Now i barely use any artistic stuff to express them :/

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?Nope

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?I sleep on back and on my both sides

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?Oh, I had so many that are now dead because I don’t talk to them anymore. One of them was naming my bag after Janick (lol). That there is one where we call Richard Kruspe Diva, this is such an old inside joke that usually I’m not even saying his name, just saying Diva. 

12: what’s your favorite planet?Saturn probably

13: what’s something that made you smile today?That Tobi post on facebook

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?Oh it would be messy but with so many posters all around since we both love them

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!Mercury is still shrinking

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish?Idk, I just love every kind of pasta

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?I’d love to try black and maybe turquoise 

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.Me talking only about Rammstein for 5 hours straight and my best friend had to listen to that and he did. I still say sorry every time we remember that

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?I have my travel journal where I write about every trip I went to

20: what’s your favorite eye color?Green and brown

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.Oh that’s got to be my red backpack. She’s been to almost every trip I went to since probably 2016. She is old but she is the best one but soon it’s gonna be the time for her to retire 

22: are you a morning person?Hell no

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?Sleep

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?Maybe my best friend, I mean he already know probably every secret I had

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?I haven’t broken into any place

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit?Maybe my New rock boots?? I mean idk

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor?Spearmint

28: sunrise or sunset?Sunset

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?She used to make necklaces and make it as a birthday gift. I still have two  necklaces that she made for me as a gift and I still wear them and I still love them

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?Oh yea

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.Socks are cool and I love them, only that I usually forget to buy them and then I’m like “damn it, I’d love some nice socks to this outfit but I don’t have any..”

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.I think it was 2015 summer and I was totally drunk with my best friend, we were both fangirling/fanboying over Tobi and I remember he did something really hot and sexy - he poured some whiskey on my neck and licked it. Idk if he remembers that but my gods, I still can remember that and yea lol

33: what’s your fave pastry?Pies, cakes, buns of various kinds

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?It was a big pink sheep, I loved it so much because it was so cute and big and yea. I don’t think I named it. Idk, I hope my mother didn’t throw it away

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?I don’t really use them, tho I have one for when I’m writing

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?Danheim and Wardruna

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?Totally messy

38: tell us about your pet peeves!This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I really hate those fans who are like “I’m gonna die if I won’t be in a first row and I’ll do absolutely EVERYTHING to be there”. Yes, I get them and yes we all live being in a first row but man, those fans are so damn annoying. Like sure, I always try to be in a first row but I don’t bitch if I’m not

39: what color do you wear the most?Black, bit of red and blue

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you?My Mjolnir necklace. Well my old one was missing and till this day I haven’t found it so I bought the one I have now and well, it’s my amulet so it means a lot to me

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?Good omens by  Terry Pratchett‎ and ‎Neil Gaiman

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!I don’t really have favorite one

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?This makes me sad because I never did that

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?Last autumn when I was in Krakow

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?I dunno

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.I’m so bad and thinking of puns tbh

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?Beetroot soup

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?Darkness. Oh no, I loooove darkness now

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?YES, I love it. Last ones were the newest Rammstein album and Wardruna -  Runaljod - Ragnarok

50: what’s an odd thing you collect?I don’t think I collect any odd things

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?Sooner than now by Sin cos tan

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?I don’t think I have any???

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?I’ve seen Beetlejuice and Pulp fiction and I love both of them

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?Me

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?Cry

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?The way they talk about something they are passionate about, the way they blush or try to be modest

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?I always have goosebumps when listening to it and yes I do sing along 

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?Group of friends? hahah, it’s so bold to assume that I have a group of friends.. 

59: what’s your favorite myth?I love the myth of Ragnarok

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?Nope, I don’t like it

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?Can’t remember in both cases tbh

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?I don’t drink juice in the morning

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?I try to keep them organized 

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?Dark but almost clear with few clouds

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with?YES

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?Maybe something like this

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?I dunno, sometimes I love it sometimes I don’t

68: what’s winter like where you live?We used to have cool snowy winters

69: what are your favorite board games?Monopoly

70: have you ever used a ouija board?Nope

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea?Black

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it?I guess, never thought about this much

73: what are some of your worst habits?Being lazy, kinda being hot head

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.Smart, pretty, tall, has a good heart, funny, serious, helpful, has their own strong opinion about a lot of things, stubborn 

75: tell us about your pets!I don’t have any :/

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?I dunno, maybe

77: pink or yellow lemonade?Neither

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?Neither

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?My best friend giving me a nickname which happened to be the one I use a lot now

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?It’s creamy color, well I had a small voice of choosing them but I’m okay with them 

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.Oh no, I suck at describing stuff like this

82: are/were you good in school?Noo, I was sooo bad in school

83: what’s some of your favorite album art?

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?Yep, I have so many plans for them. I’m still planning on getting more band/lyric related tattoos, also Tolkien one and the one with wolf and triquetra

85: do you read comics? what are your faves?I tried to get into reading them but I can’t buy any of them here and I hate reading them online

86: do you like concept albums? which ones?Yep, well basically all Avantasia albums lol

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?The Matrix, Kill Bill, Intouchables, Wild tales, The legend of 1900, Scent of a woman, Wag the dog

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?Idk

89: are you close to your parents?Not really

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.Krakow. The city that feels home to me, not only because it holds so much history of Lithuania but also because there is something about it that I just can’t describe... As my dad said it is a king city and it feels so, Krakow has a Wavel castle and so many other ancient buildings, maybe that’s why I love it so much. Even it seems that the life in it goes bit differently from any other cities, but from small Old town streets to Jewish district and to beautiful cemeteries everything makes me so happy there.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?I do plan to travel to Poland, then to Czech republic and then to Germany

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?Cheese, yes I love myself a lot of cheese on my pasta

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most?I don’t have any other hairstyles other than the one I have in all my pictures

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?My best friend

95: what are your plans for this weekend?Don’t have any

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?It depends on my mood

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?ENFP, libra and i have no idea of my hogwarts house and I don’t really care

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?Last autumn, yes, I love hiking

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. Far From Heaven by Battle beast Dancing With The Beast by Battle beast So Good It Hurts by Lord of the lost Harvest by NightwishRunaway train by Avantasia Hoffnung by Doro I Wish by Battle beast Traust by Heilung Serpentine by Pretty maids Ich weiß es nicht by Lindemann

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?Definitely past, because I have so many mistakes to fix and so many moments to relive

Thank you and sorry if my answers suck

[thesportssoundoff]

What a 23 page report tells us about Urban Meyer and sports in general

First and foremost, I'd absolutely recommend that anybody who has an opinion on the investigation without reading the investigation findings which can be found HERE (http://a.espncdn.com/pdf/2018/0823/ohiostatepdf.pdf) read it. Read it once, get any sort of emotional issues out of the way and then read it twice with a clearer head. Stuff like this, serious issues about morality and sports trying to co-mingle, often needs multiple lookovers. This one is a neat and tidy 20-some odd pages so it's not like it'll take too much time out of your day and by report standards, it's written clear enough that anybody can parse through it and get it. Also in the following bit, domestic violence is going to come up and while I'm not much for trigger warnings, I do think a fair and honest "HEADS UP!" is necessary for a subject such as this.

The outrage has simmered down. By normal read and react (or just react) standards, the Urban Meyer situation has basically come and gone. His three game suspension  is known, we raged about it and people moved on as they often do. It's hard to stay mad at something for too long when social media is basically a treadmill of rage; by the time you get mad at one thing, something else is already coming up so you're never allowed to fully decompress. You can't "get it out of your system" so to speak. I feel like on issues like this when we're discussing potential/alleged violence against a spouse, it matters to read through the reports and try to find the best image possible. Reading through the report I have zero doubt that Zach Smith is an abuser in some form or fashion. If not physically then emotionally since chances are a guy with a severe drinking problem who seems to also have a severe anger issue and poor impulse control probably has no issue yelling or menacing somebody. The report wasn't about Zach Smith's indiscretions (not entirely at least) and was instead about Urban Meyer. It's what I have to assume (because otherwise why read it) a good faith assessment and report on the findings of what Urban Meyer knew, what he alleged to know and what we ALL now know about the Zach Smith situation and how Urban Meyer and Ohio State handled it. For those who wish to care, here are my own personal thoughts based just upon the findings:

1) For SOME reason, Urban Meyer's loyalty to Zach Smith is cast iron which makes zero sense

The 2009 arrest for a domestic incident is discussed and covered pretty clearly early on. Zach Smith brings home a drunk co-worker to sleep on his couch (because why else do you bring a female co-worker to your home to sleep on your couch after a party?) and his wife is upset. It's alleged that Zach Smith throws her against a wall, an allegation that ultimately leads to an arrest but not a charge from Courtney Smith. From there though and spanning two different universities, it sure seems like there's nothing but bad behavior from Zach Smith. From trips to strip clubs (which aren't illicit except for when you're doing it on the company dime/company time) to truancy in paying back bills to the school to other red flags amid the school. The biggie though is the 2015 investigation into more domestic violence allegations from Courtney Smith. At that point, Urben Meyer is faced with a difficult choice on a one v one issue. Zach Smith has to this point exhibited plenty of fireable behavior and now he's under investigation for domestic violence. For some reason Urban Meyer puts up with it, offering yet another warning. At this point Zach Smith continues to act like a problem (it's not illegal to sleep with a co-worker or to take dick pics but it's probably unbecoming for a dude in the middle of a domestic violence investigation to do it and to do it WHILE at work) until the restraining order is brought down in 2018. THEN and only then does Urban Meyer make the move to fire Zach Smith and the move is made, according to the information presented, because Urban was jumped on the news by the media.

For some reasons by which I simply can't comprehend, Urban Meyer's rope of trust for Zach Smith wasn't just long enough to hang himself but to hang Urban Meyer, Ohio State's Athletic Director Gene Smith, the Ohio State University and practically all of Ohio at once. For reasons I can't figure out, Urban Meyer decided that he would stake his perfectly crafted reputation as the guy who viewed this as more than football and who preached family and values and so on so so forth on a guy who ultimately would betray that trust time and time again is just unfathomable. Remember Urban Meyer had Aaron Hernandez on his football team at Florida and he somehow survived the eventual fallout of that with his reputation intact! He rode Tim Tebow and the Tebow-isms of Florida while having guys like Chris Rainey on his team. He left Florida citing health and family, took a year off for a major media gig and then bailed and went to Ohio State for the largest contract in history at that time. This was the world's most bulletproof built reputation and he somehow found a way to ding it over an assistant. Even the report seems baffled, speculating that it may due to Zach Smith being the grandson of a mentor of Urban Mayer's. Even THAT seems like a stretch and IF that's the reason then Urban Meyer got this point politically by accident because no smart man would be that loyal that far down the chain of command. Zach Smith wasn't his defensive coordinator or a close aide, he wasn't a guy in a high spot on the totem pole. He was the wide receivers coach for the love of God. He wasn't there for 15 years having a long track record of proven results. In fact even in 2015 and 2016, Urban Meyer was concerned about Zach Smith showing up late to work (!) and having a generally poor level of performance!

It's stated that Urban Meyer had never fired a coach before and that may have played into it. I don't know the veracity of that claim but if so I guess it makes a little bit of sense as to the apprehension. Still Urban Meyer has truly nobody to blame but himself for all of this because it's not like Zach Smith's character was sterling and beyond question. Anybody who knows me knows I'm a guy who values second/third/fifth/twelfth chances in life. You've probably seen me argue for dudes like Greg Hardy and company, acknowledging the right to be mad at those people for fucking up while also acknowledging the human right to be able to atone for errors and also the right to make a living (as other sports people have argued, what IS a guy accused of a crime supposed to do for the rest of his life? What is acceptable for him? Can he run a store? Can he cook your food? Clean your subways?). Zach Smith just keep making errors and Urban Meyer continued to put him on his coaching staff and the report offers no real solid reason for any of that.

2) "So I’m To Believe...”

