#i'll be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't end up the way i'm expecting it to tbh

[effloradox]

for the prompts list “i’m trying to fix your hair so hold still” with renfield?

This is such a good pairing omg!!

You would be the first to acknowledge that you were surprised when Renfield asked you to help him get his life together. You can't say that you've been acquainted with him for long, from what you can tell he's only been in New Orleans for a few weeks but you're quickly developing a soft spot for the man. He's become something of a regular at the restaurant you work at and he makes a pleasant change from the gang members that tend to frequent your place of work. He also tips well and you and some of your colleagues tend to fight over who's going to be his server when he walks through the front door.

You'd given him your number on a whim, not expecting anything to come from it, but had been pleasantly surprised when a friendship had started to form between the two of you. He was easy to talk to, and quite charming if you were being honest with yourself. He wasn't like anyone you'd ever met before and given your dating history that was definitely a good thing.

You'd spent the day with him going shopping for new clothes and things to decorate his apartment when he'd mentioned doing something with his hair. You'd offered to help him on that front, citing a lifetime of cutting your family's hair when money had been tight as experience and he'd agreed to let you do it for him. That had been the end of the discussion until you'd ushered him into his kitchen and wrapped a cloth around his shoulders to prevent any hair falling onto his clothes. He'd turned nervous in a instant, his hands twisting in his lap as you got your scissors ready.

"Are you sure this is absolutely necessary?"

"Yes I'm sure. When's the last time you had a haircut?" The man in front of you goes quiet for a moment.

"I'm not entirely sure. A long time ago." His voice turned soft at his comment, and you immediately felt bad for bringing up something he was clearly sensitive about.

“Do you trust me?” He seems surprised by your question and it upsets you in a way that you can’t quite pin down.

“I do.”

"If you want me to stop at any point just tell me and I will. In the meantime I'm trying to fix your hair, so hold still." He nods slightly at your comment, and he only winces slightly at the first snip of the scissors. You make a conscious effort to keep him talking throughout the process, careful to avoid any topics of conversation that might distress him. It doesn't take long until you're handing him your mirror so he can inspect your work. “What do you think?"

"I think I'll be asking you to do all my haircuts from now on." You can't help but beam at his reaction. You carefully brush a few stray hairs from the nape of his neck, missing how a blush blooms in his cheeks at the gesture.

[rea-grimm]

Weapon Lucifer

You lived in a small village that had recently been plagued by demons and other monsters from the nearby forest.

All Masters, weapons and even normal people were fighting for their lives. Every day the population of the village decreased and some people sided with the demons.

Even your weapon left you and joined the other side. It wasn't your right weapon, but it still hurt you.

At this rate, the village was in danger of not seeing another dawn. You therefore decided to seek help from Lucifer, who lived on a hill near the village.

You knew that he belonged to the Seven Legendary Demonic Weapons and that with its power you would be able to defeat the demons. You weren't sure he would help you though.

You left early in the morning and made it to his estate. You found Lucifer in the vast hall, sitting on a throne at a table with papers, looking at you bored.

“You must be brave enough or stupid enough to ask me for help,” he said, measuring you with his eyes.

“Please, I'll do anything! " you insisted. You didn't want your home to fall like a house of cards.

"Anything?" he asked you with a smug smile, surveying you once more before finally agreeing. It took you a bit by surprise, but you were happy.

Together you made your way to the village and stopped on a hill where you could see the fight.

“I hope you know how to handle weapons,” he said before he changed into a weapon before you could respond in any way. You grabbed him and felt a wave of power go through you.

You felt like you could conquer the whole world with him. Lucifer was a rapier that felt like it was made for your hand.

With Lucifer as your weapon, you charged at the demons. You had no idea how, but fighting them suddenly became a lot easier. Although it was a long fight, but without losses on your side.

In the end, you easily won the fight and none of the demons were able to escape. You beat them all in one with Lucifer. In addition, Lucifer devoured their souls during the fights and his attacks were all the more deadly.

As soon as the battle was over, Lucifer changed back into his human form and praised himself for a job well done.

"I'm actually pleasantly surprised and that doesn't happen very often," he turned to you and took your tattooed hand. “stay with me, my little Master,” he said, sounding more like an order.

It sounded tempting to stick with your weapon. You didn't need to see your tattoo to know it was him. It felt like the first time you held him like a weapon. Despite that, you rejected him. You wanted to stay in the village and help fix it.

“I don't think you understand that you don't have a choice,” he said, slightly increasing his grip on your hand. His mouth may have been smiling, but his eyes gave you chills.

"But we didn't agree," you tried to argue.

“You said you'd do anything if I help you,” and his smile widened. You knew he was right. You really promised him.

“You may be my true master, but I'm in charge here,” he said sternly before releasing his grip on your wrist where you should have known the red prints of his fingers.

"However, I will allow you to say goodbye. If you don't show up at my estate by tomorrow, it won't bode well for your village,” he whispered to you.

"I'm sure you won't let me down, little Master," he smiled softly before making his way home.

During the time he gave you, you said goodbye to the people of the village and made your way to his estate. You hoped that later they would allow you to return to the village once in a while.

Lucifer was already expecting you and was glad that you came voluntarily. He took your tattooed wrist and pulled you slightly closer to him.

“You made a good choice my little Master,” he said before kissing you on the tattoo that had changed since the battle with the demons that represented the fact that you were Lucifer's Master and he was your weapon.

Originally you only had a gray rapier there, which was now black and red, a blue rose bloomed around its hilt and a golden peacock feather was under the rapier. But neither of you had to look at it because you both felt it when you first grabbed him as a weapon.

You thought that based on his original behavior you would each have your own room, but Lucifer surprised you on the first night by telling you that from now on you would be sleeping together in the same bed.

You were a little afraid that he would take advantage of it, but eventually, the stone fell from your heart. He caressed your cheek before pulling you in for a kiss and when you pulled away he kept you in his arms.

Lucifer was quite strict when it came to training since you were his Master and you weren't allowed to make a single mistake. He wanted you to learn how to fence properly so he could be proud of you.

However, he then repaid you in the form of small gestures when he courted you. Slowly but surely you fell for him.

Obey me! Masterlist

[clickoly]

(super late) @oknutzy-week-2024 Day 5!

Thank you for the fantastic prompts and the amazing fest. And, of course, thank you to @lumosinlove for these wonderful characters.

Here’s the fifth part of Starboys, a Cubs Formula One AU.

Prompts: Party, Surprise visit

Links to: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Ao3

•••

Down for the ride

Leo had lost count of the number of planes he’d taken in the past months, always on the run for any opportunity to fly home to his family, or just to follow the team around. But it was never on a private jet—much to the dismay of his miles-long legs—or with such good company.

According to the radar on screen, they were flying over Kuala Lumpur. A quick look out the window took Leo's breath away, stunned by the still disbelieving feeling of being on top of the world, with the sun sinking behind an endless field of cottony clouds. 

It looked like the sunset in Milan had a couple of weeks earlier—warm and magical—from a terrace overlooking the skyline of an already quiet city. That night, they were supposed to attend the annual party in Monza after the Italian Grand Prix, but Logan had come up with a better plan to celebrate his victory, and perhaps to cheer Finn up a bit. 

They had ended up in the fanciest bar Leo had ever set foot in, tucked away at a table out of sight, bathed in the late summer breeze that pleasantly cooled the open space. Leo had felt pampered and maybe out of place, but never within their conversations and their warm smiles. Not with Logan reassuring him that he deserved all that and more, nor with Finn making him feel freer than ever before, in a way he’d never experienced with someone he barely knew.

Finn O’Hara, whose Italian was fluent enough to order the finest wines Leo had ever tasted, and to chat casually with a group of fans they had run into—who had also congratulated Logan and Leo on the good race.

Finn, who was now relaxed in the chair opposite him, obviously lost in the pages of his book, barely moving from time to time, except to push his glasses up his freckled nose.  

When Leo glanced at him furtively, their eyes met, and so did their smiles.

"Everything okay?" Finn said.

Leo tilted his head and peeked across the aisle at Logan. "Does he always sleep this much?"

Logan was wrapped in a very warm looking blanket, long since fallen into a deep sleep. Finn's laugh was teasing, but he was looking at Logan with nothing but affection. 

Leo had seen that look before. Never in public, where insatiable eyes were constantly on the hunt—for an autograph, a selfie in the best case, otherwise ready to catch a breaking scoop. It had been there the night before, back in Leo's humble apartment, where they had all sheltered after an exhausting day at the Silver factory.

I'll get something good for dinner, Finn had offered. I got you.

Leo had seen Finn wearing new shades of that lopsided smile, so private, something he probably kept to himself and the few he trusted. How he got lucky enough to witness it, Leo couldn't say.

"Rarely," Finn answered his question. "We usually have very strict routines for flights like this one, so we don't get jet lagged."

"And which one of you is breaking the rules today?"

Finn pointed a finger in Logan's direction. "The baby will get all grumpy at the party if he doesn't nap." 

That made Leo giggle, but then something urgent and completely unrelated came out of his mouth. "Thank you, Harzy."

Finn's face lost its playfulness, but it was nonetheless bright when he hummed questioningly.

"I don't know..." Leo laughed softly. "I'm just... happy. Yeah. Glad I met you two."

Leo didn't know what surprised him more. He had imagined Finn making a joke, telling him that he was being silly. He certainly hadn't expected to see him still, his cheeks turning a soft shade of pink as he tried to mouth words he apparently couldn't let go of.

"Oh boy," Leo's jaw dropped. He raised an eyebrow at Finn's flattered look. "Did I just leave Finn O'Hara speechless?"

Silently, Finn closed his book and sat up straighter, shaking his head dramatically. "Nutty, Nutty, Nutty..."

"That's me."

Finn leaned his elbows on the tray table between them, his brown eyes—beautifully bruising—locked with Leo's blue. "There's no way you can shut me up," he said, dead serious. "You'll never stand a chance."

"Is that a challenge?" Leo bit back.

Finn shot him a sly wink, "Please, be my guest."

Leo didn't miss a beat. He mirrored his position, dizzy head supported by his hands, impossibly close to Finn's impassive face. 

Could Finn see his fast pulse pounding hard against his throat or was it just a feeling? 

"Looking forward to it, O'Hara.”

A moment passed, filled only by the insistent roar of the plane's engines. And then they burst out laughing, so uncontrollably that Leo had to wipe tears from his own eyes as he leaned back in the seat. He watched as Finn muffled his loud laughter behind big, strong hands, shoulders still shaking as he tried to control himself.  

"What the hell are you laughing at?" a sleepy voice grumbled, and a flying pillow hit Leo's head. 

"Ouch," Leo laughed louder. 

Logan groaned from where he was propped on one forearm, his dark curls a mess, glaring at them with just one half-open eye. "Weirdos." 

"C'mon Sleeping Beauty." Finn reached out to grab the pillow from Leo's lap and tossed it back to Logan. "It's almost time for Nut's first night out in Singapore." 

It was another one of Leo's dreams to cross off the list.

In less than an hour, he'd be wandering the busy streets of Marina Bay, the same ones that once a year were transformed into a spectacular circuit—probably Leo's favorite on the calendar.

It was captivating in so many ways. The race was held at night, on a track that wound its way through downtown Singapore with a combination of low and high speed corners, making it one of the most twisty and challenging for the drivers—and exciting for the spectators to watch.

