#also i have NEVER SEEN THIS PARTICULAR SCENE GIFFED BEFORE?

[akai-anna]

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️Reveling in Richonne - TOWL

#47: The Lovebirds & The Snake (1.05)

gif cred: @taiturner

Up to this point we'd been having such a nice time with our little lovebirds...and then there comes a snake in their midst. 😪

But one of the things on my internal TOWL wishlist was Michonne having the chance to finally confront Jadis and tear her up...and well, TOWL yet again said 'wish granted.' 😌🧞‍♀️...

Outside of Richonne’s cozy cabin of love, we’re given our first indicator of how the world will soon be back to screaming at them when we see none other than trifling Jadis ominously making her way to the cabin. 😒

gif cred: @nerd4music

But before Jadis confronts Richonne, there’s a flashback to three years ago when Jadis first met up with Father Gabriel for the start of their annual tea times. 🙃

Now, I tend to want to fast-forward most of these Jadis/Father Gabriel scenes during a rewatch since they’re a little dragged out to me. But there is one particular thing that I very much loved hearing during their meetups. We'll talk about it later.👌🏽

Also, let me just say that this revelation that Jadis had been visiting Father Gabriel annually had me side-eying both of them hard. 😒

You mean to tell me, for years Jadis got to look forward to her little meetups with Gabe while knowing she’s the reason Rick doesn’t even get to know if his wife and daughter are okay or get to see them ever again??? Jadis isn't just trifling, she's evil. 😤

And as for that man Father Gabriel…😑. Seeing his involvement in these secret meetups had me like...

I was truly looking at Father Gabriel like SIR, if you would have let Michonne know that Jadis - who disappeared around the same time as Rick - meets up with you and she has a whole helicopter, I just know Michonne would have put two and two together very quickly.

Like Daryl is an elite tracker and he was never able to trace down Rick almost as if Rick, idk, just disappeared into the sky or something. If Michonne and Daryl knew about Jadis and her helicopter I just know they’d tell Father Gabriel to expect some company during his next annual meeting with that snake. Because they’d want to come along and ambush Jadis to try and get some potential answers about Rick's whereabouts. 

And I would've been in full support of Michonne and Daryl's tea-time ambush, like...

When chatting with Father Gabriel, Jadis acts like she doesn’t know anything when he says Rick died on that bridge and again - Jadis, you beast.

I feel like these flashbacks were intended to humanize Jadis but a lot of it just made me think about how heartless and selfish she is by seeking her own moments of personal connection with Gabriel while keeping Rick from his family. Had me looking at Jadis like...

So then they cut to Rick and Michonne looking precious and serene while they sleep in that tiny bed. ☺️

Seeing them like this made me so happy because, after years of going to bed alone, they finally get to fall asleep in each other's arms again, where they’re most meant to be. You just know this is some of the best sleep they’ve got in years. 👌🏽😌

gif cred: @nat111love

And, it's only seen for a split second, but I love how Rick is holding Michonne with his bandaged arm and she has her arm over his. Like I'm just so glad that Rick gets to go from experiencing the wild, lonely, and traumatizing day he chopped off his hand to now having that very arm held by the love of his life while they peacefully sleep. 🥹

And clearly, whatever they were up to the night before had Richonne knocked out, because Jadis is fully in the room with guns aimed at them and they don't even wake up until she actually speaks.

gif cred: @taiturner

I admit I did like hearing Richonne be called 'lovebirds' as Jadis greets them saying, “Morning, lovebirds.” 🤭 But at the same time, Jadis has always taken an odd and intrusive interest in Richonne's relationship so it was annoying hearing this come from her as well 😑

And this moment is very much giving similar vibes to Richonne’s canon ep in season 6 when they’re fast asleep and Jesus pulls up on them and startles them awake.

(Side note: I was thinking about how Jesus walked in on them in 6.10 and he really was too bold for that. 🙈 Like not only does Paul enter their house in the wee hours, he enters their bedroom. 🙃 And then even seeing that Rick is asleep and naked in bed with someone, he's still like psst we need to talk. And with what he had to talk about...it was important but it wasn't 'roll up on you and your woman in bed' urgent, so he could have waited a minute. 😅 But Paul's bold self barging in made for an iconic moment so I'll take it, even tho he definitely tried it lol.)

Both in the season 6 moment and this episode 5 moment Richonne immediately hops out of bed and grabs weapons and I love how in TOWL there’s sort of a weapon reversal with Michonne grabbing the ax and Rick grabbing a sword.

Two things about Richonne: they sleep very well after a night together & they're also instantly ready to be in fight mode if need be.

And, I love the little detail of having Michonne in Rick’s boxers. 😊 Also the body = ☕️, of course. 💅🏽

gif cred: @nat111love

Jadis tells Michonne to tie Rick to the bed and sit down. They know they’re kinda cornered so Rick drops his weapon. And you just know Rick is extra pissed because he had every intention of starting their morning more like this...

And then I like how Michonne lingers a little bit and just stares Jadis down before dropping her weapon. Baddest 👏🏽 Chick 👏🏽 In 👏🏽 The 👏🏽 Game 👏🏽.

gif cred: @tangerineprettygreen

Once again, if looks could kill Michonne’s stare would have Jadis dropping dead right then and there. I had been very eager for Michonne to have a chance to tear Jadis up after everything she’s done and Michonne looks like she wants to do exactly that now that they’re finally face to face. 💯

So Michonne ties Rick to the bed and then they prove that a couple that death stares together stays together the way they both look at Jadis like it’s about to be her last day on earth.

gif cred: @figmentof

Michonne calmly asks Rick, “You think she’s alone?” And never one to miss an opportunity to call Jadis out, Rick answers, “She’s alone. And I bet nobody knows she’s here.” He knows Jadis acts in self-interest so she’s probably trying to handle this solo to keep the truth about Rick and Michonne from linking back to her.

gif cred: @figmentof

Jadis says, “That’s just rude,” and then y’all, we get more um shall we say 'insight?' into Richonne as a couple when Rick pretty effortlessly tightens Michonne’s zip ties with his teeth. As many have noted, this felt a little too natural to be a first-time thing for them lol. 🤭

gif cred: @figmentof

I love how they so easily operate like a well-oiled machine doing this, and again they seem more inconvenienced than threatened by this snake in front of them. 

One of the many things Michonne and Rick have in common is they aren't afraid to be a little petty with an opp every now and then, so once again Michonne is just talking to Rick like Jadis isn’t even in the room when she asks, “How do you think she found us?”

Michonne's letting Jadis know girl, you don't even deserve to be addressed directly.

gif cred: @figmentof

Jadis realizes this petty couple is probably gonna keep ignoring her unless she interjects, so she says she’s just gonna jump in. And then she explains how she found them. She was suspicious of the circumstances surrounding their disappearance and when she went to the wreck she noticed a missing yellow truck.

As Jadis goes on and on about following their breadcrumbs on the route to Virginia, Rick again doesn’t address Jadis as he tells Michonne, “Nobody knows she’s here.” He’s over this serpent.

And Michonne confidently responds, “She missed her chance. She should’ve killed us while we were sleeping.” Richonne's energy here was really giving 'anyway...back to the conversation.'

Also, Rick and Michonne truly are cut from the same cloth because Michonne saying what Jadis should have done to them in this scene reminded me of Rick in the season 6 premiere when he finds that shady Alexandrian, Carter, going behind his back and he tells Carter how he would have done things if he was in his shoes lol.

Also, I love how within a span of 24 hours, Richonne has had guns pointed at them twice and both times they act like the one with the gun is the one in danger. And they’re correct. 👌🏽

It was fun seeing Richonne operate in the spirit of petty and unbothered together lol. They’re fed up with Jadis and y'all...

Jadis says she didn’t kill them because she previously left things unsaid between a confidante and didn’t want to do that before killing both of them.

Rick accurately tells Jadis about herself when he accuses her of just playing games and not really caring about the army or the city. She really does just play games in this franchise - putting the Anne in shenanigans for years and years. 😪

And Rick calling her Anne seems to get under Jadis' skin as she insists that she does care about the CRM and their mission and she’s not that woman she used to be in TWD. Also - the way Richonne is looking at her while she talks, it’s giving lethal lovebirds. 😌

Despite Jadis’ yapping about who she is now and why she’s doing this, Rick still is adamant that she’s doing this for her. Jadis says if she let Rick and Michonne go home then her important work would end if another officer found them.

And then the snake tries to pull her reoccurring line to Rick by looking at him and saying, “I saved your life.”

Jadis has spent years trying to force that 'life-saving' narrative on Rick but see, this time it goes a little different because now Michonne is here to set the record all the way straight.

gif cred: @taiturner

I appreciate that the second Michonne hears Jadis say she saved Rick's life, she immediately shuts that down and addresses Jadis directly for the first time to remind her, “You took it. You took it from him. You took it from me. You took it from our children.” 👏🏽💯

Exactly.

I love how Michonne is so fiercely defending her family and how she phrases it in a way that makes it clear that Jadis taking Rick took life from him and it took life from each of the members of his immediate family. Their family is their life and in keeping them from each other Jadis really did take so much from them. 😔

And now that Michonne knows Rick had been living while dead with the CRM, she really does mean it when she says Jadis took his life. (Also again, hearing Michonne or Rick say “our children” never gets old.)

Michonne continues, passionately saying, “All those years they grew up without their father. All those years I didn’t know if he was alive or dead.” I’m so glad Michonne got a chance to go off about this because truly these things she's talking about are a big part of why what Jadis did is so appalling.

Judas really forced kids to be without their father for years, and she knew it too. She might not have known about RJ (even tho who knows what Father Gabriel might've told her during one of their meetups) but she knew Rick had a young daughter. She knew he had a wife. And yet she still used Rick as leverage to 'upgrade' her life. So to Jadis I forever say...

And Rick is ready to match the energy and cosign everything Michonne is saying when he declares, “You stole our family, Anne.” 

gif cred: @ricksmarlene

Richonne letting this snake finally know the truth of the matter, truly had me like...

But of course, Jadis acts like she doesn’t care and is unmoved by the damage she caused to the Grimes family. 😒

She explains why she didn’t kill Rick and Michonne in their sleep, saying she needed to thank them.

Jadis states, “By dying here today, Alexandria will remain safe and your children will have a better world.” What kind of screwed-up logic has her thinking Judith and RJ will have a better world without their parents in it??? The CRM has people losing their everloving minds. 😑

Once again the subject of 'choices' comes up when Jadis says, “You could have made other choices, but you didn’t lose here. You won a different way. It’s the end of your story. Let that be your peace.”

I don’t exactly know everything that Jadis’ work entailed with the CRM since I think it was explored more in spin-offs which I didn’t watch, but I can tell that she clearly is used to these assassinations going her way. However, baby, this is Richonne so of course they are not about to go out like this.

The second Judas shoots at them, Rick and Michonne quickly get out of dodge. Rick tosses the bed on her and then Michonne is able to get in a much-deserved swipe at Jadis with RJ's ax which feels poetic somehow. 👏🏽 Like after Bowlcut played a big role in RJ not having his dad in his life for the first 7 years, now her time is getting cut short by the very weapon his parents got for him. Idk I just like to think of it as Michonne & RJ getting their lick back. 😋

Jadis scurries away and Michonne is ready to end her asap when she tries to shoot at her but Rick stops her. And the way Michonne says Rick's name, the woman is seeing red when it comes to killing Jadis. And same here, cuz I was yelling at Jadis like...

Rick says they need to go cuz they have to stop her. So Michonne breaks her zip ties as they then head off for a little car chase action where Michonne will remind Rick of exactly why Jadis has gots to go today. 👌🏽😌

[ligilimens]

There's one thing about Aziraphale from this scene I keep thinking about and that is his face.

In the last couple of months I watched some other things with Michael Sheen - Bright Young Things, The Damned United, Prodigal Son, also rewatched Staged, lots of interviews and saw some snippets from Masters of Sex (planning to watch it soon!). And in all of them Michael is an absolutely different person. He is an undeniably great actor. So I guess I can say that like many of you here, I've seen several different faces of Michael Sheen.

Moreover, I saw Good Omens multiple times largely because I've made a few fan vids. There's one I made devoted to Aziraphale in particular for which I rewatched seasons 1 and 2 exclusively looking at Michael's face. It's here.

My point is that that face in the gif is not Aziraphale's face. He's never had such a facial expression, neither before nor after this scene.

It's not a conspiracy theory, I promise. I just wanted to say that I think this is purely Michael's face - the one you sometimes can see in the interviews or in Staged (for obvious reasons, he's more like himself there).

And for me, this short moment is not Aziraphale looking at Crowley with tenderness, but Michael having heart eyes for David. I really love this idea and there's no way someone could convince me otherwise.

And a bonus one:

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Wednesday lovely Fandom :) Phew lord we’ve reached the eps I’ve only watched once. Because I was far too destroyed to watch them again. Knew my second time around would be my rewatch. I’m not ready emotionally. Will I ever be though? lol If we don't laugh we cry right? Ha Anyways I’m on a strict timetable before I move. So press forward I must. Sad at the lack of gifs in this one. But also understandable since we were all anxious af after this one. I am excited to do Tim analysis though. I always enjoy that.