My Con Law professor used to start a sentence with "So I'm to believe" whenever he was hinting that somebody was losing their end of a classroom debate. It's stated a few times in the report that Urban and Shelley Meyer had discussions about Zach and Courtney Smith. It was at least known to the couple that those two had problems, so much so in fact that when the 2009 incident between the Smiths occurred, the Meyers suggested a counselor to the duo.  As such, I'm to believe is that Urban Meyer and Shelley Meyer had consistent dialogue about everything except for when Shelley was presented with texts of abuse and photos from Courtney Smith? And I'm to believe that Shlley Meyer contacted police about a domestic violence investigation but didn't tell her husband she was doing that? That at no point during this period of time Shelley and Urban NEVER talked about allegations of domestic violence in 2015? Even if Shelley Meyer thought that Courtney Smith was being less than honest about the Zach Smith situation, I'm to believe she NEVER mentioned that to Urban Meyer? It's a lot to believe, ain't it? Shelley Meyer is deemed as "supportive" of Courtney Smith but not supportive enough to say "Listen there's some shit going on, what are you going to do about it?" to Urban Meyer?

3)  A three game suspension is worse than no suspension

Honestly there's no "Better than nothing!" here. There are three options here; 1) no suspension, 2) a lengthy suspension or 3) dismissal as the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. To offer up a three game suspension is a slap in the face of the concept of good faith. If he violated enough ethics to be suspended, it should be a much lengthier punishment than three games. A three game suspension is like saying "We don't necessarily think he did anything wrong but we hope you feel better about it!" He won't miss Penn State, he won't miss Michigan State, he won't miss Michigan hell he misses ONE Big 10 game and it's Rutgers! No disrespect to the fine Rutgers football squad but I think Ohio State should be able to manage without Urban Meyer. Again if you feel like he violated something in your code of conduct, suspend him for more than just a quickie three game set. Six games and you'd have plenty of people believing in you. Fire him if you're TRULY convinced he did something wrong. Three games just feels hollow and vacant, like an attempt to make this go away with a terrible placating tool.

4) It's only a problem when a) someone gets hurt by it or b) someone finds out about it

The response of Urban Meyer at the Big-10 press conference is covered but what truly matters are the responses of the people involved. Gene Smith advises Urban Meyer to be as scant with details as possible, Once the shit hits the fan about a potential media snowstorm on Zach Smith, Urban Meyer instructs his coaches to keep the focus on the team and the players. On one hand, sounds like a coach aiming to keep everybody in line and out of the way of what's to come but Urban himself seems to have no idea how to handle the situation either. In fact, he asks people in the organization for details on 2015 which suggests he actually may not have known about it. Now granted that in and of itself is compounded by Meyer's text from before August 2017 of last year disappearing entirely for whatever reason. Strange as that may be. Shelley Meyer expresses concern for the safety of some people (Zach himself? Her family? Courtney?) when she discusses and I quote here on page 12, Section A; "“I am worried about Zach’s response. He drinks a lot and I am just not sure how stable he will be. Afraid he will do something dangerous. It’s obvious he has anger/rage issues already.”" Everything after the fact paints a bad light on what feels like a cover up, even if the information presented seems to suggest something far less nefarious. It has that “It’s only a problem if” vibe to it.

5) Urban Meyer's memory loss is troubling

Urban Meyer is 54 years old and expected to the head coach at a major college university. At numerous times during the investigation, it's mentioned that Meyer either can't recall exact details or just flat out can't remember things. If we believe his texts, Urban Meyer genuinely had no recollection of the 2015 investigation. He did know about it but couldn't remember it per the investigation. In the same investigation, Urban Meyer claims to suffer from memory loss as well. If this is coincidence or an act, he's the most committed actor in history. If it's real? I think we need to ask if a coach who can't remember poignant events in time relating to his coaching staff is truly the best candidate to coach a football team going forward regardless of the ethical concerns.

At the end of all of this, there's some serious ethical issues we need to try and learn from here.

I hope this won’t be the case but I believe we’re all one day going to be in Urban Meyer's shoes. I can't speak for what Courtney Smith has gone through. It's an avenue of life I haven't had to walk and hopefully will never have to walk. Hopefully my sister will never have to walk it either and hopefully no sibling nor mother of anybody who reads this will ever have to walk it. I can only speak for myself when I say that I've known victims of domestic violence and I've known those accused of domestic violence. Domestic violence is a visceral and emotional act; it invokes emotion from those who deal with it and those presented with it. Urban Meyer may truly be a man who values women and abhors those who put their hands on a spouse, namely women who are more often than not the victims. What Urban Meyer may not have been prepared for is the likelihood that somebody close to him would be the accused. It's a lot easier to hate domestic violence until you know the guy who is accused and until you hear them plead with you that they'd never do that. It's harder for you to accept it because YOU want to believe it. Look at your average social media kerfuffle when somebody is accused of something heinous; the majority of the people lambasting them probably turn hat quickly when it's somebody they like accused. We all hate domestic violence until it looks us in the face with somebody we care about. We’ve all probably heard a joke about domestic violence and let it slide unitl it stops being funny when it’s someone you kno wwith bruises. When it's you/us/we, it''s never as black and white, no matter how much it is to everybody else. Even to the very end after firing him, Urban Meyer was telling his staff that Zach Smith needed their help moving forward (on page 11). Urban Meyer was presented on two different occasions with the belief that somebody close to him who he admired was in fault of violating a code of ethics he subscribed (or alleges) to have subscribed to. In those instances, he trusted a man who ultimately in the end betrayed him. Why? I guess it doesn't matter now but it definitely is something to consider. If anything, I suppose Urban Meyer's situation will force us all when/if that time comes to truly question what it is we believe about people and whether or not "*So and so* would NEVER do *such and such*" is really the best way to show faith in a situation as nuanced, painful and complicated as this.

This ethical conundrum of trust and who we trust is magnified with celebrities and athletes and people we THINK we know. Ohio State fans have poured out in support of Urban Meyer with the belief that he didn't know or did the right thing or whatever the case. Our society (and I imagine societies before this) believe we know the people we see on TVs, football fields, basketball courts or on our youtube channels. The star worship is strong and it's getting stronger in part due to the goal of making the world as connected on an individual basis as possible. Nobody wants to believe that somebody could make an error that grave because we "know" them. We "know" them because we see them on TV four months out of the year, follow their tweets and instagrams and believe in something they do to a borderline unhealthy level. We idol worship and just hope like hell we've picked the right idol to bandwagon on. For Ohio State fans, they "know" Urban Meyer's code of ethics because he tells us them and then wins football games. If Urban Meyer did the former and not the latter, would this whole incident just be a convenient excuse for some people to want him gone? We "knew" Bill Cosby because he was funny, right? We don't really know anybody outside of the persona they want us to believe in---and sometimes we all need to remember that before we grab pitchforks or take stances. At the end of the day, I hope this incident convinces people to either wait for a reason to believe one way or another and not allow blind faith and the belief we "know" people to convince ourselves to pick a side long before we need to take one.  It's okay to let the facts play out; so long as you're consistent in who you're choosing to let the facts play out on.

And lastly, the biggest problem is one that I think we can all see happening on a day to day basis. That is "When is it okay to talk about somebody's alleged transgressions?" For Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Athletic Department, so much rested on whether or not Zach Smith was charged with a crime. On multiple instances, they admit that a large portion of their reaction was due to Zach Smith not being charged with a crime (that they knew of at least).  Even in the end of the report, they state that Ohio State leaving it in the hands of the law was not the best idea in absence of an internal investigation. Ohio State was waiting for the police or a judge to give them some sort of clearance and they waited too long because these things aren't rapid action. They were putting their hands in the legal process to solve their issue for them which is a problem in 2018. It's a smart strategy, I suppose, in that they are the people best equipped to handle that. At the same time, you run the risk of putting somebody else in charge of a problem. "So and so has never been charged of a crime!" doesn't neglect the investigation or the arrest. It's a fine line to walk; being fair to due process while acknowledging an issue at hand. Ohio State relied on the legal system to solve their problems which in turn is the challenge for pro sports today. We acknowledge that leagues/teams aren't equipped to deal with legal matters and yet we want them to. Why? Because most people don't really trust the legal world either. What is due process in 2018 and how do we balance good faith with our emotions?

[bunnyzegler]

Wrote a small paper on how kind hearted and amazingly talented Daniel Radcliffe is.