Leo wondered if it would look like it did on TV, a spectacle of lights from the city skyline and the circuit itself, painting a stunning backdrop against the dark sky.

"Oh sweetheart," Eloise Knut cooed over the phone. "I bet it's going to be even better than you ever imagined. I'm so proud of you."

Leo's lips curled into a smile, pure and wistful. "Wish you were here."

"We miss you too, honey," she said softly. "Time’s not moving fast enough. How long till Austin? Two weeks?"

"Yeah," the excitement in her voice made Leo laugh. "I can't wait."

"Ready for tonight?" his dad nearly shouted. Leo could picture them sitting together at the kitchen counter, the phone on speaker at full volume.

"I think so." Leo gazed at himself in the mirror of his hotel room. Unruly curls aside—still drying after a much-needed shower—Leo thought he looked good. He ran a hand down the silky white button-down, tucked neatly into his tailored navy pants. The sleeves were loose on his wrists, and Leo reached down to button the cuffs, cradling the phone between his ear and shoulder to free his hands. "I'm just waiting for Logan to text me when he's ready."

"Logan, as in... Logan Tremblay," Eloise guessed.

Leo felt caught off guard. "Yes?"

There was a pause. "Huh."

"What?" Leo crouched down near the suitcase to find the bow tie. 

"Oh, nothing," she said casually. "Nothing, sweetheart."

"Mama."

"Have fun tonight," Eloise subtly avoided the topic. "And send me some pictures!"

Leo's deep sigh was a bit exasperated. He had told them everything about the last few weeks, about having Finn and Logan over for dinner. He had been thrilled to even say out loud that he had friends he felt he could trust, and talk to endlessly. But something in that huh hinted that she had clearly sensed more than that.

"I love you both." He let it all slide. It wasn't the right time, and frankly, he wasn't even sure what to say. "I'll call you soon."

–

Singapore Airlines was hosting an exclusive Grand Prix opening party. Big sponsors usually meant big events, and people were already speculating about all kinds of crazy things online.

"Marketing strategies," Logan explained. They stepped out of his car, provided by the team for the week—a recently released gem from Silver Motors, artfully customized in matte green to match the colors of Logan's racing helmet. With a quick smile and a confident nod, Logan handed the keys to the valet and led Leo to the grand entrance of the venue. "It's basically a business meeting," he said. "A shit ton of handshakes, pictures for the print..."

"Yeah, with an open bar, tremendous food, music and friends..." Leo scoffed. "It can't be that awful."

Logan was about to reply when he froze on the spot. A redhead, who Leo swore looked like Finn, was walking toward them, arm in arm with a girl. Bronze skin, chocolate brown waves tied up perfectly in a high ponytail. Leo knew it when she was close enough, as thick, long lashes fluttered open to reveal emerald green eyes. Logan's.

"Ugh, the enemies are here," the man's snarky remark was punctuated by a familiar grin, earning him a quick slap on the shoulder from his companion.  

"That's my little brother you're talking about, O'Hara."

Her accent, also Logan's.

"Okay, what's going on?" Logan huffed an incredulous laugh.

"Salut," the girl leaned forward to press a tender kiss to Logan's cheek before holding out her hand to Leo. "We finally meet," she said warmly. "I'm Noelle, Logan's–"

"Sister, yeah," Leo laughed bashfully. "Leo Knut, it's a pleasure to meet you." Leo's gaze shifted to a stubbled, freckled face and golden brown eyes. "And you must be..."

"Alex," the redhead shook his hand firmly. "I'm the better-looking O'Hara."

Well… Not exactly true, Leo thought. But he clearly had a point.

"What are you doing here?" Logan playfully shoved Alex. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"

"Supportive sibling duties, Tremblay," Alex threw an arm around Logan's shoulder. "And we haven't been to a race together in ages."

That made Logan smile. "What about the tickets? How did you–"

"Celeste," Noelle said as if it meant something obvious. "She arranged everything, of course. It was very short notice, and we thought..." She and Alex exchanged a meaningful look. "We thought we should make it a surprise."

Leo watched Alex's jaw clench, a hard, bitter bite on the inside of his cheek. He swallowed hard before asking, "Where's Fish?"

"He just texted me," Logan put his phone back in his pocket. "He's waiting inside." 

Finn's expression was priceless when they found him. He broke off his conversation with James and his wife Lily mid-sentence and, in the blink of an eye, his eyebrows knitted together, a gleaming grin spread across his face, eyes wide, and then his lips quivered slightly as he all but threw himself into his brother's waiting arms. A couple of flashes lit up the dim room, greedily capturing the moment.

They got less than ten minutes of peace before a woman in a fitted black jumpsuit and high heels came to fetch Logan and Finn, asking for a quick interview with a representative from Richard Mille, one of the few sponsors they shared.

Leo looked between Alex and Noelle and smiled nervously. He wasn't sure what to do, he didn't want to be rude. Was he intruding? He probably should have left them alone.

But Alex wouldn't let him.

"The man of the moment," he said, placing a firm hand on Leo's shoulder. "Let's get something to drink, shall we?" 

Soft jazz and low yellow lights warmed the ambience. Waiters danced around groups of chatting people, flawlessly carrying full trays of gold-filled crystal glasses. 

Smooth tequila burned its way down Leo's throat. The zesty smell of lime and the rough grains of salt between his lips brought back bittersweet memories of fading tastes on his mouth that Leo rushed to wash away with another swig of his Margarita. 

When, when, when would he finally let it go? 

Meet me later, Le?

Alex and Noelle sat on the L-shaped couch across from him. They both looked stunning, Alex in his dark blue suit, tie already gone, and Noelle in a white halterneck dress that made her tan skin glow. Straight out of a James Bond movie, the two of them. And Leo didn't quite know what to do with himself. 

"Okay, I'm gonna tell you this in confidence," Alex began. "I know I'm supposed to be on the other team's side, but..." He sipped at his whiskey, dark and neat, and leaned forward to put the glass back on the small marble table between them. "That call in Monza? Fucking amazing, man."  

"Mhm," Noelle agreed. She nodded over the rim of her glass of sparkling wine. "And how you managed to get Lolo to listen to you, now that I'd really like to know." 

"He's got a reputation, huh?" Lolo. Leo couldn't help but laugh, face burning, remembering all the times he'd heard Logan's voice on TV, the scratchy team radios, making it a point to show his disagreement with any team strategy he didn't approve of. 

"You bet," a wry grin curled her full, red lips.

"You work in motorsports too, right?" Leo asked Alex. He was pretty sure he'd read his name on some article about the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans. "How come you chose the WEC instead of Formula One?" 

"Oh, y'know..." Alex breathed out a weak laugh, eyes dark, just as Noelle turned to look at him. "Right opportunity at the right time," he smiled at Leo. "Fish always insists, but... Maybe someday. For now, I enjoy being able to sleep in my bed for more than a week a month." 

Curiosity got the better of Leo, and the three of them ended up discussing the ins and outs of the World Endurance Championship, getting fascinating insights from the perspective of a front-page journalist. Alex seemed as caught up in the conversation as Leo was, telling him stories about his experiences in a way that reminded Leo of Finn, ever so enthusiastic when talking about something he loved.

Leo sank into their tales, too distracted to notice two blond heads moving in their direction. He caught Natalie's smirk just as she stood two steps away from the couch, behind Alex's back. 

"So you actually listen to me, Freckle," she said as she reached out to pinch at Alex's waist. "I told you that blue would suit–" 

Alex turned and Natalie went pale. 

"...you. Jesus Christ." Her eyes widened comically, and a dark flush quickly spread from her cheeks down to her bare collarbones. She blinked twice, lips moving tentatively, until she called out in a barely there voice to Kasey, who was behind her, biting his bottom lip to suppress a full blown laugh. "Babe?" 

Alex stared at her, suddenly speechless. Noelle had her eyes on Kasey, her mouth drawn into a thin line. 

"Yes?" Kasey managed. 

"There's two of them." 

Kasey let himself laugh. "Just the wrong O'Hara, hon." The tension of the moment broke when Alex let out an amused laugh that was impossible to resist. He stood, holding out his hand to squeeze hers, and properly introduced himself. 

Then, one in front of the other, Alex and Kasey hesitated. Leo thought they looked lost, and perhaps a little scared. But when Kasey pulled Alex into a tight hug, Leo could read the words you came on Kasey's trembling lips. 

–

It was a roller coaster of emotions. A whole new beginning, new people, possibilities, discoveries. And now this. 

Two sets of beautiful eyes stood out in the crowd, scanning every corner of the room until they found the source of their beaming grins. Two souls forever tied together, impossibly kind, generous. Surreal. 

They moved in sync, elegantly, sharing a swift glance that spoke volumes. And then they were there, right in front of Leo. Strong shoulders pressed together, shiny black and dark green fabrics shimmering in the low light. Surreal.

Having fun without us, Nut?

The music grew louder, people began to move to the improvised dance floor—Alex, Natalie, and Kasey; Remus and Lily; Noelle with a rather flattered Thomas Walker—and Leo felt his world stop, a sudden brake in the middle of a high-speed ride.

Leo wanted to know what analytical, practical or rational thought could explain what was happening to him.

Why did everything feel so easy with those two?

A hard-earned life made of numbers, methodical strategies, and considered decisions, cautious. And now something unknown was pushing Leo to his limits.

"So," he managed to say. "What do you guys feel like?"

Another look, another unspoken agreement. Finn lit up in ten different shades of charm, his signature smirk on his lips, and pressed one hand on Leo's back, the other on Logan's.

Leo had promised himself that he would be careful. He needed things to be under his full control this time.

But there it was, the fire, the rush of adrenaline. This new feeling of sprinting through the narrowest streets at 150 miles per hour and not being in danger.

Leo looked between them, holding his breath.

"Let's go dance," Finn said, and Leo went, full throttle, because it felt right, and he wanted to trust himself more than anything else in the world. 

[stemmmm]

FoM entering fall thoughts

i have completely run out of mines content, as indicated by the ghostie at the end of each section saying "go away, there isnt stuff here anymore". which is a shame because i was really just starting to get into it. it seemed like intrigue was just starting to happen. there's also a shitload of mines levels for content to be running out now... there's so many locked off areas like the stairs on the far left of the map and the woods(?) on the far right, plus a bunch of spots that look like caved in doorways. i kinda figured a bunch of that would be like. rune factory style alternate dungeons. i had no reason to expect that, this game just gives me a lot of RF vibes.

other progression so far is still going. i just unlocked new types of animals so we'll see if i get another letter about community improvements or not. i'm also still going up in town ranks, though that's majorly slowed down due to my not really doing quests. they're all for random mines artifacts! i cant be bothered! not when i have no other reason to be in the mines!

