kcrosenbach

[shewatchesandreadsthings]

At first I was mildly confused about the new season coz it felt like it had become an anthology series with all the same actors and one new one but...by episode 2 I was just as hooked as I was the first season.

It was always going to be tricky to switch from the body - when Mu-Deok was such a fun beloved character - to the soul.

The only other show I've watched that did the Soul switch plot was Big (2012) and they botched it spectacularly that it turned me off that storyline until Alchemy, so I'm glad that they're doing it right!

[oneatlatime]

Lake Laogai

This Lake had better have Appa in it. With little water wings on.

Skipping the commentary as usual.

The Previously On section suggests that a whole lot of plot threads are about to crash into each other. Strap in folks.

Lefty Sokka!

Beat up Sokka quota fulfilled by his sister's critique of his art skills. It's not like he had paper to practice with at the South Pole.

Sometimes I forget that Aang is 12, then he does something like attempt to rescue his pet from a nefarious city-wide conspiracy of silence with lost cat posters.

"Good tea is its own reward." That means no, he isn't paid enough.

Remember what I said in my last post about Iroh bringing too much attention to himself?

"senior executive assistant manager" someone on the writing team has worked retail I see. Nothing like meaningless promotions with no raise attached! It's right up there with employee pizza party.

I have to pause here and point something out. This whole scene with Iroh? This is an adult fantasy. I don't mean dirty, I mean this whole scene was put in specifically to appeal to the adults who got roped in to watching this kids' show by their children. A rich man walks through the door of your shitty retail job, immediately spots your natural greatness, and offers you a much better paying job with unlimited creative freedom and a better house to go with it? Find me a burnt out retail worker who hasn't conjured up this fantasy five times a shift.

And so the plots come crashing back together. This won't end badly.

"patience really pays off" I checked. He waited literally three seconds.

Shout out to Toph in the background playing catch with a ball she can't see. Casual flex of epic proportions.

Remind me never to go to Lake Laogai. Sounds like it's lousy with Ju Dees.

So the Ju Dees don't know about each other? Because she seems honestly confused. Does Ju Dee think she's the only Ju Dee? What happens if two Ju Dees run into each other in the street?

Posters are illegal but I haven't heard a peep about recarving a bunch of fields into a zoo.

This is maybe the second time Aang's blown up over Appa. Frankly he deserves more blow ups about the whole situation.

I don't think knocking down walls will help find Appa, but I applaud Toph's spirit.

They took out a whole wall and then exit by the door anyways. That's funny.

I really hate this guy, but I have to admit that he may be the first truly competent villain of the series.

'The Jasmine Dragon' also lets anyone with half a brain know that you're Fire Nation. Try the Jasmine Badgermole instead.

Zuko really can't catch a break, huh? He wasn't happy being a tea server, but at least he was resting. But every time he gets five minutes to himself, the main plot reappears to drag him back into the action, whether he wants to or not. Although he hasn't figured out that he doesn't want to be dragged back yet.

Every line of dialogue in this scene is a good point. Zuko's right, Iroh's right. The Zuko's right again, then Iroh's right again.

YES YES YES GET HIS ASS

That was satisfying!

I'm not understanding why Sokka is the voice of reason here. Is he incapable of holding a grudge? He's the one that had all the animosity with Jet to begin with. Shouldn't it be Aang who wants to hear him out?

Toph is a living lie detector now? I can't think of an example off the top of my head, but I'm sure that could have come in handy previously. Any other incredibly useful skills we should know about?

Jet is oddly defensive for someone who claims to know he did wrong.

Ever get so excited that your spine malfunctions?

Sokka just has a metre long map in his pocket. Good friend to have in a pinch.

Avatar first! Katara is rude to an old person!

I'm going to have fun with Toph's new ability.

Toph, you have never been more right. It is the worst city ever. You are really shining this episode.

I know this is a serious scene, but I need to point out that Jet's guyliner is on point.

This shot is jarringly out of place. I think it's because it both black and white, and live action. Those have to be real clouds.

So the Blue Spirit can talk after all. Careful, your Zuko is showing.

Wow Zuko is good at sewing. And fast too.

Sokka is having far too much fun with this whole 'prompt Jet's memory' thing. Maybe he does have a bit of a grudge after all.

Katara can reverse brainwashing now too? Everyone's levelling up this episode.

This scene with the planks is a very cool and disorienting visual.

Didn't have 'the gaang breaks into a brainwashing facility' on my ATLA bingo card.

Pretty.

OMIGOD IT'S AP- did Zuko just break the fourth wall?

Everyone always forgets to look up.

So this fight is going to be Toph v. all of the Dai Li while everyone else tries not to get in Toph's way.

That's a boat.

Toph could probably take all these guys out faster if she wasn't having to constantly break off to save everyone else from them.

The Dai Li prancing up walls is a really cool visual. It's very Ty Lee of them.

I love watching her work.

Why don't you let Long Feng escape? He's no longer threatening you, and you're down there to rescue Appa. Just let him go.

The security on Lake Laogai is a joke.

Big words from someone who also had no plan whatsoever at the North Pole.

Zuko knows that Iroh's right. He knows, and that's important. I don't think Iroh is saying anything that Zuko hasn't thought and then hurriedly pretended to have never thought about before. It's why he says 'stop it' rather than being completely confused as to what Iroh is referring to.

Poor Appa's like 'can you have a crisis of self after you free me please?'

'You've chosen your own demise." No. You chose it for him. That's some top tier deflection/victim blaming right there.

Longshot can talk!

That's one hell of a set up and pay off re: Toph's lie detecting abilities.

Poor Jet. A double tragedy: to be likeable only when you're brainwashed, and to dedicate your life to wiping out the Fire Nation yet being killed by the Earth Kingdom.

Hi Appa. It's about time buddy.

Shockingly in character for Appa's first actions to be to single handedly save the Gaang from a threat.

You skip that bastard like a stone.

Everyone go and listen to the sound Appa makes when he spits out Long Feng's shoe. It's delightful.

I am framing this.

And this too.

I can tell there's some shmymbolism here, but it's gone right over my head.

Final Thoughts

Appa is back. The Gaang has Appa back. I have Appa back. Ok. I can relax now. With any luck, this means we can leave Ba Sing Se.

This episode felt like City of Walls and Secrets, Part 2. I think it was a good decision to have a couple of episodes between the two, but I think there would be some tonal whiplash if you binged this section of season 2. Which wouldn't have been a problem for a show designed to air once a week, so it's a moot point.

So Zuko freed Appa from his chains, and presumably pointed him in the direction of a door or something. Or maybe not; Appa has a ridiculously hard head, he could have busted his way out. Either way, Zuko broke the chains. Thanks Zuko!

In season 1, Zuko finds the Avatar the world had lost. In season 2, Zuko finds the Sky Bison the Avatar had lost. So in season 3, Zuko will find something Appa has lost. I wonder what that will be?

Jet being killed by the Earth Kingdom is so deliciously ironic, and tragic, yet very in character for the Earth Kingdom's approach to this war. It's also literally this:

Smellerbee and Longshot have really gotten the short end of the stick over and over this season. They were the only ones to decide to stick with Jet. Presumably they were the only ones who believed that he had had a legitimate change of heart. And they were kind of wrong. They get to Ba Sing Se only for Jet to immediately backslide way past even where he was at his worst in Season 1. He completely discounts and dismisses their legitimate concerns for his methods and his overall health. Then Jet gets arrested and disappears for two (?) weeks. So what do they do now? Get jobs? Steal so they don't starve? Then suddenly Jet's back but he doesn't even remember them. Then suddenly Jet's dead. The whole point of coming to Ba Sing Se just died, in a way that shows very clearly that their desire to help with the war is not welcome at all in the city. So what now? Do they leave and try to fight in the war from outside the walls? Do they settle down and try to forget about the war? Things did spiral completely out of Jet's control once the Dai Li got involved, but you have to admit that he's left his only remaining friends up a creek.

Sokka had some good jokes but was oddly ok with this episode's events. Toph had some great lines and got to shine with a new skill that any writer with half a brain will bring back in future episodes. She felt like the audience substitute this episode, which is usually Sokka's role. Toph was episode MVP for sure. Poor Aang took a bit of a back seat this episode. Zuko finally hit the crisis point, and may well have made his first indisputably correct decision of the series. But, as previous episodes have gone out of their way to show me that Zuko being good always goes badly for Zuko, I'm sure freeing Appa will somehow come back to bite him.

Iroh's question of "who are you? And what do you want?" was Zuko's entire character arc this season. He took a shot at answering the "who are you?" portion in Zuko Alone, and sort of halfway got there before messing up at the end of the episode. As for the "what do you want?" Zuko will tell you (often and repeatedly) that he wants his honour back. But I think he just wants to go home. The thing is, I strongly suspect that the home Zuko wants to return to hasn't existed since his mother left, if it ever existed at all. Which means that while "who are you?" has an answer Zuko can work towards, "what do you want?" has an answer that is kind of impossible. So Zuko is going to have to learn to want something new.