Also pre-shout out to Eric and Melissa in this one. They never cease to amaze me with their acting chops and chemistry. Eric really kills me in this one in particular. Let us begin the slow breaking of our shipper hearts shall we? Also thank you to my readers for going through this with me. Once was hard enough. But revisiting isn’t any easier so thank you for coming with me on this journey. Off we go.

6x05 The Vow

We get our couple immediately after the cold open. I knew going into this ep it was going to be angsty. I just had no idea why or how bad it would be…It’s date night for our beautiful pair. I just love them constantly dating each other. Makes my soul so damn happy. I can’t put it into words well enough. We get ship crack in this opening sequence for sure though. The way they light up when they see one another. That never gets old. Lucy is lighting candles when her man enters in.

Tim couldn’t be any cuter just as happy for date night as she is. Looks like he’s carrying quite a bit into her apt. Lucy instantly notices his present for her. Tim continues with the cuteness and says yes and the beer is for him. This is so domestic I wanna die. This moment started off so precious I knew he we were in for a world hurt tbh. This scene was the calm before the storm.

Tim is not wasting any time getting a thank you kiss in. Lucy is lit up like a Christmas tree as she leans in for said kiss. I adore the smiles going into it. Making my shipper heart giddy af. Also his grip on her arm. Drawing her in nice and close. It’s doing things to me as they melt into each other. Lucy’s questioning face cracks me up as she pulls back. Tim picking up on it right away. Asking her 'What?' With so much sass I’m cackling. How he has grown in his sass heh

Lucy can’t help but note gift giving isn’t his normal love language. Fact that they’re talking about love languages has me reeling so much. It’s just so cute. I'm squeeing at how friggin precious and domestic this is. Tim challenges her back. Asking what is his love language then? Their banter right here is one of their love languages let's be honest LOL Always top tier with some flirtation mixed in for good measure.

Lucy being cute as all hell replies ‘Terse nods mainly.’ I mean she isn’t wrong haha There have been some wonderful sets about this line. Man sure does love his terse nods. For her especially. Mainly her really. Tim continues his trajectory towards adorable with his reply. Letting her know he’s trying to change things up.

The smile on that man’s face. Oh my word. I said this a lot in S5 and I’ll say it again. Have we ever seen this man so damn happy before her? The answer is a sharp no. Not ever. She is the absolute joy in his life. It just radiates out of him when they’re together. Especially when they’re bantering. Ugh my heart. These two kill me in the best way.

Lucy then turns into an adorable little bean herself. Asking Tim if she can open it now? She is so excited about this impromptu gift. No way she can wait through their dinner to open it. Tim say of course she can. I’m sure he was hoping she would open it right away. Especially with the thought he put into it. Also well done on the wrapping good sir.

Lucy’s reaction is delightful. It reminds me of the way she reacted in 6x03 with her trophy. Blown away by this man’s thoughtfulness. Not only that but making her laugh in the process as well. We get a second in love 'Lucy smile' in the second gif. He is so gone for her. Man they were really setting us up for a fall with the goodies they packed into this scene.

I love how Tim locks eyes with her and is beaming ear to ear. No one makes him smile like that except Lucy. Legit the sunshine in this man’s life. I can’t get over how damn happy he looks. My heart might implode at how happy he is. Happiness looks so good on him. Also how proud he looks as well at his choice in gift. Patting himself on the back for it hehe

We see it’s her KIA radio in a display case. Lucy looking at him like he’s hung the moon and stars. Bringing out her own in love 'Tim smile.' She too is beaming right back. Heart eyes paired with that joyful smile. Tim for this moment (not the rest of this ep) is once again 10/10 for her. Commemorating her takedown of Jeff Budny. Saw an excellent parallel between this and 2x12. About Tim giving back things that saved her life for him. My damn heart. I’m fine….

Tim continues on to say it was to memorialize the radio that saved her life. So grateful to that radio for taking the hit it did. I remember thinking how that radio represented her communication problems. Little did I know it would soon represent Tim’s as well. The irony of this gift will hit us painfully hard later in this episode. Having watched rest of the season as well it represents their’s as a couple too. *sigh*

Anyways we get a SECOND kiss in this moment. That’s how I knew it was coming like a freight train at us. We got cuteness, flirtation, banter and two kisses in one scene. They were setting us up for a very hurtful fall. They just look like two happy idiots in love. *dreamy sigh* I wanna die it’s so precious. They fall back into each other for this second kiss.

The look in Lucy’s eyes ready to thank him for this radio. Not with dinner but some sexy times. That kiss before it’s interrupted looked like it was headed for the bedroom. Dinner be damned at that point. The way Tim is leaning heavily into that kiss too. Ready to go in for more. His patented first kiss need an immediate second one well underway. Phew lord. He was more than ready to receive that thanks LOL

Sadly Tamara steps through the door. Doing what she does best. Be a wet blanket for their bedroom endeavors. I love her anyways though haha She instantly apologizes saying she forgot it was date night. Tim sighs as they pull apart and Lucy goes into mom mode after she hits Tim. haha It’s so cute. Little damn family up in here.

Tamara says she can hide in her room. Lucy replies that’s not necessary. That she can make a plate for her room if she’d like though. Then the scene takes a giant shift in tone. Tim receives the phone call that ruins our entire shipper lives. It sounds dramatic but it’s really not…Tim’s whole demeanor changes. Lucy is crazy intuitive to it. Her internal Tim radar going haywire. The tight way he replies and says he has to go.

Lucy wanting follow up questions. It’s the way she says. ‘Just wait.’ Not wanting him to go. *heart clutch* The sheer panic and worry developing in her soul and in ours. That gnawing unsettling feeling we feel through out the rest of the episode. Breaks my heart. She clearly spent the whole day waiting to be with him for their date night. Only to have him taken away with no answers. Lucy looks SHOOK as her entire heart walks out the door. It's written all over her face. His abrupt departure filling her with questions and worry. So it begins…

We see Tim pull up in his truck to the pre-arranged spot. A man comes out of his own car and enters in. I was on pins and needles waiting to see wtf this was about. Who the man was. Why he had the power to make Tim, basically run from date night with his girl. I knew in the back of my mind had to be his military past. Only thing I could think of to make him spook like this.

They shake hands when he gets into the truck. He thanks Tim for coming. Our boy replies he didn’t have a choice. If Ray is alive they have a big problem. The intrigue meter continued to grow. Who was this Ray? What problem did he present to them both? Tim looks like he’s seen a ghost when he’s shown Ray’s photo. He was supposed to have died in an air strike….He's been working as a gun for hire and came into LAX the day before.

Tim asks why he would come to L.A? Apparently his mom is dying of cancer. That’s who they’re staking out. It’s here we find out what the vow is. And it’s not a good one….Tim is not onboard for honoring this pact they made. To kill Ray if he ever resurfaced. To pay him back for the friends he killed. We see the conflict on Tim's face. How he doesn’t know how he’s gonna tackle this. Eric killing me softly early on in this one. His eyes alone scream so much emotion.

We see Lucy unable to sleep. In what I can only assume is Tim’s shirt. I think Melissa confirmed it was and thanked the fans for their keen eye. It’s the little things we love so much. Lucy is clearly missing him. So naturally she sleeps in a shirt of his. Also her DOD ring and her necklace are in plain view as well. Killing me softly. She can’t sleep because he’s supposed to be next to her. His consistent calming presence is missing and she can’t relax enough to rest.

Their date night was supposed to end with him asleep by her side. Not this. We can see the anxiety just seeping out of her. Don’t blame her one bit. No one knows that man better than her. From the second he took that phone call she knew. Deep in her gut that not only was something off but very very wrong. Her whole being emanating unease and concern. I feel you Lucy. The rapport and connection they’ve built over last 5 seasons coming in hot here.

Lucy looks sick to her stomach and it makes me wanna cry. The hurts so good is ever present in this scene. She is missing him and crazy worried. Her rampant anxiety is not letting her rest. My guess is other than 6x01 they’ve scarcely spent a night apart. The way he took off is scaring the shit out of her with good reason. So she tries to quell it with a phone call. Sadly she gets his VM. Her message to him makes my stomach sink more. Lucy is used to being his go to. She was left in the cold and her stress level is rising due to it.

Tim watches her call and VM come in. He looks pained at not being able to answer it. It’s the way he sighs and closes his eyes. It’s killing him to keep her at a distance. Eric out here trying to murder my feels with his superb acting. This truly begins the immense breakdown that is their communication. Lucy showed her hand at it before this ep in 6x04. Now it’s Tim’s turn at it. We had indications of it but s6 showed us how glaring it is. The cracks in their foundation were there. We just didn't want to see it. These are the issues Eric wanted to tackle.

Honestly when we're on the other side of this I'll be real grateful for it. Till then this just hurts. Now Tim’s communication probs are particularly glaring in these in this ep and the next. Pains me to write it but our boy has serious issues with stuff like this. You know he knows she is at home worried sick. That’s why he looks so pained. Tim knows her just as well as she does him. Very aware she is panicked and worried about where he is. If he’s ok. Absolutely killing him to keep her in the dark. To Tim right now he think's despite that it's the right call.

This is Tim Bradford so he thinks he’s doing it to protect her. To keep her from his dark past affecting her. If he distances himself and handles it solo it’ll be ok. Because he doesn’t need help. Wants shoulder this alone. Oh Timothy, my love you are so wrong. It pains me how wrong you are. His childhood issues screaming out in this decision. Which we will get into. That gif of Captain Holt's ‘Paaaaiiiin’ gif is fitting right here. *sad sigh*

Greer rejoins Tim in the truck with his recon. Tim is clearly uncomfortable with this whole thing. Weighing so many things at the moment. What he has to lose with any action they do. His soul is already so heavy with the past. It pains me to watch this. Tim is trying so hard to talk Mark out of this. Asking what they’re really going to do? What the point of all this really is? Noting them even talking about this is criminal conspiracy. Greer gas lights Tim this entire episode and I do not appreciate it.

Saying he can’t believe the ‘Reaper.’ is going soft on him. He is softer because of a wonderful woman named Lucy Chen. He’s in love with a person who is beautiful inside and out. One who has changed him so much. So yeah he’s softer now Greer. Also the first time I heard that nickname it made me fan myself. Is that wrong? lmao Idk if it is but I found it insanely attractive. I probably shouldn’t haha But here we are. With me still finding that service nickname sexy. I am who I am. Tim says he isn’t soft. He’s only thinking of what’s at risk here.

They can’t be committing murder, because of a pact that was made years and years ago. I love Tim’s line about they made it in the anger and fog of war. No doubt, with his nickname alone, we can see how angry Tim was going into the service. How could he not be? He came from a household where his emotions were suppressed heavily. So there is zero doubt in my mind he went into the service full of anger. Not only angry but loyal af as we know. That combination alone would result in this pact/vow being made.

Tim is almost reflecting on how much he has grown since that moment in time. There was a lot of talk about the ways Tim hasn’t changed following this episode. Hell even inside this ep with him keeping Lucy at bay. But he has. He changed so very much since Lucy came into his life. It’s why he brings up the lives they’ve built. The life he is currently building with his soulmate. The jobs they hold.

That angry young man doesn’t exist anymore. The one who would murder for his squad in retaliation. Now Tim still has that instinct in him. Don’t get me wrong; scorched earth for those who mess with his loved ones. But this? This situation puts the life he’s built at risk. Puts the love of his life at risk within the department. Unfortunately Tim is still loyal af and Greer uses that against him.

Gas lights him some more. Saying how they’ll never get to build lives because of Ray. Pulling on that thread of guilt that lives deep inside Tim's soul. Trying to reawaken a man that is long gone at this point. But is still loyal to a fault. Weighed down with enough tortured guilt to keep this going. I resent Mark for using it against him I really do. Friggin stunard...My Italian rage coming out for Greer.

It’s here we find out more about what went down between them all. Not only that but WHY him being around is such a damn problem for Tim/Mark. I would be remiss if I didn't note this. How much I am enjoying Tim in street clothes. Mmm nice and scruffy too. He is scruffy most of this season and I am here for it. He looks so good in that jacket it’s sinful. How can he make such a simple jacket so attractive? Yum. Ray asks what they’re doing here? Greer pipes in to bring him to justice. He asks for what?

Tim starts to list off the numerous reasons why. Going AWOL, faking his death, felony grand theft, stealing half million from the government. Just to name a few sweet lord… Then to top it off, he called in an air strike on his own guys when they came for him. Ugh. Real peach this one. That there wasn’t enough of Henderson and Coyle to fit in a shoe box….ooof. It’s here we find out what Ray has on them. That he read the after action report. That it didn’t read that way. Tim justifies it by saying it only reads that way so his wife and daughter got his death benefits.

Of course that’s the most Tim Bradford thing ever. ‘Some things matter more.’ Only breaking the rules if it’s for the greater good. We talk a lot about Lucy’s empathy but don’t sleep on Tim’s. It runs very very deep. This is proof it was a huge part of him before the Isabel trauma buried it and Lucy resurrected it. That being said this doesn’t look good at all for Tim. By bringing Ray in it endangers their service record and their current jobs. Because as kind as what they did was. It has consequences because they lied on an official government document. My stomach turned even farther with this scene.

