#i just always thought roderick was an interesting character

[acecroft]

THE FOLLOWING 1.08

[slashingdisneypasta]

(Fae) King Roderick x Fem!Human!Reader || Drabble

Plot: 🌷🌲🌷 Roderick stops amid his day-to-day duties to watch a sweet human girl get attacked by some nasty goblins- and wonders to himself whether indeed he needs another pretty slave~ 🌷🌲🌷 🌷🌲🌷 🌷🌲🌷

Warnings: Goblin attack (They gang up on you, they hold you down, they jump on you, they bite you), Evil Roderick Thoughts (He likes violence. He wants to own you & use you), etc probably.

Roderick is my character! ^^ If you like him, please let me know!! I will die but don't worry I'll come back. This is the first time I'm writing him for... a long time, so he will develop as time goes on; But the basic principles of his character will remain the same.

@marinerainbow I'm tagging you because you're the only one who knows about Rod! XD Here he is in all his terrible glory. I hope you like him! 😅 XD

-You shouldn't have come here!-

-now we get to play with youu, heheh-

-Let's have some fun, little maid!

It was a mistake! I'm sorry! you cried, trying to pull your arm away from the evil little creature - a goblin, - that had you in his iron-grip, dragging you down to his level and his horrible sharp teeth and his black eyes. I didn't know! I'll go back! Just let me-

Fear and tears fill your eyes so beautifully, little maid. Roderick thought as he watched from high in a nearby tree. Neither you, nor the pesky squat little creatures knew he was there. He was in his small form, after all. Barely visible so high up.

He was only taking a wander through the woods just now- He only wanted to see his land, today. Whisper some simple encouragements to the trees, compliment the flowers for growing so gorgeously this spring, run his fingers through the grass, and generally spread some good cheer; make sure the forest was still his. On his side. Always listening, and reporting to him everything it heard.

He had no idea he would end up a witness to such pretty a sight. Seeing a lovely human girl roughed up and terrified by a few goblins was just always a nice surprise. Ever so pleasant.

Sure, he could easily get rid of the creatures. Call them off; he was the King of this forest, after all. He could save you as easily as he could order himself a sweet cup of honey and lavender tea. But you are all putting on such a good show... he'd hate to spoil it.

Two goblins now hold onto your arms and leave irritated red scratches in your skin with their jagged claws, another two nasty little creatures wrap around your legs and sit on your feet, and another- pounces onto your back, from a low-hanging branch in another tree. Your knees buckle under the weight of the fat bastard, and you slam into the dirt while all the creatures snigger and cackle cruelly at your pain and your fear. The one on your back digs his pointed nose into your hair and your neck, and takes a deep whiff.

The look on his face is down-right ravenous. Filthy. As if the dumb thing had been starved for days and it just came upon a whole roast pheasant feast.

Roderick's eyebrows climb up his forehead. Interesting... Well if you really smell that good, maybe he should save you. One look at you- the humble attire you adorn your sweet body with that hides everything and then some (Frustrating, Roderick thinks with an eyeroll), the fact that you're alone here in the first place (Humans rarely travel this deep into the forest. There are myths meant to warn you against such places, didn't you know dear?~ Roderick smirks. Fairy stories, I believe they aptly refer to them in town.)... tells him all he needs to know about you. He could so easily draw you to him. Make you grateful and charm you. Save you, and convince you it was good will... He doubted anyone would look for you for long, either. Maybe a month (A few mere hours at home). Not that that worried him at all; he had the power, here.

"... " After another moment, Roderick rolls his eyes and gets up off the tree branch he was sat and leering down at the scene on. "Ugh. What am I thinking?? I don't need anymore slaves." Cavalierly, he waives his hand and turns to fly off. "You just kidnapped another one the other week, Rod. That little flower nymph; go home and sate yourself on him for a little while. No one likes a greedy king."

He's about to disappear into the dark like he was never there at all, leave you to your fate at the hands of the cheeky little ground urchins-- but you let out a shriek suddenly.

A shriek that makes Roderick freeze; a delicious shiver racing up his spine as nearby sparrows shoot out of another tree and disappear above the treetops. A crooked grin slips across the fae king's bearded face, rolling his shoulders of the freezy thrill-feeling before he turns back around to you. There's a bite mark on your neck now; likely the cause of your pig-squeal.

"... or I could sate myself on you for a little while, hmm?" Another delectable screech, when one of the other goblins digs his sharp, yellow teeth into your calf. Roderick's vision goes red as his beautiful features take on a killer grin and he slowly flies forward. "I'll take that as an emphatic yes~ "

[bragrwoman]

I'm reading a very interesting book called "The Road to Hel" by Hilda Roderick Ellis, which goes over some conceptions of death, the soul, and the afterlife in Old Norse literature and religion. It's an older book (1943, I believe?) but it has a great deal of interesting information in it.

I haven't read it all yet, but the chapter on the soul is very interesting. The author draws together some different pieces of archeological and literary evidence about different and sometimes contradictory practices and beliefs. There seemed to be some concept of a "soul," separate from the body, which *is* the person; without which the body is empty and unresponsive, which is what happens when certain characters are described sending their spirit out on journeys.

However, while there are signs that the soul was believed to survive after death (such as the example of a man protected by disir, who after death will enter their abode and become their husband), most often when the dead appear in Norse literature it was *in their bodies*. Wights, draugr, the like.

Hel, the realm (separate from a term for the grave) and Hel, the goddess, seem elusive. Although Hel is mentioned in the sagas during epithets for death, it isn't always exactly clear what the speaker is talking about; as above, a term for the grave, or an underworld in general. Hel the goddess MAY be related to disir or valkyries, as a supernatural woman who receives the dead, but that's just speculation on my part.

Death is mysterious, and what happens after it seems to be a subject of some uncertainty, at least in the material we have. Who'd've thought?

[soapkaars]

The nine of swords

I’m going to take a little moment and ramble a little, but taking on this tarot project has been an extremely interesting experience to me, so far! Especially with this suit, I’ve noticed that in drawing the cards, the swords always steered me into representing the darker areas of the psyche, and thus also my choices for the Lorre characters came from this headspace. Even my choice for the style, using the same colours of the major arcana but choosing for a much more shadow-heavy dramatic style has made this suit distinctly noir-themed. How appropriate, really! Film Noir itself is fascinated by the dark recesses of the mind, from M to Stranger on the Third Floor to Black Angel, and this suit has clearly expressed a need for such a style!

In any case, back to the card at hand: the nine of swords. A card that is actually nicknamed ‘the Lord of Cruelty’ according to Wikipedia! It’s a card that shows a person who seemingly just woke up from a nightmare. This card represents those thoughts swirling through our heads at our lowest moments - anxiety, depression, fears, phobias… Reversed it’s not much better - distrust, suspicion, despair, misery… It’s the card I might have drawn ten years ago.

I didn’t really have to think for too long before I chose the Lorre character for this card: Roderick Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment. I kept more or less true to the card’s original symbolism, but, in my humble opinion, improved on it ;-). I reversed the swords to point towards the one beset by nightmares (and his conscience) in a more expressionist manner. Now they are his own mind turned against him, confronting him with the cruelty of his own worldview, his doubts, his frustration at himself of not being the superhuman he had hoped to be, and also taking on the appearance of prison bars - a captive of his own mind…

[bthump]

hi bthump! I just recently binged berserk and stumbled onto all your writings - really loving working through all your analyses!! thank you for all that you do!

I had a question that I've been trying to turn over in my head, what do you think about Guts' feelings towards Casca? To me, the way I read the story its always seemed that Griffith (since GA fr sure) has been the sole person that Guts has 100% romantically+ platonically loved in that soulmate kind of way. Sure, casca is very important to guts as a friend, comrade, fellow survivor of all they've been through, but i have trouble really reading guts feelings towards her as truly romantic... I do think Casca herself caught real feelings for guts, but in all their scenes together I kind of read Guts interactions with her as him processing.. his own trauma in a way? like take whole cave thing, where they even kiss and have sex; when i think of that scene i really think of it less as, casca and guts getting Together as a couple. but rather two friends sharing their traumas together in a mutually healing sort of way. the fact that they do get physically intimate together doesn't necessarily mean that guts actually is in love with her I believe. like I think that whole scene just touches on that trope of how lots of men are Only able to bare themselves emotionally/share their traumas through physical intimacy— usually with a woman.

And especially right now as it stands in the story I definitely think that guts doesn't see her romantically at all... and the sole reason guts feels strongly about getting her memory back isn't because he's hoping to get his "lover" back but rather simply feels like he wants to do right by his close friend and comrade, especially how particularly horrible and traumatic the eclipse was for her.

am i being delusional!!

Thanks for the ask! lol yeah I definitely agree with you.

I don't think Guts is in love with Casca, and I think that's pretty apparent in how he behaves throughout the story. Their sex scene definitely had a friends hooking up vibe to me, and they're probably meant to have potential as a couple in theory, but in practice it's totally unrealized.

In case you're interested, I'm gonna link you some posts I've written on the subject of their relationship rather than get into it in detail, because I have a big backlog on this topic lol.

The constrast between Guts and Judeau's feelings towards Casca and how Guts' and Casca's relationship contains some unbalanced feelings and emotional misunderstandings

What Judeau orchestrating their relationship suggests about it

The sex scene as repression

The sex scene as rebounding from Griffith

How you can read Guts and Casca's relationship is a misstep for the characters

How their relationship fails to affect Guts

A list of reasons Guts has for taking Casca to Elfhelm that doesn't include true love

A list of Guts' bad behaviour towards Casca that points away from true love

Thoughts on the scene where Roderick asks about their relationship

[foxgirlontherun]

so I take it from your gifset reblog of Lenore & Verna, you have now watched "The Fall of the House of Usher" !! What did you think? Which Usher did you like best and least? Give me all your thoughts on Verna because she's spectacular. :)

Yes!!! I've finally watched it and I loved it! I've always loved Poe's work and I think the way Mike Flanagan and the team worked with the materials, how they mixed the stories, presented them and spiced them up worked beautifully. It was really captivating for me! I think even the poem-reciting parts fit right in.

I think the most interesting Usher was Madeline, she felt much more like a "main character" for me than Roderick (the younger versions of him felt like puppets for Madeline?). For this reason my least favorite was Roderick, he was too much of an everyman in antagonist form if it makes sense (he didn't really have a personality? he was just annoying, I might be wrong of course, maybe I was just too focused on Verna :D). I couldn't really chose a favorite and a least favorite out of Roderick's kids, most of them had an interesting and sick story. (I think the most brutal death belongs to Prospero though, and most interesting to Vic with the murder of her girlfriend.)