I have instead dedicated myself to breeding animals. i bought a bunch of small barns and coops just in time to unlock the medium sized ones. oops. so i need to figure out how i want to replace everything, but before i do that I need to figure out exactly how i want to go about breeding for special colors bc. well. i would prefer not to do incests with my animals but that will be very tedious and expensive. and im sure the game isn't concerned about that because it wasnt even concerned with the fact that cows dont drop loose glass bottles of milk all on their own. just one more reason why i prefer when games only have female animals and you use "miracle potions" or w/e (other reason being male animals don't give produce). BUT I ALSO LIKE HAVING THE MALE ANIMALS SO... augh. so far i have been avoiding the incests but im also never going to get a spreadsheet going about it because it truly doesn't matter beside my own comfort. the reason why im engaging with this mechanic at all is... well firstly because i dont have much to do in the game anymore, but mostly because i havent seen anything like this in any game other than HM GBC3 so it's kind of a big deal.

i've also learned (accidentally) that animals will eat your crops and it makes them soooooo so happy. which is what i wanted to do in my own game so these guys are actually intellectual thieves but let's ignore this. so now i have a use for all those crops i stopped growing because i didn't need money anymore. just in time to actually kind of need that money because the season changed and i couldn't afford many new crops oops. so now i've got 3 rows of a barn and coop each, all with a line of crops growing in front of them. and it's kind of a fucking horrible mess that i'll need to clean up somehow, but its hard to do when new grasses and debris are constantly spawning everywhere and making a mess that gets in my way.

IN OTHER NEWS i finally hit 2 hearts with a few characters through semi-regular casual conversation and i am proud to report that this game! is horny. by which i mean the writers are clearly interested enough in their characters to write them in a way that makes them unique and endearing. and i also mean that juniper makes you her weird kinky slave no matter what and you don't have a choice. it's very sad that girlie is not remotely my type because she has SOOOOO much going for her. but the cowards also didnt make march a butch woman so SHRUG!

right now i've got the feeling that the game is finally giving me just enough to be interested in its plot and its characters, so i'm triply expecting the rug to get pulled by early access. i have been pleasantly surprised by just how much is here so far though! once again, not the kind of farming game i want to see but a good game regardless!

[draw-n-vent-with-imani]

PatB Review- Happy Narfday

**Before we get into it, I want to apologize for how long this has taken me to get out. I've been juggling a few different projects around and this always got pushed to the back burner.**

Oh dear, you guys want me to start off angry, don't ya?

Okay okay, I said I'd praise every episode at least a little, so I'll start off positive:

The first few minutes were actually pretty decent

Loved the song in this segment, I laugh every time Pinky starts singing

Any episode that gives more insight as to how Pinky thinks has some serious potential, and this one did NOT disappoint in that regard

It really had the potential to have a seriously sweet ending, or at least an interesting ending

Unfortunately...

That's where the positives end

When I tell you that my heart dropped when I read the episode summary before even seeing the segment, it fucking DROPPED.

If you don't need to read an overly negative rant of your favorite segment, here's your que to dip now, I won't be holding back just because I've had a year or two to simmer down.

You're here for the long haul, eh?

Alrighty then

Let's start with the premise: "Brain is forced to celebrate Pinky's Birthday"

There is no better way to piss me off than to word a summary like that. Brain not wanting to celebrate his own birthday is one thing, but to have him despise the idea of celebrating his ONLY FRIEND'S birthday is something completely different. These are the kinds of plotlines where Brain is at his most insufferable because he has to put himself aside. I was actually really worried that Talladega Mouse would turn out this way, but it thankfully didn't (maybe I'll do a review on that one next if it wins the next poll XD).

Brain being 'forced' to do something means he's just going to complain or lie or be antagonistic for the duration of the segment, and in this one he surprisingly manages to tick all of those.

But enough about the premise; I'm sure y'all are more interested in what I think of the meat of the episode. I will tackle this in 3 sections- The Build-Up, The Moment I "Walked Away", and Why the Apology Sucks- and then I'll wrap everything up with my final thoughts. Let's get into it!

The Build-Up (Everything leading up to the reveal)

I went into this segment knowing that there was a 50% chance I wouldn't like it because I HATE plotlines where Brain treats Pinky like he's a 'chore' to deal with, but I was hoping I could be pleasantly surprised.

And the first few minutes actually aren't that bad. Like I said, I love the song, and Pinky actually almost saying that he doesn't want to take over the world all the time could have led to a very interesting conversation.

However, that all changes when Brain decides to lie about the amulet he finds. And I've gotta stop to rant about his 'idea' because it's fucking stupid. So...his plan was to give it to Pinky as a present, take it while he was sleeping, and then use it for his plan (which we all know he wasn't going to enact that night because he had already been up for a FULL 24 HOURS). How stupid does he think Pinky is? It was kind of implied earlier in the episode that Pinky wasn't even really expecting Brain to get him anything. Did Brain think he could just take Pinky's present, one that he loved to the point that he was going to sleep right next to it, and then have that be the end of it? No shit he's going to notice. It makes more sense to just HIDE it for the rest of the episode and have Pinky realize Brain was planning behind his back.

You'll soon realize that a lot of my issues with episodes like these are linked to how if you think about what Brain is doing for more than 5 seconds, it immediately falls apart (i.e. Brain making B.R.A.I.N unfeeling and dumping his feelings on it, making a pocket dimension where he's married to Julia, throwing Pinky under the bus in court).

Anyway, Pinky finds Brain, gets his 'present' and then says this:

"I don't need anything but your friendship to have the best Narfday ever! And I mean it! Zort!"

It is at this point that I knew I would be cringing anytime Brain lies through his teeth. Like I said before, my feelings do end up making me view this episode in a very weird light. Just, Pinky wanted to spend a day with his best friend and not have to worry about ANYTHING. It was a plus to get a gift because he already loves being with Brain so damn much. At this point in season 2, Brain hasn't realized how much he should value his time with Pinky

The next song segment proceeds and then we get to...

The Moment I "Walked Away"

Pinky's confrontation was one of the hardest scenes for me to get through due to one important factor: second-hand rage. I get angry for Pinky a lot of the time ESPECIALLY in the reboot, and this episode had me reach my peak.

For starters, you get to hear Pinky try to get Brain to relax but Brain's trying to lie to get the amulet, which results in it getting destroyed and Brain blowing up at Pinky. This leads to the big reveal that Pinky's birthday had long since past and that he could never find the right time to bring it up until now.

Brain finally realizes he's been a dick and he apologizes and asks for forgiveness. This is where I get irrationally angry

When I tell you I couldn't sit though the scene, I mean every few seconds, I had to pause the video and pace around my room, mentally walking myself through Brain's behavior because I just couldn't comprehend it. What doesn't help is that the structure of the episode prevents any of what Pinky or Brain do in this moment to hit as hard as it really could have.

At this moment, I'm getting into my personal feelings about how I would have written the episode, because the way it is- it's just infuriating:

For starters, I'd make it a full 22 minutes (or at least somewhere between 11-15) because the episode was too damn short for the story they were trying to tell. If they wanted Brain to actually EARN any sort of forgiveness, you can not have him apologize and then have Pinky immediately forgive him. Pinky has more of an edge than that, he's gotten Brain to properly apologize before; let him run off in a huff, or just have him tell Brain "I need some alone time", or SOMETHING

You gotta move the reveal to earlier so that we can see Pinky take some time before he forgives Brain, or give time so that Brain can actually TRY to make it up to Pinky

Brain's apology consisted of him putting himself down and THEN asking for forgiveness; he says NOTHING that implies he won't do the same thing again if he thinks he can get away with it. The reboot gave us one of the darkest interpretations of this character and they give him such an elementary school apology that I just can't accept it.

The whole "returining to the status quo" thing can happen, but why did it have to zoom in so damn quickly? This show just doesn't like letting anyone sit in their emotions

You know what would have been interesting to see? Brain blows up just as he does in the episode, but Pinky goes to get some space and drops his birthday list. When Brain goes to pick it up, he sees what the last thing on Pinky's birthday list was: "Try to take over the world with Brain". Brain has a moment to himself where it is completely silent and he has to live with his mistake and try to make it better. Brain eventually finds Pinky and then gives a PROPER apology

Speaking of the "apology"...

Why the Apology Sucks

I want you to just THINK about the apology again for a second:

"PerhapsI did end up solving my Absolute Zero theory after all, Pinky. For I'm an Absolute Zero when it comes to being a friend. Can you ever forgive me?"

Brain's never been the best at issuing apologies, but this one got be riled up, so I felt the need to add this section in to analyze exactly what makes this not work.

An Ohio State University study cited 6 elements of an effective apology:

More specifically:

Looking at the 2 key elements, while Brain's apology meets the first requirement, he fails to offer to fix the problem himself. Instead, Pinky is the one to ask to do the last thing on his list and Brain allows it.

What's more is that out of the 6 main elements, Brain really only meets 2 of them through his words: Expression of Regret, and Request for forgiveness (the article even talks about how the request isn't the strongest element)

Like I said earlier, Brain spent a majority of the apology saying how bad he was instead of showcasing that he fully understands why Pinky is upset or how sorry he is or saying how selfish he was or simply offering Pinky another chance to do something for his birthday now that he knows it was several weeks ago.

I know I'm being extra hard on Brain, but if you've heard any of my past rambles, you know it's because of how much I love his character and I was actually rooting for his arc he was going on in the reboot.

Final Thoughts

Happy Narfday was an episode that not only met my expectations, it exceeded them in how I expected Brain to be portrayed in this episode.

Have any of you watched "A Family That Poits Together"? Well the first couple of minutes of that episode is EXACTLY how Brain was written for over half of this episode's runtime. Brain being unreasonably angry and annoyed at Pinky the whole time gets irritating and the ending just sends me over the edge in second-hand rage.

Is this an awful episode? No, not by a long shot by this season's standards. Was it the most disappointing? Actually no, that award goes to a completely different season 2 episode.

What this episode represents in my eyes is an attempt to make Brain be more considerate of Pinky, and by my standards, it failed horribly

And with that, this is where this ramble ends

Thank you for being so patient with me, and I'll see you soon with the next episode poll!

[marsmarvel02]

So, I played Princess Peach: Showtime! last night, and I have some thoughts.

Warning: Spoilers for the entirety of Floor 1 under the cut.

Opening

Wow, the music is good.

I love Grape's design! So... unique!

Grape's name, however, is ... ehh. It could be worse, but I'd still prefer something a bit more intimidating.

Why does Stella have to make crying baby noises when she's upset? It makes it hard to take her seriously and it's honestly just really grating to listen to.

Stella's design, while not the worst thing in the world, just seems a bit... off to me. I can't place it, but something about her just looks... weird.

Why is light magic named "Sparkle"? It just sounds a bit... goofy.

Swordfighter-1

Wow, the loading times for levels are... a bit much.

Why does the "level loading" music have to have that long, low horn that sounds almost exactly like the noise older Nintendo games make when they crash? The first time I heard it, I freaked because I thought there was something wrong with my copy of the game.

Why did they make B the action button and A the jump button? In every other game I've played, B is jump! That button switch has actually made me die a few times in a later level, and generally made me bad at parts that require jumping with quick reflexes.

Wow, this game IS easy.

The pre-transformation sections of levels where you just run around swinging your ribbon at stuff are honestly kinda boring.

Oh man, Swordfighter Peach looks AWESOME!

Again, the game is still really easy, but blasting your way through hordes of Sour Bunch members makes you feel INCREDIBLY powerful.

And I love the acrobatic and flashy dodges too.

Why does the very imposing knight with the hammer go down in one hit? Seriously, all you need to do is jump over his shockwave once and oop, down he goes.

The end boss is CRAZY! Who'd've thought that a Mario (spinoff) game would have you fight a giant killer plant that ISN'T a piranha plant! Also, wow, this random spinoff gets original bosses and Mario Wonder doesn't.

Jokes aside, though, I love the thorny flower bud boss. Does it have a name?

Ninja-1

Normally stealth levels in games are the ones that everybody hates, but honestly this one is GREAT!