Eric KILLS me in this portion. This man has no right making me this emotional. How has he not won any awards? His beautiful shimmering blue eyes cutting me deep. Eric is so expressive in just his eyes alone. But he gives this scene everything he’s got in his arsenal my god. They get away from Ray’s to talk. Tim immediately says they’re not killing him. It’s not happening. (Someone needs to capture this scene in gif form BTW) It's a crime there isn't one. Mark tries to appeal he’s dead anyways.

Tim won’t hear of it. Says it won’t matter when the nightmares come knocking. And we know he’s had those nightmares. Not just about the service but about 5x19. About the life he was forced to take. Tim says they need to just come clean about everything. They don’t have a choice. Greer fights him some more. Saying it’s just going to blow up their lives as a result. Tim tells him he won’t let that happen. He’ll take the fall for him. Ugh Tim no. You have a life that’ll get blown up too my love. A woman who would be devastated to watch this take you down.

There's a Lyric from a band I love. "A thousand scars betray me Oh, what's another one?" That is Tim in this moment. What's one more emotional scar? Better than Greer losing his life because of what he chose. Tim's integrity is one of my fav traits about him. It’s the one I relate to the most. Because I am the same way. It drives a lot of my decisions. He's so willing to fall on his sword because he bears the weight of that decision still. Mark pleads some more but Tim won’t have it. Says he can’t with tears in his eyes. (I'm fine....) He is not that hot headed young man anymore. Life has kicked him around and he’s seen things. This isn’t the path and he won’t let Greer take it.

Tim follows up with he won’t let him do it. Even if it’s without him. It’s here where Eric just rips my heart out with his performance. When Mark asks him if he would arrest him if he killed Ray? It’s the way his voice breaks. Tears threatening to fall when he chokes out ‘Yes.’ Rip my heart right out writers sweet lord. Greer says he’s out then. But I wanna deck him for his reply after that. He hangs all future crimes Ray does on Tim. I don’t curse very often in these. But how fucking dare you sir. How dare you put that on this man.

He is already riddled with so much guilt and shame. His soul is ten times heavier than it should be. Because Tim shoulders things deeply. Not only that he does it solo. A chunk of what weighs his soul down isn’t even his fault. Tim is a much deeper empath than he’s given credit for as I stated earlier. He absorbs the feelings and pain of those around him. Takes them in and never lets it go. It’s why he was and honestly still is so rigid as a cop. That iconic line ‘Rules matter boot.’ Was his PTSD in a line and we had no idea back in S2.

Because anytime this man has let his guard down to break the rules it’s hurt him. Mitch, Isabel and we now find out about this. Tim did the right thing and yet he’s paying the price not Ray. It’s the hitch in his breath as Mark takes off that’s the final emotional blow for me. I just want to hug him so much. The way he tries to catch his breath after he’s gone. Finally releasing all the emotions he was bottling up. You can see why he was wants to retreat to one person who will make him feel whole again. It’s why his next scene is with Lucy….

This scene we get to see Melissa shine along side Eric. Killing us softly with their angsty goodness. We watch the sheer amount of relief run across Lucy’s face. It's evident when she hears his keys in the door. The happy relief is fleeting though. Her opening line is salty af as it should be. ‘Oh good, you’re not dead.’ She is ready to rip into him and rightfully so. Hurts to watch but she has every damn right to. She kept it together for work. But now that he’s in front of her she doesn’t have to. Her sass turns into the anxiety and worry she’s gone through. Telling him that his sorry isn't good enough. (it’s not…)

Saying she spent the last THIRTY-SIX hours. (That's a day and a half Timothy...) Worried he was bleeding out in various landmarks all over the city. Ugh poor Lucy. That’s very taxing on your nervous system to be in that state of mind for that long. That’s way too long to go without communication. But this is pre-therapy Tim so...Communication isn’t his strong suit when he isn’t in fight or flight mode. One of my fav lines of the scene. ‘Telling me you’re alive is NOT optional.’ Hell no it's not. The hitch in her voice and tears in her eyes. Gah killing it Mel.

Trying to communicate clearly to him this behavior isn’t going to fly. Not ever. Rewatching this season, it pains me how many hints the writers gave us about their communication problems. Now Lucy is trying here. With telling him what he did was not ok in the least. She then asks what the hell is making him so crazy? Expecting him to tell her. Tim’s reply is vague and only serves to make her angrier. Especially when he says he’s doing it to protect her status at the station. She asks if he committed a crime?

The irony of this scene is that radio being prominently shown. How it was a happy thing 36 hours ago. Now it’s a symbol of their dysfunctional communication as a couple. Tim tells her no…Not technically. The fire continues to build in Lucy. Angrily retorting how it’s serious enough she could be disciplined for not reporting it then. Tim tries to do his protection line for her but it doesn’t land at all. The fire in her is raging at this point. She stands up and angrily asks what he’s doing here then? Tim is so taken aback by this. His reply breaks my heart. Stumbling over himself ‘I...I came to see you…’

To Tim it’s his default to go to her. When he’s upset or lost he goes to Lucy. Seeking her out like the sanctuary she’s always been for him. Has been for years. Even more so since they got together. Tim came to be near his comforter and happy place. Wanting her to envelop him in her arms and take his hurt away. Unfortunately my love, she can’t help or take away what she doesn’t know about. It’s why her hellfire continues on. Lucy absolutely obliterates him with her reply. 'To what? Order take in? Watch TV? Pretend like nothing is going on?' Tim so desperately wants to sink into solace he’s used to. But he won’t let himself tell her what's going on.

Thus denying himself the one thing he came here for. Her. Lucy (who is wearing the same blouse from 5x12 btw. Way to push the knife deeper writers) tells him if he’s not here to tell her to truth.... We pan back to Tim’s face. She can read him like a book and knows he’s not going to. She then tells him he’s needs to leave. My heart is on the floor at this point. I totally understand her drawing this boundary. I truly do. Lucy is trying to show him there are consequences to his actions. Holding him accountable. That he needs to communicate and trust her. Lucy wants him to see despite the ramifications she is there for him. Sadly Tim doesn’t see this hence her asking him to leave. My poor shipper heart.

To make matters worse Eric is personally attacking me with his teary eyes and hurt puppy dog expression. Had to get this gif in. Why? Because it beautifully captures the devastation of her sending him away. We haven’t seen him this visibly upset since 4x09. Except this time his person isn’t there to make his tears go away. She is the one causing them and sending him away. The range of emotions flitting across his face has me bawling my eyes out. The man deserves all the awards once again. The way his eyes convey so much. How utterly wrecked he is. It's written all over his expression.

Eric brought it so hard in this episode holy hell. Tim came to her seeking out the comfort of normalcy from her. As we all know our boy needs his routine and structure to stay sane. Lucy has become an intricate part of that. He sought out his girlfriend to stabilize himself. Sadly there was no comfort to be found for him. Gotta give to get my poor broken boy. As much as it’s frustrating to watch him do this I get it. As I said earlier he has the tendency to shoulder burdens alone. It’s how he has survived most of his life. Doesn't excuse it just explains it.

His childhood is a massive proponent of why he operates this way. He came from an abusive household as we all know. Where he had to turn off his emotions and learn not to ask for help. If he did it only served to further the abuse. Also it was looked upon as weak. Was seen as useless if you did. When that is ingrained in you at an early age it is so friggin hard to get rid of it. It's an instant default for him. It’s not something being loved properly just gets rid of. If anything it only makes it worse on some level. Because it means you something to lose as Tim does in Lucy.

To explain Tim’s side of it I need to give a little piece of me. I can relate because of what my mother did to me growing up. It’s something I fight to this very day. I hope one day it’ll be easier and less of a deep grove in my brain I go to. Most of my childhood as I’ve shared was full of emotional abuse. My mom didn’t like it if you spoke your mind or messed up in any way. If you did you got the silent treatment for weeks on end. I wish I was kidding. She once went three weeks without speaking to me as a kid. Pretending like I didn’t exist. Felt like I didn’t have a mother. As I got older her default punishment only got worse. When I went to college my baby sister got engaged couple years in.

To a wonderful man. They're still married and happy btw. But my mother could see herself losing her control over my sister. Told me to pick between her and my baby sister. The choice was easy. I picked my sister. She then abandoned me and didn’t speak to me for 18 months after that. Her doing that made me feel like, whenever I stand up for myself or make a mistake with someone I love, I’m going to be abandoned. I just recently got into a fight with said sister. I had that exact same panic after I stood up for myself thinking she was going to discard me. She has proven time and again that’s not true. It’ll never be true. My sister and her husband have always made room for me in their lives here in CO. Made me feel loved unconditionally.

The same will be true when I join them in TN when I move. And yet that deep ingrained thought that she would abandon me still appeared. Worried that because I had stood up for myself she would do what my mom did. She didn’t cause loves me. But I’m still not used to the idea of unconditional love. It’s hard to grasp when you’ve never really had it before. So this is where I related to Tim so hard and defaulting to doing this alone. I’m in my 30s and this still affects me deeply even with therapy. Tim is pre-therapy and not seeing the unconditional love Lucy has for him. Which is a precursor for 6x06 honestly. You could have the best human in the world loving you and still not accept it or understand that you even have it.

Tim doesn’t know how to ask for help and to see Lucy would love him through his mistakes. He’s protecting her but also himself in this moment. Because he’s ashamed of what he’s involved in. That she won’t love him anymore due to his past sins. So he’s keeping her at a distance from him. Thinking it’s protecting her from his toxic past. But also protecting him from losing her as well. This scene, sadly, is the result of many miscommunications since they started boiling up and over. A gradual escalation toward breaking apart. This was a incredibly hard scene to stomach and watch. Lucy is vibrating with how upset she is when he says ‘Understood’ and leaves. Un-break my heart you guys.

Another banger of a song running through this final scene. The songs always hit and work so well with the tempo of a scene. It’s ’Teeth.’ By mallrat. Have a whole playlist of songs from this show I love it. We see Lucy looking at her phone fighting the urge to call Tim. Despite their epic fight she misses him. It clearly shows. Tamara brings her out of her thoughts by plopping on the couch. Asking her what she's doing?I adore her saying she is going to be a good girlfriend. Trust her man. *heart damn clutch* HER MAN. It’s the little morsel we all needed after that heated argument of insane pain.

I am most grateful for Tamara in this moment. Wanted to shove her out the door in the opening scene though. LOL Nolan is such a failure to be there for Lucy earlier in the ep. Where as Tamara is clutch af in this moment. She is emotional support while Lucy goes through this. Talks it out with her. Tamara asks if she’s heard anything? Lucy tells her about their heated fight last night. That it’s been their only contact….That Tim just stood there. Lucy seems so at a loss and it hurts my heart.

Tamara makes her laugh and says they should put a tracker in his truck lmao Lucy calling her out for being a bad influence. Tamara follows up that No, she’s just a really good teacher. Lucy is floored replying what? Wasn't able to fit this in but her lessons learned are hilarious. No coffee in gun hand and head on a swivel. The swivel part had me laughing so hard. What a goober. I love them. Just the levity Lucy needed. I need more of them in S7.

We pan back to Tim in his truck. Longingly looking at his phone. Specifically at Lucy’s contact page. He is breaking on the inside without her and yet can’t force himself to let her in. Also would’ve killed me if it had a pic of Lucy or of them. I would’ve legit died of happiness. What a missed opportunity writers. He is missing her so much and is dying to reach out. Wants her by his side but can’t overcome his wiring to do so.

His default is to go to her. To talk to her. Once again just another look into their broken communication. When one stops so does the other and it goes to shit. They are partners in every sense of the word except for their communication. They were stellar at that with work. It blows my mind how quickly that broke down when they got together. They had something extra special to lose when they did though. *sigh* s7 you have work to do.

We see Tim refocus his sights on Ray. Tasked with the mantle Mark Greer thrust upon him. He’s now on a crusade to catch him before Tim has anything else to add to his soul…. Phew this was an emotionally draining one to get though and it’s not even the harder of two. Phew lord. Thank you to every single one of you reading these, liking them, reblogging or commenting (love me some comments don’t be shy) they mean the world to me. I shall see you all in 6x06 where can sob together. ❤️

Side notes-non chenford

All the Aaron and Blair scenes are so icky knowing her endstory. Bleh.

Beauty of rewatching I can skip all the Nolan content. Snoozeville again.

Smitty only hanging out in therapy office for snacks lmao Needed in a tense episode

Lucy’s crack about asking Celina To Aaron. Lmao. Commend our girl for cracking jokes and keeping her shit together on shift.

Nolan is absolutely useless when Lucy comes to him for help. Their friendship truly fell apart when Jackson died. Any rapport or connection shot to hell. He can’t read the utter panic she is in and I hate him for it. As useful as a paper hat in a rainstorm to keep you dry.

Also the lyrics used earlier from my fav bad RED. The lyrics ARE TIM. In this episode to a tee Here's the link https://genius.com/Red-cauterize-lyrics

[nightsinbluevelvet]

Dear, my thirst was quenched after weeks and months when I saw Matt and Jonathan together today. How handsome they looked, did they not? I am so eager to hear what you thought of their interactions, their glances at the other and the way they seemed so close😘

Dear Anonymous, thank you for your message.