RIP Jet. Your life was fucked to Hell long before you were old enough to try and salvage it. You'll probably be missed by more people than you strictly deserve. War sucks, amirite?

[inmyhorrorsera]

S5E8 "The Roast" thoughts:

Ok, I watched this episode three times and I'm still smiling. I love when you think and episode is gonna be about something because of its title and then surprise you when its all a misdirection (see also: Succession's "Connor's Wedding").

At first Laszlo's err… state intrigued me, love everyone projecting and imposing their own insecurities (Guillermo's secret, Nadja's hex) as a reason on why he is behaving like that. And of course it's a stupid reason 😭.

"And a flat pepsi for Guillermo". Oh Nandor, that's the worst thing you ever done to Guillermo, that's the worst thing you could do to anyone. And yes, I remember a certain S4 episode.

I screeched like a bird when Colin mentioned dreaming about being a baby under Laszlo's care, not only because I wanted this shit to happen since the past finale, but also I really thought the episode was going on that direction (and also bc its another W for my predictions).

Having said that, LOVED the nonchalance of Nadja and the others when they were like 'no, it wasn't a dream, that totally happened'.

I mentioned it in a separate post: they really had a Sweet Dee in IASIP moment when The Guide gave the roast idea, only to be ignored and then the same idea being stolen by a dude who is celebrated.

Seanie's poor brain it should be soup at this point, we don't know if he can hazily remember the event like it happened before.

What can I remember is his line after Nadja's roast because it was one of the biggest laughs for me: "Women CAN be funny!" I fucking loved it so much, it's the perfect condescending shit straight men say all the time, even when they're trying to be complementary to you they can't stop being garbage. It was a simple line but Anthony nailed the delivery and timing. Seriously, rewatch that part.

At first I was confused why all the jokes were so mid, but shortly I realized this episode wasn't about the roast at all, lol.

Just by watching screenshots of other users I noticed that in the scene of Nandor resting his head on Guillermo's shoulder there's a BIG flame between them. LMAO. There's no way that is unintentional.

Good for The Guide being the catalyst of Baron Afanas learning the truth. I was demanding more screen time for her lately, so having some incidence in the main plot goes on the plus column.

The other guests present at the roast being shocked at the knowledge of Guillermo killing vampires surprised me; I always assumed Guillermo being a familiar/slayer was a known fact in the vampire community after his very public massacre at the Théâtre des Vampires.

Fuck yeah when I realized this is a Doug Jones spotlight episode, I just fuckin ahgdjkaksdf, love him, perfect, no notes.

The Baron being terrifying!! Guillermo was seriously scared for the others and he barely tried to show off his Van Helsing abilities.

Nandor and Nadja begging the Baron to not hurt Guillermo!! 😭 Them being dragged while grabbing the cape!! 😭 They're spiritual siblings to me!! 😭😭

They really reminded me a little bro and sis begging their mom to not hit their beloved older brother with the chancla for talking back or something.

I fell for the two fake-outs with the sack lol I'm so gullible when it comes to vampires I guess.

NANDOR PAINFUL SOUNDS (MOANS???) WHEN HE BELIEVED HE WAS IN FRONT OF GUILLERMO'S INERT BODY. IT WAS SAD BUT ALSO A LITTLE HORNY!!!

"At least he died doing what he loved: beating off in the toolshed."

A wonderful small detail: After Laszlo opened fake Guillermo with the knife he cleaned his hands on The Guide's dress.

Idc if you think its dark, the whole 'Nandor will kill you and then kill himself' bit becoming a recurring joke it's peak writing.

I wish I can say something more serious about Baron Afanas' sadness over how boring his life is now. But I just keep thinking that the way he talks about his homelife with The Sire and the Hellhound sounds exactly when a dude has a middle life crisis and suddenly he doesn't enjoy his marriage anymore. They're husbands!! And I loved how cunty he looked at the end all half-charred (see posted gif) Queen!

Now, the Nandermo of it all: What more can I say than incoherent screaming and foaming from the mouth? Episodes 8 are all about them again!! Nandor on the window looking all cliched melancholic heroine of a romance novel?? How relieved he was when he found him in the coffin??? Him still remembering Guillermo's card word for word???!! Knowing that this toxic dark sided devotion goes both ways???!!! Borrowing the words of Fleabag: THIS IS A LOVE STORY.

Seriously, I know all these soft Nandor moments are here so the heartbreak when he learns about Guillermo being turned it's even bigger. But still denying that there is a romantic undertone between these two it's just being purposely adamant at this point (i'm looking at you wwdits reddit). Even if nothing explicitly romantic happens on screen, just by watching these moments, I know, we know.

Now, go listen to the ending song again. You will not regret it.

[spanishskulduggery]

what games do you play in spanish?

As of right now, primarily Baldur's Gate 3 in Spanish and a few other games - it's usually English dub, but because I switched my console to Spanish language, the Spanish subtitles/language options are the default (assuming they have the option)

Like I have the Kingdom Hearts collection and for whatever reason Spanish is not an option so it's all English. But then a few games like Dragon Age or Mass Effect have the option to change your language [and many computer games have language options as well; I was playing Civilization 6 in Spanish but there were so many proper names, names of cities, and specific things that are translated that I could not figure out how to look up what something did properly, so it was a bit of a trial by fire]

If you have a Nintendo Switch or something like that, you can often choose the language right before the game starts - that's how it was for Pokemon games in my experience

A lot of newer games come directly with the option and if you have a newer console they often change based on your language settings on the system itself. I forget that I'm playing in Spanish until I come upon some codex entry or something that's translated in Spanish and it's a main plot point so I'm like oh no what is that supposed to be in English

As an example, I was playing Baldur's Gate 3 and they translated the word for "hag" as la saga

That's not a terrible translation - "hag" in English typically makes you think of anciana or maybe bruja for "old lady" and "witch" but that doesn't 100% match what they were trying for [also brujo / bruja is how they translate "warlock" class which is historically correct but a bit confusing sometimes]

And I'm wracking my brain because to me la saga is a "saga" like a story... and then I remember, la saga is sometimes translated as like "witchdoctor", it means something like "wise woman" but it's sort of like a woman that says she knows magic but she might have ulterior motives? You can use that to describe people that give you psychic readings, that sort of magic/illusionist sort of thing

So it finally clicked that they were trying to translate "hag" in a way that didn't sound like you were talking about some old person, but someone who is magical in nature and understood to be greedy and negative in a way

-

Anyway, I usually play RPGs or longer story games that give me lots of chances to read and learn new words

I tried Assassin's Creed in Spanish but there were sometimes very particular nouns that I had never seen before because they're more... like tools or specialized things; like never in my life have I used the word azuela or "adze" so my brain is like "is that a kind of fish hook? [anzuelo]"

...Anyway you learn a lot, sometimes really specific vocabulary

I also notice some translation errors here and there that warm my heart because it's not usually the translator's fault

[As an example, I was playing this game and one character was papi "daddy" and the other was listed as momia and I'm confused until I realize it was probably "mummy" the way UK English says "mommy", so in a game with fantastical creatures they saw "mummy" and thought well it might be an actual "mummy" like una momia egipcia "Egyptian mummy", but really how would they know it should be mami not momia unless they saw the whole context?]

[aboutcustardcreams]

Hiii! I watched Glass a few days ago and I decided to write something with Dr. Ellie Staple! It's nothing special, and maybe it's pretty rushed too, but I wanted to give it a try and here it is! I finally graduated so I have way more free time than before to think of plots and write down ideas. Hope you enjoy it <3

Embrace who you are

I have been sitting in this room for so long, I don't even remember what day is it. Hours flow quietly in their succession, always the same. I used to believe that being different was a blessing, but in this place it's nothing like that. I don't consider myself a superhero, although I possess some characteristics that have nothing to do with what's ordinary.

There must be something in my brain, she says. An episode of my past, a memory, a trauma that perhaps led me feeling numb in contact with fire. Not that I can do much in here. The medication and these restraint bracelets are weakening me day to day, and I'm honestly not even trying anymore to perform it because what's the point?

"Why are you doing this?", I ask her again, when comes in for the daily checkup. Her soft waves contour her face so graciously, I can't help but feel drawn to her, to those eyes that deep down appear to guard only light and kindness. However, was that the truth or just an infatuation of mine, considering the conditions she put me in?

"What do you mean, sweetheart?", her voice is laced with an innocence I stopped believing a few days ago. She is just trying to avoid the question, as always. I scoff lightly and bow my head focusing on my trembling hands, whose wrists have been handcuffed with a peculiar bracelet meant to keep all my abilities at bay. Initially I thought she cared about me, like truly. But now, I'm not sure anymore.