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe Gresham. Who is he? Why is this name important and why should we know who this person is? Many don’t know him by his name, but of another. Harry Potter. Yes, Daniel Radcliffe brought the character Harry to life in all seven installments. He was chosen to play this iconic role at the age of 11 (Might i mention he was in the bathtub when he was made aware he got the part?) and his life was never the same again. His parents were reluctant at first of him obtaining such role, but up to this day, his parents must be immensely proud of him. Everyone knows him for his role in Harry Potter and they love his work on the films but if i persay were to mention or ask someone if they knew Daniel Radcliffe, unfortunately not many would know. I once asked a colleague of mine if they had seen any of Daniel Radcliffe’s movies like ‘What If’. What If is a movie about a medical dropout by the name of Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) who falls for his new friend Chantry, who is an aspiring artist, but must be kept in the friendzone because she has a boyfriend. Anyway, When i asked my colleague if she’d seen it the first thing she said was, “Who’s Daniel Radcliffe?”. Being a Radcliffe fan, i was quite taken aback with her question, so i decided to try the cliché way to describe him. “He was Harry Potter in the movies” i replied and i immediately saw realization dawn on her face. It’s quite sad how not many know him as more than just one role he played and believe me, i understand why. It was such an iconic and major role that was known to the whole world and many only know him as just Harry Potter. He certainly changed many lives and gave many lovely childhoods with the films. Many grew with him and admire his performance in those films, which makes me utterly happy. What upsets me is that they sometimes only know him as such. “Harry Potter this… Harry Potter that.” Now, he may have played that role, but he’s not Harry. He’s Daniel Radcliffe. He’s a multi talented actor who not only has portrayed every role he’s played with such uniqueness, but he’s also extremely kind hearted and with a bubbly spirit. There are many examples to backup all these characteristics. Let’s start off with his big heart. In 2009, Daniel Radcliffe began to film PSA’s for The Trevor Project, which is an organization that promotes awareness of gay teen suicide prevention. Since then, he’s contributed and helped many learn more about the organization. He’s supported various charities as well. Demelza House Children’s Hospice is one of them. He has urged many to donate and give there, having received various offers of christmas gifts. He’s donated glasses to an exhibit honoring victims of the holocaust, and also donated money to Get Connected UK. These acts of kindness are what the world needs more of. He’s among many celebrities with such a heart and personality. One of the things that touches me the most about Daniel is that whenever he meets fans who express their love and admiration for him, he’s humble about it. He’s not much to be drowned with compliments but that’s what makes him so humble and sweet. He encourages others to continue to fight any negativity in their lives and gives them the biggest of hugs. He takes time to take pictures and interact with as many fans as he can. His fans are important to him as he is important to his fans. It’s heartwarming. Most importantly, i think Daniel Radcliffe deserves to be recognized for his film work as well. Besides Harry Potter, Daniel has taken many risks in terms of films, plays, and tv shows. In 1999, Daniel first appeared on the big screen as young David Copperfield. It’s a commonly known film about a famous magician. In 2001, right before potter, Daniel starred in the film The Tailor of Panama which is about an ex-con who becomes a tailor to the most powerful of panama and he’s famously known for his storytelling as well as his fancy suits but trouble arises as he ultimately destroys everything he values in life. Daniel then appeared in the famous potter films starting from 2001-2011. In between filming the movies, he starred in other films as well. For instance, He did a movie called My Boy Jack, which was generally about his character in the war, WWI specifically, and he goes missing as his parents look for him. He then starred in a movie called December Boys, which was about four teenage orphans who have the mentality that they will never be adopted, until one day they are sent to a seaside vacation where they meet a lovely couple hoping to take one into adoption. Daniel also did some plays such as Equus and How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying in midst of the Potter films. Although i never had the chance to personally see these plays live, i’ve read great reviews on them and seen pictures of Dan meeting fans after the shows. Many have said how amazed they are seeing Daniel dive into different personas and making them his own. In other words, he uniquely adds his own touch to the roles he plays and gives them life. This continues to be true. After Potter, Daniel quickly threw himself onto different genres of films, starring with his horror movie The Woman in Black, which is mainly about a widowed lawyer who is sent to put a deceased woman’s affiliations in order but he soon realizes the village hides a dark secret. He definitely grows from Potter as an actor by taking such a role. It truly was the beginning of a new era for him in his career. Then he does three films in 2013, one called Horns by Joe Hill, a rom-com What if (as described earlier), and Kill Your Darlings. Horns is about a man who is accused of killing his girlfriend and who then mysteriously grows horns, which causes everyone to reveal their darkest and most sinful secrets. Did i mention Daniel talked in an american accent throughout the film? Kill your Darlings is about Allen Ginsberg, an american poet who many have come to admire. All three films are completely different genres, yet our beloved actor amazingly portrays them all. In the midst of these films he starred in a tv series called A Young Doctor’s Notebook as well, where he plays a younger version of the doctor (portrayed by John Hamm) and it takes place in Moscow, Russia. In 2014, he took on the play The Cripple Of Inishmaan (Which i couldn’t see either… ) where he does an irish accent. In this play, Daniel has to maintain the position of a crippled man, his arm positioned in one certain way throughout the entirety of the play. True dedication. In 2015, Daniel starred in the movie Victor Frankenstein, where he takes on the role of igor. Here’s the plot twist. This movie is seen by igor’s point of view and how he comes to know Victor Frankenstein. No spoilers, but Daniel’s character starts off as one way and he evolves into another. A complete transformation. Then, on November 12, 2015 something extraordinary happened. Daniel Radcliffe was awarded a Hollywood Star of Fame. Yes, this is HUGE everyone. This day was honestly one of my happiest days, for our british star was awarded a memorable recognition for all of his hard work and achievements. He looked the absolute happiest that day, receiving many cheers and congratulations. He truly deserved it after how much of an actor he had grown since he first started his career. All those years of hard work were well appraised. The following year, 2016, i think was Daniel’s biggest year yet. He had filmed 3 films and starred in another play: Swiss Army Man, Now You See Me 2, Imperium, and the play Privacy. Let me start off with Swiss Army Man first because i feel it was unappreciated and snubbed of an Oscar. In this movie, Daniel plays a farting corpse who grows a bond with Hank, a man who ran away and was washed onto an island lost for an extensive period. This film gives off many emotions: Sad, happy, confused, comedic, you name it. Daniels had created an unique but exceptional film, yet i felt it didn’t gain the proper admiration. Dan’s next film is Now You See Me 2, which is a sequel to Now You See Me, about magicians. Imperium is about a FBI agent who goes undercover as a white supremacist to further investigate the acts of the KKK and other supremacist activities. Dan’s play Privacy was all about technology and how the government uses our information, potentially risking our securities. In 2017, Daniel did a film and another play: Jungle and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The movie Jungle is based off of a real story, particularly the author’s. Yossi Ghinsberg tells the story of how he went to Bolivia and got lost in the Amazon Jungle as he struggles for survival. In my opinion, this is another film that deserved to air worldwide. Daniel’s performance was out of this world. If you watch this film, you can truly feel all the emotions he’s trying to portray. It almost feels like you’re actually there, observing as this man struggles to survive but you can’t do anything about it. It creates a sense of worry and suspense, definitely leaving you on the edge of your seat. Truly an amazing film. Daniel also starred in a play called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead which is basically about the two characters in the play Hamlet written by Shakespeare. I actually had the chance to see this play but i didn’t get to see it live. I watched it in a local theater nearby. I would’ve loved to see it live and maybe meet Daniel in person but i can say that that play was hilarious, entertaining, and just wonderful. Daniel’s performance, once more, blew me away. It takes true talent to do plays like this because they require much repetition for the next 2 months or so and it takes much energy. But in the end, the play is a must see. For those now intrigued with what Daniel will do next, he’s finished working on a tv show called Miracle Workers, where basically he will be playing an angel who tries his best to stop God from destroying the universe after having doubts whether it’s worth saving. It’s a comedic show and i look very much forward to it. There’ll also be a movie releasing on February 23rd of this year called Beast of Burden, which is about a drug dealer who has to deliver cargo full of drugs to a certain location within a time limit otherwise his wife’s life will end. It’ll be suspenseful and i can’t wait to see it. He’ll also be working on a movie called Guns Akimbo too, but more details to come. Now i know this paper has gotten to be quite long but before i end it, i’d like to share how Daniel has positively impacted my life. I was around 7-8 years old when i first saw Daniel on tv. My mom had changed the television to a channel where they were airing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone. I’ll admit, when i first saw Harry, i instantly grew a crush on him. The boy with the round glasses and scar had captivated me. My mom found it quite endearing and funny that i had developed a crush at such an age. Ever since i saw that movie, i had asked my parents to show it to me again somehow and i’d grow happy when it aired on television. As the years passed by, i grew up with the potter films and of course Daniel Radcliffe himself. I’d watch the movies as they released in theaters and i’d buy all the movies too. In the midst of the passing years, as i reached middle school i had found comfort and solace in the potter films and Daniel Radcliffe. I was bullied the last two years of middle school by a girl i thought was my childhood best friend. She had started false rumors about me and tried to turn everyone against me. I’d go home crying, hurt. I wasn’t the type of person who was able to gain much friendships, not really knowing why, so i didn’t have pretty much anyone to recur to. Watching Harry Potter and Dan’s films had helped me through those hard times. They brought a smile to my face. Daniel was there for me when no one else was. He was and still is my source of strength. High school came. Luckily the bullying had stopped but i was faced with more solitude. I continued to not have any friends and as a result i became depressed. I felt like i wasn’t accepted anywhere, like i was a nobody in that school. I had gained a couple friends but they quickly left me. The only time i truly felt like i had someone was when watching Daniel’s movies and interviews, listening to his words of reassurance and his experiences in his life as an actor. I was able to get through it all with Dan by my side. I don’t think i’ll ever have enough words to thank Daniel Radcliffe for all he’s done. Up to this day, he still continues to be my ray of sunshine. He’s there for me and when i feel depressed, anxious, or when i need something to motivate me. I know i can always count on him. As i conclude this, I’d like to express once more how incredibly talented and kind hearted Daniel is. For all those lucky fans out there who have gotten the opportunity to meet him, i am truly happy for you. I can see your happiness and fondness when i look at all the fan pictures. I won’t lose hope that someday i’ll have a picture with Daniel. I can’t wait for Daniel’s future endeavors film-wise and he’ll always have my support, as well as the love his fans have for him.

[loveump3]

jams meme: best of 2017

@blotthis tagged me in a jams meme!! thank you :D since it’s the new year, i thought i’d do a little retrospective of some of my favorite songs to come out of 2017! so here we goooo

“i wish” by wjsn

this song came out literally 3 days into the new year, but as soon as i heard it i knew it would be one of my top tracks of 2017. and i was right!! i loved “happy” too, and “happy moment” was one of my favorite albums this year, but i’ll always be especially weak for wjsn’s spacey concepts. this song is so pretty and light and pink, and the mv is a lisa frank dream, and the choreography is so whimsical and charming… great on all fronts. all hail the rookie pop princesses.

“wanted! wanted!” by mrs. green apple

mga have become one of my top favorite bands after i discovered them earlier in the year. i love how sweet and fizzy and fun their music is, and i love their lead singer motoki’s voice (i’m not sure what it is about it, but it makes me so happy). i feel like this song is a great example of their particular super-hyper brand of pop. this is a good one to blast in the car :o)

“vanilla” by fickle friends

another band that’s shot to the top of my list of favorites after finding them this year! their sparkly-pool-water 80s vibe is sooo up my alley. i love the percussion and the bright guitars in this song, and i have such a crush on natassja’s voice. (i’d also highly recommend “swim,” which has been one of my top jams this year and is also my favorite fickle friends song, and which i would have included, but it it came out in 2016, lol.)

“the song” by zion.t

i loved this song the moment i heard it. zion.t has one of my favorite voices not just in kpop but in general, and it sounds sooo nice and smooth here. and the simplicity of the song is so good?? it’s nothing frilly or explosive, it’s just a pleasant little tune. i like that the lyrics reflect that too—i love the “i’m not trying to write a hit song, i just want to write you something sweet” attitude. also for whatever reason i think the line “let’s stick together all day like alley cats” is so cute? and the mv is so wonderfully bizarre (the colors are sooo good). the rest of the album is great too; got me through a lot of shifts at work.

“when you love someone” by day6

i really thought “dance dance” was gonna hold tight to the title of Emma’s Favorite Every DAY6 song, but then “when you love someone” came out and immediately took its place. this song like the aural equivalent of a warm hug and a hot drink and it makes my heart feel so at peace every time i hear it :( also the lyrics are a complete K-O. those first few every day6 releases were SO ANGSTY, and even though i loved them i was like “will poor youngk ever write a happy relationship song???” but then he started releasing shit like this and it killed me and i immediately regretted ever asking. (also not to be a bitter betty but i’m still cheesed that we never got resolution on sungjin and wonpil’s story!!!!!!!! @ jyp i still have questions)

“we find love” by daniel caesar

“freudian” has become one of my new favorite albums. it’s so perfect for the winter—daniel caesar’s woozy gospel sound is so warm and cozy. there’s not a song on the album that i don’t love, but this one is particularly soothing and comfy. with the harmonized background vocals and the gentle piano, it sounds like something you’d hear on the radio late at night when you’re tucked into bed trying to fall asleep while the snow is drifting down outside. and daniel’s voice has this… i don’t know how to explain it. he sounds so assured and smooth when he sings, like he’s been doing this forever. i can’t get enough.

“cut to the feeling” by carly rae jepsen

2017 was the year that i remedied my worst mistake of never having listened to the power-pop gem that is carly rae jepsen’s 2015 album “e•mo•tion,” and is it too hyperbolic to say that that changed me as a person?? her brand of fizzy fluttery 80s-inspired sugar is everything i didn’t realize i needed. i’m dying for a new crj album, but in the meantime, “cut to the feeling” has done a good job of holding me over—it’s all the shout-about-your-crush-from-the-rooftops euphoria that miss carly does so well. extremely good for car rides, especially when the bridge kicks in.

“praying” by kesha

kesha has been my other pop queen this year. i liked her before, but then i listened to “rainbow” and cried like three different times while doing so, and i fell in love. every single song off of “rainbow” is great (the range of style is amazing, she goes from acoustic to pop to rock to country and back, and each one is just as great as the last), but “praying” is so raw and special; it doesn’t matter how many times i hear it, it hits me just as hard every time. i love how it builds—from the simmering power of the first chorus, to the stomp of the second (those pounding piano chords really get me), to the fireworks of the last (that fucking whistle note!!!!!!!!! also the way she sings “some say in life you gonna get what you give, but some things only god can forgive” with those horns behind her in the bridge…….i get shivers every time)… every second of it hurts so good. you can feel all that anger and pain, and also the euphoria and the healing. i’m so glad that kesha is finding herself again; she deserves the best.

“mic drop” by bts

i thought “baepsae” was my favorite “kiss my ass” bts banger, but then “her” came out and “mic drop” fuckin beat “baepsae” to a bloody pulp. the original and the desiigner/steve aoki remix are both sooo good: i love the dark grungy slink of the original, which sounds like it could play during the trailer for a movie about a scrappy gang of crime syndicate underlings who are sick and tired of being underestimated just because they’re all so young, so they’re ready to go off the books and pull a heist so big, no one will ever underestimate them again; but i also love the extra shot of adrenaline in the remix—desiigner’s verse is like whiplash (seriously, how does he manage to rap that fast???), and minimizing that bouncy little riff in the verses to focus on the vocals and the beat makes the chorus hits so much harder (also the “hella thick”/“hella sick” echoes are so much FUN to sing along to (and of course yoongi’s “baby watch your mouth” is…great, to say the least)). i really couldn’t pick between the two versions; although they share a teeth-bared-knuckles-bruised attitude, they’ve got unique vibes to me and i love them differently. that said, i’m linking to a performance of the original version because 1) yoongi and hoseok’s undone bow ties are really fucking me up; 2) apparently the reason why yoongi doesn’t do the last line of his verse is to prove to people accusing them of lip-syncing that they don’t use a track when they perform, which cracks me up because that’s such a yoongi thing to do; and 3) whoever wrote the captions added some little personal notes of their own and they’re so CUTE and funny.