I'm still high on cloud nine from last night, and I suspect I will never shut up about the event, or our boys/men/babygirls/babyboys/angels/what even are they?? I will never get over Fellow Travelers, Hawk, Tim, Matt, Jonathan or any of it, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I didn't dare to dream we would see them like this again - happy to be together, both with arms around each other, Jonny even holding Matt's hand. Ahhhhhhhh!! They look so good together. None of the doubt and torture of the past months matters now, because they were home together. I'm more convinced than ever that their bond is rare, undeniable, eternal and unbreakable, and they will be like this even after outliving Hawk and Skippy.

As for their looks, Matt's look wasn't my favourite ever (although it was amazing), and poor baby looked extremely sleep-deprived. But he looked genuinely happy, and that's all that matters. Jonny looked slutty as fuck in that sage green shirt + trousers and brown shoes + white socks outfit. His beauty was dazzling, and this was one of my favourite Jonny looks ever.

This video is everything! It's easily as good as the Maestro premiere videos. Seeing them this content and comfortable... I'm actually at a loss for words. If you look really closely, you can see that Jonny is stroking Matt's back again. I don't care what people say anymore, he is NOT like this with others. And Matt is so much more open than he's appeared to be recently. It's rare to see this kind of public display of affection from him - like when he smiles, gazes at Jonny and puts his arm even tighter around him. He also has this particular micro expression he does when Jonny looks at him, I've seen it before.

Then there's the sweet video of them walking away from the stage. I can't upload another video here so here's a gif of it

I love how happy they look, and how Jonathan waits for a hug/touch from Matt, like he needs it.

I'm so grateful that we got the Ron/Matt/Jonathan only combo yesterday. Ron is the one person who loves and misses Matt & Jonny even more than the fans do. He loves them so much that he started to cry when he talked about their zoom chemistry read.

And speaking of that, this is how Jonny and Matt looked at each other when Ron mentioned the chemistry read:

The panel was incredible. I'm in awe of the three of them, and I wish I could thank them personally. They spoke so eloquently and passionately, and I think they gave an extremely good impression. Jonathan's dirty joke was the icing on the cake.

Favourite moments from the panel:

Jonny saying he feels it in his stomach, when he talks about watching the emotional clip they showed during the panel. He says there's a real emotion that has not left him, that is still present. How they've had six months to get on with their lives and try to say goodbye to the characters, but so many people are talking to him about FT, even crying, and it feels amazing to be back and celebrate it. "I know what pride means now." Oh Jonny!!

Ron talking about the chemistry between Matt and Jonny (that I already mentioned above)

I love and adore Matt beyond measure, so I'm allowed to say this. He has a tendency to go into professional/autopilot mode sometimes, and he does just this when the interviewer (who was great btw!) asks him about the sex scenes. He starts repeating things he's already said in dozens of interviews. But then Jonny starts talking, with much more candour, and it's glorious. And you can see, at least in some angles of the video, that Matt starts to blink and swallow a lot. It's like Jonny unlocks him, like he always does...

Jonny's joke: "Obviously you'd want a scene partner like Matt, because he never put a foot wrong..." Nobody makes Matt laugh like Jonny does. I wish their chairs had been just a little closer, because Jonny really tried to put his head on Matt's shoulder.

Yeah. Yesterday will stay with me for a very long time.

[tellmegoodbye]

Tag Game: Beginnings

Thank you for tagging me @herefortarlos @strandnreyes and @reyesstrand and thank you @lonestar-s5countdown for the questions!

(1) Which 911 Lone Star season premiere is your favorite?

First of all, I haven't experienced any of them live. I started watching around the time 4x04 aired so every single time I watched a premiere the resolution came fairly quickly for me. That being said, my favorite premiere has to be season 3. There's nothing quite like the angst and drama they hit us with right out of the gate and having it last for four beautiful episodes!

(2) Which character do you think had the best introduction or first scene in the show?

Judd and Grace simultaneously. That opening scene of 1x01 was super intense and for a first introduction to them as characters and as a couple, it works brilliantly. Over the course of the epispde we really learn a lot about their dynamic and how they're handling that trauma.

(3) What is your favorite moment of 1x01?

The moments we got between Owen and TK. Other than Judd and Grace, I loved how Owen and TK's relationship was introduced. It was clear from the start what kind of bond they had as father and son and it made me instantly fall in love with them as characters.

(4) When did you first start watching Lone Star and how did you find out about it?

I started around the beggining of season 4 when I started seeing gifs for the show on my dash. Specifically the gifset that made me finally pull the trigger was that one parallel gifset between 3x04 and 4x04 where TK was telling Carlos to breathe vs him literally breathing for him. I can't remember who made that set off the top of my head but that was what made me go "oh this looks angsty as hell, I'm in!" I did also recognize a few different scenes as I watched, the racist lady one in particular. I also recognized the ice rescue from ads I had seen when season 3 was airing.

(5) What is one wish you have for the season 5 premiere?

I want tension right off the bat! Hell, I'd even enjoy a massive cliffhanger on the first episode. I want to be left in suspense and I want to see angst at levels we have never seen before!

Tags!

@bonheur-cafe @heartstringsduet @lemonlyman-dotcom @carlos-in-glasses @eclectic-sassycoweyes

@literateowl @carlos-tk @thisbuildinghasfeelings @corsage @toomanycupsoftea

@paperstorm @nancys-braids @theghostofashton @goodways and @reeeallygood

+ open tag

[usimp4women]

Okay hi! First I have to thank you for writing anything related to Lady Lesso! Honestly ppl are sooooo slow and im soooo obsessed and in love so THANK YOU, also i have requested this to another writer, but they kinda ignored it ir they r busy, sooo here i come to you!

I wanted to ask if you could write a oneshot, where at SGE (when it is the united-like its one school now) is ball for parents and their children and there's Lessos student (girl who will become vampire after graduation, she still has the basic magic that u can see in film-shining finger blahblahblah) and the girls parents didn't come.

(Don't know the reason, but I feel like no matter if you are an ever or never, you are just normal person and most of the time have normal family relationship? So it's kinda disappointing?

Like evers and nevers would be equaly appreciated, cuz both sides are important, evers r proud for making good etc, same nevers?)

And them there's dramatic entrance where we (the reader) come in ( we are that single rich aunt- and very powerful and respected vampire, who loves tea and has a cat) and we flirt with Lesso, dance or something like that? Or maybe Lesso makes first move? Not sure about that😁😁🥰

Also maybe some ever could hit on us, but like in disgusting way and we would scare them off and Lesso would find that hot?

(hiss maybe ? Turn our eyes red, bcs of our anger? Like u lnow strong emotion or hunger makes our eyes red?)

Here r some pics of vampire aesthetic and face claim that I had in mind (if you don't have time, then u obviously don't have to write it.) Have a nice day! Don't forget to drink and eat! And happy Halloween 🎃

PS: IF I have more ideas maybe we (mainly YOU) could make a series of oneshots ?

PS2: IF you could name her Nova i would loooooooove it, but feel free to use Y/N.

Your Attention.

Pairing; Lady Lesso (Dean of The School for Evil) X Reader

WordCount; 1144 words, 6730 characters.

Warnings; Slight NSFW?

Summary; Lady Lesso's hot 😫

Note; THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS I REALLY LOVE THE IDEA OF BEING A SINGLE, RICH AUNT 😍 Anyways, I think I've got the idea here, so hopefully it makes sense regarding your submission, also— the cat is insanely adorable! (It's not long but hopefully it'll do..) BY THE WAY HER WINK IN THE GIF AHSFUHWR BARK WOOF WOOF

+++++

You observed the ceremony in solitude within the shadows. Parents and their children could be seen gathering around the ballroom. Normally, you would've been somewhere else right now but oh— the loneliness, you couldn’t take that chance.

Besides, you’ve got a reputation to uphold so why not indulge yourself a little?

While taking in the scene, you fixated your attention on a particular girl lingering around in the corner. You've heard something about her before, a rumor that she'll transform into a vampire after completion of the course, and although she still possesses some basic supernatural abilities, she will indeed develop a flawless student for you to impart wisdom, considering your 'substantial immortal expertise.'

She was one without a parent beside her, you tilted your head in curiosity, beginning to feel more intrigued.

Your thoughts were shattered once you discovered your cat stroking its head against your leg, following a mild purr. "You want me to go out there, do you?" You murmured, while you shrug with a smile. Your cat simply agrees with nothing but a faint meow as you stretched out to stroke its neck.

So, you got down and arrived at the entrance. Seeing a few neatly arranged wine glasses around the doorway, you reached out to consider holding one with your free hand. At that moment, the entrance gates began opening automatically. You felt the time going in slow motion, You walked gradually with an amusing smirk on your face when you realized that everyone's attention was peering upon your grand figure.

Yes, now this is delightful.

With a glass of wine in your right hand, your fur flowed elegantly behind your frame. Your head held high in dignity. Swaying your hips graciously while you approached a specific girl in the distance as everyone shuffled aside to provide space.

The majority of them even lowered their heads when they realized it was you.

Oh, of course, the spotlight. As a superior, well-known, and respected immortal, being placed in the center of attention was always your personal favorite.

The girl was flabbergasted by your presence, Is she coming towards me? She thought.

“Why yes, dear. You can’t enjoy the night without a guardian by your side, can you?” You gleamed amusingly at the girl; her glance was welcoming and enthusiastic; it may have been your proudest moment throughout the day.

You could still detect people staring at your physique, thus you spun around, "Nothing to see here," whilst arching an eyebrow.

Almost instantly, they promptly diverted their focus away from you. However, you can still feel someone gaze at the back of your head whilst you proceeded to continue conversating with the girl, which frustrates you significantly. All your intentions here were just to utterly comfort the poor thing and, if there was any, to offer her some complimentary tea.

Eventually, you sensed a presence beside you, hence you shifted your head to see a woman who had a somewhat intense amount of make-up on her face. You reluctantly bit your lip against your teeth to prevent yourself from almost laughing uncontrollably.

“Hey, you must be Nova, right? Do you mind if I borrow you for a moment? I've had my eyes on you ever since you came here." The woman giggled confidently while twirling a stroke of her hair.

You cocked your head, very innovative, "You must truly have some nerve inside you to ask me personally."

The woman replies, extending her hand to stroke your arms with her fingers, "Well, obviously I got some faith in myself."

You shoved her hand away in disgust, Your eyes glowing scarlet from arising anger. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

Her eyes were enlarging in dread, then you snarled ominously and displayed your fangs to insist her to stay out of your sight. She shrieked in response out of pure terror and hastily grabbed her regal gown to flee. Unfortunately, her garment was so cumbersome that she struggled and stumbled as she sprinted.

You and the girl laughingly mocked the woman, “You do this often?”

She raises an eyebrow in your direction while engagingly grinning. You winked, raising the wine glass to your lips with a smirk, "It makes my day more entertaining."

You proceeded to converse with the girl until you came across the sound of heels clicking against the floor. Oh, I wonder who it is... Her presence and aura seems formidable and overpowering.

You spun your head to gaze upon a woman with oh my god– The coat, the suit, the dangling chains on her midsection, her rings, her cane, and her curly, ginger hair. Everything about her was definitely captivating.

It was almost as though a goddess appeared before your eyes. Your posture nearly collapsed out from beneath you while your eyes began to flicker abnormally, but you quickly picked up reality. "Well, well... Look who's finally come to the show." She spoke in a rich, enticing tone.

"For a woman like you, you surely are capable of handling a complicated situation." She stood before you, setting her palm on your jawline and raising it up to meet her eye-level using her finger; you felt your breath hitch at the interaction.

Nonetheless, you maintain your composure as you glimpse into her amethyst eyes. "Now, how would you like it if you were to dance with me?" The redhead grinned haughtily at your stature.

You responded with a head inclination, "I would love to." Was she challenging you?

As you approach In the middle of the ballroom, she then guides you to the main stage. She positioned her hand on your waist practically immediately when you were there, ushering you to sway seductively with her body.

You angled your attention towards the girl you were previously with, poor thing had to witness the scene in the front seat. But she didn't even bother stopping you both though; all you could see was her shrug and a wide grin.

You then redirected your concentration to the redhead once again. You both swung your hips back and forth.

Your body was tenderly pressed against hers as her fingertips traveled from your waist to your upper chest, swaying alongside you as they performed so. Your muscles tensed up as you felt her front in contact with your back. Consequently, you closed your eyes and buried your head where her neck and shoulders unite.

She twisted your figure around enough to confront her as the music stopped. She looked down into your eyes with domineering intensity whilst you bore her stare in defiance.

“Oh, you…”

A few inches from your lips, she begins to lean in your favor. A brief lick of her lips gave you the impression as she was preferring to focus her stare on your neck. She subsequently tilted her head slightly and smirked knowingly, drawing your attention to her.

“Why don’t we continue this somewhere else?”

[winterdaphne2]

Musings on Johnlock and Moftisson's Use of Dialogue from ACD Canon

I recently finished rereading the original ACD Sherlock Holmes stories, and I had a lot of fun spotting places where the BBC Sherlock writers lifted dialogue directly from the original canon and incorporated it into the show. For example, this exchange between Sherlock and Moriarty during the pool scene in TGG…

Moriarty: I would try to convince you, but everything I have to say has already crossed your mind. Sherlock: Probably my answer has crossed yours.

…comes from Holmes and Moriarty’s first meeting in “The Adventure of the Final Problem,” with only very slight modifications.