Again, the game is still pretty easy, but stealth-attacking enemies and taking them out in one hit also feels POWERFUL.

I love how the guards can't tell where Peach is when she has a freakin' SPOTLIGHT shining on her. Or when she's pressed up against a wall and her GIANT YELLOW PONYTAIL is sticking up above her camo paper.

Why does being spotted make Peach turn into a log and then teleport to just before whatever stealth section you failed? I mean, I get sending you back to try again, but what's with the log? Is it a reference to some ninja trope I'm not familiar with?

Oh man, the chase sequence is SUPERB. Especially the wallrunning bits, and

When the enemy drops one of the scrolls, and Peach somehow uses it to summon a giant wave to ride. It makes no sense, but it's FRICKIN AWESOME.

Honestly, I'd really like it if the wave chase had ended with the enemy dropping a second scroll, and Peach using it to summon another crazy setpiece. (Hey, I just realized, that wave is a "dramatic setpiece" both in-universe and in the video game sense.)

Patissiere-1

Once again, the section before the transformation is... rather slow.

Honestly, I was expecting this to be the "annoying gimmicky minigame level", but I'm pleasantly surprised. It's a gimmicky minigame level, sure, but not an annoying one.

While getting above the minimum required to advance in the cake-decorating and cookie minigames wasn't too hard, I can see that I'll have my work cut out for me when I come back to get all the Sparkle Gems.

This isn't too bad, but it's annoying how in the cookie minigame there isn't any visual indicator that you're about to overmix something.

Cowgirl-1

One word: AWESOME!

Again, the ease at which you can lasso enemies and throw them around makes you feel powerful.

Oh, and that barrel-throwing fight sequence manages to simultaneously be both awesome and hilarious. I don't know why, it's just funny in the best way.

Crazy Thought: Cowgirl Peach tests her barrel-lassoing skills against Donkey Kong.

That horse chase sequence is pretty fun, but it's also where I died a few times because I lassoed when I meant to jump.

And, to top it all off, the boss fight against the leader of the robbers is epic. My only disappointment is that, when he's charging around the arena after you, you can't matador him into those piles of gem boxes landing the first hit revealed. I understand why you can't, but I still wish you could.

Floor 1/First Main Boss

It appears that Peach understands as much as I do that, while forcing open the door that's obviously full of dark magic might be a bad idea, it's also the only way to progress the game.

I'm not sure what to think about the fact that you need Sparkle Gems to open the Spooky Floating Door. I mean, the cost was low enough that it wasn't a problem for me, but I could see it frustrating someone who isn't very good at the game (especially since doors on later floors will probably use the same mechanic), and speedrunners are probably going to HATE it.

Why is the evil version of Sparkle named "Darkle"? It just sounds stupid.

WE'RE FIGHTING A GIANT DISCO CHICKEN!

Oh man, Disco Wing is awesome. Especially the part where THE GRAVITY FRIGGIN' FLIPS UPSIDE DOWN!

It's funny how the only time Disco Wing does that giant rolling attack is when the arena has been changed in a way that makes it possible for Peach to dodge it. Disco Wing, you could've won easily if you'd just done that attack a few times at the start of the fight!

Crazy Thought: Disco Wing meets Hole Punch from Paper Mario: The Origami King.

NINTENDO, I WANNA REFIGHT THE DISCO CHICKEN! LET ME REFIGHT THE DISCO CHICKEN!

So, after fighting Disco Wing I finally checked out the dress shop, and THERE'S A DISCO DRESS! That is DEFINITELY what I'm wearing for the rest of the game (or at least until beating the next floor boss unlocks another crazy dress pattern.)

Disco Wing's boss theme wasn't very disco-y for some rea- WAIT, I JUST CHECKED THE OFFICLIAL SOUNDTRACK AND ALL THE MAIN BOSSES HAVE THE SAME THEME?! Nintendo, WHY??! Now I won't be able to hear Juno Songs make covers for each individual boss!

In conclusion, Showtime! is definitely a straight A of a game so far. If it keeps on being as good as it was, I might even consider pushing its grade up to an A+.

[buckevantommy]

totally completely fine

ok. i'm not a fan of australian tv or movies bc they're always overdramatised or too darkly themed or comedic in a way i don't gel with bc i'd rather watch american comedies (not sitcoms, they need to die a firey death). plus i've never really liked the aussie accent, i've found it weirdly unsettling hearing characters speak with aussie voices and maybe that's bc being an aussie myself and wanting to use tv and movies as an escape so having that stark reminder of my own reality means it's harder to suspend and enjoy a different one for a spell. or maybe it's the fact that i, like a great deal of non-americans, have grown up watching american tv so now any non-american accent just sits weird in my brain. 

but that's why i need to express my love for this show. 

everything from the casting (diverse faces and bodies) and the actors chemistry to the setting and set design, cinematography and soundtrack, and of course the plot and characters themselves. It's so well done. It's a heartfelt dramedy that makes you care keeps you interested in wanting to know how things progress and ultimately turn out. the various relationship dynamics are full of ups and downs and it feels real in that messy way life is. 

the premise: vivian is a young mess of an adult who lost her parents in a car crash that she was also in when she was a kid. she's the youngest of 3 siblings who were raised by their grandfather who dies and leaves viv his cliffside beach house. the twist: the house backs onto a picturesque ocean cliff where people go to commit suicide. the grandfather used to try and stop them, and now it's up to viv to try and do the same. 

intense stuff so far. but this show is hopeful, it's not super dark even though it does deal with strained relationships and mental health and suicide attempts/ideation. the characters are distinct and the way their lives entwine don't distract from their individual journeys; viv is the main character but enough screentime is given to every supporting character that they all feel like main characters in their own right which is how it should be because that's how life is. 

more good news is it's short: only 6 episodes at just under an hour each (it doesn't mince screentime) so i binged it all yesterday when i wasn't feeling great and just. wow. i haven't found anything mentioning a second season but if they did more i'd watch it - but the thing is it ends with both closure and the potential for more exploration of the characters, so it feels like a realistic open ending and works as a single season story. 

i don't know if it's available overseas because it was created by and aired here by Stan (which is like our homemade Netflix) but i hope if you guys are interested you'll find a way to watch. 

bonus thing for me: seeing this story play out in my home (settings and details) was actually grounding in a way i didn't expect. like i mentioned above, most of us grow up on american tv and maybe some uk stuff and while that's good for an escape it can actually be jarring to get back into our real world. but (with good quality programming like this show) i realise aussie productions can make it a lot easier to connect with the physical world around me (not the digital world), to not feel so alone, and to know that it's worth finding productions from your homeland and they don't hinder the escape of fiction in fact they can aid in grounding it in a believable way. 

anyway. just one aussie who doesn't really like aussie-made stuff telling folks to give this show a go because i was pleasantly surprised. 

undefined

(note: if anyone has any questions or concerns about triggering content please message me or reply to this post and i'll fill you in on stuff it does or doesn't feature)

[ewingstan]

Mary from Twig

First Impression: "Oh, so the first major villain-of-the-week characters is a little girl? I guess that's appropriate given the main cast, but I wouldn't think they'd face off against something that thematically mirrors them like that for a few arcs. Cool idea, a shame that she's probably gonna be killed by the end of this." So yeah, I was not expecting Mary to be a reoccurring character. And once it became clear that she was joining the Lambs, I thought for sure she wouldn't stay for more than a few arcs before finding out how Sy manipulated her against Percy and turning against everyone. That was partially driven by me thinking she'd become a love interest for Sy and then we'd get to milk the drama of that relationship falling apart for a while. Was pleasantly surprised when that didn't happen, especially because it lead 1) to us seeing how Sy tries to contend with his nature as an incredibly manipulative person and trying to limit how much he hurts people close to him, and 2) led to the much more interesting "I'm fond of you but also I'd push you off a cliff if everyone else in the friendgroup didn't love you so much" relationship she has with Sy.

Impression Now: More interested in her for her relationship with other characters than I am in her as an individual personality. I kind of wish more had been done with her self-perception as a puppet/her desire to fulfill a perfect servitor role for whoever she's closest to. Don't get me wrong, it led to some interesting (in a fucked-up way) stuff with Lillian. But I kinda wish we got more from her interludes addressing how self-conscious she was of it, whether she tries to push against it or leans into it, how other people close to her react to it, etc. And I really wish I got more of a sense of how it meshed with her becoming a Noble. Besides the obvious change in power dynamics between her and Lillian, it feels like even accepting the change would have required some pretty intense changes in her self-conception, changes we never get to see. And yeah, it would probably weaken Twig as a whole to have a more extended ending exploring how all the Lambs felt about becoming Nobles. But still.

Favorite Moment: I really love the mock-fight she holds with Sy in front of the soldiers at Hackthorn. The skill of making it look like Sy is holding his own while also constantly signalling to him privately how many times she could have ended him....it feels like a pretty good encapsulation of their whole relationship. More than any other Lamb, I think Sy was thinking of Mary when he was setting up the looney toons-esque "you'll chase me from town to town and I'll stay just out of reach while casually checking in and giving you things to take credit for" plan in Corinth. With her more than anyone else, the idea of "lets play at fighting to the death while wearing the points we could have scored against each other as personal badges of honor" seems like an actually feasible way to spend a lifetime.

Idea for a Story: Like I said, I'd love more exploration of Lady Margaret, especially focusing on how she and Lillian handled it going forwards. Aside from that, I would probably want to see someone actually try to map out how her ill-fated mission with Duncan went.

Unpopular Opinion: I don't know if Twig has enough of a fandom for there to be enough big fandom opinions on Mary for me to disagree with.... her offscreen relationship with Gordon doesn't interest me? Was anyone invested in that?

Favorite Relationship: Her and Lillian. Its the most unhealthy mess I've ever seen. I love it. A super unsure-of-herself doctor and her best friend/patient/kissing buddy who acts incredibly confident and self-assured while having no idea who she is or what she wants. Stellar stuff. Could have been so much more.

Favorite Headcanon: I like the idea of her eventually meeting and hanging out with the rouge Ghost who Dog and Catcher partnered up with in Tynewear. Feel like they'd have a lot to talk about. Actually scratch what I said above, this is the story idea I'd be most interested in.

[triforce-of-mischief]

not too long ago, i decided that i was going to take a hiatus from writing general lu fics.

i realized that i had started to put an unhealthy amount of expectation on the interaction they received, or more recently compared to before, the lack thereof. so i made myself take a step back and breathe. i can still work on overcome, and crossovers with an au that's holding more of my attention right now.

since then, i've posted two lu writings that aren't overcome or a crossover.

the first was a counterpart to the fic that made me realize i had to stop. i expected spirits and hands to get a lot more attention, because it was focused on wild and totk. why it flopped, i don't know. maybe it's because of the scary enemy. maybe it's because wind cries. regardless, spirit of the sky had a much better reaction- the same amount of notes in much less time, and with more reblogs from individual people. i had a hypothesis and i'll get to that in a minute, but there's another i have to mention first.

two days ago, i posted a short snippet about an idea i had, with legend as the pov. this one got the most attention by far- almost 60 likes as i'm writing this. not many comments or reblogs, but that's to be expected since it's short and incomplete. once again, i posted it only because i knew that i would get some feedback.

the thing is, i know my audience. as in, the entire fandom that's so hard to write for when i'm not doing my own niche thing. all i had to do, that i knew would guarantee the attention i wanted?

write the boys yelling at each other, or giving the allusion that they are or will.

spirit of the sky was a "not so fast" to all those memes about sky beating up wild for breaking the master sword, way back when that totk trailer dropped. i wrote the summary specifically so that it would sound like sky would be mad, and the twist is that he isn't. people were pleasantly surprised by this, but it doesn't change the fact that it got way more clicks than if i had described it as sky comforting wild.

and legend? he's frustrated, and he yells about it. he doesn't yell at somebody, but it could be read that way. and that's what the fandom wants, is a grumpy legend who just verbally abuses those around him.

the audience, when i'm writing general lu fics, is very easy to manipulate. the problem is, i don't always want to. i want to write what i want to write and i want to share it with people who want to read it. i don't want to jump through hoops and play into fandom stereotypes that i hate just so that people will read my stuff. i've been doing it out of desperation because i'm still in a rough spot with motivation, but that's it.

i'm still happy with my decision to stop writing general lu fics for a bit. even though my audience is smaller, i'm not as disappointed to give so much and not feel like i'm getting enough in return. knowing how readers' expectations are skewed towards the boys bullying each other... it sucks. if you read the whole thing, thank you. i'm sorry this doesn't have some big message at the end. it just sucks.