“beautiful” by monsta x

idek what to say about this song anymore; it’s been 9 months and those opening bars still make my heart race. “beautiful” has become not only one of my favorite songs of 2017 but one of my favorite songs period. i’m a mess for mx and i love everything they do, but this song is really something else—rap line are in top fucking form, vocal line kill it (minhyuk’s lines are a Blessing), and the choreography is still one of my favorites from this year. i’ve listened to this song so many times i really thought i was gonna get sick of it, but i haven’t yet, and i don’t think i will.

“baby” by astro

i’m surprised my teeth haven’t rotted out of my skull after how many times i’ve listened to “baby” this year, because this song is like pure sugar. i love the snappy percussion and the bouncy bass and the bright melody, and astro have such sweet vocals to boot (especially mj, oh man ;___;). and the choreography is so!! good!!! it’s got this old-fashioned swing to it that i love. ugh. it’s all perfect. i remember a few months ago i was having a bad day for whatever reason, but after i watched a few live stages of this i instantly felt better.

“new fears” by lights

“skin&earth” was hands-down one of my top favorite releases of 2017—it’s the gritty post-apocalyptic cyberpunk album of my dreams. i’ve loved lights since like middle school, and it’s so amazing to see how her music has grown and changed; this is my favorite work from her so far. “skin&earth” has SO many good tracks, but “new fears” is probably my favorite. i love the eerie beginning, and the heavy beat in the chorus, and the lyrics!!!!!! they nail that feeling of “i would give myself up to keep you safe” in such a raw and heart-wrenching and beautiful way. just reading them gives me chills. the idea of getting new fears when you start really caring about someone……i never would’ve thought of it that way but it’s so true. UGH! lights if ur reading this i love u

“do it” by masc

god am i glad i stumbled across this one night when i was catching up on mvs, because masc have become one of my new favorite groups. i love the retro vibe, their vocals are so good (heejae’s voice…i’m weak), the choreography is SO freakin cute (i’m still not over the superman move in the chorus), and the mv is so colorful and goofy (two of my favorite things!)… truly a dream. the fan service dance practice and honestly any of the live stages are also a delight.

so there’s some of my faves! happy new year everyone!!! 2017 you kinda sucked sometimes but thanks for at least bringing some sweet jams. i’ll tag @anyhao @shinwhoohoo and @onlyoongi if you’d like to share some of what you’ve been listening to lately!

[zaggitz]

VIDEO GAMES 2017: ONE MILLION GAMES ENTER, TEN GAMES LEAVE.

Well that sure was the best year in video games since probably 1998, wasn’t it? Nintendo put out a new console and 3 major franchise entries, basically every anticipated game of the early 10′s finally frickin’ came out, we got 4 new English Falcom games, 3 of which with good locs, and they made a new Nier? What??? 

What a time to be alive.

Let’s not waste any time getting to the list, lord knows VIDEO GAMES 2017 has already sucked out enough time from me for a lifetime.

Before we begin, here’s my lists for 2015 and 2016.

Honorable Mentions:

Persona 5:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaIo82uT0qs

It’s insane that this game isn’t in my top ten, hell, it’s insane that it isn’t in my top five. It’s less a commentary on Persona 5′s quality and more that the games that did make the list resonated with me a whole lot more. VG2017 truly was too powerful.

P5 is mired with stiff localization problems, but even without the loc in consideration, the thematic through-line of the game gets muddled and becomes a toothless version of the promising rebellious first ten hours the game provides by the time you reach the finish line, which also just happens to come 20 hours too late, in my opinion.

What a great looking and feeling game though.

Tales of Berseria:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYXwD2CfxOs

On the flipside we have this game, the first Tales game I’ve enjoyed since Tales of Vesperia back in 2008. This game has an amazing story and great characters with a thematic backbone that sticks to your ribs after you finish it.

Now if I didn’t hate the act of actually playing it and having to scour its way too big boring empty dungeons and crappily designed world, it’d be a list maker for sure.

OKAY NOW IT’S TIME FOR THE CERTIFIED BANGERS:

10. Metroid: Samus Returns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhQWJG-_Oco

Somehow my least favorite Metroid game got two remakes that both made my list two years in a row?? This game is pretty great in it’s own right though it has a few control scheme imperfections and I could see a switch port easily being the definitive version to get.

The reason this game really makes the list though is because of how it lives up to its title. Finally an official Nintendo Metroid game that comes out and undoes Sakamoto’s vile character assassination of Samus back in Other M. . 

The queen is back, and she has been missed.

9. Horizon: Zero Dawn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD0DByDxJBA

An engrossing open world, great stealth/hunting/gathering systems AND robot dinosaurs are just a part of what makes this first outing for what seems like an extremely promising series great.

No, what really sets this game apart from its contemporaries is how it fleshes out its backstory, culminating in the creation of what might actually be the most despicable piece of shit villain ever put to writing for a video game. And he’s been dead for a thousand years so you can’t do shit to him.

Fuck you, Ted Faro.

8. Night in the Woods

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2UUFFMGcgY

This game hit extremely close to home for me. Forced to come back home to a small, dying town full of people clinging to the good old days instead of doing anything for the generation after them, having this game to play and have it be said out loud that yeah, other people are living this nightmare too, was insanely refreshing.

For as much as we all need a bit of direction sometimes, sometimes what we also need to know being a directionless 20-something asshole trying their best is okay too.

Also Gregg rulz ok.

7. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNgph1g422Q

Great gameplay, great music, fun characters, one of the most fun to explore worlds in an action adventure game. This game truly nails the sense of pure adventure Ys is known for.

It’s a shame then that it’s plagued with one of the most laughable translation efforts in the industry, much of the games personality comes from the fact that even a bad localization job can’t overwrite some character quirks, but this still leaves the rest of the script feeling extremely stiff at best and incomprehensible at worst.

I hope the re-translation patch is good. Until then, Fuck NISA and have a good day.

6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiU65nQdZE8

I would describe this game as a great first step in evolving the Zelda formula. That’s not even really that accurate, the real first step was in Link Between World’s item rental/no dungeon order systems. 

Nevertheless, BOTW amazes with a sense of scope and exploration no game has ever really come close to, and achieves it almost effortlessly by simply giving you the ability to climb anything.

More music, more proper dungeons, a deeper story and a few durability tweaks are basically all you need to make the next Zelda game the easy best in series.

5. Yakuza 0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYB-D9qEwzI

This isn’t the best game this year, but it is easily, no question, the MOST video game this year. 110 hours in and only 60% complete, Yakuza 0 is the game that keeps on giving, with an enthralling true crime story that reshapes what we know about its protagonists. It’s pretty much a non stop emotional thrill ride to the finish line.

It effortlessly incorporates the best side story aspects from the many games in the series to come out before it, and utilizes them with a fantastical glee that keeps you with a smile on your face for the whole run. This is easily the funniest game I’ve played this year. Thank you SEGA.

4. Hollow Knight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1unm0LS10ao

God I can’t wait for this game to get ported to consoles. I bought a new laptop basically just to play this game and the absolutely enthralling metroidvania world design, hand drawn and animated aesthetic, and fantastic npc characters blew me away.

The encounter designs are tough but fair(except maybe the Colisseum) and the DLC so far has been great. I can’t wait for all the post release content to come out so I can play through it all again on Switch and probably PS4. 

It’s insane only 3 people made this game.

3. Super Mario Odyssey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhciLj5VzOk

Nothing to say here that hasn’t been said by hundreds of others. SMO is pure joy distilled into video game form.

I can’t wait for Odyssey 2 to come out and somehow blow this one out of the water like Galaxy 2 did for Galaxy.

2. Nier: Automata

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKOM3lNFajE

An amazing contemplation on what it means to be alive, and a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to a story that, for me at least, has been told since Drakengard in 2003. Game after game of sad tragic stories with bad endings and characters fighting an imperfect world imperfectly and only making things worse while temporarily making things better for themselves.

And really even in those cases there’s caveats.

Caviats???? Anyway.

Ending E of this game finally brings some semblance of peace for this fucked up world where a deranged killer and his dragon fell through the sky and made things the worst for everyone for literally tens of thousands of years. Finally Devola and Popola can sleep. All is well.

1. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wld2q4mLhYM

Another year, another Trails game at number 1. I’ll be real with you, I’m about to drop a bunch of personal rambly stuff about what this entire trilogy means to me so if you don’t wanna read that, that’s fine. 

This game is basically a perfect epilogue to a game that means a whole lot to me and serves as an amazing capper to an amazing jrpg trilogy.

When I first played Trails in the Sky First Chapter, it was the PC version in 2014. Now in 2014 I was coming off being in college for about 6 years, switching majors a few times and not really being into what I was doing but, yknow, you gotta major in something and then you gotta get a job, that’s kind of what getting started as an adult is. 

So I played this weird little jrpg that was, fundamentally, about a country and the people in it trying to move on from a tragic war years prior, hiding their still fresh wounds in plain sight and just trying to go on with their lives. 

It was an extremely interesting game, for how plot-light it was in the early goings, you got to really feel the struggle of these people and the unseemly past they were trying to run away from or avoid repeating. This underlying conflict builds and builds until we can’t ignore it anymore.

When I played Second Chapter a year later, I had been laid off from a job I got right out of College and had no employment prospects. I hated the fact that I’d spent basically my entire adult life up to that point doing something I wasn’t passionate about and then got let down by the system. 

At the same time, the shame of my situation lead me to close up and not tell anyone about the problems I had, I was broke, I owed two months rent, on the verge of getting evicted, I felt extremely alone.

All this to get to the point that Second Chapter was ultimately a game about pulling out the dark shit we don’t like talking about and saying “it’s okay to talk about this stuff, there’s always someone who will listen.” It got me to get over myself somewhat and actually reach out for help, and I’m really thankful for it not letting me hit rock bottom.

Two years later still, I’m in a much better place, I finally feel happy about where my life is and what I’m doing and oh boy here comes Trails in the Sky the 3rd.

Completing the journey I started back in 2014, I found myself playing a game all about how it’s okay to acknowledge the bad things that happened to us, so long as we learn and move on from them accordingly.

This trilogy has so much heart, and so many memorable characters, and so much to say. It’s so, so special to me, and I was openly weeping when all the characters I’ve come to know and love over 4 years finally parted ways.

Thank you Falcom for making these games, and thank you Xseed for bringing these games to us.

TL;DR

[oblivionsgrace]

I'd love to hear those hyperfixation thoughts (also everytime you post ian and mickey I get closer to catching up on shameless)

Hello! omg haha thank you for giving me an excuse to waffle on about it. But also now that you’ve said that you’re gonna regret it because I’m gonna go ahead and write the essay that’s been brewing in my head for like 2 months and I apologize in advance.

But first oh no pleaseee be wary of catching up shameless. It’s really just as bad as it was before, and there’s a lot of tension in the fandom from what I can see, and I feel like it’s not a good for anyone’s mental health to get invested. Or maybe wait until the s10 finale airs (end of January) and then catch up on all the ian and mickey stuff, that way you don’t have to wait out the stressful cliffhangers and you’ll know how it ends. I just don’t want to be responsible for anyone getting themselves emotionally hurt by shameless again. But also I am glad that there is now a second person who I know doesn’t hate that I’m posting that stuff haha because unfortunately I am *in it.*

Okay hyperfixations! I have always been someone who is prone to hyperfixations, which I think has been both a good and bad thing for me. It’s bad in that I get over invested in something and it gains too much power over my mental health, so then if anything goes wrong (see, shameless sucking, that whole dnp at f*lix’s birthday fiasco) I feel a big emotional dip in response. Which obviously, like, is not good for my or anyone’s mental health!

But hyperfixations have also been really good for me because they’ve helped me get through bad times by being a distraction, or they’ve given me an outlet to be creative and really think about stuff in a way that I might not be getting in my life. And I think hyperfixations of certain things often come into our lives because we are lacking a specific something. When we fall away from the thing, it’s likely because our life or feelings have changed and we don’t feel we can get as much from it anymore. So this makes RE-visiting hyperfixations super interesting. Because it could be you need it for the same reason, but that’s unlikely because people change! So even if, say, you’re going through a tough time again, you’ll probably be in a slightly different place than before, so what you GET out of a hyperfixation and what you SEE in it will change. So the hyperfixation will be the same, but the experience won’t.