Moriarty: All that I have to say has already crossed your mind. Holmes: Then possibly my answer has crossed yours.

Another one of my favorites might be when Sherlock says “Sorry, I never could resist a touch of drama” to Mary in the Leinster Gardens scene in HLV. This line comes from “The Adventure of the Naval Treaty,” where Holmes shocks his client by revealing the missing treaty from under a serving dish and then says “…Watson here will tell you that I never can resist a touch of the dramatic.” (The Sherlock writers liked this one so much that they gave it a callback in TAB. In the church scene, Sherlock strikes a gong to catch the women’s attention and then says “Sorry, I could never resist a gong, or a touch of the dramatic.”)

There are lots of other examples!

What really caught my eye during my reread, though, were places where it seemed like the show writers lifted lines from the ACD stories, but then changed them in some way or incorporated them into the show in ways that changed their meanings or significance. I think there are a few places where they did this and perhaps made the dialogue more…Johnlocky.

There are four passages in particular that I’m thinking about. I would love to hear your thoughts on these!

 “Oscillation on the pavement always means there’s a love affair.” In TSOT, Sherlock says this to John as John looks out the window of the 221B sitting room and watches a potential client trying to make up her mind about whether to come in.

Sherlock: She’s a client. She’s boring. I’ve seen those symptoms before. Oscillation on the pavement always means there’s a love affair.

This comes from the ACD story “A Case of Identity”:

Holmes: “I have seen those symptoms before. Oscillation upon the pavement always means an affaire de cœur.”

The literal situation in the original story is very similar; Holmes is looking out the window of the sitting room and watching a potential client try to make up her mind about whether to come in. In the show, however, this line is much more significant than just an observation about a client. As many of us have recognized, in the show there’s some very important subtext going on because this is a reference to John’s oscillation on the pavement in TEH, when John came to visit Sherlock after their disastrous reunion but hesitated outside the door.

(gifs from @afishlearningpoetry, here)

So in the show, because the writers also included John’s oscillation on the pavement in the previous episode, this line becomes much more important. The text of the line itself is pretty much the same as in the original story and appears in a very similar immediate context, but the show writers changed the broader context to modify its meaning and significance. Now it’s about Sherlock and John and full of Johnlock subtext.

I also think the fact that we’re talking about a love affair is significant. This tells us that John feels torn between Mary and Sherlock after Sherlock’s return in TEH and he’s not really sure what to do about it. I wonder if this might be a clue that John was already thinking about cheating on Mary with Sherlock in TEH—we saw that he was prepared to do this a few months later during the stag night in TSOT. Read another way, perhaps the reference to an “affair” here indicates that John is already cheating on Sherlock by being with Mary, because the real love story in this show is always the one between Sherlock and John. Just a thought.

When they lifted this line from “A Case of Identity,” the show writers also changed the French phrase “affaire de cœur” to the English phrase “love affair.” I’m not a French speaker, but I think “affaire de cœur” might have the same meaning in French that “love affair” has in English—it’s not just referring to an “affair of the heart,” as in something to do with love, but to an actual affair. But please, if there are any French speakers reading this, I would love to hear what you think! If this phrase does have a different connotation in French, that could be really interesting.

“…he has many fine qualities of his own that he has overlooked in his obsession with me.” There are at least two lines from Sherlock’s best man speech that seem to have been inspired by the original stories, but changed slightly. Here’s the first one.

Sherlock: If I burden myself with a little help-mate during my adventures, it is not out of sentiment or caprice—it is that he has many fine qualities of his own that he has overlooked in his obsession with me.

This comes from “The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier,” one of only two stories in the original canon narrated by Holmes instead of Watson. In the original story, Holmes writes this:

Holmes: Speaking of my old friend and biographer, I would take this opportunity to remark that if I burden myself with a companion in my various little inquiries it is not done out of sentiment or caprice, but it is that Watson has some remarkable characteristics of his own, to which in his modesty he has given small attention amid his exaggerated estimates of my own performances.

Sherlock’s line in TSOT is a bit harsher towards John than what Holmes writes in the original story, but it comes in the section of the speech where Sherlock is purposely trying to make himself look like a jerk. Sherlock is deliberately self-deprecating right after this, explaining that “…if I didn’t understand I was being asked to be best man, it is because I never expected to be anybody’s best friend. Certainly not the best friend of the bravest and kindest and wisest human being I have ever had the good fortune of knowing.” So perhaps we shouldn’t take Sherlock too seriously when reading this line in particular.

Even so, it seems notable to me that the show writers changed the end of the quote and specifically chose to have Sherlock use the word “obsession” to describe John’s attitude towards him. That word isn’t in the passage from the ACD story, so I feel like the writers must have put it there for a reason. To me, “obsession” feels like much stronger language that what Holmes wrote and is more suggestive of love or infatuation than of a platonic relationship.

Moreover, I wonder if Sherlock’s use of the word “obsession” here is also meant to give us a clue as to how Sherlock sees John’s feelings towards him at this point in the narrative. Personally, I think Sherlock has known or suspected that John is in love with him ever since he overheard John and Irene’s conversation at Battersea in ASIB. But I also think that by the time we get to S3 (and especially to HLV) Sherlock and John have both come to believe that their love for each other is destructive and dangerous. (I could write a much longer meta about this, and might do so at some point.) So to me, perhaps Moftisson using the word “obsession” here is meant to indicate that Sherlock believes John’s love for him is unhealthy, or that John doesn’t see him clearly. It’s a very sad thought. But then again, I might be reading too much into this, because after all, this is the part of the speech that Sherlock later tells us to dismiss by revealing that he purposely meant to make himself look bad here.

Although actually that’s still pretty sad, because Sherlock is basically saying that he doesn’t deserve John. So I guess either way, Moftisson took what was actually a pretty sweet and complementary thing that Holmes said about Watson in the original canon and made it part of the evidence that Sherlock is feeling quite down on himself by this point in the narrative of the show.

“…but then, you know, he’s a romantic.” In the best man speech, we also get this line from Sherlock when he’s talking about John’s blog and how John writes up their cases.

Sherlock: Of course, he does tend to romanticize things a bit, but then, you know, he’s a romantic.

In the original ACD stories, Holmes often critiques Watson’s writing style and how he presents their cases in his stories for the Strand and other magazines. One of the first instances of this takes place in The Sign of Four, where Holmes critiques Watson’s write-up of A Study in Scarlet.

Holmes: I glanced over it. Honestly, I cannot congratulate you upon it. Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science, and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism, which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid. Watson: But the romance was there. I could not tamper with the facts. Holmes: Some facts should be suppressed, or, at least, a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. The only point in the case which deserved mention was the curious analytical reasoning from effects to causes, by which I succeeded in unravelling it. Watson [narrating to the reader]: I was annoyed at this criticism of a work which had been specially designed to please him. I confess, too, that I was irritated by the egotism which seemed to demand that every line of my pamphlet should be devoted to his own special doings.

We could probably have a whole separate conversation about the queer subtext in this passage, but I’ll try to stick to the aspects of this that I think are particularly relevant here. First, Holmes specifically uses the word “romanticism,” basically saying what Sherlock said in the show when he said that John tends to “romanticize” their cases. So this is pretty similar! But what I think is different is that in the passage from The Sign of Four, Holmes is criticizing Watson’s writing in a negative fashion, is actively pointing out areas for improvement, and seems a bit peeved, or at least not wholly impressed. Watson certainly takes it that way, since he writes that he was “annoyed at this criticism of a work which had been specially designed to please him.”

In contrast, Moftisson softened Sherlock’s comments significantly for the best man speech. He’s not actually picking a bone with John like Holmes is in the original canon. Sherlock is still saying that John is “a romantic” who “romanticizes” their cases together, but he doesn’t mean it in a bad way!

(gif from thejohnlocked, here)

And now here’s the sad part, because this is BBC Sherlock, after all. When Sherlock says this, his voice drops in pitch a bit and sounds sadder, more subdued. He also looks down, avoiding eye contact with John. So the way this line appears in the show, it’s about Sherlock acknowledging that John is a romantic in the context of John marrying someone else. Sherlock knows that side of John isn’t directed solely or mostly at him anymore.

“Your life is not your own. Keep your hands off it.” In TLD, Sherlock says this to Faith after he realizes that she’s seriously thinking about committing suicide.

Sherlock: “Taking your own life.” Interesting expression. Taking it from who? Oh, once it’s over, it’s not you who’ll miss it. Your own death is something that happens to everybody else. Your life is not your own. Keep your hands off it.

This comes from “The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger,” where Holmes also encounters a woman who has a plan to commit suicide and talks her out of it. Moffat wrote TLD, and he took these two sentences in particular straight from the original story with no wording changes:

Holmes: Your life is not your own. Keep your hands off it.

There’s not much that I like about S4, but I do think this is one place where the writers actually improved on a line from the original canon and used it very effectively in the show. In this scene from TLD, it’s so clear that Sherlock is talking about his own fake suicide. His small speech to Faith demonstrates that he feels deep, genuine regret over his actions on the rooftop that day because of what his fake death did to John.

In the original canon, “The Veiled Lodger” is set in 1896 (see here), so it takes place after Holmes’s fake death at the Reichenbach Falls in 1891 and his return to London in 1894. The dialogue that surrounds the two sentences that Moffat pulled is more about the minor character than about Holmes, though, so although it’s possible that Holmes was thinking of his own fake death when he said them, it’s not as obvious as it is in the show.

In TLD, Sherlock first says “Your life is not your own. Keep your hands off it,” to Faith as she’s leaving 221B, similarly to how Holmes says this to the minor character at the end of their interview in “The Veiled Lodger.” But Moffat decided to have Sherlock say these lines again later on when they’re by the water, and in that scene he added this part to Sherlock’s dialogue, which isn’t in the original story and makes it clear what Sherlock is really talking about:

Sherlock: “Taking your own life.” Interesting expression. Taking it from who? Oh, once it’s over, it’s not you who’ll miss it. Your own death is something that happens to everybody else.

If we accept S4 as the official ending of the show, then Sherlock’s fake suicide in TRF is the crucial turning point in Sherlock and John’s love story. It is the terrible event that they are never able to recover from, and it sets in motion all of the pain that follows after. (This is also something I could write a much longer meta about.) So having Sherlock express such deep regret over it in TLD was actually a very powerful move on Moffat’s part. So yeah, that’s at least one good writing choice in S4. (*Screams*)

Anyway, this is what’s been on my mind recently, and I would love to hear what you think in the reblogs and replies! Thank you for reading 😊

[freensrcha]

GIF MAKING IN PS

i've never done anything like this before so hope it makes some kind of sense.

so before you get into making gifs first thing so will need is some sort of editing software (i use ps 2022) and some raws obviously. most of the shows i gif are on yt so its pretty easy to get them and you can use any kind of yt to mp4 converter.

so once you have all of this i guess we can get started!!! on a daily basis i do not follow all these steps because you can easily turn them into actions on ps, which means that it would take just seconds. so although it may look lengthy its pretty simple

the first step to making gifs is importing the raws. you first want to go to file>import>video frames to layer. this will open up your file explorer from where you can choose your desired file. you may want to make sure your file isn't an mkv one but an mp4 before you do this. also if your raws are large, perhaps a whole episode or longer than 30 minutes, it might help to trim it down beforehand to make it easier to work with.

once you select your file, this window will open up. here, you can move the sliders to select the exact part of the clip you want for your gifs. (when files are larger, it would be more difficult to capture smaller parts of the clip using the sliders) although optional, selecting the limit to every 'x' frames will help reduce the size of your gifs while not making it look too choppy. i do 'every 2 frames' for regular scenes and leave it unchecked for anything in slow-mo. more than 2 usually makes the entire thing look sped up and choppy so i wouldn't recommend it. although it depends on the raws ideally you want something around 80 frames for one gif.

once you press okay on the above step, your workspace will open up and from here we can start making the gif. the first step would be to set the time delay. this is two ensure that the gif doesn't look sped up. for this you want to first select all the frames as shown above.

next, you can click on the downward arrow on any frame to change the time delay. i usually prefer 0.07s which you can set in other...

once you've set the time delay, you have to convert the frames into timeline as shown above.

now that you have your timeline as seen on the left side, all you have to do is convert everything into a smart object. for that you have to first select all the layers using the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+A and then right-click on the layers followed by convert to smart object

now you can see that the many layers have been converted into one layer making it easier to work with. the next step is to resize the gif. the original dimensions would make the gifs too large to fit tumblr's size limit, this can be done by going to image>canvas size

to ensure that tumblr does unnecessarily crop your gifs you want to make sure width is always 540px if there's going to be only one gif in a row. the height can be anything depending how you want your gif to look.

you can adjust the gif onto the new canvas using Ctrl+T to transform the layer. always ensure the height and width are linked to make sure you don't squeeze the image weirdly.

after resizing the gif, i next sharpen the gif (which is my least favourite part). you can sharpen by going to filter>sharpen>smart sharpen while the noise filter is in filter>noise>add noise

although i don't always stick to the same sharpening, these are the settings i use the most.

once i'm done with the sharpening i like to soften the first smart sharpen filter. for this i change the blending option of the first filter to 80%. this is entirely optional.

once sharpening is done, you can colour and edit however you like using any of the adjustment layers. i mostly prefer curves and selective colour. these are the curves i used for this particular gif to remove the purple/redness it had going on. in RGB mode the white slider adds brightness and the grey one darkness/contrast. then you can individually use the red, green and blue modes to adjust the colours. i only used selective colour here to adjust the skin tones a bit so i haven't added that.

once done with colouring all you have to do is export the gif from file>export>save for web (legacy)

in the last window you have to make sure your looping is forever and that your gif is below 9.5MB. although tumblr says max gif size is 10MB, at least for me nothing over 9.5MB uploads.

and THAT'S IT (i say after a whole one page essay) your gif is ready!!! honestly i don't know if this is the easiest or most convenient method but this is just how i do it. also i use actions for everything other than colouring so it isn't as time consuming as it looks. you can also set shortcuts for importing and exporting to save time. this can be done from edit>keyboard shortcuts

since you made it to the end here is an extra bit on captioning

you want to start with a normal text layer and center it at the bottom of the gif. i use arial bold italic in size 16. next to make it look better we can add an outline and shadow to it through the layer style. and you can open up this window either by clicking the fx option at the bottom right or double-clicking the text layer.

these are the settings i use for the stroke as well as the shadow

now it is ACTUALLY the end!!!