"I'm supposed to believe whatever you say without a fight—" I mumble tiredly, slowly meeting her confused frown. I'm so tired of being here, these four white walls are driving me crazy. I just want my life back. Doesn't she see that I'm struggling? She sighs and tilts her head to the side, a soft smile appears on her lips, "Sweetie, I—"

But I don't want to listen to those excuses anymore. "All your assumptions about what's real and what's not," I fix my gaze at the handcuffs, "and these, I'm sick of these! I feel like... suffocating," I swallow a lump in my throat, my voice comes out thinner but determined to make her understand that she was hurting me.

She smiles sadly at me, her eyebrows meet in a frown, "I know it seems brutal...", I chuckle bitterly, "Because it is!" I respond, letting out an exasperated grunt. She sees I'm fighting against my emotions, pushing past the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. She walks towards me, and for a moment, I see guilt flashing through her deep chocolate eyes. "Hey, hey...", I feel the mattress beneath me dip a bit as she takes a seat next to me.

On one side, I admire her like no other person I've ever laid my eyes on. There is something about her that hopelessly draws me closer. But there is also the other side that says— scream even to stay away. "I'm aware it's hard for you to comprehend, but I know what I'm doing. I specialize in people like you..."

Have you ever had that feeling about a person? Even when you know they are wrong, it feels like they are telling the truth, just because they firmly believe it is the truth. That's how Ellie was making me feel. She thinks she is helping me, failing to see my prospective. "People like me?," I look into her eyes with nothing but pure disbelief. A bitter chuckle escapes my mouth right after.

"Wait—", she sighs and reaches out a hand to touch me but I draw back before she can do it. "Do you hear yourself talking? There is nothing wrong with me," my lip quivers as I pronounce those words. I wonder what these handcuffs are made of to make my finger feel so numb and cold.

Ellie leans closer and lightly hushes me. Her long brown lashes well up with tears, tears that honestly I don't understand. Is she sad because she can't cure me? Is she discouraged because I refuse to listen to her? While busy asking myself what the reason of her distress may be, her hand gently cups my cheek. I squeeze my eyes shut, when her voice says my name with such a delicacy, I feel more vulnerable than ever. "You mastered a remarkable kindness, but it's just a camouflage."

If I looked at her now I'd see the hurt in her eyes. Her fingers tremble next to my skin. She inhales sharply and shakes her head at the same time, "No..." she voices out both exasperatedly and painfully, "You're so wrong," when her voice cracks a little, I look at her and say, "You keep telling me I'm wrong, but you never considered that you might be."

Her cheeks have reddened a bit, probably taken aback by my sudden outburst. A single tear slides down her face, while her bottom lip wobbles, causing me to feel guilty for whatever reason. "Your beliefs can put you in danger," she stutters for the first time feeling unconvinced of her own statement. It only makes the entire situation funnier to me.

"They are not beliefs and you know it! This is who I am," I voice out in a faint whisper. Tears spill from my eyes, because I'm so exhausted to be fed lies. I never called myself a superhero and if that's the title she fears so much, I'm willing to never use it. I'm just a girl that can evoke fire. I don't know myself how that's possible, but it's true. A part of me secretly hoped that Ellie would understand me, but I'm slowly losing faith.

When I was first met with those brown eyes I thought there was a chance for me to be understood and not condemned. I understand maybe it's fear what she feels. But I'm not a danger, I never was. After all, what harm have I done in life? I try to help those in need when I get the chance. Otherwise, I simply mind my business. I'm a normal person, regardless of the skills I possess. "I simply want to help you, make sure you don't get hurt..."

I scoff again, a bitter smile curve my lips, "By making me lose myself so that you're happy with your research?", "How does this make me happy exactly?", she quickly responds, gesturing animatedly. I raise an eyebrow at that. Is she pointing out the fact that I'm restrained? If yes, wouldn't it be easier to just let me go? "You did this to me," I state calmly, showing her my wrists.

Her chest rises and falls quicker, she opens her mouth to say something but she closes it again. I see her biting her tongue after, clearly in difficulty to express herself and make herself understood. I find myself even more confused because... are those irises moist with tears now? Is she about to cry? If so, maybe she does care? Or maybe she just finds me crazy and utterly beyond recovery.

"You're so focused on trying to get me to admit that I'm mentally sick, that you don't even see the person that I actually am," I see her posture change a bit when I pronounce these words. "That's not—", I keep her gaze, while I hesitantly draw my hands closer to hers. Despite the handcuffs, I can still move pretty freely, since they are not those bound to one another but they simply restrain my wrists. She looks at our fingers in trance as they almost touch. "Am I only an experiment to you? A task to complete so that you can level up?"

"N-no...," she looks heartbroken when she says that. Her voice never sounded so weak and guilty. It almost makes me feel bad for having said that. For a while I thought about believing her, admit to myself that having those abilities was more of an illness than a gift. That I maybe didn't feel pain, but I was actually hurting myself purposefully. And that it was better to be cured, but then, something snapped in me. Those were just lies.

"I don't see you that way. I never did. I do care about you." I sigh and angrily wipe my cheeks with the sleeves of my shirt, "Your actions tell me differently," I reply, averting my gaze towards that annoying pale wall, but only briefly cause lingering on it too long causes my eyes to itch and burn. "What do you want me to do?", that question surprises me. I mean, wasn't it obvious? I shake my handcuffs slightly as to point out the main reason of my distress.

"Freeing me from these would be a good start," I keep a sarcastic smile on my face. She takes a hesitant breath, her teeth nibbling her bottom lip that can't stop trembling, "Sweetheart...", she struggles, her eyes possess a fear of I don't know what, but it's crystal clear that it gnaws at her heart. "Please, Ellie. I'm not a danger," I plead.

Despite having been treated like this for weeks, I don't seek revenge or anything of the sort. I just want to be able to go back to my old life and get rid of these annoying handcuffs. "I want to believe you, I do", she insists, her voice trembling as she speaks, wavering with uncertainty. For the first time after a while I see a shift in her behavior. A determination that maybe will lead her to go against the protocol, "Then, what's stopping you?", I insist softly.

"Everything I've been taught...", she mutters to herself before looking at me again, "Look, I see the truth in your eyes," she admits, which makes me hope for a real change of events. "I'm just— I'm scared of the consequences. Not about what you would do once you're set free, but about the others— what if they find out and disagree with my decision? What if they come after you, manipulate and restrain you in ways I can't even imagine?"

I see her heart torn between duty and compassion. Love even, maybe. A soft smile tugs at my lips, maybe she does care about me after all. "I can handle myself. I can change city, I don't know, disappear if I have to... Anything is better than this. I don't want to spend eternity here, though your company makes it better," my attempts to be funny even in such situations sometimes astonishes me.

However, there is some truth in it. I like her. Maybe more than I should, as irrational as that sounds. Ellie's cheeks flush pink, an amused and quiet chuckle escapes her mouth right after, "You don't have to flatter me, sweetheart," I rapidly shake my head at that. I'm not trying to play with her, I really meant what I said. "I'm not," I state simply, hoping to let my honesty shine through. "Although, I wish we met in different circumstances," I mutter quietly, shrugging a bit.

"Me too...", she says, which leads me to snap my eyes open towards her. "For real?", her heart breaks at the uncertainty and vulnerability in my voice. Ellie simply nods at that, a thin and sad smiles graces upon her lips, while her hand reaches out to cup my cheek still wet and warm with tears. The pad of her finger delicately wipe a solitary tear that, without me knowing, just slipped from my eye. I'm so vulnerable to affection, I feel myself blushing.

I didn't know that but Ellie had spent so long to try and suppress her mixed feeling towards me, burying them beneath the weight of her responsibilities as doctor. Her fingers keep brushing against my paled cheek as she ponders on her next words carefully, "I'm so sorry," she whispers painfully, "Ellie...", I look for her eyes, that she voluntarily keeps down. "I'm sorry for making you doubt of yourself, for keeping you here—", shaking her head, she lets out a cry, "I want to help you, for real now."

With my eyes wide open, I breathe out, "Really?", tears brim in my eyes, as a glimmer of hope flick within them. "If it's the last thing I do" she confesses weakly, finally looking at me now. "This isn't your place." My heart flutters at her tone, I feel mixed feelings all of the sudden. I'm so excited to the possibility to put an end to all of this, "What will we do, then?"

What she does next completely astounds me. Her delicate fingers fumble as she struggles to unlock the handcuffs which have been secured with a code that only she knows. When a click follows, I finally feel cool air pass through my skin. I let out a relieved breath, while Ellie gasps in horror, noticing the red, raw marks etched into my wrists. "Oh my God, I'm.. I'm so sorry—", panic fills her voice as she shakily takes both my hands in hers, examining the seriousness of the injury.