[azikarue]

2023 Fic Recap

Little late with the recap this year, but it's still January, right? For now?

Going into 2023, my goals were to 1) update "Bliss", 2) participate in MayBlade, and 3) work on/finish some WIPs. Poor "Bliss" is still waiting for its chance, but two out of three isn't bad!

I'll ramble more at the end of the post, but here's a recap of everything I posted in 2023.

❖

A Kiss for Luck

Summary: Before his crucial battle against Mystel, Max takes a moment to center himself. He wasn't expecting company. Set in my Saint Shields in G-Rev AU. Pairing: Max/Mariam Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,855 Rated: K+

This fic was the first of six short oneshots I wrote to commemorate Valentine's Day. I did something similar in 2021, where I wrote a handful of Max/Mariam kisses and published them during the week leading up to Valentine's Day. When I was planning my writing for 2023, it felt like something fun to tackle again, and it gave me a lighthearted and relaxed start to the year writing-wise. So, I ignored my entire list of goals and wrote this (plus the next five) based off of six kiss tropes. I chose a different pairing for each.

For this one, I indulged myself doubly by starting with Max/Mariam and by setting it in my Saint Shields in G-Rev AU. Ever since I started pondering this AU, the moment in this fic is one that I knew had to happen. I'm sure the Saint Shields would have a lot to say about BEGA. I'm also sure that Mariam would remember the lessons she learned from Max and would be happy to throw them back in his face when he needs it most. And I love the excuse to visit early Max/Mariam days, even if it's in an AU setting. I write so much about them as adults that it always feels refreshing to write a little closer to their roots. This one holds a special place in my heart.

❖

A Kiss on a Scar

Summary: Every mark on Tala's body has a story and Julia does her best not to ask questions. She doesn't always succeed. Pairing: Tala/Julia Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,883 Rated: T

When I chose this trope, I knew exactly which ship I would write for it. I was glad to have more practice with these two after writing them for a couple of my MayBlade 2022 chapters. For some reason, I tend to shy away from any member of the Blitzkrieg Boys when I write. I think it's partially because they have such a strong fan base and I'm never sure how my personal image of them will rate. Honestly, I've spent so many years in the fandom focusing on more underrated characters that I'm not even sure I have fully developed ideas for the Blitzkrieg Boys. Tala/Julia feels more niche, though, like it's a safe place for me to play around in.

While writing this, I was a little unsure on characterization. Namely, how much Tala would share without prompting and how much Julia would prompt him. I think there's still some gaps in Tala's character arc between seasons that I need to fill in mentally. He's very open with Tyson when discussing BEGA and Boris. I can only assume that's some combo of righteous anger and maybe therapy? Or just figuring himself out now that he's free from Biovolt's clutches. Julia is a bit of a mystery, too. Mostly, I worry that I'll end up writing her too similarly to other female characters on accident. Reading this fic back, I don't dislike the way I wrote them. And it was a stage in their relationship that I hadn't written before this point, so I enjoyed it a lot!

❖

A Kiss with Red Lipstick

Summary: Usually Queen has more fun at Enrique's family parties. But she usually doesn't have to go out of her way for his company or spend the night stone cold sober either. Pairing: Enrique/Queen Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,784 Rated: M

This chapter was just me writing for me. I was pleasantly surprised when it got more than a single note when I posted it on Tumblr, because I know this is such a random ship with an, arguably, even more random interpretation. These are the two I write about when I want messy drama and chaos. Red lipstick kisses feel very messy and chaotic, so here we are.

This falls into the same story line as the last Enrique/Queen fic I wrote. It was fun building upon that idea.

❖

A Kiss at the Beach

Summary: Salima gets caught staring. It lands her in deep water…so to speak. Pairing: Ray/Salima Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,180 Rated: T

I'll never turn down the chance to write some cutesy Ray/Salima. I imagine the two of them traveling around together a lot, living an almost nomadic lifestyle between tournaments or stops home (to White Tiger Hills or Salima's apartment). It's always a treat to indulge in that line of thinking, especially for a sweet moment like this.

❖

A Kiss to Shut Her Up

Summary: Mariah has a talent for uncomfortable conversations. Rick's working on his strategy for getting out of them. Pairing: Rick/Mariah Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,253 Rated: T

This was one of my favorites when I wrote this series, and I still love it a year later. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I love writing Rick and Mariah's dynamic, especially from Rick's in-denial, grumpy point of view. He's a fun character in general, and I love how Mariah is the perfect person to keep him on his toes. And I had the line about her climbing him like a tree in reserves for what feels like forever, so it was nice to finally give it a home.

❖

A Kiss for the Winner

Summary: Tyson wins another World Championship and Hilary needs a minute to process his reaction. Pairing: Tyson/Hilary Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,987 Rated: K+

I remember agonizing over this fic because I didn't want Tyson or Hilary to feel out of character. I've written a fair bit of TyHil since then, so I think that worry has subsided somewhat, but it was VERY REAL when I wrote this. I think the fact that the fic centers around a disagreement added to that anxiety. Arguments can be tricky. I didn't want it to feel like they resolved things too quickly to be believable or that Hilary's feelings were dismissed. In the end, I'm very happy with how it turned out.

❖

Subtly Sweet

Summary: When Hilary's computer crashed, she hoped work would be a distraction. Instead, she has a run-in with a vending machine and finds an unlikely hero in Tyson. Now if only he wasn't such a royal pain. Pairing: Tyson/Hilary Chapters: 1/1 Words: 4,320 Rated: K

I have this fic to thank for being able to tick my "work on/finish some WIPs" box in 2023. Very grateful to it for the feeling of accomplishment it gave me. 😄

For a fic that was sitting as a WIP for a year, it cleaned up nice! As a WIP, it was mostly dialogue with some vague outlining that I'd started, then left hanging. Sometimes pinpointing the perfect dialogue to take a plot from Point A to Point B can be a struggle, so when I reread my notes, I knew I had to take advantage of a good thing while I had it. The phone call scene wasn't originally included, and I remember doing a healthy amount of tweaking to get it right, but once it was there I couldn't imagine the story without it.

Fun fact: The original spark of an idea for this fic came from a conversation with RedWheeler literal years ago. I can't remember if we were discussing TyHil specific songs, but "Tangled Up In Me" by Skye Sweetnam came up and I couldn't get the thought of Hilary kicking a vending machine out of my head. Also, how is that song 20 years-old already?

❖

Life in Color

Summary: A collection for MayBlade 2023. Pairing: Multiple Chapters: 31/31 Words: 65,225 Rated: Varies (everything from K to M)

The pièce de résistance of my year. 💎

I, once again, did not finish my MayBlade entries on time. Unlike my first try, I accepted the fact that I would fall behind ahead of time. I think it made me feel much less stressed overall, but it also might have contributed to me falling behind faster than before? It's a double-edged sword. I know that I was in a better place for this round than I was when writing "Just A Moment", though. Life was much more balanced and I gave myself time to rest and recoup in between chapters, as needed, rather than spending all hours writing, editing, and falling asleep on my keyboard.

I'm very proud of this collection. I love challenging myself to write about some of my favorite, underappreciated characters alongside some of the characters more typical to my fics. I think I said this last year, too, but I love to see which chapters people like best and how it can vary between FFN and Tumblr. Sometimes I'm surprised by how things play out. Like, I was very shocked that the first chapter was so well-received on Tumblr, seeing as it focused on the Saint Shields. I'm sure it was because it was Day 1 of the event, but it was nice to know that some of my favorite characters got their time to shine. That was the case for more than one chapter, and I'd write a slew of notes on them all if it wouldn't make this post way too long.

All in all, I saw more engagement on "Life in Color" versus "Just A Moment" and I'm so grateful to anyone who read or interacted with it in some way! 🤍

❖

As I reflect on 2023, I can acknowledge that I took some positive steps forward in my never-ending quest for balance.

I'm teaching myself every day that it is okay to let go of things without guilt and pick them back up later. I can't be everything or do it all 100% of the time, and that's all right. It doesn't have to be all or nothing, and I can start things without having any idea of when I'll finish them. I can take a break from things that aren't serving me or causing more stress than I can handle. I can choose myself first and follow my whims. I can log off and be present.

In 2024, I don't know what my fanfic uploads will look like. I'd like to update Bliss and work on more WIPs. MayBlade is up in the air. I love participating, but it always turns into a bigger production than I bargain for. I may just need to participate differently, if I choose to do so.

September thru December are notoriously busy months for me, with May and June getting honorable mention. I'm not saying I'll be totally absent those months. Just putting it out there for me, so I know to go easy on myself. If I do nothing but read and take day trips and spend quality time with the people (and animals!) I love during that time, then it will be a year well spent. 🤍

As always, thank you to everyone who has interacted with any of my uploads this year and to the people who cheer me on and feed my fandom fire. I appreciate this little circle of the internet so, so much, and I hope 2024 brings only the best to you all! 🥰

[mlobsters]

supernatural s9e16 blade runners (w. brad buckner, eugenie ross-leming)

i don't read the episode descriptions on netflix even but i do pop over to the wiki to get the writer info and (this is so silly) i blur my eyes so i don't get more info than that (so silly!) but even super blurry i recognized the image that was in the wiki's episode page, finally getting to the mark of cain bubbling to the fore again

LOL i completely forgot that crowley was supposed to be out literally searching the bottom of the ocean for the blade

DEAN Yeah, but his ass is on the line, too. He goes missing for weeks on end without a peep? Well, not one that makes sense, anyway. Listen to this. CROWLEY Dean. Um... [indecipherable ramblings] SAM Wait a second. Did he...drunk-dial you?

laughed out loud, thanks guys

i understand logistically and whatever but crowley and his demon friend fucking while fully clothed basically, also silly :p

did i just see snooki in the credits?? okay. curious if i'll be able to recognize her

so heaven factions, hell factions (sub-subplot crowley being addicted to human blood because it makes him feel things), mark of cain and brother drama... it's enough slices! i just don't care.

i think the crowley stuff is interesting and fun, he's a good character when he's being tricksy (and dull when just evil) and mark sheppard is overflowing with charisma, so i can be down for stuff that revolves around him. but when we start getting scenes of his demon lady meeting up with abaddon's minion because hell double agents i'm t i r e d

(god i'm making another reference to once i ate a pie, but this dog is the most relatable)

okay, so it's snooki as snooki/nicole

i fully expected paris hilton's appearance to be not good and was pleasantly surprised. unfortunately, can't say the same for snooki

also is crowley feeling guilty for the dead people now post-dose

wonder if that got a bitchface note from the transcriber. very pointedly asked lol

SAM Hey. So...Cain said the First Blade was tossed in the deepest ocean, right? That's the Mariana Trench. Maybe Crowley found it, and it's a double-cross. DEAN That doesn't make sense. He wants me to power it up and kill the ginger. He set it up. SAM Okay. A-assuming he does show up with it, Crowley is only useful to us until we have the Blade. DEAN Yeah. So? SAM So...There's nothing stopping us from using it on him, right? DEAN Nothing at all.

oh but the moral quandary of his addiction and human-y feelings! and dean latches on to people and if you're family, all is forgiven; oh and demony things coming down the road for dean...

lol the awkward intervention where only 2 people showed up

exasperated parent vibes from sam and dean LOL

SAM What, are you knocking over blood banks?