[arcanefox207]

Surprise self-rec time, Angel!🩵Pick 3 things you’ve written that you are most proud of/were the most challenging to write and share them here, then if you’re so inclined (no pressure) put this in the inbox (anonymously or not) of your fellow writers to spread the positivity and help celebrate everyone’s hard work 🌙🧚‍♀️

(also thank you @magpiepills for also sending me this)

Thank you both for tagging me! 🫶

I only have 2 works currently posted so I don't have much to pick from but I will do my own twist on this and pick maybe 3 parts I am most proud of... if that works for you.

In The Wolf You Feed Part 1

“Get on your knees.” He commands with his hand firmly on your wrist as he pulls your face closer to his. It sends a shiver through your body and you oblige.

I am most proud because I have never written a character so dominant before, but it is something I personally love and admire when I read it, and I wanted to capture it in my Joel since I knew this was going to be a series I would be spending so much time with. I am really happy with how he turned out, being true to his Joel ways but also extra emphasis on being a total bossy badass. The kitchen scene in particular let him shine!

2. In See How She Rides

As he turns towards you he pulls the front of his shirt up to wipe the sweat off his face. His tanned and sweat slicked skin glistens. You can see his tastefully toned abdomen in all its glory. Your eyes can’t help but notice how his jeans hug his hips and a messy thatch of hair trails up his belly.

I am most proud about this one because I really just let myself have fun with it, totally objectifying him and indulging in him in an environment very unlike anything we have really seen before. This fic was so much fun to write, and it came easily because I put little pressure on myself to get it done and that was really rewarding.

3. My entire chapter The Wolf You Feed Part 4

I love angst, and I love getting my heart broken (in fiction anyways!) and I challenged myself to write a story with angst that could bring out some extreme reactions from readers and so far the feedback on this one has been wonderful. I took so long to write this chapter because it took an emotional toll on me, but I think it was really worth it in the end, and made me proud to have challenged myself and pulled it off in the end.

Thank you both again, and thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of my writing. It has been a creative escape I didn't realize I was crazing so much beyond the gifs, and I want to write and write well in hopes the entire PPCU can enjoy <3

[shipcestuous]

(submission)

I always love your deep dives, even when it’s for stuff I’m not particularly familiar with, but when it’s something I’ve also been obsessed with lately, like your most recent Boy Kills World post just… (chef’s kiss).

Thank God I’m not alone in being obsessed. They put a smile on my face all day long. I finished watching the movie for the first time on June 1st and I can’t believe it’s 27 days later and I’m still so into it, but I am. 

I appreciate anyone who reads one of my long commentaries about something they’ve never seen. I wish I had the time/inspiration to write more. 

It’s funny, I’ve been writing a Boy/June27 fanfic (just posted on AO3 in honor of the date… I also might have referred to your gifs of the post-credit scene a lot when finishing because it’s also the last scene of my story… the first time I saw it it just screamed to me as a ‘first morning after two siblings had sex’ scene as much as anything else… the down note that specifically ended it just being a moment of ‘okay but what now though’ doubt that will eventually get resolved) and although you hit on a lot of things I never even noticed, it’s almost funny how in so many areas we’ve noticed the same things or had the exact same questions, and I was amused to think how you were busily working through them for this post while at the very same time I was trying to explain them through the fic… and sometimes we were so close, and sometimes so far apart (and sometimes we only differ because I liked both possible answers but had to nail one down that worked best for the particular fic). Like, one random example, June27’s name. Although I assumed off the bat it was an alias, we both had the “maybe she took the date of the Culling as her name” idea and ALSO both realized that the scenes we actually saw of the Culling from when they were kids looked more Spring-like than Summer (if the movie was actually set where it was filmed, June would also be in the middle of winter!)… obviously for though for you all that was less of an obstacle, but I decided to give myself some wiggle room and pretend June 27 was the date a “bring my son back for amnesty” offer expired.

I will be reading your fic at some point today in honor of the holiday. I saw you had posted a fic for them and I was stoked! I am writing a fic that is definitely now substantial enough to publish and could be wrapped up, but I want to keep going with it. I wanted to be able to post a chapter today, but I’m not ready. But in honor of June 27th I stayed up late working on it and ate Captain Crunch, which seems pretty close to Frosty Puffs to me. 

I love that we were working and contemplating and questioning in parallel! The nice thing about a commentary is that you don’t have to commit to anything. 

I was really excited about June27 being her real name initially because I love weird/cool/super random names. But when it occurred to me that she might have adopted that name/alias and that it was in some way in remembrance of Boy, it felt right and I liked it even more. 

It’s so funny that you mentioned the geography because I was pondering that earlier today. I live around the 45th parallel, and in June it’s light out until almost 10pm. But in the movie, it’s dark well before dinner time. So then I was wondering if it took place near the equator or in the southern hemisphere. Or if they just didn’t care about that kind of details. Using June 27th as a different significant date’s a good fix for all these questions. 

I discussed the “first date vibes” of the post-credits scene, but it works just as well, maybe better, as morning after the first time they have sex. June27′s nervous energy and the way she’s studying him, it’s all really perfect. I’m never going to be able to unsee it and I’m so glad. It also makes perfect use of “down note” as you put it (I really like that description) as the two of them concerned about the consequences and the future, as a specific result of that having just happened, but it not being very serious.

Of the things that I thought about but never put in the fic, I also clocked June’s “If I had my chance, none of this would have happened” line as interesting, and I thought of three possible interpretations: 1) She’s referring to her escape plan as a kid, which was a REAL (although, childlike and not very well-developed) plan to escape their mother, but they got caught at the arcade, maybe because Mina realized the complexities and held off step two in favor of 'one perfect moment’ but now she regrets that they didn’t actually try harder. Or 2) that Mina’s referring to the Culling Day, that she should have been the one to kill the Shaman’s family, as a toughening up exercise (maybe even partly punishment for the escape attempt?), but knowing it was too dark for her, Boy volunteered and did it instead, even though he wasn’t emotionally ready either. June replays that in the years since and can’t help but convince herself that if she hadn’t let him protect her and 'taken her chance,’ he wouldn’t have run and got kidnapped. Or maybe she’d merely WANTED to be the executioner to protect HIM but Hilda was set on Boy being the one who pulled the trigger from the start. Either way works. 3) The boring answer, that if she’d had her chance to find the Shaman long ago like she wanted. I like #2 but I’m a sucker for siblings who are prepared to give up everything, even their own innocence, to protect the other’s.

These are great thoughts!!! #1 had never occurred to me, and I think it’s really profound. Because it’s so easy to imagine Mina tortured after Boy’s disappearance/faked death by the idea that if they had run away in earnest, he would still be alive/still be with her. Maybe something specific prevented her from making a “real” plan aside from realizing it was hard and they might not be able to survive alone. 

I sort of vaguely had considered #2, but you articulating it this way has totally clarified it for me. I think this might be the best answer. I think Mina knew Boy did not want to do the shooting, either because he had expressed it or because she just knew him. And she had volunteered to do it instead, but her mother denied her. It makes it all the more poignant that in the end he did become a killer. And that might have even made it more difficult for her to recognize him. The brother she knew was a big softie.

It works so well for June27′s line in the elevator because she’s 100% right. Mina would have shot that man dead and that would have been the end of that, and none of this would have happened.  

But I have to admit to really liking the idea that it was going to be Mina’s job and Boy had stepped in. 

Yes! I am so glad to be having these discussions, with you and the others who have shared thoughts. Not only are you guys sharing ideas with me that I hadn’t considered, but you’re making me think new things that hadn’t occurred to me before. 

I also did a bit of loose Melanie/Gideon shipping, but I’m surprised you never dove very deep into Gideon/June possibilities, since I know you do also like Uncle/Niece stuff. I know they don’t have a whole lot of direct scene time together like M/G but I like the possibilities in my head from them a lot more. Like, not abusive or anything, but I got the vibe that she was the only member of the family he actually still respected, which makes sense because as the 'heavy’ of the family he’s probably the one that actually trained her in combat (or supervised it, anyway). And that she liked him a little more than everyone else in the VDK family (certainly more than Glen). Finally, although, as the 'fisty-punchy’ guy he was probably the most feared member of the family by the general public, Gideon seemed the least objectively evil-for-evil’s sake as opposed to trying to support the family… and because of that, like you suggested, I could see him actually being a pretty good uncle… nice to the kids, giving them a lot of leeway (escaping, even to the point of the arcade, implies a lot of freedom of movement for two kids). In my mind that WAS why imaginary-Mina wanted to spare him at the end, Boy’s buried memories of him being kind to them, as much as the notion of “he helped us.” And while Boy only has suppressed memories of him, June grew up with Uncle Gideon being the only member of the family who actually treated her well, who she probably didn’t dread having to talk to, and who was materially helping her get closer to her goal of being able to search for Boy herself… or failing that, revenge. So I could see them growing particularly close during training and maybe, once she was an adult, crossing that line, knowing they shouldn’t and that it couldn’t continue but enjoying it while it did (and maybe Gideon letting himself go a little, after drinking more). I could even potentially see Gideon giving Boy the knife as a way to finally end the 'dynasty’, his way of trying to set June free, because he had faith she’d survive whatever happened, but with no one to protect any longer she could actually have a real life. Or if nothing else, maybe the bloodbath was always just intended as an excuse to end the Culling, because he knows June hates that fucking day (and she was watching from the control room, which means Gideon probably knew she’d be isolated from whatever violence he started, and would be tasked to evacuate Hilda to a safe place… he might only have given Boy the elevator access because he knew it was a killbox and June wouldn’t been threatened… but for the revelation that temporarily spared him). Gideon’s a schemer - the whole 'fake family dinner’ plot was his idea, so I could totally see “stage an event that will make the Culling a bad memory for everyone so they don’t want to repeat it” be his real plan for helping Boy out rather than anything intended to ever harm the family… only he didn’t actually expect Melanie to shoot him and go join the bloodbath herself.

There’s a lot of really good stuff here, where do I begin?

First, those are some really great explanations for how Gideon could have done what he did  without actually intending for Boy to kill his family, especially June27, but even Melanie and Hilda. He gave Boy a chance, but did he really expect him to succeed? Particularly originally, giving him the knife, he might have, as you suggested, just expected Boy to ruin the Culling, not actually assassinate anyone. Hilda wasn’t even supposed to be there, and June27 and Melanie would normally have both been in the control room while the action was going down. 

I do ship Gideon/June27, but in my heart I’m not really a multishipper most of the time. If Melanie didn’t exist, and especially if Boy didn’t exist, I would totally ship it a lot, and I’m drawn to the relationship either way. They seem to be the only two members of the family who like and respect each other (not including Boy). I really like the idea that he trained her or helped train her. Gideon may have been in charge of finding Boy/finding those responsible, and Mina may have always been asking him for updates and such, forming an early bond between them, with Mina, as she got older, eventually coming alongside him in a similar role to his and the two of them working together a lot. Without Boy, Mina may have gravitated towards Gideon as someone she knew would support her and be there for her in a way the others wouldn’t. 

I really love the idea that vision/hallucination Mina wants Boy to spare Gideon because deep down Boy remembers that Mina was fond of their uncle. And that if Boy remembered better, he would want to spare Gideon, too, because he was a good uncle to the kids. I can imagine Gideon having a soft spot for them because of how close they are, in such contrast with his relationships with his sisters. 

I can totally see/enjoy the idea of something happening between June27 and Gideon that was never going to be anything more than what it was, some night when they were both lonely and drinking and acknowledging the fact that they could actually stand each other, unlike everyone else in the family. And the two of them both generally being in a state of misery and realizing that being together for a night, or a night here and there, would give them an actual moment of not-misery. 

Anyway, Happy June 27! June 27 is International 'Fictional Siblings Who Are So Damn Shippy You Gotta Wonder If It was Intentional’ Day! At least it is now. I’m declaring it so.

(my bold)

Happy June 27th to all who celebrate. 

I’ll be celebrating every year. 