Verna has my heart right now. 🖤 I'm always down for Death/Satan/trickster type of characters, and to mix that with the raven (as symbol, character), it's just chef's kiss… gosh! And Carla Gugino is insanely gorgeous. The Lenore & Verna scene is the most memorable and darkly beautiful I think, but every scene where she was present was great. My favorite visually stunning part is where she is standing on the remains of the Usher house with the glowing eyes.

What are your thoughts and feelings about the show?

[forgottenroisin]

OOC | Malconaire Character Arc Notes

idk what this is just...ruminations??? general thoughts??? notes to self?????

roisin malconaire & the power of wonder -- harnessing hope and devotion and belief to enact positive change

so rosie's character theme, as we already know, is wonder, and i've been ruminating a little on her growth arc (i always do this a lil -- this is what the 'crisis' and 'revelations' sections on my characters' pinterest boards always sort of track, sort of nesting into the 3-act plot structure kinda thing ig alksdjfklsjdf [ here's ] rosie's if you're interested) but esp in relation to the ~fall of malconaire~ (the timber! plot if you will...a lil tree humor for ya ig laskdjfkljdsf), which i do think, esp since it now seems it'll come more or less on top of her learning that it was edmund at the battle of m revelation, etc, and yeah i think its just pulling down walls for her, just bludgeoning her w, to borrow a phrase, ~life is not a song~ stuff which i think will feed into her ~crisis segment

but ofc it is in crisis that we either crack, or learn the tools we need to survive and, hopefully, to thrive. in her last crisis (the conquest, the battle of m), rosie really learned to cocoon herself, to push out and away from the bad and focus in entirely on the good -- that is to say, last time, she cracked. last time she depended on her sisters and the ppl around her, dug in, and tried to shut out the bad. now the bad will come for her, ripping her castle in the sky to shreds and depriving her of the option of shutting it out entirely. at first, i think this will cause her to lose faith in her wonder. she'll still see beauty, but i think hope will be a tremulous thing, and love scattered to the four winds w her sisters lost to her. i think it'll be that -- you can't always be strong, but you can always be brave -- sort of thing. she'll have to grapple with. she'll have to wke up everyday and confront the bad and choose either to be trampled or to take another step forward.

her first step will come before she loses her sisters, though, and i think will be done for love of them, and that'll be the witch trials. ive already talked a bit abt what i think she'll do, but rosie is a creature of wonder, right: her power is understanding how ppl feel, how they perceive, and i think she has it in her to weave iconographies, to bend the eye and the ear of others. she already does things like wear heraldic dresses to make statements as a form of rebellion -- she tells stories, she plays pranks, but enthusiasm is also fervor and it's darker side is fanaticism, and that's just what she's watching being played out against her own family at the trials, so yeah as ive said before, i see her weaving that in an effort to try and free them at the cost of herself. tbh idk that it'll work, but yeah!!

i think she'll, as i said [ here ], I can def see rosie confessing and tryna use sort of the above skills/ideas etc to try and hold herself accountable so her sisters can go free and then 'cursing' roderick when it doesn't work (this would be effective in haunting him no lie that dude is already paranoid and now everyy lil thing that goes wrong is the witch's fault!!!! asldkfjskjldf which might cause more problems than it solves but rosie ~can be a lil impetuous and we already knew she had a prank streak as a way of exacting vengeance on her oppressors this one's just an extremely dark vers of the admittedly v lighthearted ones we've seen in the past ndsljfaksldjfkjlsdf not me like 'i accidentally foreshadowed her crisis moment' laskjdfkjdsf imma own i *cough* was planning this from the beginning *cough* ;DDDD) but yeah obv brigit coming forward will kinda trump rosie's efforts since, well, brigit really ~is the real thing alkjdsfkljsdjfk

anyway, after the escape where the sisters are split up etc rosie's def gonna feel hella lost and like everything they ever fought for/believed in is lost and has come to nothing, but ofc malconaire isn't just a place, its a spirit, its a ppl, and rosie just needs to rediscover her wonder so rediscover it <333333 and from there, i feel like she can unleash her showmanship, her understanding of perception, to really leave an impression if she wants to -- there is power in what ppl believe, and power does lie where ppl think it does -- and i think she might find she ideally suited to tap into that, to become a kind of visionary, and to help galvanize others to really believe -- i think that might just be rosie's best self, if she can ever find her way to it!

anyway idk what this was!! have a thing lkjasdkfljkjsdf just more ~malconaire fallout~ thoughts ig alksjdfksljdf <3

[mrbensonmum]

TV Show - The Fall of the House of Usher VI

In this episode, it finally happens—we get a bit more insight into Tamerlane’s life, and Juno gets a bit more screen time. However, the most interesting part for me is Pym, Arthur Gordon Pym (and that’s important, remember it!).

Just a heads-up: Juno sticks to her role as a side or outsider character, even though she gets a bit more screen time. We only learn that she might not be as happy with her life as she initially appeared to be. On top of that, she wants to get off the extremely high dose of Ligodone, though everyone around her tells her that it’s not a great idea.

I’m curious to see if we’ll find out how that turns out. I’m also wondering if Juno is even really married to Roderick. There’s been a lot of talk about a wedding, but did they actually go through with it?

Tamerlane is completely stressed out because of an upcoming presentation and suffering from a lack of sleep, making her an easy target for Verna’s visions. At first, Tamerlane experiences brief moments of sleep and minor blackouts. The presentation is a disaster, and back at home, Verna plays her usual tricks, leading Tamerlane to smash the ceiling mirror above her bed, falling onto the shards, which pierce her back.

Now, only Frederick is left, and the family is also starting to have problems with the company since he’s the only child, and therefore the only remaining board member.

Roderick and Madeline have a deeper conversation about Verna and are no longer sure she couldn’t possibly be the same woman from New Year’s Eve 1979. When Pym digs deeper, he finds photos of her that trace back to the 19th century. Roderick doubts it, but Madeline is convinced that something isn’t right. Through the flashbacks and Verna’s interactions with the children, it becomes clearer that there must have been a pact or something similar in the past.

We then shift back to Roderick and Auguste, and it’s at this point that Roderick gives a more detailed description of Pym. He tells Auguste about a journey to the North Pole, the northernmost island called Ultima Thule, and an underground world inside the hollow Earth. At least, that’s how Pym described it to him.

Ultima Thule stuck with me, and after a quick search, I found that it directly references a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, along with many other references. The short story is called The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, and this rang a big bell for me. That story is also about the Earth’s interior, another clue that I need to dive deeper into these connections, especially when they’re presented so clearly. I already knew the series was inspired by Poe, and that the episodes were named after his short stories, but now we’re also seeing the character names and their backgrounds, which is fascinating!

One thing that really stood out to me, and deserves some applause, was the different photos of Verna that Pym shows. Usually, when present-day people are inserted into old photos, it looks like terrible Photoshop. Not here! They did a great job, placing the actress in the images so well that you only notice on a second or third look.

Funny detail: When Lenore is looking after her mom, and they’re watching old films and TV shows together, you see her scrolling through a Netflix-like menu at the end of the movie. She lands on Gerald’s Game. As mentioned earlier, Bruce Greenwood (Roderick Usher) and Carla Gugino (Verna) star in that film.

For the first time in this episode, I’m starting to feel like Verna and her visions might not even be visions. I mean, sure, the show heavily implies and shows them as such. But what if all this stems from what happened on New Year’s Eve? Years of mistrust, always looking over their shoulders, wondering if someone is coming after them.

If I say this is the “most boring” episode, I don’t mean it negatively at all. Sure, more things are being explained, and the info we get is becoming more significant, but my initial thought is coming true: each child gets their own episode, but the others are still dealt with along the way. It’s still enjoyable—don’t get me wrong—but the balance from the earlier episodes feels a bit off. Maybe it’s because there aren’t as many children left, so there’s less variety. They tried to offset this with Juno and Lenore, but it only worked to a limited extent.

That said, the show is still running on a high note and is excellent. What I’m doing here is nitpicking at a very high level. I’m just glad that shows like this still exist and that not everything is becoming uniform!

[mishavacado]

SPN has so much spinoff potential and so much canon to work with, it's such a waste that none of it's getting used. This post is just all of my spinoff ideas, I'll apologize in advance because it is VERY long.

Wayward Sisters, obviously. There are so many possible storylines to work with, so many stories to tell. I'd really love to see some Charlie, Eileen, or Krissy Chambers cameos. I think that Charlie and Claire would get along really well (just read this post). Rowena is another character that I think could easily be worked into the canon. She could teach the girls all kinds of magic and be the fun wine aunt that spoils the girls on their birthdays. I don't think that Claire would like her very much, but, Rowena and Alex would probably get along just fine. How much I need this in my life: 1000000000000000000000000/10 when I heard that this idea had been tossed out I was so angry. Why doesn't this exist?

Men of Letters prequel that's mostly set in the bunker. This show could really expand on the canon lore and give us some more background on the Men of Letters, as well as any other similar/rival organizations that were around before the main show's time. The Men of Letters have so much story potential for a spin-off; corrupt leadership, new monsters, other organizations, expanding the MoL to outside the U.S. Episodes could be in a monster-of-the-week (MOTW) format, starting and ending with the Man of Letters the case is assigned to making notes in his journal or case file or talking about the case, as well as the overall season arcs. Episodes would be titled by their case number, i.e S1 E1 Case No. 1925-4, etc How much I need this in my life: 1000000/10, the supernatural/historical drama combo would be absolutely stunning.

A series focusing on all of the alternate timelines and universes, both the ones mentioned in the main show and ones just randomly created for an episode. There are infinite possibilities. Each episode would be in a MOTW format, but with different versions of Sam and Dean. The HunterCorp universe, Jared and Jensen from the French Mistake, a universe where their names are switched, a universe where Dean went to college and was the one with the demon blood powers, a universe where they drive a Mustang instead of the Impala, a universe where Sam isn't scared of clowns. I could go on, but I'm going to stop myself here. How much I need this in my life: 9/10 I think it would be pretty funny, but it's not my best idea.

A Bobby and Rufus spin-off where they talk about cases they worked on together or with other hunters, but the stories are told similarly to Tall Tales. It's the same story but told from different points of view depending on who's talking. I wish we'd gotten to see more of Bobby and Rufus because I think those two are hilarious and really think that this could be funny, even if it was just a web series with twenty-minute episodes. How much I need this in my life: 10/10, I love Bobby and Rufus and I think that they have a lot of interesting hunting stories to tell.

GHOSTFACERS GHOSTFACERS GHOSTFACERS. How much I need this in my life: 100000000000000000000000/10, I love the Ghostfacers. That's my whole idea.

