#i'm not happy about how episode 9 went but other than that i think i still like the show

[respectthepetty]

Well well well well!

I have seen you being asked about your fav TW BL dramas. but I’m here to ask about…… your top 10 (or however many you want tbh) BL thai dramas!

Teeheeheeee!!

Ps: can someone else pop up and then ask you too Korean BL dramas? *wink*

Anon, I think YOU will have to come back and ask about my top Korean dramas because after people see this list, they will realize how trashy I truly am and never seek a response from me again. I've already written about my Top GMMTV Actors, my Top GMMTV Pairs, and my Top Five Taiwanese BLs, but this requested list will really show people that I am a dumpster fire, so let me present my

Top Ten Thai BLs

Before I start, I need to list my personal preferences since I have watched over 150 Thai BLs (if not 200), with a third coming from within the past year and a half alone. A show must meet at least two:

Don't bury the gay (MANDATORY!)

Be gay. Do crime! aka "Eff the police" (literally or figuratively)

I'm a messy bi, and I'll cry if I want to

Adulting is hard like my sexual attraction for you

Vice Vers(a) - Flipping the norms and changing dynamics

Next, I need to establish some ground rules:

The series must have completed prior to June 1, so Step by Step, Be My Favorite, La Pluie and other running shows cannot be considered.

It had to be marketed as a BL, so 3 Will Be Free, The Warp Effect, and Great Men Academy cannot be considered.

I could only pick a pair once, so most of GMMTV shows couldn't be considered if I picked another show the pair was featured in.

It couldn't have hurt my queer feelings, so My Only 12%, Until We Meet Again, I Told Sunset about You, and 180 Degree Longitude Passes through Us were cut for rubbing salt in real-world wounds.

A third of the final list had to be BL shows that aired prior to 2022.

Narrowing it down with those two filters, here are a dozen shows that didn't make the cut with a brief reasoning:

The Eclipse - pair already picked

Triage - the gay died each time the clock reset

Ghost Host, Ghost House - not within my personal preferences

Never Let Me Go - aired in 2022. Sorry Jojo!

My School President - pair already picked

Secret Crush on You - aired in 2022

Bad Buddy - it knows what it did to me

Together with Me - pair already picked

Lovely Writer - not within my personal preferences

A Tale of Thousand Stars - pair already picked

Between Us - it knows what it did to me

My Ride - not within my personal preferences

One more thing before I give you the list -

Honorable Mentions

To Sir, With Love

I was raised on soap operas and telenovelas, so this lakorn was seventeen episodes of blissful drama, yet served one of the best pairings and family members of 2022. It was also a historical drama, so the ending being happy was unexpected, but much appreciated.

Destiny Seeker

All the shows on my list have color coding, but this show wins every color-coding award I can give. As a self-proclaimed color demon, this show fed my soul and my heart with its color exchange between two great characters who were just trying to unify the Pretty Boys and the Jocks in a tale as old as time, yet more colorful than ever.

Now, the actual list

Top Ten Thai BLs

#10 - Dark Blue Kiss

Pete and Kao went from a bit toxic in This Kiss series, to a solid couple trying to navigate the difficult situation of having one person in a relationship still in the closet. The reason was realistic as well - career. Kao coming out could have not only hurt his future, but his mother's job as well, and the socioeconomic difference between Pete and Kao was front and center during these discussions. Mix all of that with the addition of Sun and Mork and their dynamic of light enemies to lovers, and this ended up being a surprise favorite. It also had beautiful cinematography at a period when the production value of BLs was being elevated which is greatly due to director/screenwriter Aof and cinematographer Rath.

#9 - Big Dragon

If someone would have told me during the first episode that I would like love this show as much as I did by the end, I would not have believed it, but here I am, in love with this show. It started off with two idiots being at their peak toxic level, yet ended with the softest men in love. The cinematography was beautiful, Mangkorn and Yai had a natural chemistry when teasing each other, and the music was good, so good that I actually listened to the lead sing his love confession…twice! Mos and ISBANKY made me excited to see what else Star Hunter has in store, and that was a door I had closed long ago. Big Dragon 2 when?