"Don't be sorry, " I tell her with a reassuring smile, not wanting to add more weight on her shoulders. I feel so relieved, as if I'm starting breathing again. "No. I should have done better, I never meant to hurt you this way—", she takes a deep, shaky breath, her whole body trembling with remorse. She lightly massages my sore wrists, making me wince a bit. She stops, offering me another apologetic glance, "Can you feel your powers?", she asks, cupping my cheeks.

"Huh?", unsure if I have heard her right or not, she looks at me with conviction, tears filling her eyes. She nods her head and strokes my cheeks tenderly, "But... are you sure?", a reassuring smile tugs at Ellie's lips, "You need them to get out of here, don't you?", she grins through tears. I can't help but chuckle at that. The first liberating giggle in so long. "You're not afraid of me?", I need to make sure of this. I never mean to be a monster in her eyes.

As weird as it sounds, the last thing I wish for is for her to think ill of me. She simply shakes her head, her lips flatten in a thin line. Her eyes express me a weight of guilt and sorrow that tell me more than one hundred words. "I never was," her emotional confession makes my heart burst with joy. As I wriggle my fingers, slowly feeling my powers radiate through each fiber of my body once again, she gives me an encouraging squeeze on my shoulder.

I chuckle softly when dim flames start dancing in your hands, casting a warm glow in your face. Ellie can't help but look at me in awe. Her fear slowly melting away, replaced by a sense of wonder and admiration. "You were never a threat...", she mutters to herself, however loud enough for me to hear. A soft smile plays on my lips, as I look at her. When my gaze lingers on her eyes, the flames grow a little stronger.

Realizing that, I close my hands in fists and quickly and awkwardly apologize. She giggles at that and reaches out a hand to cup my chin, "You're extraordinary," she mutters, captivated by my gentle demeanor. A funny warmth fills my chest, when she asks, "Show me again. Show me who you are," her eyes lock with mine with nothing but love and conviction. I nod my head, a playful grin upon my features as I lean closer to her and whisper, "with immense pleasure."

[nitewrighter]

For the directors cut ask: the Volskaya Incident fics?

I remember when I read those one thing that I really enjoyed about that arc was how, despite jumping between multiple POVs and the action constantly moving around the facility, I never felt like I was lost/confused as to where the characters were or what they were doing. You also did a really good job of this in Breach and Dragonback IMO.

(Also I get if you don’t want to talk about OW so if you’d prefer take a star emoji ⭐️ and use this as an excuse to talk about a different fic if you want)

*takes a long drag from my cigarette holder like I'm Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard* Ah... the Volskaya Incident... I was a star back then.

I don't mind talking about my Overwatch fics--honestly talking about them even though I'm pretty burnt out and disillusioned about Overwatch's canon plot these days really kind of relieves the whole sense of sunk cost with those fics, because it's like... even if I really can't summon up the mental stamina for Overwatch that I used to, it's nice that people liked those fics in the moment, you know?

So we're gonna go way way way back to the ancient year of 2017 (SEVEN YEARS?!?!) when I was working off of a giant pile of shippy Valentines Day prompts from a list I had put together myself-- god, it's been years since I've written a prompt list. In February, I got a prompt for a Gency "confession" (that was the prompt--confession) and the framework for this confession was, "oohh what if this was in the aftermath of finding out Reaper's Identity and Mercy's also recovering from a dire injury." This was 2 years before Michael Chu's "Valkyrie" short story came out which established that Mercy knows Reyes is Reaper in literally the most underwhelming way it possibly could. Back in those days I think all of us who were feverishly combing through every single lore drop were kind of operating off of the assumption that the story was set up for a lot of dramatic "I'm not dead! And I'm actually this guy!" reveals. We had everyone's background, and we could fill in certain things, but we also didn't actually know how much the characters knew about each other. So I wrote that confession fic back in February, but I also knew I was setting myself up for having to write this dramatic, action-packed fic later on.

Thankfully, in what was kind of an arbitrary choice at the time, just my placing the fic in the Volskaya map ended up filling in significant details for how I was going to set up and progress the fic. I can tell you I picked that map because I always LOVED the lighting on that map--it was so soft, and I loved how this soft quiet lighting contrasted against all these big mechanical structures. I know it sounds stupid now, what with the... everything... but a part of me always wanted to visit Russia, drink tea from a samovar and ride the Siberian express---the Russian setting kind of reinforced this sense of SWEEPING VASTNESS AND EPIC ROMANCE---again I must stress that this was back in 2017, fucking five years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Also I saw the Julie Christie Doctor Zhivago at like... 14, which even at 14 had me like, "Hmmm this perspective seems skewed, with regard to the class struggles and all" but just the sheer scale of the story and the sense of these characters being caught up in historical events so far beyond their control and still trying to love each other in spite of everything probably permanently fucked up my brain with regards to Eastern Europe.

I wrote the 'confession' fic in late February, but the actual Volskaya Incident fics didn't pop up until June--and I can tell you why that is! The truth is, I was always a hardcore Gency propagandist, but I felt if I was just pumping out gency fic after gency fic, then people wouldn't take me or my beloved ship seriously, so I made a point of working on plenty of short, non-demanding prompts for the rest of the cast, and also for the purpose of actually getting a stronger grasp of the timeline. Every fic I wrote that wasn't Gency, was, in the back of my mind, contributing to the 'slow burn' factor of Gency, giving it context and passage of time.

Like, for all my love of the Narrowly-Avoided-Robot-Apocalypse worldbuilding, I'm willing to admit that the Gency romance was always pretty much always the emotional heart of my entire fic continuity in general, but also I really wanted to make it feel well-woven into both the action and plot progression, so this wasn't just the Mercy whump fic. The romance needed to be grounded in the world because if what I was writing didn't feel like it could be canon Overwatch, then I felt like I had already lost. So this was also the Reaper Reveal Fic, which quickly also turned into the Jack and Ana Reveal and Recruitment fic, and the Zarya recruitment fic--but of course that was already kind of established by virtue of the Zarya name drop in the confession fic. I also had a desire to like... kind of give it the chaotic feel of an actual round of Overwatch back then. I was honestly surprised at how well the hero kits fit into the narrative progression fo the fic, and honestly I think this was the fic that, for me established the rhythm of character and physical conflict throughout my fic continuity.

It's wild to me that they've taken all of the the 2Cap maps out of regular quickplay--so like, not only has this fic been blown out of the canon water by the Valkyrie short story and Cassidy's "New Blood" comics, but the map it takes place in isn't even really in the mainstream game lobby anymore and can only be accessed either in custom games or on certain days of the week in the Arcade.

[rigelmejo]

So I haven't posted in a while. Little updates:

I finished arc 1 of Guardian in chinese again. So now I wont feel bad reading the book 1 english translation.

I took a break from chinese for a while then came back to read. And its interesting to me how much is stored like "2nd level down" in my memory. I don't recall words when trying to talk, after a long enough break. But I start reading, and my brain subvocalizes the hanzi and I can recall this Gist General Meaning of the words. Some words I recall their meaning and all, some just an overall general idea. But I havent forgotten much, nothing totally forgotten, and then most of the details of words come back within an hour or reading. Its surprising to me that reading chinese, memory wise, seems a LOT like reading french. I didnt expect it to be quite as similar a process. But it seems that remembering hanzi Words is as permanent as remembering french word stems/endings (or english ones). Reading skills have long staying power, and don't degrade much even with long breaks between usage. This is Excellent news. Since I don't have time to study much for the next several months, so I'm glad reading skills will stay as good as they are Or Improve if I read, without needing maintenance study. I'd like to improve my listening skill too, because being able to understand audiobooks would increase the chinese novels I could get through that I want to read (audiobooks would be faster than reading). But I dont have time yet for listening reading combo study, and time will tell if i do that activity WHEN and IF listening skills also gradually solidify then become reliable so one can study more sporadically and still see improvement.

My french skills are. Fascinating. I havent purposely studied in like over 5 years. I dont get that much French exposure (my google is in french but tbh google email and notifications do not use a big variety of words). But I've noticed a dramatic improvement in listening skills. My french reading skills have been fine for years. Theyre at a level where I can read like a high schooler: so i can read fiction for adults, but some words or literary devices go over my head and I have to just guess, the more in depth text analysis of themes might be a challenge, but just getting the story/information/most details is fine. I havent had to limit what i read in french in ages. Its just a matter of in french i feel like i did in high school where some fiction makes me "think hard" to grasp some points, versus english where i dont run into needing to Think Hard like that unless I'm reading something written pre-1800s. Anyway my point is: reading skills have been stable a while in french. Listening skills have markedly improved despite very little purposeful practice. I think I should probably start listening to podcasts or audiobooks some point soon. Through scattered listening to B1 and B2 comprehensible audio on youtube, and french shows, im to a point where if the audio has visual context i can follow everything going on and learn new words pretty easy. So now its just listening to french when i have no visuals to rely on, that's a struggle. I remember a few years back, i could not listen to french shows id just get confused, i needed the subtitles to follow anything. My ears mustve gotten used to french or just gotten used to Listening Better to things. Anyway, if i start trying and French Listening Only materials ill mention some progress.