[thegreymoon]

Till the End of the Moon

Time to exercise my masochistic tendencies and see if this is the episode when I finally quit this disaster. The blatant unacknowledged rape in the last episode has brought me to the edge and I need only one firm push to abandon ship.

Before anyone accuses me of being a hypocrite, no, in-text rape has never stopped me from watching something before, and, yes, I have enjoyed plenty of non-con in my drama-watching/fic-reading career, but there are at least two reasons why it disgusted me here. 

It was NOT ACKNOWLEDGED for what it was. Instead, it was portrayed as  a) “romantic” and b) a girlboss power move where I was supposed to be cheering for Sang Jiu finding her ~agency~ and ~getting her due~, which would never have been allowed to fly without it being clear that it was a VIOLATION if the genders had been reversed. Imagine if a woman had asked for a divorce (regardless of whether her reasons were stupid or not), told her husband to leave their marital home, proceeded to get drunk in the privacy of her own bedroom, and he snuck in when she was incapacitated, drugged her some more and “took what was owed to him” while she couldn’t even speak to tell him no? I have been thoroughly spoiled for this drama and have seen gifs of this particular scene so many times and yet NOT ONCE have I seen people mention the rape or warn for it in any capacity! Which brings me to my second point.

I WAS EXPECTING FLUFF!! As much as appreciate non-con when I willingly seek it out, I do not appreciate being blindsided by it. Just no. 

***

He remains beautiful, though. As always.

***

Girl, just kill him.

Sometimes, divorce is just not enough. 

***

Nobody does the tears in his eyes as well as he does 😭

***

Aww, Ji Ze, noooooo 😢

***

I do love the Eye of Sauron 🔥🔥

Though I prefer when LYX is the one wielding it! 

***

Aww, Chu Huang, no 😭

There goes the only female character in this garbage heap that I actually liked. 

***

Oh, go fuck yourself. 

***

LMAO.

A traitor remains a traitor. Go fuck yourself some more. 

***

Is it. Is it really 🤔

***

LMAO. Of course not.

***

The Devil God has his face!!

Also, let’s not lie, the actor playing him until right this very moment was definitely not LYX 🤣🤣 I can tell  by the ears! 

***

THIRD ATTEMPT OVER MULTIPLE DAYS TO FINISH THIS DAMN EPISODE 😭😭

All of this dramas crimes not withstanding, the one I will not be able to forgive is the fact that this is so fucking boring. LYX and his gorgeous costumes are doing a lot of heavy lifting, but everything else is so nonsensical and bad, it just isn’t enough. 

***

LMAO, they cooked him 🤣🤣

***

The things I will watch for his face 😭😭

***

She’s supposed to be so cute, but I can’t stop thinking about how much of a creep she is. Such a waste of Bai Lu on this awful character. 

***

Chu Wanning will always have his face for me 😭😭

***

Because you are very beautiful 😊

***

Every time I decide that I am so done with this drama, he goes and does something like this and I am stuck for yet another episode 😭😭

The hyperfixation is real 😭😭

[phoephan-123]

Theory #1 - Hazbin Hotel

The Complexity of Alastor and Charlie's "Relationship"

Since Hazbin Hotel was released we have seen the group of sinners grow together and form amazing bonds with one another, except for one in particular Alastor. He still remains an entire mystery in the show and even to the fan base. Many are still curious if Alastor sees Charlie as a daughter to him, or if it is all just a trick. Let's dive deep into Alastor's "deep" bond with Charlie. (I will be using slight stuff from the Pilot, but not much because I am not sure what is canon and what is not.)

As we know Charlie is compassionate, empathetic, very optimistic, and hates the idea of harming others. Due to this, she can sometimes be naive to the harsh reality she lives in. She always puts others first and we see that time and time again. We have not seen much interaction between Alastor and Charlie. From the conversations between the two, it is clear that Charlie trusts Alastor and believes he is defending the Hotel for her when that is not the case.

Throughout the show, even the Pilot of Hazbin, Alastor has shown that he does not believe in Charlie's cause. He has called her ideals laughable and her requests bizarre, even calling Charlie herself delusional in the first episode. In the 7th episode, he called Charlie and the group "a band of misfits." Basically saying that they don't fit the societal norms of Hell. From this, it can be perceived he doesn't see the group in close relations, considering the ones he does perceive as close are allowed to make physical contact with him first.

Alastor hates when people touch him, even though he invades other's personal space. The ones that are allowed are extremely close to him. Anyone else is not allowed, and he will initiate contact first, Charlie is one of those people. He has never allowed her to touch him first it has always been Alastor who initiates it. While Rosie, Mimzy, and Nifty are the ones who engage in touch first, even his smile is less strained around them.

While with Charlie on the other hand. . .

Alastor is the one grabbing onto Charlie and invading her personal space before she tries to, and he has even moved away from her.

Even as she vents to Alastor about Vaggie he does not seem to care. The look in his eyes and smile shows that he is clearly annoyed. He shows disinterest.

In episode 5, Dad beat Dad, and Alastor consistently praises Charlie. Even in the song "Hell's Greatest Dad" he tells her that he is honored to build such a bond and thinks of his daughter. Now why would he praise her if he shows no sign of care towards her and calls her project bizarre?

Well in the beginning of the episode, we can see his obvious hate for Lucifer even before he arrives.

When Alastor compliments Charlie and invades her space around Lucifer, he only compliments her to her dad. No one else. Even when Alastor says, "Quite an impressive young lady, we're all very proud of her." There was a sarcastic tone to his voice, even his body language was dramatic. As he showered Charlie with compliments, he also looked at Lucifer to get his reaction. He rarely looked at Charlie, and only softened his gaze at her while her father was right in front of them. Alastor is only doing this to get a rile out of her father, and it works.

Now when it is just Alastor and Charlie on screen, his smile is back to the normal smile he has on regularly.

Later on, when the loan sharks appear, he stops Vaggie from doing anything. Alastor takes care of the loan sharks instead. Charlie believes he is protecting the Hotel and doing this for her. When in reality that is not the case. Alastor stated he missed getting to let off steam, meaning he was doing it for his own benefit, no one else's. He revels in other demon's screams, so of course killing loan sharks would feed that and put him in a better mood.

In Episode 7, Hello Rosie, the entire scene with Charlie and Alastor shows how he feels about her. He constantly makes fun of her and enjoys the state of sorrow she is under. He lays on the bed, kicking his legs back and forth, with a mischievous smile.

He takes advantage of this situation. Alastor has stated that he loves to watch people struggle to accomplish something to only fail. He knows he can use certain information to make the person fall into a deal. Alastor will gain the trust of those who are naive, and in Charlie's case, it works. She falls for it. The scene reminds me of Ursula with Ariel as she tries to gain Ariel's trust through the song "Unfortunate Souls."

Ursula constantly degrades Ariel even if she isn't specifically outright saying those insults directly to Ariel's face. She talks about the souls, but she is also talking about Ariel. Same with Alastor. He degrades Charlie but does not outright say it to her face throughout the show even as he talks to her privately in her bedroom. Both antagonists get their deal from both princesses by telling them the information needed, giving them advice, playing "nice," and taking advantage of their desperation. That is why Alastor knew Charlie would take the deal without disclosing much about her end of it.

Alastor never specified anything about the deal. Not even the favor that she would have to do. He said that no harm would come to anyone, because Charlie would never hurt her own people that way, but what if Alastor only meant physical harm? What if Charlie has to go against someone's wishes? That would hurt said person emotionally, not physically. Why not disclose information without a deal if he truly thinks of her as a daughter?

In the song "Ready for This," Rosie and Alastor are singing, but there comes a part where Alastor says "She's filled with potential I could guide." Meaning he does want to use her for power.

In the song Carmilla sings, "Out for Love," she states you must fight for someone. The person or people you love or care for. If you are out for blood or with your head held high, you'll lose. Charlie fights for all of Hell, while her dad fights for his daughter, even if he comes a tad bit late. Vaggie fights for Charlie, and the others fight for their friends except for Alastor. He constantly degrades Adam while fighting him, and is clearly fighting for his pride. He is confident in his abilities which ultimately is his downfall. Alastor did not fight for anyone. Not even Charlie. He fought with pride and only cared about his ego. Which is why he left. Alastor did not want to die for the Hotel, or for the group.

This brings me to the last point of my theory. I have not heard people talk about this, and I am not sure if I am the only one who noticed, but when Charlie and Alastor are on the staircase together in the Pilot and in the episode "Dad Beat Dad," there are hands around the both of them.

Alastor's hands surround him and Charlie on the staircase. It symbolizes that he has her in his grasp right where he wants her. He is the one pulling the strings here. Not Charlie. This is a big hunch, but I have seen something similar to this before I just do not remember what show, and my suspicions had been right on it. I have a feeling it was Gravity Falls but I am not 100% on that.

Their relationship is not good. He manipulates her and only compliments her when it benefits a reaction out of Lucifer. He consistently insults her, but not specifically said at her. Does not allow her to initiate contact first and shows clear signs that he wants to use her for his gain. It is clear what his intentions are, but even after all this it is simply just a theory. Alastor could indeed find Charlie to be like a daughter or is somewhat fond of her. We will never know until next season!

Sorry this took longer than expected to get this out, but I hope this was worth the wait!

[mlobsters]

supernatural s10e23 brother's keeper (w. jeremy carver)

so here's what i'm gonna try to do. shelve all those ugly feelings about how they handled charlie and (hopefully) not let it completely ruin watching this episode (and the show). i have too much emotional investment in sam and dean to want to walk away entirely, but i also don't want this to turn into a hatewatch.

but gonna say again what a shame it is sam is giving this impassioned speech to cas about saving dean when i can't appreciate it nearly as much as i could have a few seasons ago.

SAM Dean guessed! Cas, What are we supposed to do, huh? Just sit on our asses, do nothing? CASTIEL No. We find Dean. SAM And then what?! The only thing that stopped Cain was death. Do you want to kill Dean? Because I don't. And the only way I know how to save my brother is to cure the Mark. And, yes, I know there will be consequences, but not you, not Dean, not anybody can tell me what those consequences are. So I'm not gonna let my brother destroy himself on a guess. We save Dean.

finally someone as mad as i am about that trope, about how they jump to conclusions and make decisions off bad or no information constantly. really fucking grinds my gears. so, thanks, sam.

DEAN Well, they let her leave the house looking like a whore.

even when will graham's brain was melting, he wasn't a fucking asshole. jesus. dean wasn't this horrible when he was a full fledged demon.

maybe i'll paint rowena some day. she's so pretty and i do love drawing red hair. working on another one of gillian at the moment.

also was wondering the other day if crowley wasn't witchy enough to do the spell. before sam tried to kill him, that is. cooperative-ish somewhat human-ish demon witch who has (apparently) an actual soft spot for the winchesters. obviously wanted to keep rowena on the board and in action but

my tolerance level for this particular variant of asshole dean is at a zero. read the script and fast forwarding this awful interview scene with the parents.

SAM Cas, take this. It's Dean's hair. You need it for the spell.

contemplating how he even got much of his hair. i have hair of a similar length to dean's and i don't need to brush it. maybe he uses something when he styles it? i just use my hands with goop. the only time there's much of it around is after i cut it. so did they have it on-hand already? stockpile of their various leavings. little apothecary drawers of sam and dean's respective locks of hair and nail trimmings.

oh so now they're gonna show the "dark thoughts, creepy visions, violent urges." (10x21)

aha, i have seen this in gif form a number of times. context. everything continues to be fine

CROWLEY Who summons anymore? Couldn't you call? CASTIEL You're not in my contacts list.

all right, that got a small chuckle out of me

kinky

not this again. (5x18) skipping self destructive and going straight to suicidal.

i really enjoy julian richings as Death, and he and jackles play off each other really well. but this trying to make a deal with him, some new made up bullshit about how *dun dun DUN* if no one has the Mark some unspeakable evil dark miasma will destroy everything, it's tiring. reminds me of some improv game where as they pass the story down to the next writer, they have to play off whatever scenario has been set up.

DEAN Brother, I'm done. SAM No. No, you're not. Dean. DEAN Grab a pen. It's time to say goodbye.

i thought i was done with suicide trauma related triggers for the season. silly me

hello improv game. yes, rando dude working at the diner is the immortal oskar of rowena's past. of course.

DEATH Even if I remove Dean from the playing field, we're still left with you, loyal, dogged Sam, who I suspect will never rest until he sets his brother free – will never rest until his brother is free of the Mark, which simply cannot happen, lest the Darkness be set free. Then there was that time you stood me up.

think that's technically on dean, not sam

DEAN Remember when we were in that church, making Crowley human, about to close the Gates of Hell? Well, you sure as hell were ready to die for the greater good then. SAM Yeah, and, Dean, you pulled me back. DEAN And I was wrong. You were right, Sam. You knew that this world would be better without us in it. SAM No, no, no, wait a second. You're twisting my words here, Dean. DEAN Why? Because we -- we track evil and kill it? The family business? Is that it? Look at the tape, Sam. Evil tracks us. And it nukes everything in our vicinity -- our family, our friends. It's time we put a proper name to what we really are and we deal with it. SAM Wait a second. We are not evil. Listen... We're far from perfect, but we are good. That thing on your arm is evil, but not you, not me. DEAN I let Rudy die. How was that not evil? I know what I am, Sam. But who were you when you --when you drove that man to sell his soul... Or when you bullied Charlie into getting herself killed? And to what end? A good end? A just end? To remove the Mark no matter what the consequences? Sam, how is that not evil? I have this thing on my arm, and you're willing to let the Darkness into the world. SAM You were also willing to summon death to make sure you could never do any more harm. You summoned me because you knew I would do anything to protect you. That's not evil, Dean. That's not an evil man. That is a good man crying to be heard, searching for... some other way. DEAN No, there is no other way, Sam. I'm sorry.

halfway convinced me they should have ended this several seasons ago, reunited in heaven and be done with it all.

when dean was beating the shit out of cas i was wondering when sam and dean were gonna get into it. well.