#8 - Bed Friend

Much like Big Dragon, I showed up for a raunchy series about fuck buddies, but ended up witnessing two men work through trauma and showed that with support, healing is possible. King was the biggest green flag that has ever graced my screen, and the way Net's big brown eyes portray lust, love, and devotion is a skill that only matches James' embodiment of a sex kitten. I watched them in Catch Me Baby, but Bed Friend brought an entire new level of chemistry from them that balanced the heavier aspects of the show in a way that any other pair would have squandered. Because of NetJames, this show will remain in my tops for years to come, and makes me even more excited for Love Upon a Time.

#7 - You're My Sky

We, collectively, did this show dirty. As BL fans, we did not appreciate it enough, and still don't. Because it came out in 2022, a year stacked with excellent BLs, it was pushed to the sidelines when it should have been at everyone's top for any number of reasons like the pairings were solid (childhood friends, senior/freshman, pseudo-enemies to lovers), the plot was consistent, and the cinematography was beautiful. We have a few sports-related BLs which do a great job of discussing the connection between toxic masculinity and male-dominated sports, and although this series didn't lean all the way in, it gave us a glimpse of what men must sacrifice in order to be considered the best in such an environment, especially when it comes to love.

#6 - Not Me

Every character is shippable with every other character. That is the power of this series. Yet, because I’m petty, I’m still holding a grudge not about GramBlack (Eugene/Gene, really?!) BUT that ToddBlack did not happen! In a show that was queer in several aspects (marriage equality, society’s disapproval, found family, etc.), it was strange that it didn’t deliver on the Black front examining how power dynamics, socioeconomic inequality in regards to privilege, and performance of masculinity affect queer experiences (all possessed by the ToddBlack pairing), but what it did deliver was a great premise about fighting back against oppression (labor discrimination, educational gaps, monopolies), which is why even though the ending was shaky, it still deserves a top spot for existing.

#5 - KinnPorsche

As much as I wrote about this show, I’m shocked it isn’t #1, but sitting through the final episode’s credits believing what I believed about Vegas left me feeling a certain type of way that I’m still not over. It had all the elements I love: Be gay, do crime, messy tears, vice vers(a), and the cinematography was perfection. Symbolism and foreshadowing were intertwined into every scene, so watching each episode was an experience and the aftermath was devouring hours of meta analysis. This was the first series I was excited to watch live unmuted and at normal speed, and I liked each pairing, plus rooted for others who were never going to happen (Big & Chan, Khun & everyone), which made this a fun journey even after the final credits finished (World Tour, anyone?!).

#4 - Love Mechanics

I LOVE MESS, and this show gave me ten glorious messy episodes of the messiest mess. Much like the chokeholds VeeMark excelled out, this show had me by the throat (implication intended). I was shocked when it was announced En of Love: Love Mechanics would be remade and extended from four episodes into ten. I liked the original, but the basic plot (drunkenly having sex right at the beginning – how very Together with Me of them) did not sit well with me the first time around, yet once I saw the remake’s trailer, I WAS SOLD! Look at the angst! Look at the pining! Look at the chemistry! Look at the same steps and dorm from Together with Me! I could write forever about this show because it is better than the original, it was so similar to Together with Me that I had to squint to make sure it wasn’t, and the happy ending with Mark’s tears, although never doubted, feels like a personal win, which is why it was my number one of 2022.

#3 - Manner of Death

MaxTul own me. Every couple I watch gets compared to MaxTul and the chemistry they bring. Together With Me is a favorite, but when Manner of Death aired, it spotlighted the evolution of MaxTul in the most beautiful way imaginable. The dark plot of drug and sex trafficking was difficult for most, but both of these characters' commitment to finding the truth in their own way while taking on the ACAB attitude even towards the one police officer they did like was a buffet that just kept serving me. I was truly worried because of the nature of the show that a happy ending wouldn't be possible, but not only did the show end with vows being exchanged, but the promise of another season as well. TRANSPLANT WHEN?!