 Like, this is my second go-around in the phandom. I first, like, joined the phandom in 2010. I remember the buildup to pinofs 3 and 4. And at that time it was already clear to me that there was strong chemistry between them and thought they were probably more than friends, but to be honest I just thought they were really funny and enjoyed the banter. I wasn’t too invested in like phan per say, and so when 2012-2013 became a chaotic time in the phandom and dnp became much more weird towards each other on camera and I hated that and I hated all the speculation about it and I didn’t make it through.

I didn’t revisit Dan and Phil until November 2016. I missed the whole tatinof era, knew it was happening but wasn’t really interested. I went through a rough patch during that time where I had to pull away a bit from a lot of the people in my life and wasn’t sleeping well, and then one day I came across pinof 8 and…ohh boy. I was TRANSFIXED. I was like wow something is going on here and it’s complex and layered and fullll of love. And the first time I discovered dnp I’d needed to laugh. The second time I wanted to better understand love. So they became a little bit more of a case study for me, this go around. And then – who would have ever thought – I wrote a long-ass fanfiction ABOUT 2012. The me who was in the phandom in 2012 would’ve probably hated my own fic lmao. But that’s how revisiting hyperfixations works! You’ve changed and so the thing itself has changed.

And I don’t think I ever fully realized this until these past few months when I fell back down the god forsaken rabbit whole that is ian and mickey. (And shameless is, like, the textbook example of a BAD THING TO BE HYPERFIXATED ON lmao. I think even back in the time of s1-5 people would’ve said it was an unreliable hyperfixation, a sort of gamble in hell, and that’s especially the case now. I would argue that s1-4 were good, with a solid tone and arc, and then s5 started to lose its magic, and then s6-9 were so bad that they cracked the entire foundation of the show. Shameless will NEVER be able to recover from that and unfortunately never will ian and mickey.) I rewatched all of their scenes for the first time since like 2015 and found that I felt differently now about almost every one! Back in 2011-2015 I really enjoyed their dynamic in s4 and cared the most about that, but now I feel so much more aware of ian’s manipulative nature. Comparatively, I used to not care about ixm stuff in s2 at all, because they only had like 3 seasons. But now the idea of that summer!!! Makes me want to explode!!! Because that’s the summer that they actually like became friends and got to hang out and be just dumb young boys. The dugout scene kills me, is maybe my favorite of theirs overall. And of course the fact that I care about this more now is probably also because I am older and feel more badly about their lost childhoods, and so instead of wanting to push them forward as s4 does – mickey coming out, their famous kiss scene, etc – I want to rewind time and give them the space to be children and dumb in love. I never would have cared about that before.

So revisiting hyperfixations is kind of nostalgia but also a strange marker of time in which something that is old becomes completely new and also makes you aware of how you as a person have probably become new even though you might feel old or exactly the same. I don’t know it’s so weird! Time is so strange! Happy new year everyone!

[dstrolgy]

Falling in love ✨🌹

“Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can't help falling in love with you��� I’m certain every single one of you reading this know those few words from Elvis Presley’s classic hits, “Can’t help falling in love”. Falling in love, giving your whole self to a certain someone hoping you get the exact same type of love back. Everyone is afraid of falling in love, but we all know one fine day, it will come. The day where you meet someone, you start talking to them, you want to spent days with and around them and suddenly, you’re in love. You fall deep in love, because you know the person completes you. Love is scary, we all know that, afraid to be left heartbroken again, afraid that one day that person decides to fall out of love instead. Love is never easy but don’t ever regret falling in love with a certain someone because we all know at the end of the day, you made the decision based on your own will and what your heart decides on, always listen to your heart. As for me till this day, never once in my life have I ever regretted falling in love with anyone. There were lessons thoughts on love which makes you understand and improve as an individual. Here’s a glimpse back into my past, a story of how I fell in love with you, a favorite baber.

The word “love” was lost somewhere inside me in late 2015, I had nightmares on it and hate to even listen to the word “love” coming out from anyone’s mouth ever since. Ironic, isn’t it ? Hating on the word “love”. I didn’t open up to anyone, I didn’t believe in love. I took it way too seriously to an extent I build my walls up high hoping someday, someone will break it down because they love me sincerely. Besides, why should I let someone in if all they’re going to do is hurt me, right? Oh boy, was I wrong. 2016 came, I was completely over people from my past who never really learned to appreciate me while I was there, why not move on. I had one focus and only one, which was my O-levels. I knew I had ample friends around me who could help me along the way with my studies and knowing that my classroom was going to be separated and be far away from people from my past, I was glad, very glad. Until I received news from the school which states otherwise, my god was I upset, I could almost see myself going to school literally head hung low walking past every class, just so I don’t feel down again. I got used to it eventually, until I noticed things. I noticed a pattern, every time before a class starts at a certain timing, you would always be going to the toilet which means walking past my class and somehow I’ll be outside as well just waiting for my next lesson, just to get some fresh air or talk to friends. It went on for awhile, I decide to shut myself up because I knew “love” wasn’t part of my plan for that year. 

Another thing I noticed was, every time before recess ends, I would always find myself going to the canteen to buy drinks after playing soccer or any kind of sports activity I was doing that day to hydrate myself again. Recess to me is probably the worst ‘period’ in school for me because I will have to face and see people I don’t even want to see, I found humans around me annoying basically. There was obviously going to be eyes always looking around the canteen but somehow, yours still met mine every single time I turn to look at your table out of curiosity, which I personally found strange, of all people, why me ? I knew something was going on because we had PE together on certain weeks, having to run 2.4 with your class every time and I will not forget playing basketball against your class, take note, basketball was never my sport, having to miss open hoops in front of you was absolutely embarrassing, for someone who’s tall. Till this day I ask myself, did you actually see that and laughed at how crazy that was ? Somewhere in between late January and early February, just laying on my bed probably doing my own things, I received a notification, from you. That was when I realized, my feelings were literally all over the place, I knew “love” wasn’t something I was looking for but I said it once and I’ll say it again, I was so so wrong. I replied to your notification, it was a really sweet one, something I’ll remember throughout my life. 

You came back. I didn’t really touch on this, but this was the beautiful girl which wouldn’t admit and let her feelings out to me, knowing that I hadn’t moved on from my past, the girl who kept everything to herself because she was unsure about how I was feeling. The girl I was talking to, on and off since 2014 because I though I could simply “move on” if I start talking to someone new. I’m sorry if I made you feel like a rebound but you weren’t. I was sincere and have always been sincere when talking about my life stories with you, I’m sorry for hurting you and entering your life knowing damn well my feelings were still messed up after whatever that happened. The things I did behind you and even in front was just plain stupid and from the bottom of my heart, I’m really sorry.

We started talking again like how we used to, you told me you did not expect me to still be in school after my national examinations but at the same time you were glad I did. Days, hours, minutes of talking to you, to have someone genuinely wanting to talk to you and willing to stay up late at night just to speak to you. I remember the first time we met, after our CCA, we were both equally nervous, but I suppose you were less nervous, but what can I say, I am the shy-type anyway. From you offering me your drink on our first every meet up, who does that ? Nevertheless it was really nice and sweet of you, we both know I wanted to but it didn’t felt right since it was the first time we met. 

From meeting on certain days, waving and smiling at each other in school even how awkward it was, to taking the same bus with you to school, to finally coming to your area early in the morning just to get a seat beside you in the bus to go to school, looking back at how we grew, it was frankly very impressive and heart-warming. How I finally fell so deeply in love, you ask ? That one day I decided to travel all the way back home and back to school just to retrieve my school bag because you wet it due to your water bottle spilling. There were so many things I could’ve done, carry your books for you, get a paper bag at the nearest shopping mall, buy you a new bag. Of all these, I decided to travel all the way home just for a bag, that one sacrifice and decision I made, opened both my eyes and heart, I already fell in love. Even more deeply, on the exact same day, after giving you the bag and waiting for you to finish your CCA. Everything was different that day, I felt like a completely new and happier person. I walked towards you, asked how your day was, gave you a smile, started talking about things and head out of school together not caring about anyone or anything else. How I knew I was fell in deep ? It was because the girl who screwed me over bad mentally back in 2013, the reason why I stopped believing in “love”, the reason why I completely lost faith in finding someone new, was also there because apparently she also was in the same CCA. For the fact, I was more than happy to make fun of whatever gesture she did with her friends opened my eyes and made me stop and think, I was really really deep in love with you. From fingers touching each other’s palms, to fingers interlocking, heads on each other’s shoulder or your definition of “home”, and lastly to hands interlocking as tight as you liked it. You brought happiness into my life on both days and nights, you were always there for me despite everything that happened. Someone I knew I wanted for the rest of my life, even till this day. For everything, I thank you so much. 

4 years down the road, today here we are, about 2 months apart. Perhaps, I’m a little afraid to fall in love and start things all over again with someone new but it would be a complete lie I were to say I don’t miss you, love you and stopped caring because I still do. There has never been a day I went by not having you on my mind, even the slightest. I pray and ask to Allah every single day on your well-being and hoping it’s you at the end of the day. I had to let go because I wanted you to be happy and it’ll only torture and make things things worse for us if we continued our love story. I’m sorry I couldn’t provide you with as much happiness as 3 years back where everything was smooth sailing and easy. At the end of the day, not all relationship will be a smooth one, right ? There will be ups and downs. If I could turn time and do it all over again, that would be the only thing I change, to keep you with constant happiness. I’m sorry for everything and I wish someday when we’re better for each other sooner or later we’ll be able to re-write this love story and this time nothing but happiness both within ourselves and for each other. I’m sorry for everything and for what is worth saying, I miss you so very much, awak and I hope on certain days you do too.

[ramblingsofafedupmillennial-blog]

The Moral Problem that Everyone is Missing with the Healthcare Debate Right Now

Other than the fact that healthcare is simply not a right, there is a huge debate surrounding congress and the president’s attempts at passing a repeal/repeal+replace of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, otherwise (not so) affectionately known as ”Obamacare.”

Under Obamacare, we have seen premiums skyrocket. They will be quick to blame the insurance companies to start, forgetting the simple economic understanding explains that when you force the insurance company to cover things you not only remove the competition (you know, keeping prices in check) from the market, but also adds unnecessary bureaucratic costs to procedures that maintain no risk.(x) Perhaps I’ve already lost you in this argument—I urge you to read on as I’m going to be making a completely different point by the end. I also encourage you to look up a man by the name of Thomas Sowell, and study his works. He’s a great thinker and has a lot of strong arguments about healthcare.(x)

Those in favor of the bill will tell you that we have seen an increase in the number of people who are now insured. But what they won’t tell you is how many of these people are now insured because they have to be. They are not willingly participating in the marketplace, but instead submitting to a government mandate that continues to fall well outside the boundaries of the Constitution. Newest speculation regarding the potential “22 million that will lose their insurance under the BCRA or others” comes from the fact that 73% (or 16,060,000 people) of these people will opt out of their own free will. 

Americans are being forced to buy into a product that they don’t want or don’t need. They have no say in the matter.  I am one of those people.

I am a very healthy, 27-year-old single female. I go to the doctor’s office once a year for an exam that costs about $140 out of pocket in my region. How much did I pay for premiums in 2016? $2,016.37. Don’t worry, my premiums only went up 25% for 2017. That’s right: one doctor’s visit cost me $2,000 last year. I work for a non-profit. I’m sitting on a great deal of student debt. The last thing I wanted to do was throw an extra $2,000 out the window when I had actual bills I needed and wanted to pay. Instead, I’m subject to a tax or a penalty, I’m getting to choose between two different guns pointed at my head—oh boy.

And on top of that I get to be counted as one of the Obama administration’s “accomplishments” of now being insured, but I had NO say in the matter. Am I the only one that sees a problem with that?