A Jack-centric show that's almost a political drama. Jack is the ruler of heaven and is constantly being manipulated by angels, demons, and Death herself. He just wants to make an afterlife paradise, but power-hungry angels won't leave him alone. Remember that Jack is very young and trusting by nature, so there is a lot of potential for disaster if he gets goaded into doing something, like making new universes or ending existing ones. Cas is a main character and he does his best to protect Jack, but he has to be careful to not seem overprotective/like another manipulator or Jack won't trust him either. I have no idea if I'm making any sense, but shoutout to me if I am. For some reason, I've always thought that heaven would be an interesting setting for a spin-off, and those angels are pretty similar to power-hungry politicians. How much I need this in my life: 800/10, I would totally watch this.

A very short series that just destroys the canon finale. Twelve episodes, detailing the storylines that were ignored or destroyed by Carry On. E1: Rescuing Cas from the Empty and he and Dean have a long talk about their ~feelings~. They kiss, and for the first time, Dean’s mind is free of doubt about whether or not anyone could ever love all of him. E2: Eileen returns. She says nothing when she sees Dean and Cas holding hands, just raises her eyebrow and smiles knowingly. Some excellent movie night content. E3: 1 year later. Sam and Eileen’s wedding. Dean and Cas aren’t legally married, but their matching gold rings are very prominently shown. It isn’t mentioned. The wedding is almost canceled because of the rain, but with a wave of Jack’s hand the clouds disappear and the birds start to sing. E4: Sam and Eileen have moved out of the Bunker. Cas finally convinces Dean to downsize, so they find a little house in Lawrence and settle down. Cas works as a special ed teacher. Dean works as a mechanic. Miracle loves the backyard but makes sure to stay away from the beehives in the back corner. E5: Sam and Eileen’s twins, Mary and Maura, are born. Dean and Cas love their nieces, and Jack loves them too. He doesn’t know what to call himself, so they settle on Uncle and call it good. E6: Deaths. They all die old. Cas’s vessel has aged, but he can’t die, so when Dean finally passes away in his sleep, Cas scatters his ashes in the woods and disappears, ascending to heaven, to spend eternity with Dean. The closing scene is a dark screen, with the whoosh of wings and a soft “Hello, Dean.” OK. That was a long one. My apologies. How much I need this in my life: 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000/10. I would reach nerdvana thirty seconds into episode one.

Another spinoff of that idea is just...Dean and Cas living a normal life. Short episodes. Cas goes to the grocery store. Dean drags Cas to a horror movie fan convention. Cas meets a roomba. How much I need this in my life: I can’t type enough zeroes to express it.

Campbell prequel that focuses on Mary and her childhood. Mary being raised as a hunter but not being allowed on hunts. Mary rushing home to finish her chemistry homework so she can help her dad track a nest of vampires moving east. Mary missing her prom to help Samuel on a hunt. Mary trying to keep her real life secret from John, a man she knows loves the parts of her he knows about. Mary always being an outsider, the kindest and most beautiful girl in her class, but so slow to trust and quick to speak that everyone is afraid to be her friend. Mary is a character that has the potential a lot more development, for twelve seasons she’s the burning martyr in every Winchester’s imagined paradise. She deserves more. How much I need this in my life: 11/10, Mary isn’t my favorite character but I would die for her.

Gabriel spin-off. That’s it, that’s the idea. How much I need this in my life: 10000000/10, Gabriel is a character that we don’t know a lot about so there are so many possible directions for a story about him to go.

Show set in the SPN universe that doesn’t really interact with the main show’s canon. It’s about two cops in the 30s that become hunters by accident. After investigating the apparent suicide of a hunter in their small town, they become enthralled by her library, filled with books about ghosts and vampires. They pour over her journals on their own time, fascinated by what they’re reading. They get to know the hunter through her writings, her accounts of her hunts and travels. Eventually, a nest of vampires settles in the town and the two put their newfound knowledge to the test. This show would just be based on canon lore, there wouldn’t be any mention of the Winchesters or other main characters, although a few MoL team-ups is definitely a possibility. The two become quite a team, tracking werewolf backs on bulletin boards in their basements and hoarding rock salt. How much I need this in my life: 89/10, I think this could be really interesting and I am a sucker for historical hunters.

Speaking of historical hunters-Samuel Colt prequel. Cowboys, vampires, cowpires. Hunting in the wild west, galloping across the prairie chasing a pack of werewolves. This show could also tell us a lot about how different types of monsters spread across the U.S. Ghosts will go anywhere people go, but what about vampires? Shapeshifters? Ghouls? What was it like to hunt without technology to help with research? The hunters in this series would be the authors of the journals that modern hunters use every day. They’re the ones that tested tracking and trapping methods. Again, no idea if this is making sense, but I think that a supernatural western would be really awesome and would expand/substantiate the canon lore. How much I need this in my life: 1000000000000000000000000000000/10, I love cowboys and I love Supernatural. This is literally the best thing that could ever happen to me.

Crowley. I want to know more about him. A series that tells us all about Fergus Roderick MacLeod, starting with when he was born in Scotland and ending with his death in All Along the Watchtower. We know that Rowena was his mother, that he was a tailor, that he sold his soul for an extra three inches ~down there~, and that he was a terrible dad. I want to know more about his childhood, about the people he made deals with, about how he became king of the crossroads and of Hell. Crowley was a very interesting character that was abused by the story. I want to know more about him. How much I need this in my life: 10000000000000000000000000000000000000/10, I really do love Crowley and I would watch this a thousand times over.

Final idea: MOTW only. No season arc, no overall storyline. New hunters every episode, from all different times, from over the world. All kinds of monsters. One episode in Victorian England, the next in 1990s Los Angeles. Very few recurring characters, if any. The recurring characters would be the Bobby Singers of the world; the lore guys that you call when you need help. Each new character has their own style, own car, own music, own personality. The show could have some a m a z i n g guest stars because they’d only appear in a few episodes. There are so many possibilities for episodes, even if they weren’t full length. How much I need this in my life: 100000/10, I love MOTW episodes and would really like to get to know the characters. It would be very easy to write one-off fanfics for this show, and also very easy to introduce this show’s characters into Supernatural’s canon.

You made it to the end!!!!!!!! That’s all I have for now. Sorry for writing so much, I just can’t stop thinking about SPN and all of the wasted stories.

[missvalerietanner]

Metaphor, Imagery, Colloquialism, Alliteration, Tone, & Exposition :D

Whew, boy. Thanks, my dear. :] Here we go!

Metaphor: What does your own personal writing style have in common with your favourite author/writer?

I'd say my vivid descriptions. I like to overindulge in the details of a place, always treating a setting like another character.

Mark Danielewski is one of my favorites who excels at describing settings and surroundings in unique and interesting ways. I read House of Leaves (one of my favorite novels) in high school, and it still has me reeling from its descriptions of the 8 1/2 Minute Hallway. I could picture each setting, from the main character's apartment and the tattoo parlor to Navidson's house so clearly. And that house and the ending of the story still linger in my mind today.

Imagery: How much do you worldbuild in your current writing project? How do you make your setting seem real and vivid?

I never try to do everything at the beginning. I focus on writing the story, and I let the world grow naturally aso the story and characters develop together. Mostly, I keep notes. For larger, more detailed worlds, I sketch a map from scratch and mark off where everything is located along with notes about the climate or people or whatever. If I get stuck, I research real places with similar settings/climates for inspiration.

To make the worlds more vivid/real: I tie the settings to the personality of the characters. And usually the settings are a contrast to who the characters first seem to be. Like with Vincent in Kingdom Beneath the Tower, the architecture and design of his castle is intricate and fragile and full of color: a direct contrast to his silent, stoic nature when he first appears. Same with Lia Alodia from Straitjacket Sisters; Lia is cruel and hateful when she first enters the story, but her home and garden are alive with carefully pruned and watered plants, brimming with life and color (and it's also full of pictures from her past she can't let go, hence the source of her cruelty -- so double-usage there).

Colloquialism: How do you approach writing character voice? Do you have any hints or tips for making a character’s voice unique?

I feel like I am TERRIBLE at distinguishing one character's voice from another. In my head, they sound different, so... yeah... I guess I rely on personality to shape their voice, and I use little gimmicks to pull that off???

Like with Seek the Seven Kings, Roderick is poorer than the others, bit of a alcoholic, and a wise-cracker, so he uses abbreviated words, slang/informal language, so only he would say stuff like: "Hey, I dunno who the hell you think you are, bud, but you and me, we got a problem 'cause of what you just did."

Like-wise in Monster, the main protagonist spoke very little, but when she did, I needed her words to be direct and powerful, so I never used contractions when she spoke. She would always opt to say "they will" or "I have" rather than "they'll" or "I've," and I let that detail (which would probably never be noticed by anyone) play to her fear of being misunderstood (hence the title) like someone would miss hear what she said, so she speaks clearly and says the full word. And the character she shared most of her scenes with tended to rattle on, so it made her lines that much more distinct.

Alliteration: Do you title your chapters? Why/why not?

Obsessively so, yes.

I don't know why??? It's just an extra nugget to help me frame the story, maybe, 'cause I don't really outline, so the subtitle is like a reminder of the purpose of each chapter.

Tone: Why do you write? Do you write for a purpose or just for fun?

... is "because the voices in my head tell me to" not a valid answer?

I write because I don't know what else I would do. Like sure, there are tasks I could be doing, other skills I could learn, and sometimes the want to learn those other skills takes priority over writing, but I always come back. I have often had the thought of "what all could I accomplish if I wasn't writing in my spare time," and that thought used to bug me, but writing stories is what I've always done, and no matter how long of a dry spell I go through (the longest in my life so far was 7 years), eventually I always come back like I'm drawn to it, compelled to do it.

I definitely write to get the stories out of my head, but I do enjoy writing. Sometimes it's hard. A lot of times it's frustrating, but reading back what I've written is fun and exciting, and I do believe I would miss this skill if I didn't have it.

Exposition: What do you find hardest to write: titles, summaries, blurbs, or loglines? Why?

OH MY GOD, SUMMARIES!!

Bastard summaries, especially for query letters, where you have to perfectly pack a 170,000 word novel into 3 tiny paragraphs and after ten rewrites, I'm still at two pages when I need to be contained to 1 page and I'm scrutinizing each fucking word for which ones I can ditch and which ones have to stay and then realizing that each word is precious and perfect and has to stay cause if I get rid of even ONE the whole damn sentence doesn't have POP and WOW factor anymore and then it's 2AM and I'm sobbing and half-screaming while rewriting the SAME GOd DaMN sentence for the fifteenth fucking time...

yeah... summaries. Hate 'em. I can do extremely short. I can do crazy long. I apparently CANNOT DO tight, concise middles.