--

DEAN Look at you. You're a mess. You know, we were counting on you. You let us down. SAM Your slimy followers were counting on you to kill Abaddon, and you let them down. DEAN The man with all the mojo -- Captain Evil. SAM Oh, it's pathetic. CROWLEY What is this? An intervention?

--

CROWLEY Poor Moose. It's always a little tricky keeping up, isn't it? SAM [looking up to find CROWLEY staring at him] What are you doing? CROWLEY I'm still a little tainted by humanity. Makes me sentimental. SAM Well, stop. CROWLEY You and I both know we shared a mo back in that church. And on some level, we are bonded.

SAM [exasperated] What is Crowley doing? DEAN looks around Stealing candy. SAM He is -- he's -- he's stealing candy.

i feel you sam, my kids make me feel the same way sometimes

dean lookin sharp in that suit. similar vein of the more casual dressy situation with the nice boots but really i think it's just it fits him more closely and he has a dark shirt ha

another microsoft surface product placement lol

DR. MCELROY "Compel"? And what might that involve?

all right

porn booze and comfy chair, quite the upgrade

oh my good god i do not care about this fucking magnus/cuthbert subplot. anything around the men of letters i rapidly lose interest. similar to the angel politics. demons and the boys apparently are about all i can get it up for

MAGNUS Dean, I am offering you the moon here -- to be part of the greatest collection of all time, to be young forever. Let me teach you my secrets. Hmm? Be my companion. I have to be honest with you, it has gotten lonely here over the years. DEAN When you were saying any of that, did it feel at all creepy? Yeah. I'm just gonna grab the Blade and go.

CROWLEY Who would have thunk it, eh, Moose -- you and me, same team, in the trenches. When this is over, we can get matching tattoos. SAM Just to be clear, Crowley, we are not on the same anything. By the way, since the place is warded, your powers are useless, which means you are useless, even more so than usual. CROWLEY You're gonna need another set of hands when you get in there, unless you have other volunteers in mind. SAM Thanks. Pass. CROWLEY If memory serves me, I'm the one who helped your brother find Cain so that we could find the Blade, so that Dean could receive the Mark. I'm the one who flushed that lout Gadreel out of your noggin. So, lately, big boy, I've seen more playing time than you.

the whole dean is "Not Moose" in crowley's phone, he's really focusing in on sam here

the awkward hunched over half inside the car rummaging through files is cracking me up

as much as i'm feeling blah about the MoL magnus thing, there is some spark from this dude being so creepy and collecting people/monsters/whatever and forcing dean to be part of the zoo collection

not sure how creepy magnus plans to keep mark of cain powered up hunter on a leash and doing his bidding

MAGNUS Hmm. Well, I'm not asking you for your cooperation. I'm just taking it.

oh. magical roofies. great. ugh.

trying to figure out who magnus guy reminds me of, young treat williams maybe

good food

oh, controlling dean via torturing sam, great.

i liked the sound design/score there for after dean killed creepy creeper where it had kind of a ringing over the music, whole blood / blade singing

well at least dean can't go on any killing sprees without the blade egging him on? not clear on how that works exactly now that he's held it and used it to kill somone

so is crowley fine now, no lasting effects from abruptly discontinuing his drug of choice?

no time for brotherly angst with all this hoopla

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (29/10/23)

veeeeeeeeeeeeeery late this week I know it's my own fault really, I was warned by my buddy mega that yozakura would be a dense read and take a while but I didn't listen and underestimate how long it'd take, I should've started during the week but I only started reading on saturday NIGHT so no way in hell I was gonna be able to catch up.. by the time I went to bed on sunday I was on 111/200 so oof.. also didn't mon tue or wed so that's why the post is so late but anyhoo

green - new series/new to me pink - catching up

Anime

Frieren Ep8

very good episode like usual, even more for me cause of all the action. looks like the next one will also have quite a bit of it so I'm pogged up

Undead Unluck Ep4

bro that episode went absolutely INSANE?? HELLO the sakuga was so good I was losing my gourd I'm so glad uu got the adaptation it deserves also my queen yuuki absolutely stole the show, really showing why she's up there with the best of the best, it's gonna be sad not getting more gina til like cour 4 but it'll be worth the wait

Pokemon Horizons Ep26

pretty chill episode after all the excitement from last week's cour finale, mostly just setting up the plot for the future. tho we also got a new op and it goes absolutely crazy

Adult Precure Ep4

alright episode, mostly about what saki and mai have been up to, saki being engaged and mai breaking up with her bf. I know that in their shows, from the very start, the girls have crushes on boys (ofc it couldn't be otherwise cause toei are cowards) but you gotta understand how deep in the yuri mines I am. hearing them actually say they're engaged or dating a man gave me whiplash

Imas Million Live Ep4

good episode as usual, the best part was getting a lot more screentime for some of the girls that were barely in the other eps, tho it still wasn't that much and since this isn't following the og format there's always gonna be some girls that won't get their time to fully shine sadly. also got a couple momoko moments™ including the box so that was funny

Manga

Mission: Yozakura Family Ch1 - 200

wowie that was.. a lot better than I expected. honestly went in not expecting much, and after having just caught up to jujutsu from 1 to current I wasn't expecting yozakura to be so good since jujutsu is so much more popular but, hot take: I think it's way better like sheesh. I talked about it on my server but the only I thing I think jujutsu has over yozakura is the battles, otherwise it's beat in every category. I like the art a lot more, even from ch1 yozakura had waaaaay better paneling than even current jujutsu. and the whole cast is a lot more likeable. like from jujutsu I cared about gojo, nanami, maki and okkotsu. in yozakura we get cooldown chaps were the different family members do their own stuff and interact with each other which helps you get to know them more and in doing so liking them more, while still using these chaps to move the plot along so the pacing isn't too slow (outside of that little side detour with the past heads that got cut short prob by the editor but yknow)

anyway rambling and just repeating what I already said in the server but TL;DR it's good, glad to be caught up, and looking forward to it wrapping up in the near future since we're close to the final arc

Witch Enforcer Ch1

I started this mostly on a whim cause the art is good (artist's on here too btw @ camellia0x0) but I was pleasantly surprised. there was nothing surprising about the story but it was delivered well and the art was solid through the whole chap (tho the paneling is very basic but I'll give them a pass since it's their first serialization [only some one shots before]) and the concept of a witch making and using mechs is fun. looking forward to seeing this artist's growth as a mangaka, hopefully the series doesn't get axed too early

Undead Unluck 181

good chap, especially the end tho. never thought this could be a possibility but it makes total sense there'd be a reverse evil union on the side of god. never thought about it since we had under before. really curious to see how the next chap gonna but it's prob just gonna be introducing all those baddies that people will fight in the final arc

[simplylove101]

HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE 2023 FAVES, HONORABLE MENTIONS & LEAST FAVES (AND THE ONES I COULDN’T FINISH)

Another year of my annual horror challenge has ended! This is technically posted a day later than I usually do it (cuz I usually get that next day off) but I ended up being tired the day after my Halloween movie marathon. But I also had plenty of movies to decide between for this too. 67 movies, to be exact. This year's challenge was interesting in comparison to last year's just because the sheer amount of watches that became instant faves of mine in 2022. I did find plenty of new faves again as always but I will say it was a little harder ranking stuff a bit too because there were many watches that ended up being... just okay. Definitely watchable but a fave? And since there's only allowed to be 30 pics used in a post, I try to keep each category to a certain number now that I make sure to include the movie posters.

Reminder: I never order any of these categories in order of preference, simply just the order of how they were watched, because that'd be kinda hard to do. I struggle enough as it is with this list already.

FAVE WATCHES:

The Menu: It's the first watch I did for the challenge that truly got me excited for it this year so that alone gets it on this list but also the wackiness of the whole concept really appealed to me. It made me laugh. I loved the cast. I will still not be forgetting that ending any time soon. This movie was very much my jam. It's not for everyone but it was for me.

2) M3GAN: Honestly, I'm not surprised this movie still made it on the faves list because while the idea of it may seem rather silly to most people, I dug it for what it was. It was fun and campy just as I expected it to be. Ready for the sequel. And also, Don Mancini, how dare you hype up a Chucky/M3gan face-off if that doesn't happen in some shape or form (regardless of the logic any of that would make lmao)

3) Infinity Pool: Now this one is very much a 'not for everyone' pick. I said in my review that we'd see where its standing in the rankings would be and well, while I'm still wavering between the faves or the honorable mentions, it's safe to say this movie stayed with me. There's visuals in it that I'll never forget. Brandon Cronenberg is like his dad in that regard. And well, you can't talk about this movie and not mention Mia Goth. She killed it with this one.

4) Scream 6: As a proud fan of the Scream franchise as a whole and how kinda let down I felt a bit about Scream 5 by choices made, I was pleasantly surprised by how strong this one felt in comparison. I genuinely found myself caring about the Core 4. I did miss Sidney and I lament what they could have done storywise for both of these movies (Bring back Stu! You mentioned him! lol) but what we did get was pretty cool. Gale's big scene was a highlight and it was cute seeing Kirby back even if they didn't use her to her full potential. Still, this is one of the more recent ones that I think can stand next to the original and you say, it's worthy of it. But that's just my opinion. lol Despite flaws, a fun and intense ride.

5) Evil Dead Rise: I still don't know where it stands against the originals/the 2013 reboot but honestly, as I said, I think they managed to make it their own so I won't compare them. The tone was darker too so that'd be hard. But yeah, this is a movie that had a lot of good things going for it that I had to put it on here. Definitely one of the best of 2023 in my book.

6) Escape Room Franchise: This is my one cheat. lol I'm pairing them together because I can and I watched them right after each other. And it's the only way I'd put them on the Faves list. They're silly fun these movies that happen to have faces I know in them. Now for the record, the second one I'm counting because I watched the non-theatrical version with Isabelle Fuhrman, which honestly is the version they should have stuck with. It's the one that gave a conclusion instead of dragging out an already convoluted plotline.

7) Renfield: Even if I expected to like it even more than I actually did, I feel like it still earns its spot on here because I really liked the concept. The pairing of Nicholas Hoult & Nicholas Cage was a fantastic idea, despite it not fully focusing on their dynamic as much as they should have imo. It still was fun. Very memorable action sequences that'll have you gasping. Still was solid enough at the end of the day.