#2 - Moonlight Chicken

This was an adult show and toes the line of being truly queer media rather than a standard BL. I felt seen every time Jim sat silently examining his life and his choices. His hesitation to open his heart again to another person after being hurt in such a realistically queer way in a country that doesn't have marriage equality almost made me cut this show due to hurting my queer feelings. However, if I was willing to give up three pairs (FirstKhao -The Eclipse, GeminiFourth - My School President, and EarthMix - A Tale of Thousand Stars) for this one show, I knew it had to included. Aof working around the grief of losing a parent while examining gentrification and generational trauma all through a queer lens is a feat most would fail at, but this show shines, literally and figuratively thanks once again to cinematographer Rath.

#1 - He's Coming to Me

I must end where I began - Aof, the director and screenwriter, changed the Thai BL game with this one, and hasn't slowed down since, which is why two of his other pieces are in my top ten, and several others are featured in my short list. Cinematographer Rath has also made his mark on this list, and it all started with this one for me. No other BL series has stuck with me the way He's Coming to Me has. Not one element of this show doesn't work. It's cohesive. It's emotional. It's everything to me. I cannot give this show enough praise. It created a unique magic in eight episodes that hasn't left my heart for four years.

And probably never will.

Now, who wants to ask about Korea?

[bi-bard]

Misdiagnosis - James Wilson Imagine (House M.D)

Title: Misdiagnosis

Pairing: James Wilson X Reader

Word Count: 1,108 words

Warning(s): none that I'm aware of

Summary: [Season 4, Episode 9] After discovering he had misdiagnosed a patient, Wilson is left in a spiral of thoughts. (Y/n) tries to pull him out of it.

Author's Note: A while ago, I had a House MD OC. I deleted it because I wasn't happy with it. The planning was shaky, and I didn't really like the OC's storyline. So, I went back, I replanned it, and now we have a better House MD OC that I am much happier with. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

FIND MORE OF THIS OC BY CLICKING HERE

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

It wasn't common that Greg voiced his concerns to me.

Even when he did, he was never clear about them. He acted like he didn't care and was just making jokes about other people's misery. I could usually see through it.

So, when he came in joking about how James was going to be sued by a patient because the patient was going to live, I understood what he was saying.

"And why did you tell that patient that they had a solid case," I asked, folding my hands together and resting my chin on them.

He dramatically scoffed. "You think it's me?"

"You have very weird ways of intervening when you think someone is being stupid," I shrugged. "Plus, no lawyer would actually tell him that he had an actual case because he was going to live."

House sighed and plopped onto the chair on the other side of my desk.

"Now, why did you do that?"

"Because Wilson was being an idiot," he explained.

"More detail, please."

"He was going to pay that man because he gave that man good news."

"And now, you're here because you want me to go get him to agree with you?"

"Use your psychologist babble."

"You can't only acknowledge my job when you need me to do something."

"I can if I'm asking you to help our friend avoid becoming self-destructive."

"Self-destructive?"

"You won't know for sure unless you talk to him."

Greg pushed himself out of the chair and walked out of my office. I let out a huff and shook my head. He knew exactly how to get under my skin. Asshole.

I found myself outside James's office a little while later. I sighed before knocking on the door. He pulled the door open.

"How did one of you learn to knock and the other one sometimes climbs across to my balcony," James asked.

I just shrugged. He motioned for me to walk in. I took a moment to look out at the balcony once I had.

"You could put tinfoil along the top," I said. James had his eyebrows furrowed when I looked at him. "Like when you have a cat that keeps jumping onto your counter. You put tinfoil along the top and something about the noise spooks them."

"Are you comparing your brother to a cat?"