[thecelestialchapters]

Loveless by Alice Oseman

Rating: 6.5 cakes

Short review: It always pleasantly surprises me when a seemingly basic plot makes it into an interesting book. In short, the plot can be described as: “Girl no feel lovey-lovey; she no likey s*x. Girl sad. Girl finds platonic frens, girl happie,” but when you pick the book up, it is a lot more than just that. A number of different journeys of different people, all different from one another, yet lines up perfectly. The characters act like actual teenagers and make horrible decisions, of course. No too-cheesy-for-my-garlic-bread moments and no straight-out-of-a-movie scenes. All in all, a fun read.

In-depth review:

I guess it all makes sense if my first post is on a book about Aromanticism and Asexuality since I am one of those divine beings. Aro-Aces barely get any representation, and the crumbs we get is either a merciless robot who can't love or an otherworldly alien who is here to kill everyone. Or a freaking sponge. So, it was a good change to see an actual human doing human things be labelled as an Aro-Ace. And I think the book did a decent job of displaying a part of Aromanticism and Asexuality and left it to the readers to learn more about the spectrum. 

Desperately wanting love, forcing yourself to love, telling yourself  “it will just take time”, feeling completely and entirely broken when you find out more about yourself, trying, again and again, to not be broken, feeling alienated, getting angry at others who have a love life, and finally, acceptance; a long path to cover.

I read quite a lot of reviews and the common complaint among them was that the book projected Georgia's experience as the Aro-Ace experience but the book never mentioned it? It was written that a-spec is huge and everyone has different experiences. What we were shown was Georgia's experience, not the experience of all Aro-Aces. These things would have been cleared easily if the writer had written it clearly but I believe Alice trusted her readers to research more about a-spec.

Aromanticism and Asexuality are spectrums. Everyone has different experiences. What we were shown was Georgia’s experience, because surprise! Georgia Warr is the main character.

A quick side note: massive F-you to Google for telling me that “Aromanticism” is a wrong word and correcting it to “Romanticism.”

Aight, time for characters.

Georgia:

Truth be told, when I started the book, I hated Georgia; mainly because I knew a part of me was just like her and I was trying to get rid of that. I want someone to love me so badly and all that cringe. That’s what we are taught and shown since childhood. And Georgia was no different. All the fanfictions she had read, all the movies she had seen, all the people she had seen, they all taught her one thing: love is the ultimate goal of her life, even if she had to literally force herself to love.

She learned otherwise after a series of unfortunate events. And a few bad decisions. She never wanted to hurt anyone, but a few naive actions and everything was shattered. But her love for her friends kept her trying again and again and again and eventually, it worked out. Though I'd say that some of her actions were a gigantic red flag, my theory of inexperienced, dumb teenagers still holds. Her thought process was mainly based on the Wattpad fanfics she read and movies she saw, and we know what kind of BS is decorated and glorified on Wattpad. A particular thing I liked about her was that her “I am broken huhuhuhuhu” phase was pretty short. She quickly made attempts to accept herself, in a matter of a few weeks. I can tell it was short because mine lasted for months. And she ran a kilometre and back for her friends? Champ.

And the parallels between Georgia and the plant Roderick? The plant started to wither when she started her university, demeaning in health as Georgia desperately tried to find love and failed. It looked almost dead when she lost everything. Roderick’s leaves were trimmed as Georgia clipped herself from all her thoughts and started to slowly accept her sexuality. The plant had started to grow anew and so had Georgia. And after that, there were almost no mentions of anyone watering the plant, which indirectly symbolised that Georgia was getting more and more independent now and didn’t need to hide in others’ shadows. Good stuff, Ms Oseman. Good stuff.

Jason:

Jason, my beloved. I was this close to starting a protecc-Jason club until I realised he didn’t need any. He’s been through hell and back, be it with his ex or his crush, and he still managed to be the comfy teddy bear that everyone needed. He’s been nothing but supportive and loving, even when he was used like a toy. I usually don’t feel bad for characters but when he said “Why did you do this to me?” with a smile on his face….

Pip:

I’ve always had a special place in my heart for women in suits; the aesthetic attraction is strong with this one (Please tell me you got the reference). She was introduced as “gay and lonely” and that was pretty much her whole arc. And it was a fun one. Her hope of finding queer people at the uni and stop being lonely was probably her main motivation, which to my surprise, is quite common in allos. Oh, and Keira Knightley turned her gay. Someone let the inner gay secrets out to Alice.

Sunil:

Follow the light at the end of the tunnel (unless the light is Vader’s lightsaber). President of the Pride Soc, the fellow was amazing. Supportive, calm, patient, understanding, and yet, very, very charming. He could talk when needed and could defend when needed. And seeing that they come from an Indian background makes it all even more special. Here, s*x is considered taboo, but if you say you don’t want it at all, everyone will jump on you as if you asked for their kidneys. I am telling you, man, people here just see kids as a way to produce the next generation. Which I find weird because the ancient Indians were probably the first ones to see s*x as a thing of pleasure and not just reproduction. Kamasutra, for example. And today, if I tell my family I don’t want to get married, the first thing they throw at me is about kids and bloodline and all that. All of it just made me like Sunil more and more.

Rooney:

For me, Rooney was the main character. She was the polar opposite of Georgia in many senses. Extroverted, talkative, party-going, s*x-positive, etc. I have a lot to talk about her but I’ll keep it short. She has the most depth among the five. She knows she makes horribly wrong decisions, be it her past trauma or her advice to Georgia, and that’s what makes her endearing to me. It’s like a person who has everyone’s best interest at heart but they can’t act on it, because they say wrong things or make a few wrong decisions.

And of course, there are multiple likeable things about Rooney. Her confidence, her strength, her love for her friends. She learned towards the end that she, too, deserved joy, regardless of her past, and stuck with her real friends rather than the ones who couldn’t bother to pick a call. The backstory with Beth felt oddly realistic. The I-don’t-want-love-anymore-because-this-happened-to-me-50000000000000000-years-ago attitude is quite common. But like other characters, she, too, had her journey of acceptance and something else, too. And her interactions with Georgia were downright hilarious to me because what she thought was very normal was extremely alien to us Aces. Take having s*x with strangers for example. The number of war crimes I’d commit if I found a stranger between my legs—

“Love ruins everything.” —Rooney Bach.

A quick cake-topping list:

Aro-ace rep

Lesbian rep

Pansexual rep

Non-binary rep

“Girls can have s*x without any shame” message

You can be a bigot even if you’re a part of the LGBT+ community

“S*x is not the only important thing in life” message

Message to not force yourself to do things you don’t want, even if everyone else seems to want it so badly. 

“Don’t use your friends as experiments to figure your sexuality”

Shakespeare Soc’s rehearsals

Women in suits

Men in suits

Enbies in suits

Sunil Jha. All of him

Ellis, the model and artist who lives independently

The boat scene

The grand gesture, which had Rooney and Georgia running

Jess

All the takeaways from Rooney’s backstory

Jason and his love for scooby doo

Eric

Self-love

The chapter named Survivor was perfection

Georgia’s sweaters

Jason’s teddy bear jacket

[thenightling]

This site is NOT always correct but I am pretty certain it is at least partly correct here.  The character descriptions were found elsewhere and I will comment on them below.

https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/the-sandman-season-1-everything-we-know-so-far-01-2021/?fbclid=IwAR0s0IPTKUWwllu2GvpOhDzMRbElozWRxzl3yyOtoy93jKsUWw2Rc8OV0eM

_________________________________ 

Okay.... 

Character descriptions:

The Sandman / Morpheus / Dream

Required: Lead Male (Age: 26-36)

“The titular Sandman. Lord of Dreams and keeper of the realm of the Dreaming. Late 20s/early 30s. Ghostly, rail-thin. Because dreams are the inspiration for all life and creation, Morpheus sees governing them as a grave responsibility. He is an honorable, principled being, but he can be a bit obsessive about his duties and is ruthless when displeased. Dream’s obsessiveness can leave him out of touch with humanity, as he sees human beings as mere engines for dreams. An arrogant god who eventually learns that he must change or die.”

_________________________________ 

My thoughts:  Yeah, that seems about right.

_______________________________________ 

The Corinthian

Required: Lead Male (Age: 26-36)

“Supernaturally handsome, The Corinthian exudes style, sex, wit, and a predatory wrongness. A nightmare-come-to-life, but one you can’t keep your eyes off. Embodies humanity’s darkest, most sadistic, homicidal impulses when they are not bound by compassion, empathy, and love.

Originally created by Dream, The Corinthian is determined to thwart his maker at every turn.”

___________________________________ 

My thoughts:  Supernaturally handsome?  I really hope this doesn’t mean they’re leaving out his trademark eye mouths.

______________________________ 

Ethel Cripps

Required: Recurring Female (Age: 18-28)

“A street-smart woman who masterfully leverages her beauty to manipulate men and get what she wants. A self-survival expert who knows when to flatter, barter, or steal based on what best suits her interests. Fascinated by magic & the power it holds, the pursuit of the occult sets Ethel on an unexpected and not necessarily auspicious path.”

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

My thoughts: That seems about right.

_________________________________ 

Alex Burgess

Required: Recurring Male (Age: 16-26)

“Bookish yet handsome, Alex is eager to please his tyrannical father, but does not possess his cult of personality. A self-conscious young man who is questioning his sexuality. Alex represses thinking about what he wants for his own life in order to continue to serve his family’s legacy.”

____________________________________ 

My thoughts: 

Based on these aging stats it suggests to me these characters may not be aging as they did in the comics.  I never really thought of Alex as handsome but okay.  That’s reasonable.

Also based on the leaked Corinthian audition it has been suggested that the Burgess’ might not age (or will age slowly) after Morpheus’ capture.  This also suggests (and I kind of hope this is right) that the curse of Eternal Waking will actually go to Roderick instead of Alex.   

_________________________________ 

Death

Potential Cast Member: TBA Required: Recurring Female (Age: 18-25)

“Dream’s older sister. Optimistic, caring, and empathetic, Death takes her job seriously and tries to be a friend to those she shepherds to the afterlife. She’s every bit the big sister towards Dream, acting as his occasional confidante and unafraid to point out his foibles.”

___________________________________________ 

My thoughts:   Unafraid to point out his foibles?  You mean by hitting him with a loaf of bread? :-P  Seriously, this is pretty accurate to the comics, I’d say.

_________________________________ 

Anna

Required: Recurring Female (Age: 30-35) Ethnicity: Any

“Beautiful but tough as nails, Anna is not afraid to tussle with criminals and psychopaths while wearing Louboutins. She doesn’t take shit from anyone. Anna has a history of keeping herself at arm’s length from people who could grow to love her, She is mouthy and self-destructive, yet fiercely brave.”

____________________________________ 

My thoughts:  I have lots of thoughts here.   First, I suspect this is Johanna Constantine.  The name change could just be a disguised name to hide who they are casting for.  