I understand that a lot of my religious and even “conservative” friends are very much in favor of Obamacare, universal healthcare, or similar proposals. Their argument is simply that we must take care of the people in our country. I would agree with this--I absolutely believe in helping those less fortunate than myself. But that is not where their view ends. They are for expanding Medicare, saying that reducing it will harm many people, that we must pay into a system to ensure that everyone is protected and we as Christians need to help our neighbors as God commands us. (PS - you all know that there are still millions of uninsured people out there, right?)

But really—what is it that God says? I’m still trying to find the verse that says “make sure you do all of these things at the forceful hand of the government.” Essentially they try to support the ideas of charity within the mandate of government regulations, but that’s not true religion, is it?

James 1:27 tells us that “pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained.”

Pure religion. Seems like almost too easy of a concept. One of the most important aspects of this is visiting the orphans and widows, those who (in that society) cannot take care of themselves and require support from the community. Yes, I am in complete support of providing for those who need it. It is our duty to help these individuals. Part of this help comes from:

C H A R I T Y 

Private charity is a strongly articulated concept in scriptures. We see it perpetuate throughout both the Old and New Testaments.

Psalm 112:5a - “It is well with the man who is gracious and lends.”

Psalm 41:1 - “How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble.”

Proverbs 19:17 - “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord and He will repay him for his good deed.”

Proverbs 28:27 - “He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.”

I Timothy 6:18 - “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.”

1 John 3:17 - “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

But we also know that the Lord judges our heart, our intent, not simply our actions. The Lord shows Samuel this very principle even in OT times when He says “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 states “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

The Lord shows that a believer gives not only generously, but with a pure heart that is not under compulsion.

The fact is simple: we as believers are called to give to charity. It is clear as day. It is a simple and pure truth that is perpetuated throughout the Scriptures. But that is where the church and all religious people have failed. They believe that it is the government’s job to take care of its lowly citizens, when it is 100% ours. And unless we remove the mandates and overwhelming impositions of the government, the church is never going to step up. Someone needs to call out believers for the hypocrites that they are. When your brother is in need, did you bother to help him? When is the last time you reached into your pocket and pulled out that last $20 you had to give to the man down the street that you know can’t buy groceries this week? When is the last time you chose in faith to commit even a small $5 donation to the family friend that is trying to raise money for a medical procedure they cannot get covered? That is the problem. Plain and simple.

Many of my friends will argue that if we remove the government influences (since the church has failed), the victims of poor circumstances will remain. It appears my friends that you are treading on fallacious grounds.

There are plenty of instances where we have seen American (and non) citizens step up when their government, whether federal or local, has failed to act.

How about the citizens of Portland that took to patching their streets in an effort to show their desire for “freedom and equality?” (x x x)

Have you been paying attention to the stories of churches that are attempting to provide shelter to homeless individuals but their local governments are trying to fine them?

Across the pond, even though government overreach ultimately cost the young Charlie Gard his chance at life, his family successfully raised over 1.6 million USD to cover the costs of experimental medical treatment here in the US. And after hearing of this story, a US hospital offered to treat the sweet child at no cost. (x x)

Even the abortion-mill Planned Parenthood had a great increase in donations when they were at risk of legislation defunding them due to the 2016 presidential election results. (x x x)

Websites like GoFundMe serve as perpetual examples of the opportunity for private charity. Log on and you can easily send $5, $50, or $500 to a person in need, and you don’t even have to know them.

Perhaps people don’t believe me. Here I am sitting on my soapbox proclaiming a simple solution to a very complex problem. I don’t want my private charities to be exalted here, because that is not what this is about (Matthew 6:1-4). I will assure you, believe me or not, that I am 100% practicing what I’m preaching. And if I wasn’t pouring out thousands of dollars in mandated health insurance that I honestly don’t need, I would be able to give even more.

Acts 3:6 reminds believers of the giving nature that we are called to. Peter expressed to the lame beggar on the side of the road that he had no silver or gold to offer, but what he had he gave freely. 

This is the mindset that believers should be taking. Private charity is the only way to properly cover this great need that people feel has spread across our country. Those who cannot have their expenses covered should not need to look any farther than their local church. The church has failed, however. They need to turn and repent, and then follow the commands of the Lord.

[feliciasink]

I’m so hyped up right now. I can officially call myself Hairstylist I since Wednesday =] Woohoo, I’m so happy I graduated this course, next September I will start Hairstylist II [will be missing the first lesson as I’ll be in Orlando till the weekend after lol]. But I got an awesome graduation present from my mom!! ❤ ❤ thank you mom!! [and got myself some extra’s lol] But I’m in panic, I got 1 good bookcase and way too many books.. I will post a few photos of my current display in my only bookcase after the haul photos. It is a beautiful bookcase IMO, but I had to move over 20 books upstairs to fit 10 new ones, whoop!! And had to move to shelves in height hahaha… Bookissues!!

I already showed 2 new books in my Sunday Post #40. May 7, but now I got them all and want to share them all with you!!

So the one you already knew about is A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas. I got the Celebrate Books Sarah J. Maas special box UK edition [there was a dutch book box too] I took pictures of everything in it:

So this was the first happy thing, I got it on release dat, but since I was waiting for my new laptop I haven’t done much blogging lately [talking about over a month or so].

On to the next, I got the second book in May as well, but now I’ve got them both and the first book, THANK YOU AMAZON UK, literally made me do a happy dance

So let me explain the happy dance [the photos speak for themselves though lol]. I was overly excited to have gotten a first edition of Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor, which was published in OCtober 2016. That was already a nice surprise by Bol.com, but Amazon UK is the true winner hre. MAgnus Chase and the Sword of Summer was published in October 2015. I ordered it in July 2017, not only did I get a first edition, but it was FREAKING HAND SIGNED!!!! Now let’s swoon over these beauties in my photos ❤

  But wait, we’re not even close to the end of my haul hehe =]

  Last year I bought myself the hardcover of A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir. Amazon UK was less kind to me, I thought then, I got the Harper Voyage edition.. If you’re like me and want to collect these beauties and have a tinesy bit of OCD, you’ll want them in the same editions… What was my problem back then…. Well, An Ember in the Ashes printed in hardcover by Harper Voyage was a very limited edition and nowhere to be found [okay, if you wanted to pay over 400 for it [GBP, USD or EURO] you could get it]… but since I don’t have that kind of money to buy a single book… So I serched and searched and found it for 17 Euro at Amazon Germany, so I ordered 3 of them, just to be sure and make some friends happy…. Ordered on December 22, 2016… Would be delivired at the end of January 2017… Got an email saying they didn’t have it will be arriving between the end of March and the fifth of July -_-‘… Now July the 5th came and another email was in my inbox… please have patience or select on of these other edition… I was like waiting since December and did not want another edition… Luckily, I found thet the editions on Ebay weren’t over 400 whatever currency you want it in, but 17 Euro [okay, 21 with shipping] and I cancelled Amazon DE and ordered from Ebay.. Now my lovelies are pretty in my bookcase and I can finally re-read AEITA and start ATATN =] [I knew AEITA wasn’t new, but it’s really good considering it’s age and travels, but hey, I got the ‘zero’ edition!!!!!!]

  I got another tiny buy in this haul. Still collecting the series, not even close to getting it complete. But at the end of the year, after my birthday and getting my tips from work [I’m getting them in one go at the end of the year] I want to order all missing books in hardcover signed from P.C Cast and Kristin Cast themselves. I’m talking about House of Night, The Escaped, House of Night Other World and Tales of a New World. Already ordered some signed a few years back and the price ain’t that much different from the hardcovers from bol.com. So I’ll get them signed hahaha…But I did buy one of the novella’s with my order because it was really cheap when I ordered at Amazon UK. I already got Dragon’s Oath, signed, but have ordered Kalona’s Fall right now. It’s not signed, but a first edition. Hopefully I’ll meet those amazing women someday and get the unsigned ones signed =]

  So let’s continue to the most amazing part of this haul – okay Magnus Chase and AEITA were pretty amazing too.

But my mom got me all 20th aniversary editions of Harry Potter and the Philisopher’s Stone ❤ She got me the set as graduation gift and to add to my collection. I did hope to get first editions, but all are second [damn you hahahahaha]. So go swoon over these lovelies in the next photos:

  OH MY GOD THEY ARE SO PRETTY ❤

  And finally I want to show you my updated [single] book case – hopefully will get more cases soon – I had to move a lot of books upstairs to fit these beauties, but my book case is pretty amazing now ❤ [oh yes, I changed AEITA and ATATN, found them in the wrong order after this picture lol]

  It is a nice book case huh? I love it and it stands proudly in my living room.. Do need to get some glass doors so my cats won’t try to get in and to keep most of the dust out =]

  This was my spectacular book haul, hopefully more like these will arrive at my door ❤

  In case you’ve missed these:

Most Antcipated Releases July 2017.

March, April, and May Wrap-Up.

Most Anticipated Releases June 2017.

Flame in the Mist. [Flame in the Mist #1]

Sunday Post #41 & #42. May 14 & May 21

Book haul I'm so hyped up right now. I can officially call myself Hairstylist I since Wednesday =] Woohoo, I'm so happy I graduated this course, next September I will start Hairstylist II .

[joyofcrime-elinorhigh]

2016 Year in Review Part 1:

Hello there, everybody! My name is JoyofCrimeArt and welcome to the fourth and finale part of my month long "Deviant-cember" event! Hasn't 2016 been a great year, guys!...guys? Okay, okay, I know that the grand majority of you probably hate 2016 and are really looking forward to a brand new year to get a fresh start. Though I have noticed that it seems like every New Year's people talk about how much the previous year has sucked and how they can't wait for the next year cause things are totally going to be different next year guys! You'll see! You'll see!  I kid, I kid. I know why people are upset about 2016, there have been a lot of celebrity deaths (though there seems to be a lot of celebrity deaths ever year, though there has been a lot more this year it seems.) There was a lot of political tension in the United States with quite possibly the most divisive presidential election in recent history. Not to mention racial struggles, natural disasters, shootings, ISIS attacks....Yeah. Though to be fair most of those things I just listen didn't just "start" this year. They where problems in 2015 too, and will probably continue into 2017. Getting mad at the year, an abstract concept, just feels...unproductive to me. It seem's like it's the wrong target to be directing all this anger at. Sometimes bad stuff just happens, and there's a good chance that by the end of 2017 we'll hate that year too. Because most of the bad stuff that happened in 2016...probably won't just go away come January 1st.  That's why I'm here today. To distract you all from the harshness that was 2016 and focus on something a little more fun. Why focus on the dark and depressing world of "reality" when you can focus on things like cartoons! (That's how I stay so optimistic.) Because while the world outside was burning itself to f#&king hell the world of animation has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, and one that I think is worth going over today. Hopefully this review will bring somebody some much needed joy in a year that was so insane. That's why I present the first in a (hopefully) annual tradition on this page in, the "2016 Year in Animation REVIEW"  Now let me explain what exactly this is, because I have never done anything like this before. I have compiled a list of a series of new series and different cartoon announcements, controversies, or news stories that I will discuss in a brief manner. (Or brief for me anyway.) The events will go in a rough chronological order, starting from January 2016 to December 2016. And I will discuss my thoughts and feeling on all the changes that has happened in the animation world this year. I will not be talking about animated films or anime, just series and network updates. I also will not be able to talk about every show/event that occurred in 2016 and will be focusing on the ones that I found the most relevant to me, personally. So if I miss something try not to get to upset. I can't watch anything.  Also I am completely acknowledging that I am completly ripping off online anime reviewer Gigguk and his yearly anime reviews. I loved the concept and the way Gigguk would go about his yearly reviews, so I borrowing the format to talk about something that I'm passionate about. If you want to check out Gigguk here's a link, www.youtube.com/user/gigguk&nb… if you are really into anime, or maybe even if your not, you should consider checking him out. He's a bit raunchy but he also has a great balance of comedy and critical thinking in his reviews, and his reviews have been a big inspiration for me and my reviews so check it out.  But enough pointless blather, it's time to get into things! It's time for my 2016 year in review! The year started out...with a bit of a rocky start to be perfectly honest with you. The first big piece of cartoon news I noticed in 2016 was with the inclusion of a new main character in "The Fairly Oddparents." with the added inclusion of Timmy's new neighbor Chloe Carmichael