Anyone have any french audiobooks or podcasts/fiction story podcasts they enjoy???

Japanese. also in a weird place. ToT. My biggest hurdle isnt even japanese: its being too chicken to challenge myself. I can play Yakuza Ishin in japanese and follow the main idea and objectives and main points in scenes. Yet i have NOT played more cause it feels Draining to grasp all that info from context and im lazy. I know if i watch a show in only japanese, with japanese subtitles, i know enough to grasp the main plot. But im lazy and its a LOT of effort to see the japanese subtitles and match new sounding words with kanji and try to remember the new pronunciation AND pay attention to the brand new plot. So i fall back onto english subs. I KNOW i can read japanese novels with a click dictionary, its just such SLOW reading, and if i just read while listening and Guess all unknown words its mentally exhausting even though its faster. I even have the easy peasy Glossika Japanese audio to listen to, but im still on lesson 36 because i have to Pay Full Attention when i listen to new lessons and im too lazy to listen with full attention ToT. I can watch lets plays in japanese, i understand them, but the effort of focusing is so much MORE than it would take if i just went to watch an english lets play where i can just hear in the background and follow it fine not even looking at it.

I am at a POINT in japanese where I CAN just learn by doing now! Which is huge! Its an incredibly useful milestone to be at! And makes future study, in the long run, much less daunting to plan as it can become just Do Stuff In Japanese to study. But since im at the beginning of this Comprehend Enough to Learn More from Context phase... learning new stuff from context still takes SO MUCH EFFORT. ITS SO DRAINING. Paying enough attention to comprehend things ive studied is exhausting, paying extra attention to new stuff and guessing what it means is draining and requires a Lot of focus. I know this is just how this stage goes but. Im so lazy.

What i need is something in japanese im SO interested in, that it drives me to engage with it even though I'm drained because im so Curious and Interested in understanding, so i push through until comprehending gets easier. Ideally, a game or show, something that plays so i am Forced to frequently proceed to the next sentence. Because with books and manga i will just stop and dwell on a paragraph for 2 hours and not learn much new stuff.

This stage is especially grating because im not in the stage with french or chinese anymore. I can listen to chinese shows in the background, check my phone while listening, not use the chinese subtitles, pay half attention while drawing. Chinese audiobooks require More attention, but i can listen to them walking or driving without subtitles/transcript and still follow the plot. With french Im to that same comfortable point with shows and youtube videos, not audio only stuff yet but i dont Engage with french audio only stuff. My point is Japanese is the only one where Im really feeling that INTENSE FOCUS drain whenever i try to engage with challenging new stuff in japanese. I dont feel an intense drain with chinese unless I read one of my harder reading level Print Novels or a higher vocab audio only material. I dont feel it with french unless Im doing it with audio only material. I feel the drain constantly with japanese.

[theultimatekamehamehavoc]

Dream Ramble Time! This one's kinda interesting. Still weird. Still that classic dream nonsense as well Involved the survivor's of the first killing game, following Byakuya in this adventure. Most parts of this dream are a bit disjointed so I only remember a few specific moments but it's enough to talk about. Main plot was that Byakuya was trying to look for Makoto. Think it was some bizarro timeline where the killing game did occur since the survivor's where here and I believe there was at least one mention of a mastermind who they beat. At some point in the dream, Byakuya was doing some weird ass cryptic puzzle involving these giant machine's and mixing some paints together to open some doors like a weird cryptic puzzle one would find in a game. There was also a small flashback during this where Byakuya was thinking back to earlier in the day, think about how unlucky the group's all been where a bunch of crow's showed up before some disaster that caused some of the other survivor's to have 3rd degree burns. This part confused me though cus my dumb brain left a plot hole cus it showed a freeze frame of the group fine but never shows their burns or how the crows have anything to do with this. I digress though. Here's were the more interesting part kicks in. Basically, after Byakuya finds his way out of the weird puzzle room, he makes it into this mystical cave to find Makoto, however finding a fake. Essentially, the cave's entities mimic who they (the person entering the cave) miss most in the moment. At some point as well, some of the other survivor's were able to make it to the cave and they met their own fake people like Aoi saw Sakura and Hiro saw his mom. One other thing of note is that, if one is drawn to far into the cave, they will essentially be killed and go to the afterlife. Like, the cave's a sort of limbo from life and death though once one goes far enough, they can never go back. Back to the main plot though, Byakuya eventually deduces that this Makoto is indeed a fake and leaves the cave, eventually finding Makoto on the ground curled up. Or well, he was supposed to but my brain for some unknown reason represented Makoto as a weird chipped bowl for a few seconds so Byakuya was like, cradling a chipped bowl for a moment before my brain remembered that "Oh! Makoto isn't a bowl! He's a boy!" Once Makoto was presented as a human being though, (maybe this is game logic where Makoto just turned into a place holder item!) the two have a discussion on the floor in the grasslands, (forgot to mention but they're in a jungle for some reason or some jungle equivalent. weird version of the school greenhouse perhaps??) Makoto then talks about his experience in the cave. This is where the dream loses the plot. Cus, there's a flash back to Makoto and his mother in the cave. But, for some weird ass reason, she's like... a tiny giraffe? But she looked more like a little pony, no giraffe spots... and Makoto's reasoning as to why he was able to realize this wasn't his mother is that like... his mother isn't a shiny girafarig. I have no no words.... After the boys have their vague convo on the floor, Kyoko exists the cave. In my vague brain dream state, it showed prior that she saw her mother in the cave, but let's be real. It wasn't at all her mother realistically, I say when Makoto saw a baby giraffe in the cave so I dunno! Finally, Kyoko walks to the boys and like, they all have a vague convo about what they saw and if they're okay. Think it's implied the other survivor's escaped too but like, Toko was never mentioned in this dream. Poor girl was done dirty. But, after they talk, Kyoko guides them to a nook adjacent to the cave where she shows some archives about the cave siren people, talks about their lore, mentions how some of them are better at their craft than others and how some of them are banned from doing their siren shape shifting as they used bad material in the archives that was unconvincing. And then I woke up.

[polyhexian]

I'm soup brained today so I've got an animated fox sitcom on because you know. That's what you do. Anyway it's called housebroken and they're all pets in a group therapy thing and they're mostly dogs. And one of the dogs is a little corgi and she's a service dog. And then we get to an episode where in group she talked about how she was flying with her human and sat next to another service dog and she said hi and she was like wow where'd your owner get YOUR vest it doesn't look like any of the ones in the website my owner got mine and he accused her of wearing stolen valour. And that REAL service dogs have HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF RIGOROUS ACADEMY TRAINING. And then she had a panic attack on the plane. And so then on she starts having a breakdown about being a fake service dog and her life being a lie. And then we are at the beach and she's like I have to, what, remember to make her flip her over so she doesn't burn? And then she runs over to make sure shes not dead. And later during like the episode climax we see her try to get her owner to flip over and she's bright red because the corgi was doing Episode Shenanigans

And so like. At this point I'm like. I'm expecting the big moment of the episode to be her realize she is in fact A Real Service Dog. But no apparently the revelation is that she is in fact a fake service dog which it took me multiple episodes afterward to realize. I thought it was just an ongoing plot. Because they did show her check on her owner to make sure she was alive and then also we saw as a direct result of her not waking her owner she turned into a lobster. And we've seen she is a well trained dog who walks at a tight heel with her owner and sits neatly on her lap on the plane. And I thought it was just like. About her being self conscious about not being a good ENOUGH service dog. It's not that I don't think fake service dog in therapy isn't a funny concept I just like don't think it was telegraphed well because the other dog was like a little military soldier guy right and I mean like. Service dogs. Do not have to be trained in like. An accredited facility. There's no test of accreditation to be a service dog. The dog needs to be task trained to perform a service for a disability to be a service dog and thats it. I kind of thought it was going to be her owner was narcoleptic or something. Did the writers think service dog owners don't have to buy the vests? They don't like get them from an Official Source. You buy them on the internet. You don't even need a vest like that's not even a requirement it's just an easy identifier. Legitimately the website comment really confused me because I'm like. It just sounded like one of the normal observations the dogs make about their owners and it didn't even occur to me that Bought On A Website was an automatic reveal that she was a fake service dog. Everyone has to buy them on a website. They don't grow on trees. You have to buy them???