Then on second thought I realize this is a recurring character.  Johanna only appears maybe twice.  I know things for the show may be different from the comics and this brings another idea to mind.  If it is Johanna than she’s going by a nickname the way Hob is an old nickname for Robert.  Could they be merging Hob and Johanna into a new amalgam character?     

_____________________________________ 

Roderick Burgess

Required: Guest Star Male (Age: 50-65) Ethnicity: White

“Roderick Burgess is a self-proclaimed sorcerer & prophet. He is the founder of the Order of Ancient Mysteries, which promises self-actualization through the occult – for a price. In truth there is nothing magical about Roderick. He’s a fraud – but an energetic, intensely charismatic one. A narcissist, he relishes encounters with much younger women and the accumulation of wealth and treasure. Wounded by the untimely loss of his eldest son, Roderick treats his youngest son, Alex, with cruelty and disregard.”

______________________________________________ 

My thoughts:  Two things bug me about this one.

1.   Roderick shouldn’t need to lose a son to want to capture Death.  This is a cliche trope that was used in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys / Xena: Warrior Princess, and even Disney’s Gargoyles.   Roderick is an asshole who wanted to live forever and have power.  That should be enough. Hathaway being sympathetic and exploited by Roderick was fine, but Roderick doesn’t need this.  Also he shouldn’t have to lose a son in order to be cruel to Alex.  Some people are just like that- are are cruel to their own only child.   Is this some misguided attempt to make him sympathetic? 

2.  I had heard the rumor that Roderick would be de-powered and the summoning spell that traps Morpheus is his only successful spell and I REALLY hoped this was wrong. I really, really did.  This is the part that bugs me above all others.  He is a con man but he should NOT be a powerless fraud.  He should still have some real occult power.  I LIKED the scene where his curses and hexes made Sykes’ head explode.

You did not need to nerf Roderick Burgess.  This isn’t the CW working with a shoe string budget.  What is even the point?  

At least Morpheus still gets captured during the Sleeping Sickness outbreak of 1916.  

[lockdownuk]

Lockdown Diary Part 3

A personal account during the lockdown in the UK due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

23/03/2020 8:30pm Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, gives a live address to the nation to, effectively, put the country on lockdown to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus strain, Covid-19.

Many of us have been self-isolating for days but this latest development within the UK in reaction to the pandemic feels very serious and very scary. I decided to keep a simple diary and where better but online.

Day 61: Writing this in the afternoon on day 62. An exercise driven day. Two walks and stair climb as usual plus I popped round Jeff’s early evening. First time I’ve been to his house, 1 Garden Row, Elmington. It’s further than I thought so, with walking there an back, I managed a daily total of 14km. It was good to see him and have a social (but social-distanced) beer. When I got home, @9:45pm, I made thai green chicken curry, watch The Report (a great, if worrying film) and then TikTok-ed until gone 5am!

Day 62: Typing this on day 64! Beer round Karen’s. Missed Sam’s quiz.

Day 63: Typing this on day 64! Beer round Karen’s. Again! Well, it is bank holiday Monday! Had dirty pizza for tea and watched The Heat. Again! It is the most piss funny film.

Day 64: Well, I have been feeling guilty about treatung the bank holiday w/e l;ike a bank holiday w/e. It’s dawned on me that that guilt is way too self-disiciplned. I got up about midday, usual two walks and stair climb but that’s it. I need to clean the house from top to bottom, get on top of my online courses, get the garden done, get the car fixed, go shopping…fucking hell - if only I had the time…

Day 65: Today I swapped Amazon prime free trial for about the 5th time in my life. Same card and address - will they get wind of my skullduggery. This is all so I can finish watching Hunters and catch Homecoming S2. I went shopping at Asda near Raunds. I wish I hadn’t, it’s no good for a comprehensive shop. Received an email from RCI inviting me to a Zoom meeting with Pal Mulcahy for a business update. I fear the worst. And it’s at 10:00am, FFS!

Day 66: Logged in an attended zoom forum with Paul Mulcahy and over 250 RCI staff this morning. The message was that there is going to be redundancies. I expected this and expected to fall victim. All staff that are going to be put through cionsultation would be contacted today. I however wasn’t! Very, very surpised. meanwhile, Nick Reilly asked to connect via LinkedIn (including become a LinkedIn staff team member -  that’s new to me so I’ll see what it is but I accepted the invitation) Later, I WhatsApp-ed him and asked who has been affected from IT. All he could tell me was no one on Jon Rodger’s team is under threat. Also, Mark C emailed - I’ll respond tomorrow. I got up at 09:00ish and had my mornming walk before the 10:00am meeting. I am now, at 09:30pm, fucking knackered. Dinner and then bed, methinks but not before one more episdoe of Hunters!

Day 67: Typing on Day 68. Got pretty drunk last night. I’ve got blisters from walking (new boots) so I don’t think I’ll walk tomorrow (well, today!).

Day 68: I did fuck all today. Got up after 1pm, no walking. I did manage to clean the bathroom (and smash my little mirror) and do my 26 stair climb. I am typing at 9pm and I feel whacked!

Day 69: I have an abscess. It’s not too painful (today) but I am going to call the dentist tomorrow (Monday). I think antibiotics are in order. I watched a film, which I actually started yesterday, called The Voices starring Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arteton and Anna Kendrick. Fuuuuuuuuuuuucking weird. The closing credits are the most bizarre, in context, I’ve ever seen. But, in general, a very good film. Back to normal exercise regime today plus hovered the hall and stairs. Get me. It’ll be interetingh to see my Google Fit figures for May tomorrow.

Day 70: Contacted the dentist who advised salt water rinsing and ibuprofen. But, tbf, it’s a lot better today and the swelling has gone right down. The dentist I called was the Oundle House (Rodericks) one. I was not hopeful since last time I saw them they referred me to their Northampton clinic for root canal work which was quoted at over £600. However, the dentist was very nice, had my x-ray to hand from that last visit and seemed more interested in making sure I’m OK than gaining a paying customer. He still wants to see me when possible though! I must mention the weather. It has been glorious weather nearly every day throughout May (it’s June 1st today). Seriously sunny and like a holiday every day. The news mentioned it today - the level of sunshine throughout the transition from spring to summer is unprecedented, apparently. My T shirt tan is, quite frankly, ridiculous!

Day 71: Today’s ‘must mention’ is what’s going on in the US and it’s not particularly related to Trump. There was a black man killed while under arrest. George Floyd died Monday 25th May (8 days ago) A policeman, who knelt on his neck for minutes while he complained of not being able to breathe, has been charged with murder. Now there are riots and curfews and military intervention all over the country. It’s similar to the English riots of 2011. It’s worrying, sad, scary and not what the fight against the pandemic needs. Most of all, it’s racism rearing its ugly head yet again. I’ve had a normal-ish day. received an email from Jim checking in, talked to a recruiter about a promising job lead (although the hours are 8-5 which I am not happy about), talked to Barry across the road and sent Barzzy a WhatsApp. And I logged in Shaw Academy and started lesson one of module 2 of web Design. It’s been a while, so long overdue, but I only did about 15 minutes. Must try harder / do better! As I type, late (10:10pm) I have dinner cooking and a strange pain in my left side and am in the middle of No Country for Old Men. Don’t think I’ve seen it since the cinema (13 years!)

Day 72: As soon as (well, within a couple of days) I mention the weather, it turns. It’s rained a little and is a lot cooler (15° rather than mid-20s). Much better for walking, I have to say. I finished Hunters today (Amazon Prime series). While I enjoyed it, it got too surreal at the end. It is loosely based on the real story of Nazi hunters in the US in 1977 but the straying from loosely based to down-right ridiculous fiction annoyed me. If it goes to S2, I will watch it, however. Received some of my rental deposit back today (the law changed so that only 5 weeks rent can be demanded as deposit). Over £600. Nice.

Day 73: I made a short video for Marc and Clare’s 26th wedding anniversary. I ‘dressed up’ for it. I enjoyed doing it and I think it was appreciated.

Day 74: Typing on Day 75 for no other reason than I couldn’t be bothered on day 74! I received a letter either today or the day before (well, yesterday or the previous day!) from Mr Minos at the eye clinic informing me that, while there is some stuff going on in both eyes (garnered from the photo scans done at the last hospital appointment), he wants to see me in three months. Always a refief when that happens. Been getting into two series on Amazon: Alex Rider and Modern Love. One is a male Hanna, the other is soppy affairs of the heart based on real life stories (from essays written in the NY Times). Both enjoyable for totally different reasons.

Day 75: Lazyish day. Well, not really, just that I only went for one walk, alebit 6km andI got pissed on. Wehn the rain hit, it was also fucking freezing! Some of the clouds were stunning today, made for great photos. As I type, it’s 21:12, I’m listening the wonderful Phoebe Bridgiers. Now, I’m gonna make some tea and sup a few ales, I reckon.

Day 76: Done lots of walking today (over 13,000 steps) I made sausage casserole with too much chilli (scotch bonnet and birdeye). I had an online (fb) debate with Sam over whether the George Floyd murder was a racial.

Day 77: Received a new (used) wing mirror for the car. £18 with delivery, I reckon that’s a bargain. I cashed in £20 from Prolific as well, so I’m satisfied at the financial full-circle. Dropped the car off at Barnwell (Nene Valley Body Shop) and walked back - 7km. Just about to dive into tea - finishing the blazing hot sausage casserole from yesterday. Then I’m going to do some more Rubik’s cube practice with my recently acquired GoCube.

Day 78: Lots of daily walking, 26 stair climb, press-up and late nights watching TikTok (gone 3am this morning) are making for a constantly knackered Tim Stubbs. Today I made veg soup and cooked up some meatballs. Both are delish. How did I ever to learn how to conjure up such stuff? The Rubik’s cube learning is coming along except that I need good daylight to distinguish between the yellow and white faces on the flipping thing!

Day 79: Listening to Radio 6 most the day and the news is making for dire listening. Forecast of severe recession, especially if there is a second peak of the virus, which I think there will be. Plus, an offshoot of the George Floyd murder and the #BlackLivesMatter movement, institutions and town councils are being lobbied by campaigners to remove statues of anyone associated with things like slavery (one was toppled in Bristol at the w/e) and rename buildings etc. that were named after historical characters with any links to something that now is deemed wrong or offensive. I agree with it but it’s not pleasant to hear amongst other bleak news. Walked to Barnwell to collect my car - front trim reseated and new wing mirror fitted, £20 - bargain (I source the replacement wing mirror). But, also, forked out £165 on car tax! Cleaned the lounge from top to bottom. Knackering!