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D56T-r3Dz28

(My God, at the time of this writing this video has over 39 THOUSAND dislikes to 4.4 thousand likes. Jesus Christ!)  So I'm going to be honest here. I don't watch the Fairly Oddparents. I haven't watched this show regularly in years, so I haven't actually seen any of the episodes that Chloe is in. Normally I wouldn't talk about something like this except it was kinda a big deal at the beginning of the year in the cartoon community. People who had stopped caring about Fairly Oddparents suddenly cared again as they ran to watch the episodes so they can see how bad the show had gotten. It was kinda a resurgence in the fandom to be honest. It does amaze me that the show is still adding new characters, and not just new characters, but like cartoonish exaggerations of what shows with new characters have. Like adding a baby I get, that makes sense. And even Foop makes sense given the established lore of the show's universe. But never since Scrappy Doo have I seen a show add a talking dog to the main cast of characters unironically...until Fairy Oddparents. It's kinda incredible in a way.  Now I don't know how bad Chloe is, and adding another kid that Timmy has to share his Fairy's with is a dumb idea...BUT if you where to put a gun to my head and tell me that I had to make a new Godkid for Timmy to share his fairies with...I probably would come up with someone like Chloe. In concept Chloe as a character should work. She's kind, smart, and completely unselfish. She's the opposite of Timmy and should make a good foil. Plus, from what little I've seen, she does seem to have a bit of a crazy side that should keep her from being boring. It at least sound better than Sparky who, from the way it sounds at least, is just another Cosmo.  Though keep in mind all this comes from someone who hasn't actually watched the show, and from what I understand the execution is what most people have a problem with. I've seem people say that she's a Mary Sue character, and the reason she has fairies doesn't make sense. Maybe this is true, maybe it isn't. (Though it probably is.) But I guess I'm a bit more open to the idea than most. I was honestly surprised how many people got mad at this new development. Like I just don't understand why people got so upset. Like if this was any other show I would understand, but It's the Fairly Oddparents. The show has already jumped like ten sharks by now. At that point what's the harm in jumping one more. Like, what do they have to lose?  What I'm actually annoyed at is the fact that Poof and Sparky have been written out of the show! No, written out is to generous. Written out implies they gave a reason why there gone. There just gone, without any mention of why there gone! Poof is confirmed to be in ONE episode later this season, and Sparky has been confirmed by her voice actress to be gone from the entire season. She says that it was a decision from the higher ups, which is really surreal when you think about it. The artist was the one saying "Nah man, we need a talking dog." and it was the higher up who where like "Wait, what! Why?"  Maybe it has to do with Sparky's voice actress going through a sex change operation between seasons. Maybe she went through voice therapy or something, and maybe that effected the voice. But I don't even think that's a factor 1.) I have no evidence that Sparky's voice actress did go through voice therapy and 2.) Poof is also gone, even though he's IN THE THEME SONG! I don't get it. The could of hand waved something but no. It makes Cosmo and Wanda look pretty frickin' neglectful when they don't even mention there son. And I know what your probably thinking. "Who cares, isn't it a good thing that Poof and Sparky are gone. They sucked." And that all might be true, but you can't just retcon them out of existence! You're not DC Comics! Retconning them is the lazy way out. THEY MADE THESE STUPID CHARACTERS AND NOW THEY HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM!  ...Okay, maybe I can kinda start to understand how so many people could get so upset about The Fairly Oddparents. But look on the bright side, next year the Fairly Oddparents will be switching over to flash! S...Some shows have Flash that looks good. I'm sure Fairly Oddparents will put in the effort to....Okay, screw it, next topic.  Gravity Falls aired it's final episode after airing a three day long marathon in which Disney XD aired the entire season FOUR FRICKIN' TIMES! (Calm down Gravity Falls, your making Spongebob and Teen Titans Go jealous.) (WARNING: I'M GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT SPOILERS FOR GRAVITY FALLS! IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN GRAVITY FALLS TO THE END SCROLL PAST THIS PART AND CONTINUE READING ONCE YOU SEE BOLD AGAIN! THIS IS NOT A SHOW YOU WANT SPOILED!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_t-aOeiFa0

 Anyway, Gravity Falls aired it's final hour long episode as Dipper, Mabel, Stan and Ford go up defeat Bill once in for all. This finale was definitely and interesting one to talk about because, in my opinion, it did have a lot of problems. Oh God! Hear me out! Hear me out! A lot of things about this special, especially in the first half I didn't like. I didn't like how Stan so reluctant to save Ford from Bill. I know that Ford and Stan didn't get along, and Stan was still mad at Ford because Ford didn't thank him for rescuing him the first time, but it felt out of character for Stan to be that selfish. The whole series makes a big point about Stan being willing to do anything for his family. He spent thirty years trying to save Ford even though there last encounter was a giant fight. It shows that he still cares about his brother well being even after all of there bad blood. He was willing to work thirty years to save Ford the first time and now that he knows Bill has captured him and could be torturing him or killing him or worse and he just doesn't care. And I get it, Ford wasn't thankful the first time so he's not going to go through all the work a second time, but this is Bill where talking about. Ford's LIFE is on the line and Stan is basically leaving his brother to die just because he didn't apologize to him, and that made him seem very unlikable an goes against his whole "protecting my family" motivation. I see what they where trying to do, but I just don't think they executed it that well.    Also there were a couple of other problems that, while not as much of a big deal to me, were still problems. Like how they make a big deal about how they have to whip Stan's mind to kill Bill, but couldn't they just write "Bill" on the memory gun and just erase him, without whipping out Stan's entire mind? Also the twist that Stan and Ford can do perfect impressions of each other did kinda seem like an ass pull, especially when they could of easily set that up some time earlier but didn't. I feel these are real problems that hurt the episode..  ...but for the most part none of that matters.  Because the episode gave us everything a Gravity Falls fan could want from a finale. It had an epic conclusion with the entire Pine's family working together to stop Bill and save the world. It wrapped up all the lose threads and plot points and gave every character there happy ending, in a way that just felt complete. Unlike some other shows that either end without proper finales or end with the story left open this one felt complete. Not that those types of ending are bad, those endings can be great, but it is nice to see a show that delivers on all of it's promises in such an epic way. I really cannot think of many cartoon finales that felt as HUGE as this one. Where it really felt like the world and possibly the entire universe would be doomed if our hero failed. other cartoons have had finale's like that, but rarely do you really feel the weight of that kind of threat. In this episode you did. It was a grand finale and a perfect end for such an amazing series...  (Though seriously Bill knew all the people who where in the zodiac and he didn't kill like, one of them, just to be safe. That pretty stupid Bill)  (OKAY NOW YOU CAN COME BACK, PEOPLE WHO SKIPPED ALL THAT!)  After Gravity Falls ending there was a void that lots of cartoon fans needed to fill. Gravity Falls had ended and Steven Universe was on hiatus and people needed there "cartoons with an ongoing lore." fix to be quelled. But nothing quelled it. This lead to several months of people freaking the f#&k out over Steven Universe being on hiatus from January to May. Now I get that they hiatus sucked and it happened right in the middle of a story arc, but I feel like people where really over reacting to this. It was a four and a half month break between seasons. That's perfectly normal for most tv shows. Show's like Adventure Time and Regular Show have had hiatus comparable to that and nobody seemed to care, but here people were freaking out, saying how Cartoon Network didn't care about Steven Universe and stuff like that, which I just felt like was a bit over dramatic, personally. And afterwards at least you got a summer full of new episodes. Maybe I'm just use to long and random hiatus due to being a "Young Justice" fan. (Which for real once had a three month hiatus, than a two weeks of new episodes, followed by another three month hiatus! DANG!)    Anyway after that we got the news that Craig McCracken's "Wander Over Yonder." was going to be cancelled. This coupled with Gravity Falls ending made things hard for Disney XD fans, leaving only "Star and the Forces of Evil" and "Pickle and Peanut-"...leaving only "Star and the Forces of Evil" for most adult cartoon fans to be excited about. I didn't watch much Wander Over Yonder, only seeing some season one episodes and none of season two. That being said from what I saw, and this might be a bit of a controversial opinion, I didn't like it that much. Which is weird because I love "Powerpuff Girls" and "Fosters" was, from what I remember, pretty good. I don't know, the show just didn't seem like anything that new. It was another show where a dumb oblivious character annoys a rival who hates them while the main character doesn't realize said rival hates them. I just felt like we've seen that before in shows like "Spongebob" and "Camp Lazlo." and the show didn't seem to add much new to the formula. I didn't find the characters that interesting and even there space setting didn't seem that interesting. Maybe a lot of this improves in the episodes I haven't seen, but even though I didn't like the show I was still kinda sad to see it go. Even if it's a show I don't like I'm never glad a show ends, because I know it means a lot of people are out of a job and lots of fans are upset. So keep that in mind when I talk about cancelled showed.  And speaking of cancelled shows it was also announced that Uncle Grandpa would be getting the ax sometime next year. Uncle Grandpa seems to be a somewhat divisive show, but I will say that I think the show is fine. Not great, but fine. Uncle Grandpa was always a unique creation, and I admired it for it's out there qualities. (And for helping create one of the best Steven Universe episodes ever! That's right, I said it!) The show was fun and wacky, and the comedy and characters were passable. It's no piece of fine art, but I don't think the show was trying to be. There was a lot of creativity in this show, and it always felt like the people behind it were always trying there best to make something good, even if it didn't always pan out. It is a shame to see it go, but not a grand shame. It got five seasons, and that's probably enough if where being honest. Plus with Cartoon Network having so many shows running it's probably a good thing to see some ending, making room for some fresh blood. Just as long as they don't cancel to many of there shows this year...he he he....  And speaking of fresh blood Cartoon Network premiered a new show this year. He he he....Okay, let's just do this again, and talk about the 2016 reboot of The Powerpuff Girls. May God help our souls!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbvC9Xtpm_8