[fandomsandflyingstingrays]

The potential for Will and Nico being Star Wars fans in The Sun and the Star has my brain going crazy, so please enjoy the tale of how I think Will got Nico into it

Will lasts exactly three days into his friendship with Nico before making a Star Wars reference

It’s on Nico’s last day in the infirmary. Will, in trying to impress on Nico the benefits of adequate rest, tries to explain how much better he looks by saying he could pull the ears off a gundark

Nico just stares at him blankly before half-jokingly offering to take his temperature

And Will remembers, oh yeah, he grew up in the forties and spent most of his time in the twenty-first century among the dead

And Will is ecstatic

Because no one gets to experience Star Wars with no spoilers. No one

Needless to say Nico leaves the infirmary under strict orders to join Will in the Big House for one Star Wars movie every weekend until he’s seen them all

If you asked Nico what the plot of The Phantom Menace is, he’d never be able to tell you

Will, anticipating his confusion, explained everything to the best of his ability (no, it was not nervous babbling. It was explaining), but it was still a lot to take in. Also, Nico was mostly focused on the sound of Will’s voice and how close he was sitting

Attack of the Clones went similarly, although watching Anakin’s attempts to seduce Padmé did make Nico feel better about his own romantic crisis

He genuinely did get invested during Revenge of the Sith, mostly because Order 66 felt like familiar territory

(“You get so offended when I call you Death Boy, but this is what gets you interested?”) (“Listen. It’s more realistic now”)

As he gets more comfortable around Will and more invested in the story, he’s actually able to pay attention during A New Hope and his genuine interest in the saga begins

And then comes the moment Will has been waiting for

He literally cannot sit still for the entirety of The Empire Strikes Back

But honestly? It’s kind of a letdown

They get to the “Luke, I am your father” bit and Nico just goes, “huh”

“Huh? HUH?! Obi-Wan was lying the whole time! Luke’s father is alive! And he’s the galaxy’s second-most-evil-guy!”

“You’re talking to the guy who found out three years ago that his dad is the lord of the dead”

“…Huh”

Nico’s actually pretty sad when they finish Return of the Jedi, but this bittersweet feeling does not last long

One: because Will asks Nico out, so Nico gets to see him way more often outside of movie night

And two: at least a third of their dates are the two of them cuddled up making their way through every episode of the TV series

I’m gonna say one of the sequel trilogy movies comes out before ToA and they definitely sneak out to see it

(Will has Opinions)

Will probably bribes Nico to go with him as Han and Leia for Halloween 

(You get to decide who’s who)

Will also definitely gives Nico the sand speech at some point and Nico gives him these flipflops for Christmas

Will laughs his head off and wears them every day in the infirmary

He probably wears them to Tartarus tbh

[sapphire-weapon]

i just finished Infinite Darkness and have a lot of Thoughts™️. please indulge me if you'd like.

spoiler + long post warning

i went into it with pretty low expectations because everyone kept on calling it a shitshow. it's not bad per se, but it wasn't good either. it was.. meh. 2.5/5.

afaik ID takes place in 2006, and RE4 in '04. so why tf does Leon look like he's at least 40??

that honestly fucked it up timeline-wise for me. was the show purposely designed not to fit into the timeline in any way whatsoever a la "welcome to raccoon city"?

if that's the case, Leon and Claire still somehow are able to remember the events of Raccoon City in this timeline.

my brain can't come to a logical conclusion over the timeline, so i'll leave it at that.

i wish they gave Claire more screen time. they did her so dirty imo.

what were they trying to set up with Claire and Leon's interactions? a loveteam? if this was so, what even was their last conversation in ep 4?

the Claire on top of Leon scene. tf? what the hell were they trying to set up? were they going to fuck and continue the redfield bloodline right then and there? kiss? hug? maybe punch each other's lights out?? i'm seriously so fucking confused.

Shen Mei and Leon too. Leon asks her out and she declines. what was the point of that conversation? i'm just going to assume it's to show the locket with Jun See's picture in it.

(were they trying to show how bitchless Leon is at least in this series?)

why the hell did Jason kill Shen Mei? what was the point? why didn't Leon give a shit when she died? it was like he just forgot about her.

i love how President Graham believes anything as long as Leon is involved. in ep 1 when Leon's late: "it's fine bc you saved my daughter." in the last ep when Patrick tells him that Wilson was behind everything and cites Leon as source, Mr. POTUS decides to wing his speech ON THE SPOT just because of that fact. what if Patrick was making it up? that really would have fucked up international relations and all that. i don't know. Graham really loves Leon i guess.

going off of that, i wish we got to see more of Patrick. i would have loved to see him interact more with Leon.

what is gonna happen to that chip!?

i have no idea if a Season 2 would be able to salvage/explain the plot, but honestly i don't think the series deserves a Season 2. it might be a waste of time and money plus an even bigger disappointment to fans.

alright, onto performances.

Nick Apostolides to me sounds like someone who's breaking in a new pair of shoes. it sounds like he's still getting used to walking in them and therefore tries different things (which i find ironic since he'd already voiced baby faced rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy atp, but also understandable as Leon sounded young in that game). he's all over the place imo. he sounded like RE2R Leon, RE4R Leon, and someone else entirely throughout the four episodes. but as you said in another ask, he really made up for it in RE4R. solid voice acting all around imo.

Ray Chase. before i saw him here i knew him as Neuvillette (aka "according to the judgment of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale") in Genshin Impact. his line delivery is stellar. i hope that's also him voicing mutated/infected Jason because he sounds fantastic there. but there's a line that he says there that sounds so awkward because the delivery is so sped up that the emotion is gone.

Stephanie Panisello also voices Claire in RE2R, but i haven't seen too much of her there to compare it to her performance here. i will say, however, that i honestly enjoyed her performance here, but there are times when she sounds like she's holding back a bit. it would have been perfect if she let go a little bit more.

Jona Xiao as Shen Mei was also great, but i think she also suffers the sams problem as Stephanje in that she sounds like she'a holding back.

Doug Stone as Wilson was perhaps the most enjoyable for me, as well as Billy Kametz who voiced Patrick.

this (https://youtu.be/HN2OkCu6FbE?si=jl7K8tILCYoheGCX) was pretty badass tho

https://youtu.be/7lnFgfhVW-E?si=RZ-EF-WN2vVDY8PS holy shit.

the unfortunate thing is

most of my responses to your reactions boil down to "welcome to the RE CGI-verse." like:

why tf does Leon look like he's at least 40??

i wish they gave Claire more screen time

why the hell did Jason kill Shen Mei? what was the point? why didn't Leon give a shit when she died?

all fall under that category LMAO

now, in terms of things i can respond to:

was the show purposely designed not to fit into the timeline in any way whatsoever a la "welcome to raccoon city"?

no. just because leon's character model looks bad doesn't mean that the story exists out of universe. it takes place in 06 and is part of the regular OG canon timeline. period.

what were they trying to set up with Claire and Leon's interactions?

nothing.

the CGI-verse is the reason why a few true cleon diehards still hold onto hope that cleon will still somehow be endgame, but the fact of the matter is that leon and claire just have That Kind of Friendship. it goes nowhere; it's just how they are.

Shen Mei and Leon too. Leon asks her out and she declines. what was the point of that conversation? i'm just going to assume it's to show the locket with Jun See's picture in it. (were they trying to show how bitchless Leon is at least in this series?)

both explanations are correct. ID adds a new dimension to the running "OG Leon is a Fucking Slut Who Can't Actually Score" gag by making him an actual homewrecker this time around. but ultimately yes it was to show the locket.

what is gonna happen to that chip!?

nothing and you know it lmao

this (https://youtu.be/HN2OkCu6FbE?si=jl7K8tILCYoheGCX) was pretty badass tho

this is the best moment that OG leon has in the entire series and i'm not joking. it's not the best in the sense of "this is when he, as a person, is at his best." it's the best in the sense of "this is the only moment in the entire series where we get to see leon do his Actual Job and know what he Actually Does outside of outbreak incidents, and it serves to add more context and perspective to so many other facets of his character." i could write an entire fucking essay about this scene/moment. god.

goD

[neteyamslovrr]

kinda a little confused on why the reader was so dependent on neteyam staying? maybe it’s because i’m thinking of it from a different perspective but that’s so selfish lol,, his whole family is leaving and not leaving for some sort of vacation for fun’s and giggles no they’re leaving for their safety for the forest clan’s safety as well… so her begging him to stay and then saying he broke her..? how? he was doing what was best for himself, his family, and his home the forest and we weren’t apart of that danger that they were in we weren’t a target so why would he drag us into it? ofc he’d leave us behind.. ig it would’ve been better for him to explain rather than just say “no u can’t come” but.. yk for the plot 😭

not hating i’m just genuinely asking bc what he did doesn’t seem wrong at all in my eyes or am i missing something?

i get your point !! i do struggle with getting my vision across in writing sometimes so i understand ur confusion (especially coz i haven’t wrote for neteyam in like a year😭😭) Especially when i’ve changed certain aspects of the original plot of the movie (like neteyam returning alive LMAO)

When neteyam first left she grieved his absence in a full on depressive state. like fully intense heartbreak (bit bleak ik) and over the years things happen such as humans not actually going away as the sullys intended and entering a one sided ‘engagement with vatep’.