Day 80: Chatted with Dad and Rita - he’s pissed off with the slavery backlash but otherwise they are both OK. I saw Baz in the Tesco queue where I mentioned my disgust at the Thursday market being allowed (I found I could not maintain 2m at all times just walking to Tesco’s!) and that I really don’t want to catch Covid19 as I will probably die. Maybe a bit dramatic but he messaged me later today to say he’d been thinking on what I said and offered to shop for me. I replied that I am OK to shop but am scared at how people are taking things so much less seriously than when lockdown started yet the virus is still out there just as it was then! I am very touched at his massage. I thoroughly cleaned the bedroom and changed the bedclothes today. House work really knackers me out!

Day 81: Spare room cleaned today. Not much else to type about. It’s Friday, I making curried mince and I don’t feel like a beer. How I’ve changed!

Day 82: I did have beers last night. Ended up going to bed with daylight and dawn chorus for company. Today, when I woke, gone 1pm, I have been greeted by what can only be described as thoroughly depressing news from every quarter. This includes violence in the capital, further virus outbreak in Beijing. Fog’s political posts on FB make for depressing (but vaild) reading. I’m feeling thoroughly fed up today. Not even music can lift my mood…

…but, I am currently listening to Craig Charles on BBCR6 and, I have to say, he’s putting in quite an exceptional effort - there may be hope that my mood might lift, even at gone 8pm! I might have a beer or two and grab something postivity and enjoyment from the day after all.

Day 83: Another late one last night but up before noon today. Started watching something called Condor on Sky One. It’s OK - there’s stuff I wanna waytch on Amazon Prime but, more often than not, it keeps telling me there’s ‘a problem’ when I try to play anything. Pissing me off. I just checked and I have two weeks of the initial 12 of furlough to go. I shall started asking the questions about what might happen on the Connections website.

Day 84: Typing this on Day 85. On the way back from dropping off some shoes for Sean Davies at his brother’s (martin) I met Karen and she said why not pop round for a beer so I did. Certainly not used to a drink on a Monday so that, and the genral upheaval to my evening, while good fun and a nice change, put pay to my usual diary entry! I sorted Amazon Prime out by leaving the TV turned off for over an hour. Day 85: Tim did the garden today and it looks great. The pipes in the bathroom have been knocking loudly, on and off, for a couple of weeks now. Last night, they were so loud that today I took it upon myself to resolve it or ring Woodfords. So, having turned off the water, run the taps dry to get rid of any trapped air and then turned the water back on slowly, I discoved it’s the cistern and its pipes. Woodfords are arranging Corvee to visit. Meanwhile, leaving the water turned off at least stops the noise which is, otherwise, costant and unbearable! I emailed HR a couple of days ago about what’s happening in a couple of weeks time in terms of furlough when the 12 weeks will be up. Sue Cockimngs got back to me attaching an email Deryn sent on 15th May which I never received. Basically, they’ll extend furlough if need be and an update should be forthcoming late May/early June. Well, that time has passed, so who knows what is going to happen. The furlough scheme (CJRS) has been changed by the govenment, I’ve read, and it looks like any new people would have to have been furloughed by June 10th (it’s the 16th today) so no furlough rotation, which is annoying. The CJRS ends 1st October with employer contributions required from 1st August - that’s D-Day as far as I am concerned….so job hunting will have to step up a notch! Day 86: Pete’s birthday and he bought himself the same speaker as me. When I asked if it lived up to his expectations he mentioned it’s better through WiFi than Bluetooth. That confused me as I haven’t got WiFi available on mine…..long story short, I bought the wrong fucking speaker. I got a AudioPro AddOn T10 instead of C10. To say I am fucked off is an understatement. To think I was so pleased at the cheap price I paid. Now I feel like I have wasted  €200. Bollocks.

Day 87: Finished Alex Rider last night. Another series that started off so well and ended a litte weak but, overall, not bad. I’ve started keeping strange meal times…lunch very late (4pm) and dinner really late (11pm). I need to sort it ‘cos it’s playing havoc with my sugar levels. I had a huge hypo while having my second walk today, second day on the trot that’s happened. My late dinner was Chinese chicked curry with a quarter of a scotch bonnet and two birdeye chillies. Delish.

Day 88: I have managed to be bitten yesterday or the day before on one of my walks. There are strange, itchy lumps on my right inner forearm. And I do mean itchy. I trimmed my sideburns today, I was very pissed off with them. My hair looks just a little less shit. I did a shop at Tesco in Corby today. Mainly booze as follows: 20 cans Sam Miguel £18 18 cans Stella £15 20 bottles Bud £10 8 cans Tyskie £9 3 lrg bottles Warsteiner £5 £57 Bargain.

Day 89: Lazy day. One short walk and usual stair climb. Howard and Sue popped round to give me a pressie - bottle of Monkey Shoulder. I’m building up quite a collection of whisky!

Day 90: Dad called and we chatted for an hour or so. I had to apologise for not sending a father’s day card! Dan messaged me and offered to pay for a pizza delivery which I declined.

Football has started again this past week…Prem and Championship only. L1 and L2 season was cut short and Posh missed out on the play-offs by one place. As I type, Everton v Liverpool is on Sky Sports on a Sunday evening - it’s very strange with no crowd. There’s crowd noise being played thorugh the tannoy.

[nautiscarader]

Wendip Week day 3: We got each other now

(Ao3)

Tyrone Pines is an ongoing character in my older!Wendip stories, and he’s from @elentori-art‘s drawing.

- Well, we have each other now, son.

Saying this with a somber tone, Dipper put his arm around his son's shoulder, bringing him closer. He knew he wasn't gonna cry, he was far, far braver than he looked like. But still, something has been rising up in his chest, and the boy looked up at his father, looking for some wisdom in this difficult time.

- You know that means, right? - Yeah.

And suddenly, their sad faces wer filled with wide smiles as they exclaimed at the same time.

- We've got house to ourselves! Woo-hoo!

The two high-fived each other before Dipper prompted his son to turn around.

- Come on, wave mom goodbye one more time. - Bye, mommy!

The SUV honked again, before it disappeared behind the row of trees that hid Wendy and Dipper's house from the road.

- Don't forget to tell her that her hair looks nice after she comes back. - Dipper spoke to is son. - Why? - Well... I think women like when you mention that if they change the hair style. - Dipper pondered for a moment - I don't remember Wendy ever changing hers, though, but I always say it when she comes back from Mabel's day off at the spa anyway. - So, what should we do now? - Tyrone asked his father. - Well, let's think... What would mom not let us do if she was there?

The two men stood in place for a good minute, both scratching their chins in a near-identical, mirrored way. The truth was, Wendy wasn't a particularly strict mother, and living in woods of Gravity Falls meant Tyrone was both taught to follow rules, as well as to know when to break them.

At some point, Dipper shrugged.

- Okay, let's think what Wendy would not let us do if she wasn't letting us do stuff anyway... - Eat ice cream for breakfast! - Tyrone replied at once. - Good idea, champ.

A moment later, the two stormed for the kitchen, pushing themselves on the way, and it was Dipper who got to the freezer first. He took the large box, turned around and proudly opened it to his son's widening eyes.

- Oh, fudge! - Hey, language, son   - No, it is fudge!

Dipper looked at the box he took out.

- Oh, fudge, you're right! - Better take some strawberry-filled waffles with it. - Good idea.

Dipper took his son into his arms and let him take the package of waffles from one of the upper shelves.

- Think about that, Tyrone, we've got a whole day to ourselves! We can do whatever we want. So, what do you want to do first?

His son pondered a while, and at the same time as Dipper, their faces curled into a wide grin.

"The history of tortoise polo is a long and rich one, dating back to 1845, when sir Roderick Pflummington The Fourth rode his tortoise Bobby in a military parade in front of the King, and had to dodge a kettle the Queen herself threw at him after the third hour, displaying lack of amusement..."

The monotone, drowsy voice of Bert Kurns narrating his miniseries slowly put the two men into a state of slumber, as they stared at the TV in their living room, consuming spoon after spoon of the fudge ice-cream. It was already 4 P.M.

- You've got to give it to him, he can make boring things interesting. - Yeah, I think so. - Dipper mumbled.

He flailed his hand, trying to take another scoop of the dessert, but found himself whacking on a plastic, no matter the angle. Gathering the strength, he turned to the side, and found the box near-empty.

- Well, ice cream is gone. - What? No, I only have half the stomach ache! - Tyrone protested. - Hang on, I think we have more in the freezer in the basement. - Right next to bear repellent and portable internet? - Tyrone asked. - That's right. Gotta be prepared for apocalypse, like mom says.

The two looked at each other, and at the same time, they launched their fist s at each other. Dipper's was rock, Tyrone chose scissors.

- Aww, man. - Tyrone groaned and reluctantly got up from the sofa to go downstairs.

The basement of their house was quite spacious, and the act of venturing underground always gave little Tyrone a bit of a thrill he could experience in their home. It was naturally cooler, just enough dark to make a few hairs on his neck to stand up, but it was still cozy enough to make him feel safe. Of course aside the pantry he was trying to reach, the most important part was the vault.

It was the only part of the basement that stood out, thanks to steel, clean, almost alien-looking, black door, heavily guarded by both magic and technology. He knew his parents kept treasures there, though he only was allowed a peek or two in his whole life, and he always wondered if it was possible to somehow outsmart his parents and get inside.

Tyrone walked to the spare fridge, opened the freezer and, much to his delight, found not one, but five spare packages of fudge ice cream. He grabbed two, and was about to rush upstairs, when he felt a sudden gust of chilly wind on his back. Thinking the door to the fridge opened again, he turned around, but as he did so, a new image made him open his eyes wide, and drop the packages of ice cream to the floor.

- Dad! Come quickly!

The voice of his son alerted Dipper at once, and much faster than he thought he'd be able to, he sprinted downstairs, fearing the worst.

What he saw wasn't the worst, but it was quite high on the scale.

In the wall opposite the backups, there was a hole, not a neatly cut one, but evidently torn by some animal, as splinters of wooden planks lie everywhere underneath it, and only the partial darkness obscured the mess. Dipper grabbed his son and pushed him gently aside.

- Careful, we don't know what's inside. Go upstairs, I'm gonna call Ford and Stan, we gotta see what caused the damage. And Wendy too, she should know. - Can't I help? - No, Tyrone, and beside, if it can rip through concrete and wood, I don't think you are safe here. - But Dad... - Do as I say, Tyrone.

The boy ran to the stairs, and he was half-way up, when he realised he should be hearing his father making the call. He turned around, cautiously walked back, and saw the basement empty, and his father nowhere in sight.

- Dad?

Swallowing loudly, Tyrone walked into the tunnel, making sure not to cut himself on the sharp, broken planks, and took out his phone to shine the light on the walls. The tunnel went down, and it was getting wider, though that didn't exactly make his journey down easier. Whatever creature lived there, didn't require rails or handles to secure itself while crawling.