 Since I've already talked about this show before, I'm going to try to make this brief. (Ha! That's the funniest joke in the whole frickin' review!) What is there to say about this show that I haven't said already in my 6,836 word long three part review of the show. (Oh my God what is wrong with me?) Well, there is some stuff. As my opinion on the show has changed a bit since then and at the time of writing that review I had only seen twelve episodes, and now thirty nine are out. (Though I have not seen ALL of the episodes.) So let's briefly go into this. Once more, with feeling.  Is rebooting The Powerpuff Girls a bad idea? Many say yes, I say no. I think that if we have to make a reboot out of any Cartoon Network show right now, I think Powerpuff Girls would be the best option. We know that superhero shows in particular are very easily reboot-able, and there are many different directions you can go with it. Just look at any Batman show if you want proof of that. Also unlike Ben 10, I think the Powerpuff Girls is old enough to warrant a reboot, as the show ended in a whole eleven years before this reboot came out. In concept I think there is a lot of cool things you can do to change the Powerpuff Girls and make it unique. I mean the Powerpuff Girls Z did it, and while I haven't seen that show, it does show that there are different directions you can take this franchise. Because, this isn't even the first time the series has been rebooted!  I was excited about this show coming out prior to it's release. I think I was the only on who was optimistic about it. And how did the show do when it actually came out? Well...that's kinda the problem. The show is pretty mediocre. I do think I was a little to easy on the show when I first reviewed it, but a lot of what I said back then still stands. I think that the problems I have with the show are different from the problem most people have with the show.  The main problem with the show is that it just seems kinda bland. It doesn't seem to have it's own identity. In a lot of way it seems like it's trying to be like the old show, by keeping the old character designs and most of the old voice actors, and not really explaining who most of the characters are. The show expects you to know the source material going in. Some episodes like "Bye Bye Bellum" don't make ANY sense unless you've seen the old show. So the reboot must be aimed at the older fans right? Well I don't really think that's true either because a lot of stuff that made older fans like the original Powerpuff Girls are gone. The humor doesn't really match the first show, and the action is for the most part gone. In terms of crime fighting we've still haven't had an episode with Sedusa, The Gang Green Gang, or Fuzzy Lumpkins as main villains yet and we're pretty close to being done with our first season. It seems like the show was trying to appeal to everyone and, judging by the ratings and online response, didn't end up hitting anyone. It seemed like they were kinda trying to be like the original, while also trying to be kinda like a less controversial Teen Titans Go! (focusing more on humor then the crime fighting.) While sprinkling in a little Steven Universe with some of it's more feminist qualities and it really just felt like there where to many cooks in the kitchen.  That being said there are some things I do like about the show. I like how they tried to focus on the girls more, as most people seem to agree that the girls were the most boring part of the original show. Though the reboot kinda messed that up by making the girls feel like flanderized versions of there 98' counterparts. Still though, I do like how the Powerpuff Girl's personalities are a bit different in this version than in the 98' version. Most of the characters just act like how they did in the original but they changed it up a bit and I appreciate that. I know in my first review I said Buttercup was about as good as she was in the original, but after watching more episodes, yeah...she is kinda annoying in this version. There are really only two characters who I think they improved on, and that's Bubbles and Princess. I like how both of these characters are portrayed in this series, and I might prefer these versions over the originals. Both seem to change some stuff about the character while still making them still capture the spirit of the original. Bubbles is less of a crybaby and a bit more ditzy which is fun, and Princess is a lot less whiny and they do a lot more funny stuff with her being rich, and having her have a rap themed soundtrack is something I never knew I wanted, but I like. Also Princess is a lot more sympathetic in this show, which I also like. Also there are some good episodes, like "TTG vs PPG" (Which is technically a Teen Titans Go! episode but still) "Poorbucks" and "Tiara Trouble." (YES THAT EPISODE HAVE A "NO ME GUSTA" REFERENCE BY IT'S LITERALLY ONLY THREE SECONDS LONG AND THE REST OF THE EPISODES SURROUNDING IT WAS PRETTY GOOD!)  And speaking of the "No Me Gusta" thing, let's talk about the whole meme thing. I understand if you think those jokes are annoying, there not funny, or were not executed well. I completely get if you have that opinion. But I feel like the whole meme thing has been so overblown that it's kinda ridiculous. If you look at any online review for the Powerpuff Girl reboot you will see that almost all of them will have wither the "No Me Gusta" face or the girls twerking as the thumbnail. While you may find these scenes and jokes dumb I don't like how people act like the show is just nothing but that. Even though that if you take all of the meme references in the entire show and string them back to back it probably takes up less than two minutes total. People obsess over these scenes even though tonnes of cartoons make references to memes. In "Painbow" Blossom makes a "I can't even" joke and everybody freaked out, but when Lincoln Loud said the exact same thing in the Loud House episode "Roughin' It" nobody sees to care. And that's not even counting all the other cartoons that reference meme's, like these examples.

 And yes, that last one was a "surprised chipmunk" reference from "The Powerpuff Girls Rule." which was written, directed, and story boarded by Craig McCracken himself. And as for the twerking lots of other cartoons do that to. Again, Lincoln from the Loud House has his butt dance at the end of "Roughin' it" there's the infamous "Booty Quake" from "SymBionic Titan" and, again from "The Powerpuff Girls Rule-"

-Man, Mojo's been shaking his grove thang since before Miley Cyrus was even on the SCENE SON!  And you might still see these things as a problem, I get that. After all execution is a big thing, which is why I love it the internet references in We Bare Bears, but am mostly indifferent to the ones in this show. All I'm saying is that this is far from the first show to do stuff like this. And it's seems odd to be that these are the moments that people are freaking out about when this show DOES have a lot of serious problems that holds it back, and yet it's the "No Me Gusta!" reference that everybody is freaking out about. The show, as a whole, is mediocre. I don't want it to get cancelled, I want it to improve. And hopefully that'll happen in season two, because I want a good Powerpuff Girls reboot to happen. And if the critical and financial of this series stops that from happening, I'll be very disappointed. It seems like everybody just wanted this show to fail almost a whole YEAR before it came out, and months before we even had our first clips of it and I just didn't want that. Plus if it wasn't for this show I probably wouldn't of started doing these reviews, so there's also that.  But at least it wasn't the most hated reboot of 2016.

 But then, after that, something happened in the animation community. A new show premiered that, really out of nowhere, took off like a rocket. A show that was a hit with both adult critics and in the ratings (sort of the reverse of Powerpuff Girls.) This show was none other, than The Loud House.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6MpT7lLwls

 Yes, it was the Loud House, the show that changed Nickelodeon in the eyes of many people. Not only did this show come with many adults praising it but the ratings for the show were, and still are, huge. The shows popularity rivals Spongebob Squarepants! Think about that. What was the last show that aired on Nickelodeon that was both good and Nickelodeon actually gave reruns to on there main channel fairly consistently. I'd say T.U.F.F Puppy and that show was only reran at the beginning of it's run. For a show on Nickelodeon to be both good and not treated like garbage by the network was a big deal! And the fan made Loud House memes! OH THE FAN MADE LOUD HOUSE MEMES!  So how was the show. It's pretty good. I don't think I love it as much as some other people do, but it is a good show. As someone who is the middle child with three older siblings and three younger ones the premise alone had me interested. I also really like the Sunday comic inspired style the show has. It's a unique look that really makes the show stand out. It's also neat seeing a cast of mostly girl characters in a show on Nickelodeon, that seems like it's really been trying to push shows for boys. Is this proof of my "Girliness Revolution" theory? PLUG! Cartoon Thoughts: MLP and the Girly Revolution.  The show is pretty funny. Though the humor can be a bit to juvenile  for me at times, with a lot of toilet humor and stuff like that. Also the characterization of most of the characters are a bit weak in my opinion, with most of them being pretty one note. Hopefully they'll be developed a bit more in season two, but as it stands there kinda bland in my opinion. Not bad per say, just a bit one dimensional. It's these things that make me say that the show is only good and not great. Also like a third of the episodes follow the formula of, 1.) Lincoln wants something incredibly simple. 2.) His sisters f#&k it up for him 3.) Lincoln is justifiably mad 4.) Lincoln learns he shouldn't be mad at his sister cause family, even though his sisters totally has the right to be upset. That's also a bit of a flaw with the show, but it's not a huge one or anything. If the characters could become a little bit more than there one trait I think we would have a great show on our hands.  But despite all the shows flaws, I still like this show. It's not the best show ever, but it is a step in the right direction for Nickelodeon. I'm really glad that Nickelodeon has a show that is almost as popular as Spongebob that is actually pretty decent. Hopefully this can be a turning point for Nickelodeon, like how Adventure Time was a turning point for Cartoon Network. But only time will tell if that's the case. Also THOSE DANK LOUD HOUSE MEMES, BRA!

And that seems like a good place to stop for now. I would go on, but I'm afraid that if I make this review to long nobody will actually read it, so I'll be breaking it up into two parts. Part two will be up tomorrow, on New Years Eve, so get excited about that. What do you think of some of the shows that I've talked about here today? Tell me your thoughts in the comments down bellow. I would love to hear them, even if your opinion is different from mine. Please fav, follow and comment if you liked the review, have a great day. (I do not own any of the images or videos in this review all credit goes to there original owners.)

All credit for the "Clyde likes who blank Meme" goes to https://www.deviantart.com/cartoonteen18 It was fun to fill out, and here's the link to the original Clyde likes who Blank Meme.

[iamderreck]

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Moonlight (2016)

Created for The Film Experience’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot series.

Previous Entries:

Film: The Wizard of Oz (1939) Double Indemnity (1944) Sunset Boulevard (1950) The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1953) Roman Holiday (1953) To Catch A Thief (1955) Some Like It Hot (1959) The Sound of Music (1965) Mommie Dearest (1981) The Color Purple (1985) Paris is Burning (1990) Death Becomes Her (1993) Jurassic Park (1993) Trevor (1994) [Short] Pocahontas (1995) Jackie Brown (1997) L.A Confidential (1997) The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Moulin Rouge! (2001) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Mean Girls (2004) Atonement (2007) Bright Star (2009) Magic Mike (2012) Under The Skin (2013) Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) World of Tomorrow (2015) [Short]

The Batman Films (1989-2012) TV: Orange is the New Black [Season 2] (2014) Daredevil [Season 2] (2016) The Get Down [Part 1] (2016)

–

and we’re back!

Another season of Hit Me With Your Best Shot begins with....

God, I love this poster. That fusion with the Chirons is basically seamless. 

I do remember that at first the tagline caught me off-guard. I was like “story of a lifetime? Calm down, A24. The movie probably isn’t even--OH I GET IT YOU FOLLOW HIM THROUGH STAGES OF HIS LIFE.”

I can be a bit dense sometimes. 

Plus, my first impression may have been more apt since:

When I re-watched Moonlight looking with an eye for Best Shots, I realised so much little subtle details that I missed on the first time around. 

Like what? Well...

Shallow Observations:

What the fuck. I could sell my pure soul to Satan for abs like that and STILL not be able to reach that sort of definition. 

I can’t even lie. This felt good. Early 2000′s High School Me only wished he could have done this. 

The song, yes, but that hand caressing his chest evaporated any doubts I may have had about Kevin’s motivations. 

It’s hard to really describe this from a still but I loved the way Teenage Dream Kevin grazed his thumb across Chiron’s head as he was tending to him. Subtle and intimate. 

Runners-Up:

A father figure to save you from drowning. 

A neon demon. Lit by harsh light as she heads back into her lair. 

A striking way to end the movie and a callback to the title. 

But more on this later...

Decided to pair these two together (ha!) for obvious reasons. 

The unspoken thoughts, words and desires are between them. In the second shot with the kids pictures on the wall, there’s more that’s keeping them apart than before.

Beautifully composed. Something to hold on to as something kept inside gets released. 

Becoming Black. Building that armor. 

BEST SHOT:

Disarmed. No need to wear the macho “trap king” Black costume.

Unburdened. No more holding back or carrying the weight of what’s been unsaid. But most of all, 

Safe. After hiding him away, he’s free to be Chiron again. 

For me, this is the real money shot. Chiron is safe in the arms of the one person who truly understood and accepted him for who he was and not who he tried to be. A great deal of people can’t find such solace but Chiron did. 

It’s almost the same way that Kevin held him all those years ago at the beach but this time, it’s different. It’s more quiet and mature. In this shot and in this moment, they have all the time in the world. 

While I do appreciate this shot, I STILL have issues with how this was the final scene between the two before the ending. Bear with me.

The last 20-30 minutes of the film is where Chiron goes back to settle those unresolved feelings he buried deep inside of him when he donned his Black persona to survive. He obviously never forgot that night or what Kevin meant to him for all those years.

Kevin didn’t either. One song and the memories come flooding back. He somehow finds a number for Chiron and gives him an opening which Chiron (”Black” began to wash away as soon as he picked up that phone and heard Kevin’s voice) takes with a reckless abandon. 

They meet up, connect, and they aren’t strangers anymore. Kevin later asks Chiron what brought him back and gets that characteristically Chiron response of a few words and silence. 

Kevin already knows the answer anyway. 

Kevin then invites him to stay over at his place for the night. The tension between them lingers and permeates the air to the point where Chiron finally can’t hold back anymore. He’s shaking as he goes back to being the Little boy he’s locked away for so many years and admits in so many words that Kevin has been the only man for him. This revelation lights a fire inside Kevin and then...

It ends with that shot. 

COME ON. 

How are you going to build up so much sexual tension between these two and end without a proper fulfilment? You may argue that this movie isn’t solely about Chiron/Kevin or sexuality. Ok, I get that. You may also say that this film thrives on subtlety. Fine, I can agree with that too. 

While I personally believe that Chiron/Kevin had some sort of sexual encounter/connection that night (Kevin gave off so much vibes to attest to that fact), I still feel as if their reconnection could have been way more rewarding for the audience who traveled along with Chiron for this journey. For instance, we know Chiron isn’t fond of words and that Kevin was the one to initiate that encounter all those many years ago. At the moment in Kevin’s apartment where Chiron uses so few words to tell Kevin how he feels, what if Chiron then grabbed Kevin’s hand and then lead him towards the bedroom? Chiron gets the autonomy that he shied away from when him and Kevin first got together and it would show him being more in touch with that sexuality that he was so reluctant to expose or confront. 

I’m not saying that ending on this Best Shot was completely insufficient but I do remember wanting so much more after watching such a enchanting encounter take place. 

Ah well. At least someone got satisfied.