8) Last Shift: I feel like I gotta give this little B movie credit. It had me on the edge of my seat and it's mostly just one woman stuck in one location having to deal with some pretty traumatizing stuff. I was definitely creeped out at parts so overall, I feel like it was effective and it helps that I went in with low expectations because I feel like it went beyond them. Thankfully, they had this poster because the other one is so rude and creepy. lol

9) Devil's Advocate: I think it's funny that I always mean to watch Angel Heart every year now and this one I just put on out of impulse. So basically I got to see Pacino play *spoiler alert* Satan before De Niro. lol Maybe next year? Anyway, this was really interesting. Keanu playing a character that's hard to like (much like Knock Knock) which is kinda more of a rarity with him and Al Pacino also giving an all-in performance. I appreciated how they handled the blend of legal drama & supernatural in the script. Some very memorable moments in there.

10) The Serpent & The Rainbow: Despite what I said about how the story gets a little lost in the second half for me once it gets really action heavy, I do still think this was an interesting movie. I feel like it had good intentions with the message it was trying to send about racism and exploiting cultures for personal gain. It was also a fresh take on the zombie genre at the time because it's about the actual origins of the word. It was also really cool how they incorporated the voodoo element as well. Yes, they went a little effects heavy but I will never forget that coffin scene with Bill Pullman because man, the visuals in that one alone. A+ camerawork. There's a lot to think about with this one.

11) No One Will Save You: This one kinda wavered between fave and honorable mention because it's just really odd. lol And my review wasn't as positive as you'd expect a movie making this list but honestly, looking back on it, it was kinda original. Because it wasn't just about aliens, it was also mainly about Kaitlyn's character's guilt. Still normally would have been put under as honorable mention but I think Kaitlyn Dever's performance was that good, it feels fair to put it on here instead. Wish the effects had been better and the narrative a little clearer but it was still pretty good.

12) Vacancy: Another one where it was like, do I put you with the faves or the honorable mentions?? lol But I actually thought this was pretty solid. Very simple story but sometimes those ones work best if and when executed just right because why complicate this story? We know who we're meant to root for and they're either gonna get out of this situation alive or not. I can't help comparing it to The Strangers because there's a lot of similarities but I actually like these characters/the actors more. Their urgency to survive was very clear. So, I was willing to watch this ride, despite any poor choices made along the way. My one true qualm is the ending just because it's entirely too abrupt imo but otherwise, I enjoyed it.

13) Insidious Chapter 2: In my review I mentioned it kinda felt like we were going through the motions with this one in comparison to the original but I do think it was still good. It felt like a proper way to end the story of The Lambert family (but then they just had to bring them back in The Red Door for a half-baked story) and at least there was an actual reason for why it felt like we were repeating things at parts. Patrick Wilson was good in the possessed scenes. Like, there were some flickers of Jack in The Shining imo so props to him for his performance. Also, they did a better job including the other characters like Barbara Hershey's and Specs & Tucker I think as well.

14) Totally Killer: As soon as I finished this movie I knew exactly where it was being placed because this was so fun. Very enjoyable to watch. The cast was great. Very funny and tongue-in-cheek just how I love my horror comedies. Kiernan Shipka was perfect as the lead and always excited to see Olivia Holt in anything. All the callbacks to Back to the Future made me very happy because they knew what they were doing. So yeah, this movie was made for me. lol

15) The Sacrament: In terms of enjoyment, this might not be high on people's lists but once again, maybe I was a target audience for it? That final act is quite grim but very effective. Especially because Ti West chose to use the found footage format. And I loved the reasoning for using it because it makes perfect sense for them to keep recording (the main characters being journalists) I genuinely don't mind that his movies lean towards a slowburner pace because it feels like there's a purpose to it. I did enjoy this a little more than The Innkeepers so I knew if either of Ti West's movies I watched this year was making one of the lists, it was gonna be this one.

16) I See You: Knowing what I know, I truly love how misleading that poster is cuz that was certainly a choice by the people behind it. lol That's all I'll say about that but yeah, this movie ended up being one of the surprise faves because I went in with the lowest of expectations. I went in completely blind and was glad for it cuz I worry the trailer reveals stuff. Very twisty little tale with clues thrown in there. Love when a movie can turn the narrative on its head and I can still appreciate it. And always cool seeing recognizable faces as well (Helen Hunt, Libe Barer, Sam Trammell & Judah Lewis for me) Might not be for everyone but this leans more for people who enjoyed their horror more grounded if you can believe it. lol

17) Ponytpool: There just was something really cool and unique about this concept. A zombie movie that doesn't feel like a one most of the time but is pretty effective in its execution for that genre imo. It takes place majorly in one location but they were able to accomplish a lot within that limitation. Stephen McHattie and Lisa Houle's chemistry was so good together, it honestly wasn't surprising to learn they're married in real life. It was definitely refreshing with how different it was.

18) The Frighteners: I just feel like this should be considered a 90's horror classic. It was fun enough. Michael J. Fox's last role as a leading man in movies. Horror icons Jeffrey Combs & Dee Wallace both hamming it up when they can. The effects were pretty solid too. Not to mention, it's the last of Peter Jackson's horror era. So, lots of notable things about it. I thought it was good. Definitely makes me excited to check out his other horror movies next year.

19) When Evil Lurks: Such a brutal watch. But the hype as it being considered the best horror movie from this year by some is very much deserved imo. Starts a little slow but once it gets going, I was down. It feels very unique with a lore that felt established. The gore is a lot to handle but it didn't feel excessive beyond what the story called for (I've seen a lot worse tbh) I just felt so bad for the main character obviously, because he truly was doing everything he could to save his family. Like I said, brutal. But I think it was great. It definitely had me. If you can't handle subtitles, I don't know what to tell you. But I will say besides the scenes where the lore is explained, it's not the hardest story to follow actually imo.

20) Talk to Me: Of course this was gonna be on here!! I'm glad this lived up to the hype for me. I would have been so sad if it hadn't. Especially since it's how I ended my Halloween night marathon. I just really loved the overall vibe of the whole thing and the cast was great. Sophie Wilde, you're a certified scream queen. You owned this movie. It deserves being labeled as the best of the year as well. I can't decide. lol Anyway, bring on the prequel and sequel! I'm ready for both.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Cobweb: I know this isn't a movie a lot of people would agree with probably because it has its issues I know but honestly, I actually almost put it as a fave originally. Just because when it got things right or it'd get scary, it definitely got me. There's a particular scene with Lizzy Caplan that had me in the fetal position ngl. lol But the messiness of the plot and me feeling not 100% on the appearance of the creature (not to mention it feeling very unfinished at the end), made it so I ultimately had to put it on the Honorable Mentions instead. But it was pretty memorable if nothing else.

2) Swallow: Horror fans would possibly come for me putting this one on here but hear me out, it is still a body horror movie. Just a very different take on that subgenre. And I just thought it was a good movie. Haley Bennett deserves all the praise. The cinematography is to die for. It had me squirming more than plenty of horror movies manage to so in that regard it definitely belongs in the genre imo. It was just a very interesting character study and is probably not a movie most people would expect to see on a list like this.

3) Phenomena: I wasn't sure if I was gonna put it on the list or not but I do think it was pretty good. Notable for being very different from Argento's stuff so I'm excited to watch more of his next year to see just how true that is. Now knowing that Jennifer Connelly was 15 in it makes me appreciate her performance more cuz I thought she was older. Very cool use of music and visuals. And ofc Inga the chimpanzee deserves a mention cuz aww.

4) Rings: Look at me putting a short movie on here but hey, say what you want, but what this thing managed to do in 17 minutes is still better than some of the full feature movies I watched for the challenge this year as far as I'm concerned. Some of the camera choices were interesting that dates it a bit but otherwise I think this was pretty solid. Continues to make me wish they had included in the final product of The Ring 2 but we move on. lol

5) Killer Klowns from Outer Space: It had to make the list!! lol It's just classic silly B movie fun. I don't care about any of the flaws. It was just as I was hoping it would be. It was peak 80's cheesiness in the best kind of way. I loved the design of the clowns and music. And those kills were beyond memorable with how out there they were. Cult classic I'm glad I finally watched.

(There were a few I debated on placing on here like The Good Neighbor or Hell House LLC Origins, maybe even Absentia cuz of Mike Flanagan bias or Saw X, but ultimately these are the 5 I decided that I simply couldn't leave off the list)

LEAST FAVE WATCHES:

Clock: This one was easy to place. It was one of the first watches to truly annoy me once I finished it because I hated that script. The concept could have been cool and I think Dianna did a nice job with what she had but that's about all my positives for it. There's some creepy moments in but they feel tacked on to make it fit the horror genre. Most of what this movie was going for fell flat for me.

2) The Strays: Sometimes I don't like feeling so critical of movies because I see what they're going for or it's not for me or maybe some of the acting isn't great but honestly, this movie was all three of those combined imo. So, clearly there was a reason for that and I gotta put it on here. It wasn't a very pleasant watch for me. There's a message behind it but it's done in such a messy way when it feels like it should be done with more care. Just cringey.

3) Wish Upon: When a protagonist annoys you so much that you're glad the movie is over. lol It's not Joey King's fault though, it's the script's. But seriously, when people you know are dying because of your wishes and then you keep making them even after realizing that, you lose me cuz what?? Selfish lol While the kills are kinda insane, I still managed to be bored. Nice cast wasted.

4) Quarantine: I decided to keep this section to 4 movies because there were so many duds I debated putting under it instead (and I wanted to save space for at least one image for the Couldn't Finish section). Basically, it was a hard year. Like, I did not like The Strangers at all but there's iconic moments for the horror genre in it. Insidious: The Red Door was a disappointment but I love the franchise & characters. Both Sara Snook movies that I watched I disliked, but she saved both of them with her acting. Skinamarink was an experimental film that just wasn't for me but I saw the merit in it. The list goes on. But this movie?? While it tries what it can to recreate the magic of the original, it's nothing but a carbon copy of it without any of the tension. [Rec] quickly became one of my favorite horror movies ever after my watch last year so I was feeling some type of way after I finished this so I'm choosing it for this spot. lol

COULDN'T FINISH:

So, this category is newer but I think it's a good one to have cuz it gives an idea of my limits with these watches. Sometimes I get bored, sometimes I get triggered, and sometimes I'm just too annoyed to finish. lol

Tell Me How I Die: One day I was scrolling through Tubi for something to watch and I saw Ginny's (Virginia Gardner) name and she just keeps popping up in these horror movies I end up watching. lol And there's some other familiar faces in it too (Nathan Kress from iCarly and Ryan Higa from YouTube fame) but goodness, this was bad. I actually did make it almost to the end but I decided not to count it because I stopped it before the credits. It was just dumb and lacked any tension whatsoever for me. Where was the logic for anything? That said, can't say I was surprised but I at least was hoping for a guilty pleasure watch but nope.

2. The Dive: I stopped this one early enough just because the similarities between this and 47 Meters Down was just too much for me from the jump. I couldn't get past it and the acting seemed like it was gonna be subpar anyway. So I don't really regret it.

3. Elevator Game: Another one where I didn't really make it too far past the opening scene just because this was screaming that it was gonna be cheesy. I was just not in the mood for it.