"It's probably the nicest thing I've compared him to."

James laughed and shook his head, going to walk back to his desk.

"Were you really going to pay a patient for giving him good news," I asked.

He paused, looking at me for a moment before speaking, "House sent you here?"

"He said you were becoming self-destructive," I replied. "Not that I really believe him, but I was very curious-"

"It was 6,000 dollars-"

"Why?" my eyes went wide.

"I... I gave him six months to live," he explained. "He needed the money after he sold his house. He had a trip to Venice planned! I... I wanted to help him."

"This is about the false positive patient?"

"Yes!"

I sighed. "Okay..."

"Don't psychoanalyze me."

"Your guilt surrounding your patients is unhealthy-"

"(Y/n)!"

"Listen to me," I stepped forward and leaned on the desk. "I can't say why, but I think you're feeling unnecessary guilt around events that aren't your fault."

"I gave that man the wrong diagnosis-"

"Because of a false positive," I replied. "At the end of the day, medicine is a field with very little control. I think your guilt is an attempt to control what you can't."

He didn't respond to that.

"I should know... I deal with the human psyche," I shrugged. "Even more variables than the physical body."

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Wrong diagnoses happen," I continued. "Sometimes they're completely out of our control. And sometimes they work out for the better, sometimes they don't. This last patient was one of the good outcomes, no matter how that man sees it. You cannot control the actions of another person when they believe that they are facing the end of their life or how they choose to handle learning that they aren't. You are not responsible for that. You are responsible for giving that man the correct diagnosis. That's it."

James continued looking at me for a moment before sighing and responding, "I see why Cuddy hired you."

"She does better with two voices of reason than one."

He grinned at me. I pushed myself back, so I was standing up straight again.

"So, do I still have to worry about you becoming self-destructive," I asked.

He scoffed. "I'm not the self-destructive one in your life."

"Yeah, but you're more willing to let people help you," I replied.

I opened my arms and waved him over. He raised an eyebrow at me. I just waved him over again.

He walked over and let me pull him into a hug.

"You're doing a good job, James," I muttered. "I promise."

"Thanks," he mumbled before stepping back and grinning at me. "You have no idea how much hearing that means to me."

I don't think I could've formed a good response to that statement. I don't know if there was one. Saying something like "you're welcome" risked the chance of looking egotistical. Trying to shrug it off could've looked ungrateful. No response felt like it was good enough.

I didn't have to worry about that for long.

I barely had a moment to overthink my response before James leaned over and pressed his lips to mine.

I leaned back a few seconds later out of complete shock.

"I... I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I... I don't know why I did that-"

"It's okay," I stopped him. I started walking toward the door. "Really, it's fine. Just fine. I just... I have a lot of work to do. This was meant to be a quick visit. I'll... I'll see you later."

"(Y/n)-"

"I'll see you later," I repeated before leaving and closing the door behind me.

I looked around, feeling like everyone knew what happened or could easily figure it out by looking at me. I shook my head. Spotlight effect. I knew that.

"Shit," I muttered to myself before running my hands over my face and starting to walk back to my office.

It wasn't that the kiss was bad. It was the exact opposite. It was perfect. That was the problem.

It felt like years of friendship were teetering very delicately on a rope and whatever happened in James's office tried to push it off. And I couldn't tell if I would've been upset but that idea or not.

And that terrified me.

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[canonicallyobserving911]

Buck coming to terms with his sexuality.

I can't help but compare it to what happened with Darryl in Crazy Ex Girlfriend. After his divorce he threw a party cause he was lonely and missing his daughter (they have a good relationship, I think she was at camp or her mom's I can't remember) where he invited some new friends over. He spent the whole party talking to White Josh who kissed his cheek at the end of the night, after he stayed to help him clean up. Cue his Bi awakening

He asked White Josh out on a date where they wouldn't run into anyone they know and his reaction was basically "Listen I'm happy for you coming to terms with who you are and figuring yourself out but I'm not going back in the closet" he was respectful about it and didn't make Darryl feel like shit just cause he was still closeted.