There was however, a sound. A terrifying, paralysing sound of scratching and clicking that simultaneously made Tyrone freeze in place and push himself to go further.

His father was there, and he had to do something.

He realised he didn't need his phone anymore to shine light; the walls were covered with glowing mushrooms and purple crystals, emitting eerie, cold light. And then, amongst the unnatural noises, he heard something worse. His father's gurgled voice.

- Get... off... me...!

If he ever had any hesitation, it was gone once and for all. Tyrone peeked out of the corner and saw a monstrous, lobster-like creature with several, elephantine tentacles or trunks, holding his father. The dark, pupil-less eyes stared at him, with evidently one intention.

The next moment, the cavern was filled with a scream, but not of the monster, nor Dipper, who found it more and more difficult to breathe, but a new one.

- FUDGE YOU!

The creature turned its head towards the intruder, only to have his vision blocked by something gooey, cold, and rather tasty. The monster dropped Dipper to the ground, and it took him a while to get up, horrified by the sight of his son crawling further down.

- Ty...Tyrone!

Dipper desperately moved his arms and legs to climb up, but more importantly to push his son to the exit first.  

- I got you, dad!

He reached his hand and with more than few problems pulled his father up, just in time for another loud noise to fill the cave.

- Run!

Dipper grabbed Tyrone and rushed to the exit, hoping he would be able to give his son more time to escape. The light of their basement was already on the horizon, getting closer with each second, but so was the noise of the pincers and claws behind them. Heart beat faster and faster, and only when Dipper and Tyrone crossed the boundary between the tunnel and their house Tyrone and Dipper allowed themselves a breather.

But the very next moment a loud crash behind them reminded them of the monster, who evidently couldn't get through the wall the first time, but found enough strength to do so now. Tyrone shrieked, but his vision was obscured by his father shielding him from the tentacles.

- Close your eyes!

Tyrone followed his father's command, and he did so, knowing what was gonna happen. Last thing he saw was his dad grabbing the bear repellent and aiming the nozzle straight at the monster's eyes. The basement was once again filled with its shriek, and Tyrone knew his father has done it.

And then, Tyrone felt something dripping on his face.

A single drop fell to his lips, and he realised he was tasting blood.

He opened his eyes, just in time to see his father fall to the floor beside him, and Tyrone quickly grabbed him to see if he was hurt, though he mentally tried to not notice the tentacle around his shoulder. But as he examined him, Tyrone realised it was the monster's appendage that was bleeding, an odd, violet thick substance, exactly where it has been cut.

- Get out, you oversized shrimp! You belong to the hors d'oeuvre table!

A familiar, loud voice brought a wide smile to Tyrone's face, when he saw his mother swinging a huge shining axe back and forth, chopping one appendage at a time, much to the creature's distress. But Wendy didn't want to harm the animal, she wanted to kill it once and for all. With a final swing, she bashed the creature's head, splitting it in half and covering herself with the same stinking, thick substance that was dripping from the floor.

Only when the lifeless body of the creature slid down the cave, Wendy allowed herself to turn back.

- Tyrone! Dip!

She dropped her axe and rushed to her family, and brought them into a tight hug. Tears flew down her cheeks, mixing with the odd substance that covered her, her husband and their son.

- Are you guys okay? - Ca-Careful, I-I might have a rib or two broken... - Dipper wheezed, and his eyes bulged when he felt Wendy's arms around him. - Oh, sorry, honey! We're gonna rush to the hospital soon. - Uhm...

Tyrone opened his mouth.

- Your hair look... uh, nice, mom?

With most of her strands dishevelled and soaked in the monster's blood, that was a blatant lie, but it didn't stop Wendy from bursting into a deep laughter while tears of happiness continued to trickle down her face. Even Dipper managed to let out a chuckle, though his tears were a bit more of pain.

"And thus, we conclude our 75-part miniseries about tortoise polo, its origins, and intense and violent history that continues till present day. In the next series, we will dive into the history of manatee surfing, a fascinating sport that originated in ancient Mesopotamia..."

Five hours later, three boxes of fudge ice cream lay open, one for each member of the Pines family. Dipper was worried the extra calories might rip the bandages he had around his torso off, but he also felt that each spoon improved his health significantly. For Wendy, no amount of sweets would produce a better taste than the one of safety, as she looked at the two men most dear to her life.

From time to time, she ruffled her son's hair, sneaking kisses on his forehead, much to his simultaneous delight and protest.  

- Mo-om! - Shush, Tyrone. If you were to rescue your kid, you'd be giving them kisses all the time, just to make sure they're fine. - And me?

Dipper puckered his lips, but received only another portion of ice cream to his lips.

- You're getting nothing for going after that thing alone. - Hey, I told you! - Dipper protested - I tried to call Ford, Stand and you, but that thing got me first. I would never go into a dark tunnel alone.

He turned to his son.

- I said, I'd never go into a horrible, dark, monster-infested tunnel alone! - And if I didn't, you'd be its dinner. - Tyrone blew him a raspberry.

He yawned and cuddled up to sleep between his parents who quickly placed a blanket over him. A moment later, first snore filled the living room, when Tyrone fell asleep, tired after the day full of fudge and mortal peril.

- We trained our kid well. - Wendy cooed. - I agree. And sorry for ruining your day at spa with Mabel. - What? - Wendy looked up, confused - Oh, nah, that's alright. You guys are more important.

She leaned over their son and kissed Dipper, tasting the sweet, chocolate-y flavour on his lips.

- And don't worry, Dipper, I'll make sure to be very careful tonight.

Her voice suddenly turned into a low and smoky one, and even if Wendy didn't drag her finger gently across the bandaged side of his chest, Dipper's skin would be full of goosebumps.

- My combatant deserves it.

She then took her phone and replied Mabel the message that she meant to send five hours ago: that next time they play paint-ball, they will have to remove Waddles from her team, because he's too good.

[angelic-writer]

New AU I thought of.

Okay, so I’ve been getting into the Chzo Mythos series and I’ve been thinking of some scenes for an AU I’ve been working on. I’m gonna call this “The Actors AU”.

So, the general idea of this is the Chzo Mythos is a movie franchise made in the span of five years (The same as the games. 5 Days a Stranger in 2003, 7 Days a Skeptic in 2004, Trilby’s Notes in 2006, and 6 Days a Sacrifice in 2007.). Now, 10 years after 5 Days’ release, the actors get called to do an interview to talk about what it was like to work on the movie. Trilby is his wonderful cat burglar self and he gives a special shout out to a certain someone he had been living with. (You can pretty much guess who. :3)

After the interview, Simone invites Trilby and the others to dinner. Once there, they reunite with the other actors and actresses from the subsequent sequels. Shenanigans ensue. Notes about the AU

- Chris and Trilby live together in their house. They’ve known each other since high school and they were college and apartment roommates. At first, Trilby didn’t really get along with him, but after some things happened, his attitude toward him softened and he came to appreciate him as his friend and later, his boyfriend.

- It may not have been seen in the original 5 Days movie, but Philip and Simone hang out a lot and they are really good friends. Simone works on documentaries and variety shows while Philip works on shows related to treasure hunting. Whenever they’re not busy, they go sightseeing. Philip likes to to go to beaches with his metal detector in search for buried treasure and has an interest in cave exploring. Simone always calls him “Indiana Jones” because Philip always looked up to him and always referred to him as his role model.

- While Trilby’s Notes was in production, Jim and Siobhan met each other while he was touring the set and they struck up a pretty good friendship. Jim is a big fan of Terry Pratchett, especially the Discworld series. Jim and Siobhan like to play video games together. Whenever Jim gets stuck, Siobhan would always help him out. Jim gave her the nickname “Sio”, which confused her at first, but soon, she came to accept and like it.

- Speaking of Trilby’s Notes, Trilby and Siobhan became best friends after they spent time together on set. When someone asks her what it was like to work on the movie, Siobhan always talks about a time where while they were filming a scene where Trilby kicks the Tall Man, but accidentally kicks Siobhan instead, he kicked her so hard, he ended up knocking her out. Trilby always apologizes for it even when Siobhan says that she forgives him.

- Speaking of the Tall Man, in this AU, he’s not a menacing guy that struck fear to anyone who sees him. He’s just a guy wearing a faceless white mask. Cabby makes things harder for the others and is generally a nuisance.

- The 7 Days a Skeptic cast consist of a tightly-knit group of friends. Malcolm is like a therapist to them and knows what to say to them whenever they’re in a bad spot. William has the typical anxiety that he gets when he gets the new job. He always comes to talk to Malcolm about his problems and that leads to comfort between besties. William was starred in a famous medical drama and as a result, he is very talented and skilled in medicine. Adam is a stand up comedian, Serena and Angela work alongside Simone, and Barry... Well, Barry is the kind of guy who likes to party and get wild. Although the others are there to make sure Barry doesn’t get into too much trouble. The others know about Barry’s antics, but they let him off the hook because “Well, at least he isn’t Roderick.”

- Theo didn’t grow up in the best household. His parents left him alone for all hours of the day and when they do show up, all they do is spout their beliefs onto him. For a long time, Theo believed what his parents told him. As a result of his parent’s absence, he began to crave attention, no matter if it was good or bad. When he met Janine, he latched onto her and as a result, he developed separation anxiety. When he first met Chris and Trilby, he thought that their relationship was a little iffy. But after talking to Janine, he came to accept them.

- John and Matthew Defoe are pretty much the same as the games. Matthew likes art and literature while John is curious about what’s going on in the world. John has autism and as a result, he doesn’t talk much. When he does talk, it’s usually in short sentences. Matthew tries his best to help his brother, though and he pretty much protects him from his father whenever he gets drunk.

One thing you need to know about this AU

At times, the characters will refer to an incident that happened a long time ago. It’s something that Chris and Trilby rarely talk about, but it was this incident that caused Trilby to change his attitude about Chris. The name of the incident was “The Pool Incident”.

So, yeah. I hope this AU is good for you guys. I got the inspiration for this from Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and Scream.

[spaceorphan18]

Finding Kurt Hummel: Homecoming

Masterpost

6x02: Homecoming

I really need to knock the rest of these out -- hopefully soon I will! But man, there’s a lot more in season 6 than you might realize.  A lot of these episodes are pretty packed.  

At the beginning of the episode, we get a lot more Blaine-meta-ish things, and the one thing I’d like to pull from it is that Blaine’s getting therapy.  Yup, that’s right, both these boys are getting their heads checked by a professional - and that’s a good thing! Look, I don’t think Kurt and Blaine are going to live a 100% perfect and happy life-  no couple can accomplish that, but the fact that they’re both trying to better themselves is a huge thing, and recognizing that is a step forward in becoming adults (I mean, not even adults make the best choices to better their mental health).  So yeah, they might not patch up things perfectly, but I think there’s a lot of subtext (cause Glee’s always been subtext) that shows they’re both in better places by the time season 6 starts. 