SAM That's enough. Hey, that's enough. You will never, ever hear me say that you -- the real you -- is anything but good. But you're right. Before you hurt...anyone else, you have to be stopped at any cost. I understand. Do it.

i know i'm especially jumpy about dean being ready to die, but sam who i tend to be more bonded with these later seasons, he's ready to die for the greater good quite regularly. or when he thinks it's time. or whatever else. but his comes from a place of being (theoretically) logical and rational, whereas dean's is the opposite. and i guess that's why it pushes my buttons so differently.

all that said, i haven't cried like this from a finale in some number of seasons. but it feels greatly cheapened by the inane plot hoops needed to jump through to get us here.

sam nodding to give the go ahead to kill him is crushing.

i know dean kills death at some point, which is a shame. i'll miss his actor. but i'm guessing now's the time

it's giving twister (1996)

i hate that all this was essentially setup for the new big bad. but we can't have the sam and dean show without these kind of plot hijinks. and trying to come up with new bigger badder bads over time just makes it more and more ridiculous. the reality that there's 5 seasons left to go is really hitting me now.

[idle-brit]

10 Fandoms, 10 characters, 10 tags

Thank you @baepsrae for tagging me!! ♡( ◡‿◡ )

This is everyone's preemptive warning to skip past if you don't want to read a long and rambling post, I'm about to go wild lol. I'll also include the 5 people (not 10 oops) I'm tagging here at the top so they don't have to scroll; I'm interested to hear your answers but obviously there's no pressure to do it (･ω･)b

@koscheiy, @breitzbachbea, @runmild, @toffeeanddragons, and @yatzuaka!

1. Loki (Marvel)

My poor little meow meow. My silly rabbit. My sweet darling babygirl. Picking 9 other characters was honestly hard because there's few I truly consider a favourite like Loki. Between his 2011-2013 appearances in the MCU, the comics, and the pre-Thor high-fantasy-novel-esque fics on AO3, the ideal version of this character lives in my head rent free, and has done since 2012. I picked this gif from The Avengers because it was the moment that made me want to see the film again just for his scenes, and it remains the only film I've seen in cinemas twice. He's quite literally the reason I got Tumblr, for The Avengers fanart, and my very first post was some (bad) fanart of my own haha. While the rest of this list is in no particular order, Loki is absolutely my number one, for all time, always. I could talk about him forever.

2. Evy Carnahan (The Mummy)

I had to choose the scene I got my blog title from. While Loki might be my favourite character, The Mummy is my favourite film. I think I saw it at the exact right time of life when I was a kid in my Ancient Egypt phase, but also far younger than the recommended viewing age the film suggests lol. Ever since then I've rewatched this and the sequel (yes, sequel, singular. I said what I said) more times than I can count and further developed my interest in actual Egyptology. Evy is intelligent and an academic, kindhearted, a little bit clumsy, but uses her knowledge and quick thinking to be an absolute badass and save the day multiple times. I've always wanted to be at least half as cool as her and also marry Rick O'Connell.

3. L (Death Note)

Everyone here is lucky that I got Tumblr after the height of my weeb phase that started in 2008. Death Note was the first manga I ever read and I expected to enjoy it and move on, but as soon as I got to the Lind. L. Taylor event in volume 2 my young mind was blown and I was obsessed. One scene of L outsmarting Light kept me reading manga, got me into anime, introduced me to fanart, was the first fanart I ever drew, introduced me to fanfiction, and years later I would take Japanese classes at uni. L is an amazing example of a morally grey character, wanting justice to prevail but perhaps not for the right reasons, and no matter what it takes to get there.

4. Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil 4 Remake)

Okay I'll admit Leon is the first babygirl on the list who is mainly here for aesthetic reasons. I had a passing knowledge of the Resident Evil franchise but never took an interest because military-gun-shooting-series are boring as hell... Until RE4R came out last year and I saw this scene in a playthrough. Where do I sign up for him to do this to my neck. Then I learned Leon's backstory and actually appreciated his character too. He hates and distrusts the US government, he was blackmailed into service for them at 21, he's haunted by being used as their weapon, and he's the most cringe fail man who thinks he's suave when he says "Nighty night, knights" as he's killing sentient suits of armour. I need him.

5. Astarion Ancunín (Baldur's Gate 3)

Ah, a non-human in a high fantasy world, using knife skills and sharp wit to protect himself from a deeply traumatic past, but still good at heart and willing to open up to those who appreciate him for who he is, rather than living up to someone else's standards. Now where have I seen a similar character type before... When the game came out it shouldn't have been a surprise who my favourite would be lol. The whole cast does an amazing job, but the real draw of Astarion is the phenomenal work put in by Neil Newborn to really bring this character to life, and I don't think Astarion would be the same without him.

6. Kagome Higurashi (Inuyasha)

Inuyasha is one of my all time favourite anime/manga. It's got time travel, a historic setting, magic, action and adventure, and romance between a human girl and a supernatural being who's down bad. Basically all of the tropes I adore and still look for in new favourite series haha. And Kagome has been That Bitch from the start; arriving in a village that fears a half dog-demon, freeing him from his imprisonment to help her, and then ordering him to sit when he pisses her off, knowing he's wearing a magic necklace that forces him to obey. No one is doing it like her.

7. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

Yes this is a basic bitch pick, I'm well aware. But no matter if it's the book by Jane Austen, the 1995 BBC production, or the 2005 film by Joe Wright, I love this story so much! There's just something so romantic about it that no modern romance book can capture, and that's not without my trying to find one (just follow my trail of 1 star ratings on Goodreads). Elizabeth and Mr Darcy just read as complete and real characters, and I love how much Elizabeth cares for her family, refusing Darcy's first proposal in part because he insulted them and tried to separate Jane from Mr Bingley.

8. Lin Sukai (The Drowning Empire Trilogy by Andrea Stewart)

Now we're getting into the realm of books without adaptations so I cant use gifs anymore, and I honestly couldn't find any fanart of Lin either. Which is a crime! My girl is out here being extremely intelligent and driven (and badass in some of the later scenes), using her familial magic as daughter of the Emperor to try and dismantle his tyranny despite craving his approval, and trying her best to gain allies even though she was raised within the walls of the palace and is slightly out of touch, and she doesn't have a fandom here on Tumblr? And that's only in book one of the trilogy!

9. FitzChivalry Farseer (The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb)

I haven't even finished The Realm of the Elderlings yet (16 thick ass books, nay, tomes) but I already know this is my favourite fantasy series of all time, and Robin Hobb is beyond doubt a master of her craft. One of her main talents is writing the ultimate poor little meow meow because good lord, Fitz just cannot catch a break no matter what he does or who he's trying to benefit. The pacing of these books can be quite slow but I promise it's always worth the emotionally devastating pay off. (It's also a tough call between Fitz and The Fool on who my favourite Hobb character is!)

10. Sancia Grado (The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett)

The final one is also my most recent addition to this list, seeing as I'm only just starting book two after finishing Foundryside late last year. While that shows how much I loved Sancia after just one book of her, I also hope the rest of the trilogy delivers! So often books will state characters are masters of their craft and just expect readers to take their word for it, but Sancia gets to show off her skills multiple times on page, so you get the impression she really exists and belongs in this world rather than just being a set piece for it. Not only that, she defies the usual lone-wolf-asshole stereotype that's so common in these gritty fantasy books, and it's heartwarming to see the found family she's gathered by the end of the story compared to where she began.

So uh, thank you all for coming to my TED talk about all my blorbos, see you later!

(￣▽￣)ノ

[natsspammityspamspamham]

Dino Watches Anime (Nov 5, 2022)

I gotta start putting the year in these things because I've been on Tumblr for too fricking long.

Anyways, I've been getting back into anime which is why my doctor is very concerned (I'm not even joking about that one).

These sequels are good (obviously)

Pop Team Epic

Honestly, the last few episodes have been mediocre. For one, I expected more out of Asanuma and Toyonaga's bit. Second, the writing, like all comedies, is extremely hit or miss. Pop Team Epic in particular is niche to many memes that people haven't even heard of. I'm watching it for the seiyuu and the bad jokes. Yuuma and Enoki's 3B part is what puts it under the "Yeah, I'll keep watching this" category.

Spy x Family Season 2

Yeah, it's good. Wholesome stuff right here. This is the type of content that's okay to put on your search history. Yor is also one of the few characters that Shonen Jump can sexualize without being put on a watch list. Not that they need to. We all show up for Anya.

Mairimashita Iruma-kun Season 2

My only complaint is that there isn't enough Clara antics. I have already written a post about this show. It's good. Go watch it.

Mob Psycho 100 Season 3

Takahiro Sakurai scandal? What is a "Takahiro Sakurai scandal"? For real, that scandal did kind of rock my enjoyment of the show, and I really wouldn't want Reigen to be played by anyone else, but that's up to the people involved with the show. Either way, this season has already been recorded. I just don't see how they can top that previous season with Reigen's revelation arc. Just remember kids, separate the artist from their work. Sakurai is just a small part of what makes Mob Psycho 100 good. There's also some controversy with the dub cast too, so don't think that watching dub will protect you from that.

Recently finished

Koi wa Sekai Seifuku no Ato de

The fanservice interferes with this show. Honestly, I've been watching anime for quite a while, and even this show really sticks out for some reason. Besides that, it's a cute love story that doesn't diverge too much from the usual "Romeo and Juliet" type fare.

I was really surprised about some of the casting decisions for this anime, but I think it worked out for the most part. I don't think I've seen Yuusuke Kobayashi play a meathead before.

Heaven's Design Team

Okay, this is the one show where it genuinely doesn't matter that the cast is never developed because it isn't that type of show. It's ecology mixed with creationism, and even though you'd think those two would never mix, it leads to an almost theistic brand of evolution, and I think that's okay. Just enjoy it for what it is. I watched it for the seiyuu who made the show fun. It's a nice watch, but I can't say it's mindless because you do actually need to pay attention sometimes.

Also, I accidentally watched this out-loud on a VC and still cringe every time I remember that. It was during one particular scene too. Ouch.

Shinchou Yuusha

I pretty much watched this for the voice actors. For one, Aki Toyosaki was really funny in the clips I've seen. Second, I got it spoiled for me and wanted to see the build-up for said spoiler. It was alright. Not a complete waste of time, but it still wasted time if you get what I mean (I watched it on 1.5 speed). I should've been productive. I feel like some of this stuff could've actually been abridged. Besides the two main characters and a few gag characters, the cast is extremely forgettable. It's almost like they made them forgettable on purpose. The fanservice interfered with the show a lot. I could not sit a minute without having female MC's boobs hanging out.

Romantic Killer

Yo, I made a post for all the reasons you should go watch this show. You should go do that. Quit reading this and go watch it. It's good. I like it. Makes the little dino in my brain boogey.

(also a comment on that gif: If this was your normal average harem with a male protagonist, MC would've definitely accidentally groped someone. Anzu never fall on their ball sack. I appreciate that it just stops with a kabedon and her accidentally stomping the crap out of him)

On-going

Akuyaku Reijou nanode Last Boss wo Kattemimashita

I just realized that I may have watched too many anime with Yuuichirou Umehara as the lead, and the funniest part is that all of the three characters in the past three anime I've mentioned have the exact same voice. It wasn't a whole "voice actors have such range" kind of thing. Umehara does have range, but I swear the past three entries have had him to do the exact same or extremely similar voices (closer to his natural voice). He was also in Heaven's Design Team where he did give the character a different voice. So yeah, he's been in four of the anime I've watched lately, and I think it was done by choice? I don't know. He happened to align with a lot of my stuff on my "watch later" list. Meanwhile, Rie Takahashi has given such range as Anzu and the MC of this anime. Man, I have slept on how good she is.

Anyways, this anime is alright. Honestly, go read the manga which covers the first four episodes. From episode five on, the anime goes at a snail's pace compared to the first four episodes which adapted at light speed. Bro, choose your pace then STICK WITH THE PACE YOU CHOSE.

Chainsaw Man

You know, I thought this while reading the first few chapters, but man, it feels both refreshing and insulting to have a straight-forward pervert as the protagonist. Thanks for being honest with us and what you want to project, but man, I am not part of the crowd that would relate to this (asexual). It beats all of those "I'm a good guy who just happens to grope women in my spare time" MCs, but man, how am I supposed to get behind Denji as a main character? Also, screw those people who dislike the casting. I strongly like this cast. Tomori deserves support and so does that trombonist playing Denji. Also, RIP to all of them peeps who are falling for the Makima x Denji stuff. We all know how that's gonna turn out given the tone of the show... and the manga readers screaming spoilers at us from 100 kilometres away.