I know when i’m sad and things go wrong and i try to find a blame for something and reader can ignorantly blame neteyam coz if he didn’t leave for her safety she wouldn’t of gone through such a tumultuous time. over time that anger would have bubbled especially when she saw him, years of sadness and anger and heartbreak she has tried to push down all coming to the surface when he returns, like ptsd, she relives all her bad memories when she’s sees him not the loving ones she remembered.

It wasn’t that she begged him to stay either she begged to come with them and obviously no one would’ve let that happen so it’s definitely a him leaving in her brain.

Honestly i feel like i’m rambling now but i write return trying to understand the feelings of the characters coz i too would be angry sad and hurt in the position of all the characters 😭 BUT ALSO THANKQ SM FOR READING MY WORK even if it confused u it means the world MWAH❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[disabled-dragoon]

Zombies on Screen: My Top 10

We're back at it again with my zombie obsession and today I will be treating subjecting you all to a ranking of my top ten favourite zombie movies and/or shows. Because yes, this is still an ongoing thing for me and it doesn't look like it's stopping any time soon.

If you want to see less of my zombie ramblings, feel free to block the "curio reviews" tag.

And now, on to the list!

🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♂️🧟‍���️🧟🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♂️ [22 Zombie Emojis]

10.) Kingdom: Ashin of the North

While I don't like this special as much as I do its parent series, I still enjoy it, and I started a list of "animals in zombie dramas" because of it. Considering the way Ashin was introduced at the end of Kingdom and the unlikelihood of a season 3, I am so glad we at least got to see some of her story in this movie. This is not an easy watch. Kingdom has its comedic moments, of course, but Ashin of the North is an undeniably darker, sometimes uncomfortable, addition to the series. And yet, it suits the character and the tone introduced at the end of season 2 almost perfectly. If we never get a season 3, at least we have Ashin.

9.) Warm Bodies

It's been a while since I watched this film but I remember enjoying it, if not being slightly confused at some points. The whole "zombie eats mans brain and then falls for man's girlfriend because he can see their memories together" is Weird, if not somewhat creepy, but I suppose that's the "zombie" part of the zombie rom-com. Or zom-com, if you will. I do like the ending. Yeah yeah "the power of love and friendship cures everything" is an interesting trope choice for a zombie film, but I absolutely loved it.

8.) Zombie Detective

I looked up "zombie shows" and this one kept getting suggested so I thought I would give it a try. I knew that it was a comedy and still didn't expect the mild Looney Tunes-esque sound effects. Sometimes during a dramatic throwing sequence there'll just be the sound of a slide whistle as the object makes impact with its target, and at first I thought it was annoying but it genuinely grew on me. It took me a couple of episodes to get into it (bearing in mind it's a 12 episode series), but eventually, I enjoyed it and even found some of the humour to be funny. The plot drags a bit- they start telling one story, it becomes another, and then they manage to get back on track to the original story in the final 4 episodes- but it does all tie together so I'll give it a pass. The tongue-in-cheek references to other zombie shows and films (Train to Busan, anyone?) are great (and yes I also agree that Ma Deong-seok is the greatest threat to a zombie's existence /j). Though I doubt it will ever happen, if a second season ever comes out I will be watching it.

7.) Happiness

My issues with this series are similar to my issues with Zombie Detective. It drags a bit, and then parts of the final episodes feel so rushed? I don't know. The death fakeouts in the end also started to get a bit annoying, and we get some resolution as to the fate of the main leads and antagonists in the end, but I would have liked even a brief montage of what happens to the rest of the supporting cast as well. You spend 12 episodes getting to love or hate them, and then just...nothing. Yeah yeah it's implied earlier in the episode, but I would have liked more visual confirmation, you know? Even so! For all the faults I have with it this was a great series. And some of the music in this is so good??? I still stand by that, as much as you'll grow to hate her character, Bae Hae Son is an absolutely fantastic actress.

6.) 28 Days Later

The first 12 minutes of this film is almost entirely music that steadily increases in volume and pace, and it is just so great. I was on the edge of my seat. Could have done without the shot of Cillian Murphy in the buff to introduce his character but eh. I get the hype for this film, I think it's warranted. I was worried that, with the difficulty I had in finding a version to watch, I wouldn't enjoy it, but thankfully I did.

5.) 28 Weeks Later

Honestly I think this one is slightly better than the first one. Maybe I'm just biased because Robert Carlyle is one of my favourite actors (that man plays the role of the cowardly father to accidental villain extremely well), but I really like the way the ending set up the third film. Which is not to say that I'm not wary of how they will go about the third film, especially now that they're actually filming it, but I do look forward to seeing how the third will hold up given how strong the first two are.

4.) #Alive

Specifically the 2020 South Korean film, not the 2020 American film of the same name and based on the same script. I think what I like about this film is the vagueness. There's no attempt to explain why the apocalypse is happening, and there's no attempt by the leads to cure it. It just exists and they are forced to try and survive it with little more than what they already have. It is phenomenal, and I really, really liked the whole "zombies retain some basic skills from their being human", like being able to climb a rope or use a door handle. It's so creepy. Would I have liked a bit more development on that front? Sure. Does the film work without out? Absolutely.

3.) Shaun of the Dead

I don't know why I enjoy this film so much, I just do. Call it a soft spot for homegrown comedy if you must, but I did actually find myself liking this film far more than I thought I would. It's 20 years old this year (release-wise) and to mark that it was/is being re-shown in some cinemas. 20 years on and some of the jokes don't necessarily hold up, but dammit it's a good film and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I recently saw a comic strip that was released to coincide with the original release of the film, and it adds a new perspective to it all. Yeah the film is funny, but the strip focuses on the character of Mary, the female zombie that Shaun and Ed first encounter in their garden, and shows how, in her last moments alive, she reached out to them for help but they didn't realise and brushed her off. It is incredibly sad and adds another layer to the film that makes it worth its status as a cult classic.

2.) Kingdom

Ah, I love this show so much. I have rewatched it so many times, and it's still just as good. Honestly, I think one of the greatest things about this show is the rewatch value. Once you've seen it, when you go back and watch it again you see that they actually reveal the cause of the zombie outbreak in the first few episodes, but you probably won't notice it, or even understand it, on your first runthrough. I love it. I highly doubt we will ever get an official season 3, which is a shame, but Ashin of the North is a great follow-up regardless, and I'm glad they at least allowed one of the most promisingly interesting characters in the series to get some screen time and development.

1.) Zom100: Bucket List of the Dead

You can pry this film from my cold dead hands. I genuinely enjoy it. I watched it last Halloween for the first time and did not regret it. That shark scene is one of the wackiest, most god-awful pieces of CGI I've ever seen. It's terrible. I love every second of it. It's so out of pocket, and, considering the tone of the previous movies I'd watched before this one, an absolutely perfect way to round off my evening. I love everything about this film to the point that I even sat down and watched the anime three days after finishing it. Genuinely enjoyable 10/10 would watch again.

[skzshiplore]

SIR KIM

Seungmin was serious when he told STAY not to go to other idols concerts. He’s selfish and he wants what’s his to remain only his. He was also talking to you in particular. For you it translates to “don’t look at/for other men”. The only other men he’s willing to share you with are his members and even that’s a stretch for him. He doesn’t like watching you fuck the others, he doesn’t like letting the others watch him fuck you and he rarely ever fucks you with the others.

You don’t mind though because he treats you well. He doesn’t tell you that you can’t fuck the others, he understands the groups dynamics. But when it’s his turn you’re all his.

You all went out one day on a casual stroll to the park and you might have given a second glance to someone on the street. A little too much of a glance for Seungmins liking. You had no idea he’d been watching you, everyone was caught up in their own conversation so you thought you were off the hook. Seungmin started plotting at that very moment.

“Pick a member” he demands. You were confused but you chose anyway. That was earlier today. Now you were locked inside Seungmins room with I.n’s head between your legs as he attacked your pussy. Seungmin is slitting in a chair in the corner of his room watching.

“Eyes on me! If you lose eye contact with me at any point I promise you’ll regret it” he says in an even tone that sends shivers down your already sensitive spine.

Jeongin brings you to your peak for the first time that night on his fingers and scarily skillful tongue. Minnie demands that you ride him next keeping your eyes locked on him as you do it.

Jeongin lays down with his hard veiny cock twitching and leaking against his stomach. He’s aware that he’s being used for whatever sick game Seungmin was playing but he gets his dick wet so he won’t complain.

You straddle the maknae and slide down his shaft with a gasp. Jeongin is quite big and this position allows him to fill you up well. You begin to ride his cock while staring into Seungmins soul as requested. You’re not sure why this is happening but at the moment you can’t bare to complain.