The New Monday Night Dinner

So, because Will is a character again (ug) we start having Monday night dinners at his place (ug, ug).  Okay, it’s not really that - but he’s supposedly having all the show choir directors over for a friendly chat? How convenient that they’re all former students.  And why is Sam there? You know what - I’m not gonna think too hard about this. 

The main thing is that Rachel and Kurt are already having issues being co-directors because it’s Rachel and Kurt. 

And then Blaine arrives and Kurt feels super awkward about it.  I mean how do you act when you’ve dumped the person you love the most in the world and now have to be in a semi-casual social situation with them with your former teacher, former roommate whom your ex once made out with and who will some day carry your child, and former dude whom you both had a crush on.  This show is weird guys.  

Anyway, Kurt’s actually happy to see Blaine - even if Blaine is totally ignoring Kurt’s there.  And then Will turns the conversation to ‘everyone be nice to each other’, which lasts about five seconds when they try to give Blaine some advice about a girl being in the Warblers and Blaine is unsure about it.  It’s awkward.  But hanging out with your ex whom you aren’t actually speaking to at this moment is always gonna be awkward.  

Getting the Gang Back Together

Um, what even is this outfit trying to say, Kurt?  Are you the colorful walking dead? 

Anyway - Rachel and Kurt start their tenure as semi-teachers by organizing sheet music.  And let’s just say it -- they both have the most absurd way of doing it.  Just -- no, genre than artist, that’s it you weirdos.  But of course, Kurt would do it by emotion.  

You know what - say what you will about Kurt and Blaine’s communication -- Rachel and Kurt have by far less communication going on.  They’ve worked for two hours at ‘organization’ before they realized they were doing two different things.  Oh Hummelberry.  

Anyway, we get another argument from them - cause that’s what they do best.  And Kurt basically says what should have been said hours ago - that this is pointless without members.  However, if he’s doing his work study here (don’t ask me to define what exactly his work study is - I don’t get it either), shouldn’t he be proactive, too, in getting kids to sign up?  And what’s with the defeatist attitude Kurt? Kid’s still got issues relating to his break-up.  

(It’s also times like these that I do wish we had gotten a final career related story for Kurt, but alas, all the things we never had). 

Anyway, Kurt storms out as he usually does when having a fight and made his point.  

So - after a scene of Rachel following a disembodied voice to the men’s locker room -- we get Kurt meeting her in the auditorium and, sigh, apologizing for hurting her feelings.  Again.  Cause he’s never done that before.  

I think I’m tired of Hummelberry, guys.  

Anyway - weirdly, he apologizes for the things he said in the previous scene about her life.  Which, um, is weird - cause he didn’t actually take any personal shots at her -- which means they edited out some extra dialogue.  Man, I wish they had left that in - but can’t be too mean to Rachel.  

Anyway - Rachel says, yeah, they have to be proactive in getting people to join us - so she’s pulled in some favors.  Idk why Kurt is so -- who did you bring in Rachel?!?  He could have easily figured it out.  

Well everyone is all the former cast members who are still living and aren’t really part of the main cast anymore.  It’s Homecoming - so it seems fitting.  Though, I have to say.  Everyone looks like they’ve aged about ten years -- which isn’t a bad thing, it just means this little coda of a season would have felt better placed much further in the future.  

Anyway - Kurt’s surprised and happy to see all his old friends.  I have to say though - I miss that Blaine isn’t there.  I know he can’t because plot and the fact they’re trying to reset back to season 2 but still. 

Anyway - who cares if any of this makes sense, we have the gang back together again. 

Go they gather everyone in the choir room and explain that they need help getting the kids to join.  And Kurt’s super frigidity.  Huh.  I think there’s some room to explore Kurt as someone who is an anxious kid with minor OCD tendencies.  Cause that feels very apparent here.  

It’s funny that they rattle on about how much they need their friends to band together and save glee club because the school needs it -- when really, both Rachel and Kurt need it.  I mean, that is kind of the point of this season, but...  it’s just interesting to think about.  I mean, it’ll come full circle when Kurt talks about choosing another path to take at the end of the season.  They both hit rock bottom and now they’re looking for something to fill the space that will help them get back on the right track.  And their cause is saving the glee club.  

Hm.  It’s just interesting that this season of Glee is kind of one last stop in Lima before going out in to the world to really be the person you’re supposed to be.  I’m sorry the story wasn’t developed a tad more (except in the case of Rachel) but that’s what it is.  It’s almost fitting, then that I’m wrapping these up with the same kind of mentality.  It’s nice to have that one last thought and move on.  Anyway -- I’m getting meta on myself, lol... 

So - their brilliant plan is to sing in the school - cause that’s always worked in the past, lol.  And they do an 80s classic - because it’s Glee and the last season and Ryan Murphy has to get in all those hits that he didn’t use yet. 

But I think what stands out to me about this performance is that it’s less about the lyrics (which I don’t think make much sense anyway) and more about the visual style.  They’re recreating the music video, yes, but also adding the same elements of style used in the video -- the whole running from the police (Sue) thing, and it’s really pretty cool.  

You can’t get a really good luck at Kurt’s 80s outfit - but here it is, and this goober is just having a lot of fun dancing on the tables and singing in his high register.  It’s nice that they’ve now fully incorporated Chris’s voice into the group numbers -- especially when he’s not going to be singing much on his own.  

Gay Legacy

So, I guess later that day, Kurt goes to try to recruit the gay football player.  Cause, damn, if Ryan Murphy still is clinging on to his closested football player issues.  I really don’t know why Kurt’s wasting his time -- Spencer obviously doesn’t want to be a part of the team, nor have we seen any indication that he actually has some kind of performing arts talents.  But I suppose this scene is supposed to be a commentary on the current state of the LGBT community.  

Actually, that’s exactly what it’s about and it’s kinda fascinating.  The thing about this conversation is to show just how far things have come from 2009.  Society has become more accepting of the LGBT community (obviously, it’s got a long ways to go - but from when Glee started, a lot of progress has been made).  And we’re now here talking about different types of LGBT people.  Kurt can’t and isn’t the catch all for gay anymore - that definition has widen (even if it’s always been that wide and diverse, we can now, as a society, have that conversation).  And now even gay kids can have various inspiration to pull on - it doesn’t have to be musicals, it can be Modern Family.  And that even though Kurt and Spencer share a preference for men, doesn’t make them any more similar than any other two guys. 

So, yeah, it’s interesting that this scene (and the following one that Kurt’s not in) has less to do with the story and recruitment, as it is Glee’s usual way of knocking down the fourth wall and saying - yeah, okay so we’re not relevant like we used to be, but we did have an impact.  

Meanwhile, in actual story time - we get to remember that Kurt was once on the football team -- and learn that Spencer is an asshole, and I’m still not sure why Kurt’s trying so hard to recruit him. 

Recruitment

Kurt next pops up when Brittany is giving him advice on how to win Blaine back -- which involves burning all his clothes (yes, nude Kurt) but getting normal clothes (um, he’s been dressing ‘normally’ for a while now), and then being honest with him (yes do that!) about being a Barbara Bush impersonator (wtf Brittany?).  Kurt’s equally confused as the rest of us and moves on with his life as he should.  

However - I have to wonder - did they know at this point that Brittany was gonna try to get them back together? I have no idea.  None of Brittany’s actions make sense most of the time, so I shouldn’t think too much about it. 

Meanwhile - the main issue is that they’ve all failed to recruit members - mostly because none of them really know what they hell they’re doing.  But then Roderick’s magical voice floats through the vents (sure) and they’re all mystified and run to go find him.  

They find Roderick in the library - and why do they all look terrifying in this scene?  Come join the cult - Roderick, lol.  Anyway - they get a new member.  

And I’ll take a second and talk about the season 6 newbies - who are actually pretty interesting.  They aren’t cut from the same cloth of the originals as the season 4 newbies, their story lines all converge with existing characters, and we’re not forced to sit through any awkward love triangles.  They served a function and it worked, too bad this didn’t happen way back in season 4 - the show might have lasted longer. 

And then we get a long speech about what it is to be in glee.  Cause apparently we needed that reminder.  Kurt doesn’t say anything but nod in the background as other people give speeches.  Ah yes, we’re back in season 1 again aren’t we. 

Roderick auditions for Glee -- cause tradition - and Kurt... doesn’t really do anything.  But he’s there looking pretty so... 

First Meeting

So, ha, okay.  Roderick is their only recruit and he shows up and Kurt has this nice speech about how you can’t go back again, but maybe you can make something new and better out of the ashes of the old thing.  And I think that’s kind of cool -- because it’s not just about glee or his career, but about his relationship with Blaine.  Like I said earlier, even though they’re all home again, the point is to go in a, god help me, new direction -- one that’s better than before, and as we’re coming to the ending of the show, I kind of like that there’s a sentiment that says - yeah you can and are allowed to start over and do things again.  Second chances are a thing. 

However, they’re stopped quickly because Blaine comes in, screaming about how Jane was poached by Rachel and will now be in New Directions instead of the Warblers.  Blaine, who is clearly still angry (and very confused about his emotions) at Kurt blames Kurt for making it all happen -- which is ridiculous, but c’mon Kurt, Blaine’s allowed to have some residual issues.  Kurt even tries to say that it’s fine because the Warblers have a lot of people and New Directions don’t - but Blaine’s pushing back.  Which is actually a good thing, tbh, even if he is a little off the handle here.  Blaine’s no longer going to be a doormat - and that works much better for the balance of he and Kurt in the long run.  

Kurt and Blaine are on their way to being on equal footing again, but here there’s still a lot of pain that hasn’t been healed yet.  Subtext!! 

Homecoming

Alright, so official glee club has started! And they get two more members as the weird cheerleader twins join.  And it’s all happiness and joy as this new/final chapter has officially begun. 

And then we get the final number - Home - where Kurt gets to sing in his lovely lower register.  :D  And the Homecoming celebration officially starts.  It’s a little weird to see the kids doing something so high school normal, lol, but hey it’s a fun time to celebrate.  

So, um, Kurt, Sam, and Artie go spy on Spencer because -- tradition? I mean, that’s one of the themes of episode.  Let’s go with tradition. 

Anyway, being back is actually kinda bittersweet for Kurt because being back home means that there are still a lot of unresolved issues from the past to deal with. 

Blaine and Karofsky are there - and Blaine is intentionally not looking at Kurt, as Kurt looks like he’s been stabbed in the heart watching from afar.  The song plays on - Home is when I’m with you.  Well, Rachel and Mercedes and McKinley is home, but there’s a bit ‘home’ that’s missing in Kurt’s heart.  We’re gonna get there - but we do have a little ways to go. ;)