Compare this to Toad who made Buck feel bad for needing time and ditched him. If he hadn't acted like a dick at the restaurant and taken Buck home and left the night saying "Listen I get that this is new for you but I don't want to hide who I'm dating. I'm out of the closet and I'd like to keep it that way" and left it at that he wouldn't have been in the wrong. But he was purposefully written that way.

White Josh and Darryl went on to date and I didn't watch s4 so I don't know if they were endgame but I loved their relationship cause even though White Josh's feelings were hurt by Darryl not wanting to be out he didn't attack Darryl for it. Unlike Temu who abandoned Buck.

Thank you @chaoticcoffeequeen for the ask.

Since I'm not familiar with the TV show "Crazy Ex Girlfriend" that you mentioned at the start of your ask, I'm not able to provide any insight on it.

However, I am familiar with 9-1-1 and I have several issues with T*mmy Kinard dating Buck and it started with the fact that HE KNEW Buck wasn't trying to get his attention. It was obvious by his response he knew when he asked, "My attention?" Seriously, he could have owned up to it then and offered to be a friend to Buck instead of another love interest. Why would anyone want to be in a whatever they're doing while actively knowing they want to be with another person? It doesn't make any sense to try and build something when the other person is in love with someone else. Even though everyone perceives and interprets media differently, it should have been clear to anyone watching that 9-1-1 was being VERY LOUD AND INTENTIONAL in having Eddie Diaz (the love of Buck's life) be at the center of everything in 7x4 along with Buck constantly referencing Eddie and Chris and how he felt like he was being replaced in their lives by T*mmy along with how he felt left out since Eddie had moved on.

From the start of the episode, T*mmy was completely dismissive, rude and most of all he was an asshat towards Buck. He seemed to be annoyed by him and it continued throughout the second half of the season. IMO, since T*MMY COULDN'T GET EDDIE, he decided to see where things with Buck could go which made Buck be the consolation prize! Buck's hardly ever been anyone's first choice unless they wanted to have sex with him or use him to get what they wanted, i.e. Margaret and Phillip wanted Daniel not Buck so they had him created so he could save their other son while completely ignoring him. And I don't believe that season 6 smoke screen the show threw up for the audience to give the Buckley parents an undeserved redemption. Then there was Chase MacKey who used Buck so he could sue the city and get a payout. Connor's no different since all he wanted was Buck's sperm and when he got it and they had the baby, they dipped.

Buck's not celibate (at least he hasn't said he is in CANON) so it would have been different if they established that's all they would be to each other so Buck wouldn't be clinging to someone who doesn't want him which is no different than the things he's done for the past 7 years. Everyone who knows Buck, fully understands he wants to be in love and he's wanted it ever since he clung to Abby even though she saw him as nothing but a boytoy.

Another thing that irks my soul about T*mmy is the fact that he's always talking about how jealous he is of Buck because he acts like he's still in 5th grade and is jealous that Buck got to go to recess and he didn't. T*mmy's a grown man who should be settled and secure in who he is and what he has to offer someone but he acts immature and the words that come out of his mouth contradict his persona. For example, the comment he made about Buck's loft being so nice when he first walked in. I mean let's be real for a minute because T*mmy spends his money on BS and it's evident he does when he walked in and was looking around like he was at the Getty Museum or the Griffith Observatory. He even said he was working at the wrong location which is ridiculous since he used to work at the 118 and he got a job promotion. This guy operates helicopters for a living now and he had been on the job at least a couple of years before Chimney started since he wasn't a probie in 2x11 or 2x9. In 6x1, Hen told Bobby she had been on the job for 12 years and she arrived after Chimney so T*mmy's been with the LAFD for at least 15 years which makes him older than some people want to believe but I digress.