“Look at you. A filthy whore riding another man’s cock. You know I hate to see you like this princess so why would you make me do this? Hmm” he questions condescendingly. You can’t bother to reply with how turned on you are right now so all you can spare is a moan.

“Do you think that man could fuck you like we do? Like I do? If he was here right now instead of us do you think he’d fill you up like we do?”

“Fuck no” you moan breathlessly. You quicken your pace because you’re close and you’re hoping he’ll let you cum soon.

“No one will ever fuck you like we do. No one will ever love you like we do. Nobody knows your body the way we do. So the next time you think about or look at another man remember this okay princess?”

“Mmh yes Minnie fuck!! I’m sorry can I cum please Minnie please!!” You beg on Jeongins cock. You can’t even bother to ride him anymore your mind is hazy. Jeongin knows this and takes control by planting his feet to the bed and is now fucking up into you.

“That’s not my name baby. You know my name”

“Sir Kim please!!! Fuck me!! Please can I cum Sir Kim please” you babble all coherent thoughts gone from your mind.

“Good girl. I’m sure you’ve learned your lesson. Go ahead and cum on his cock like the whore you are” he grants.

That’s all it takes to push you over the edge. You know you fucked up but you were so fucked out you couldn’t keep your eyes open a second longer. I.N cums in you not too long after with a stifled moan due to the tight grip your pulsing wet pussy has on his cock. You collapse on his chest spent and breathless but I.N just holds you giving soft kisses to your sweaty forehead.

Through the fog of your brain you hear Seungmin rise from his seat and walk toward the bed. You can barely open your eyes but you try anyways. As you look up you lock eyes with him to find he looks disappointed.

Shit..

“You might have learned one lesson princess but it seems I’ll have to teach you another. Clean this mess up and get out” he demands softly before exiting his room.

You fell light laughter rumbling from the maknae chest and you question him. “You made him mad again” he laughs “only you can make the puppy act like this.”

“Shut up!!” You chuckle slightly smacking his chest playfully.

Kim Seungmin was a juxtaposition. The persona he shared with his fans was so different from that of his bedroom personality. You loved them both honestly.

Tired and spent from whatever the hell just happened you figure if he’s already pissed off you might as well defy him a little more. So you do. You fall asleep right in his bed on Jeongins chest with his softened cock still buried inside you.

You shouldn’t have done that.

[romaritimeharbor]

ヽ⁠(⁠｡⁠◕⁠o⁠◕⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠.

OMG YES!!!!!! I cant tell you how happy i am to meet another fnaf fan!! I also have been a fan since Fnaf 1 as well and yeah i do agree that a game about haunted animatronics probably wasnt a good thing for young kids (i remember being so scared of the dark back then bc i would think that either Foxy or Freddy will jumpscare me from the shadows) but like it was such a huge thing back then, every youtuber were doing Let’s Plays and I still remember very fondly of playing the first game in my cousin’s phone as i lock all the doors til it ran out of battery because i was a scaredy cat, such good times..

Ok so my favs are Sister location and the Pizzeria Simulator. I love those two because they are more of the story driven games unlike the others which just have you sit in the office and have the plot be in the pixelated mini games (i dont hate them bc they have their own charm in itself but i just wanted the story be more direct than subtle, if that makes sense..)

Wait, what other Fnaf songs do you like other than Left Behind? I remember jamming to “the Mangle song” and “just gold” on loop that whenever i sing those songs under my breath, my friends, who werent into fnaf, would give me weird looks. I tried explaining it to them but they would get confused and just get used to my singing

Also have you ever watched Game Theory? I used to love going home and just watch Matpat going insane trying to piece together the lore. I still watch his old Fnaf videos, they’re still great and it’s nice to look back to see which theory was right and which was wrong. OH AND ALSO i was so happy to see Matpat in the Fnaf film. I was so happy to see many people who has contributed to Fnaf in Youtube be in the film!

The point is I am so happy to meet another Fnaf fan. It’s not everyday i meet another fnaf fan, so forgive my rambling. Would it be okay for me to sometime geek out about these stuff with you? Hope ypu have a good night

(I should probably mention that im very tired right now as im typing this but i really wanted to send this ask. So forgive for my tired rambling,

- 🐱 anon who is going to sleep now

YEAH I HAVE BEEN IN THIS FANDOM FOR LITERALLY SOOOOOO LONG it is a part of me atp.... cannot remove the fnaf from my brain 😔🙏 the youtube lets plays were absolutely formative for me HAHAH i miss that era of youtube, honestly!!

i can totally get that! i love the more story driven games. AND 🐱 ANON..... if i tried to list off all the fnaf songs i have ever listened to, this post would be so insanely long. i can safely say that if you can think of it, i have probably heard it (though there are a few songs i haven't heard!).

I USED TO BE SO OBSESSED WITH GAME THEORY DUDE i often think about going back and rewatching the old fnaf theories. it was such a lovely time of my life honestly <3 you are more than welcome to drop by and talk about fnaf with me, anytime!

[cbk1000]

hi there the book of merthur is one of my favorite fics and i have a question about it, i hope this is the right place to ask and you don't have a writing sideblog or anything?

I'm such a fan of The Mums from the book of merthur, but i'm curious what made you decide to keep Igraine alive? was it for any particular reason for a plot? spite against the BBC for fridging her before the story even started? Just bc you wanted to make A Mum and unleash her on the story with a cooking ladle and a lot of anger to get out? Not that I'm complaining, she and Hunith are a terrifying force to reckon with and a point of hilarity across the book. But i haven't read a lot of fics where Igraine lives, and even fewer where she has a major effect on the story as your Igraine does. definitely an underrepresented character with a ton of potential!

As soon as i started reading your fic (many months ago) i could tell you're knowledgeable in the Arthuriana, and as i've been making my own fic and doing research about the Arthuriana, I learned that the more popular spelling of her name is Igraine and not Ygraine (and let me tell you, it's been a bastard trying not to confuse the names Ygraine and Yvaine in my fic), and so i also wondered if you had any deeper Arthurian reason for choosing to spell her name Igraine instead of Ygraine or was it just easier on the writing/reading? (I personally repeatedly mistype BBC's Gwaine as Gawain cause that was the first spelling of his name i became familiar with, also an incredibly annoying mistake of mine.)

Thanks in advance for answering (though take your time doing so!) and i hope you're having a fantastic day!

This is my only blog, so this is the right place to ask! Also, thank you for asking; I rarely get questions about inspirations/thought processes and I love talking shop about writing. I'm going to put this under a cut because, surprise, someone who wrote a 600k+ fic is long-winded. lmao

It's been four years since I started the fic, and the pandemic has turned that into about 84, so I can't remember exactly what pushed me to keep Igraine alive, but the first chapter was inspired by a version of the folktale St. George and the Dragon (sometimes also called St. George of Merrie England) that I read shortly before deciding I wasn't done trying to purge myself of BBC Merlin. The image of an enchantress carrying babies away to a cave in the woods piqued my interest, and that segued into me deciding to make Arthur one of those babies. While there are loads of versions of Arthurian stories, most of them show Arthur's conception as happening through Igraine becoming pregnant by Uther after he uses magic to trick her into thinking he is her husband, which is real gross and rapey of him, so I think probably what sparked the initial idea to have Igraine live was that I wanted to play that out a bit and show the repercussions of it and how Arthur was an innocent who obviously was not at fault whatsoever for what happened--but he was still the product of rape and a part of Uther, a man Igraine despised. And of course you can't explore a mother/son relationship that complicated if the mother is dead.

Also, BBC Merlin is a total sausage fest and, quite frankly, I think the writing for all the women was TERRIBLE, so part of it was also just me wanting more women in the story who felt like actual complicated humans and not one-note villains or love interests. Hunith and Igraine are both middle-aged, and I liked the idea of giving them a bit of space and a voice in the type of story that's generally about dashing young people running around swinging swords and getting rescued from towers.

As for the spelling, if I remember correctly, in the first canon era fic I wrote, I did actually spell it as Ygraine, so I've used both spellings in my work. But honestly, I chose Igraine this time around because I knew it would come up a lot more and it's just easier for my English-speaking brain to remember. There are multiple, slightly tweaked versions of many of the characters, and spellings and even names change slightly depending upon the source (Morgana is a good example of this), so if a character is going to be a recurring one in any of my stories, I go with whatever is going to be easiest on my brain. (And yes, Gwaine/Gawaine is annoying; I think we've all made that mistake.) I have done a LOT of reading on various Arthurian texts, so usually there is a more specific reason for something and a particular source of inspiration, but in this case it's really just, 'There are eight million variations of spelling for this, I'm going with the one that's easiest to remember in a 600k story where I already have to keep track of a billion things.'

Also, I want you to know that the bookmark note you left on Book of Merthur referring to a 'wet sock of a gay person' made me laugh, and I still think about it randomly and laugh about it. lmao