4. Terrifer: Don't ask me where I thought I would have the tolerance needed for this kind of thing. I just was morbidly curious how long I could stand to watch it. I know what's been said about these movies. But yeah, I actually made it farther than I thought I would but let's just say a certain hacksaw scene is the second I tapped out. I was stupidly eating at that exact moment and I immediately felt sick. Was already gonna stop it the second Art grabbed it but didn't stop it in time before I saw way more than I would have liked. Definitely not for me. lol

5. Halloween (2007): I've never really felt drawn to watching Rob Zombie's version of Halloween because it always felt pointless. Why try to recreate the classic? The slasher that really jumpstarted what that genre has become. And yet, he did it. I only turned it on because AMC was playing it and I figured I'd at least give it chance. I made it to about when he gets out of the mental institution and we see Laurie & her friends. It definitely upped the violence (the original shows no blood and still very effective) but where was the tension, Rob??? Like, it was non-existent. I was bored. lol

6. The Outwaters: I tried to watch this around the same time as Skinamarink to see if experimental horror really wasn't for me. The jury's still out for that subgenre as a whole but this one didn't really grab me either so I don't know. It was just very slow. I was at least able to get what Skinamarink was going for but I lost interest in this one pretty quick. I did hear the ending gets a little wild though so that's interesting.

And that's another horror challenge done! Spooky season may officially be over now but excited for next year's! Hopefully it'll be more successful than this one was though.

[kyouminaine]

Obediently Sephiroth followed Cloud's orders, although he still had trouble banishing the feeling that he was making the man do too much for him. However, he wasn't about to argue things as he knew from personal experience that trying to do so often ended up ugly and with him suffering the consequences long after the fact. Not that he honestly expected Cloud to do such a thing, but old learned behavior was very difficult to break for anyone, much less a kid.

The boy was pleasantly surprised when Cloud humored his question and even decided to answer him. Such a minor interaction was enough to get Sephiroth excited and eager to continue despite the biting sting of the needle biting into his flesh, although he barely seemed to react to the pain.

“I wonder what will happen whenever the project does end.” Specifically, the boy wondered about what would become of him as his whole life revolved around the project and he could hardly imagine his life without it. “But you think it'll really get a new name? Just like me?”

Sephiroth had only relatively recently been given a proper human name and that was mainly for the point of making him easier to identify by the rest of Shinra personnel. Professor Hojo had scoffed at the idea of doing so, but he had relented and done so even though he said the whole exercise was unnecessary and how they shouldn't be forced to 'dumb down' things for lesser minds. But regardless of what Hojo thought the boy had been excited by the prospect as it meant he was one step closer to being like a normal person.

Unaware of Cloud's bewilderment the boy responded to the blond's next comment, clearly not in the least bit uncomfortable with his state of undress. “I don't have access to materia. The department doesn't allow me to have it unless I'm deployed on a mission. Do you have some?”

@aonemanarmy

Cloud blinked at the teen when he admitted to not having access. For a moment, he thought the answer was absurd, and that Sephiroth should have easy access to materia, but then his gaze shifted to the wounds on the boy's body and immediately remembered. Sephiroth was yet to be seen as a powerful figure with plenty of privileges. He was just a teen. Leashed and treated like an animal.

How could he possibly have free access to materia and other resources when most of the personnel here didn't see him as human? He was an aberration that they didn't know how to handle, so obviously that meant he couldn't have any human rights.

Inwardly clicking his tongue in disgust, Cloud instead changed his thoughts to answering the question Sephiroth posed. "Yes. I don't have much."

It was something he never planned on keeping, but somehow it stayed with him. Maybe it was just for security, or maybe he was just a hypocrite, but he kept a curative materia on him.

Pulling back, he settled his weight on his heels. He studied the teen for a moment. He knew the consequences of using materia and what would result of it if overused, but the boy in front of him deserved better than a bit of antiseptic and stitches. In fact, Cloud should've thought to do this first.

"I'll get it." He pushed up to his feet and was about to turn when he paused ever so briefly in order to hand the boy a small towel. "Put it on your lap."

After that, he went to retrieve the materia he had hidden - he didn't need to attract more attention than he already did just by walking around with an unissued weapon - so that officials wouldn't catch it on him. With it in hand, he returned to Sephiroth.

"I'll do in phases." First, just enough to stop him from reopening the wound, then pull out the stitches, then finish healing him. That was probably the best way to do it.

Cloud sat down in front of Sephiroth again. "I should've done this to begin with," he muttered.

[felinemotif]

3, 12, 23, 27 from the book ask game pls? <33

3. what’s a book you were pleasantly surprised by?

nightbitch by rachel yoder! themes of female rage and capitalism and motherhood. a middle-class woman convinced she's turning into a dog. about 200 pages, witty.

i really wasn't sure what to expect from it; it was a purchased on a whim because i liked the title. surprisingly pleasant. 3.5 stars. end wasn’t as strong**

12. have you read books in more than one language?

yes, spanish and english! just depends on which the original language was between those two because meaning can be lost in translation and if i can, i like to read in the language the author wrote it. but there are some books that i have loved so much, i'll read it in both.

do swedish language textbooks count?

23. what’s your favorite book that’s been assigned for class?

i love frankenstein. i actually got a special edition paperback of it in the mail maybe a year ago? it's very pretty.

after reading it, i did a deep dive on the author's life. mary shelley was a very fascinating woman.

27. any “unpopular” book opinions?

...i judge books by their covers. if it doesn't have an interesting cover, it doesn't grab my attention the same way and i'm less likely to want a physical copy on my shelf.

if the book sounds interesting, i'll still read it; just on library loan or as an ebook.

also, i don't think everything needs a sequel or a series. some things are better as a standalone.

hmm... i don't think authors or their team should publicly respond to book reviews. i bought piper cj's debut novel the night and the moon before it was available in stores -- i was following her journey as an up and coming self-published author pretty closely because i found her 'rapid series release' to be an interesting approach (the night and the moon was written in, if i remember correctly, less than a week), and was happy to support her novel before it hit the shelves.

piper also talked a lot about how meaningful the book was to her, as she in a way came out to her family through them, which caused her pain (she was estranged from her family).

plus, it was said to be a sapphic fantasy that touches on childhood trauma-- all things i'm interested in.

this was a little while ago; i still haven't read it because the author and a woman later revealed to be her editor responded to a very politely worded 2 star review in a manner i felt was inappropriate. the editor attacked the reviewer and piper, the author, responded by mocking the books the reviewer gave five stars in the past.

totally insane behavior esp bc one of the books was about the columbine shooting.

piper did apologize on youtube after, and said she reached out to the reviewer but her and her editor's actions was the pushing point of so much harassment towards the reviewer that they had to deactivate their social account(s).

piper's marketing of the book was that she didn't send it out to publishers (she self-published and then later re-published) because she couldn't take rejection towards a story that was so personal to her, and one that caused her to lose her family.

it bums me out tbh; i was truly looking forward to supporting her series despite knowing that it would come with many errors and that it wouldn't be the most well-written thing i could read; i just wanted to support the author herself.

but her actions, though she hasn't repeated them since, really convinced me that authors and their publishing team should never respond to reviews, good or bad.

reviews are for the readers; authors can read them, but i don't think they should publicly discuss them.

sorry for the rant jaja bookish drama is something i enjoy digging into with some snacks and wine and in this case, i was there while it all went down.

talk books with me

[lonelier-version-of-you]

Well, Casualty tonight was excellent!! Apart from Faith Cadogan, of course, but that's the norm and I try to pretend she doesn't exist as a character at this point lol.

Jaye Jacobs and Charles Venn absolutely carried the episode, I think - Donna and Jacob are both always highlights of the week for me anyway, but their performances in this one were incredible.

Jacob's phonecall to Billie just about tipped the scales in favour of Jacob's storyline being the best part for me, though Donna's storyline almost won that title. I wasn't expecting Jacob to be as prominent this week as he turned out to be, so I was very pleasantly surprised! Yay for Jacob!!

Jacob continues to be one of the very best portrayals of a trauma survivor I've ever seen in fiction. I thought this ep wove his storyline in wonderfully, and a lot more than I expected it to. I thought he would mostly just get patient storylines and that would be it, so I was so happy they finally went back to discussing his trauma and even more so that they acknowledged his breakup with Billie. The scene where he and Iain were talking about it was fantastic, though it made me sad that he seemed to feel so guilty for how he talked to her. (Not saying it was okay, he definitely shouldn't have done it, but I really do get where it came from in regards to his trauma.)

I'm just... I'm just so glad Jacob exists, okay? I love him so much and he's very important to me. Sorry, I know I say that whenever I talk about him. Also, on that note, I thought the way he got that man to let Iain go was very clever on his part! He was so wonderful and kind all throughout this ep. :)

And I adored the last scene, when he called Billie to say sorry for how he'd treated her. That was just a beautiful scene (the parallel with Charlie's talk with Jacob back in May made it even more so). Jacob admitting and taking accountability for how he acted - that was great. Maybe next he'll even make that therapy appointment! I really hope he can find some healing and support and forgiveness for himself, he deserves it even if he thinks he doesn't. I think this was a positive step for him mentally and emotionally, and I'm glad of that. I hope his mental health/trauma storyline continues to be this good.

Also, I think Billie will be coming back after all, which I'm pleased about! I really like her as a character and she has wonderful chemistry with Jacob. I'm also very happy Jacob is now a fully-fledged paramedic, even if I'm still confused by him doing all the training in such a short space of time.

Charles Venn has really shown yet again why he's worthy of his Inside Soap Award nomination for Best Drama Star this year. Not only that, he'd be more than worthy of a win! :)

I loved Donna's scenes so much, and Jaye Jacobs was brilliant! Seeing Donna's kindness towards Ashley was just so nice. The scene with her and Ashley on the stairs was possibly the best moment of the episode to me (although Jacob's aforementioned phonecall comes so close).

I also think Donna's coming closer to telling the truth, which is good.

And they've aged Mia's character up a bit - Donna said Mia is 19, tonight, when she should be more like 17. That was odd. But I feel like it's going to end up being a Fredrik situation anyway (Holby made Fredrik younger and then reversed it less than a year later) so I'm not too bothered by it.

I hate Faith, and this week gave me even more reasons to. I don't want to waste too much time thinking/talking about her, but I'll just say... you know how I praised Jacob for taking accountability for his actions? Yeah, that stood out not only as a positive step for Jacob, but because it contrasts so massively with Faith - who is doing anything but.

What am I even supposed to say about all this? Faith saw a woman literally suffering from cancer and Faith's apparent only thought was "oh hey, I could tell Stevie I've got the same illness so she feels sorry for me and I can get away with anything!". There's something so awful about her not only lying about being seriously ill, but doing so for such a trivial reason.

I have so much sympathy for Stevie here - she's only recently got away from Marcus, and now she's basically being emotionally abused all over again. I hated seeing Faith gaslight and manipulate her like that.

I hope Stevie figures out what's going on and ends her friendship with Faith for good. Then Stevie can go be friends with Dylan instead. They could be like the Henrik/Jac friendship equivalent for Casualty.

Cameron being fed up with Ryan was nice, in part because I am also fed up with Ryan. Having said that...

I really liked the scenes with Ryan and his patient (did they ever say what his name was? I have to assume they did, but I didn't hear it). Those were cool, and I always love some good disability representation from Casualty!

Are Jodie and Cam going to get together? Only time will tell, but I'm curious now. On that note, I would've liked more Max and Jodie scenes this week.

So yeah, tonight was a good one for Casualty, and I'm thrilled about a potential Jacob/Billie reunion! Yay!