My point is he makes more money than all of them but he dresses like he shops at bargain basement and discount stores and his clothes look kind of tacky. I've always considered him to be the Wal-Mart version of someone but definitely not Eddie Diaz because Eddie is Cartier and Giorgio Armani to T*mmy's Dollar Tree/Dollar General. Eddie's quality to T*mmy's cheap ass. Buck's a good dresser, he always has been (well until he started wearing those too little clothes in season 6) but I think that had more to do with the way he was trying to force himself into a family or families that weren't his (related posts linked here and here). Anyway, T*mmy makes enough money to afford anything he wants but he spends it on BS like car lifts, bars, fight tickets and other nonsense and since he doesn't have any kids, there's no excuse for him to be jealous over Buck's ability to live in a nice loft and him buying expensive clothes.

Before he kissed Buck, T*mmy literally courted Eddie but Eddie was completely oblivious to it. But when he started doing whatever the "F" he's doing with Buck, he hasn't taken him on one helicopter ride or anything. All they've done, other than that failed date and the coffee whatever, is stay inside of Buck's loft just like Buck did with Ali, Taylor and Natalia. The only time he took Taylor on a date was before they started officially dating when he was trying to get help for Sue in 4x11 and he took Natalia to a bar when Lucy popped up out of nowhere but the other times, they were entombed inside of his loft.

Eddie and Buck have had two official dates, one in 6x13 when they went to play poker and the second one when they partied like it was 1999 in 7x6 when they were dressed up like Crockett and Tubbs from Miami Vice (related post linked here).

T*mmy knew Buck wasn't interested in him, therefore, IMO, he should have admitted that instead of going along with it especially after he sat there and listened to Buck wax poetic about Eddie for several minutes. Also, I believe all Eddie talked about was Buck while they were in the helicopter and in Las Vegas.

Honestly, T*mmy is no different from Buck's other love interests because all he wants from him is one thing, his "Firehose" and that's it. He doesn't listen to Buck and he kind of acts like he's annoyed by him the same way Abby, Taylor and Natalia did.

I'm so tired of the show giving Buck these lackluster love interests who don't care about him and for those who want to say T*mmy does care about Buck... I'm here to say you're wrong because he doesn't. If T*mmy's actions are loveable then I'd hate to see what he's like when he's being a jerk because if he really cared, he would listen to Buck and stop talking about how jealous he is of him and he'd try to develop an emotional connection but he's so dry and unfunny, he's not capable of it.

This got way longer than I intended and I suppose I'm still pissed at how season 7 was handled for Buck and Eddie. Eddie's "Vertigo" storyline ended up being a dumpster fire and Buck being bothered and bewildered ended with the BTs caring more about Buck kissing a man than they do about the epic love story the show has been telling for the last six years between Buck and Eddie.

Thanks again for the ask.

I ONLY SHIP BUDDIE!

DO NOT REBLOG THIS IF YOU HAVE AN OPPOSING OPINION ABOUT BUCKT*MMY AND/OR T*MMY KINARD. I DON'T LIKE BT BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP AND I DON'T LIKE TK BECAUSE HE'S A RACIST AND A BIGOT.

THE ASK WAS SENT TO ME AND I RESPONDED TO IT THE WAY I WANTED TO. SO... IF YOU LIKE BT OR TK, CREATE YOUR OWN POST ON YOUR OWN BLOG OR ELSE GET BLOCKED LIKE THE HUNDREDS OF OTHERS I'VE BLOCKED SINCE 7X4 AIRED.

[dean-is-love]

My thoughts on 9-1-1 and why I started watching

So, I've been seeing 9-1-1 on my dash for some years now. After the Supernatural fandom died down a bit in late 2021-2022, Eddie and Buck started showing up on my dash more and more. Frankly, I didn't really care so much, it was around the time I stopped actively blogging on tumblr.

In early 2024 I was back on tumblr occasionally, checking in with what was trending from time to time - now i'm on here almost daily again - and i saw that 9-1-1 was trending. I vaguely remembered that it was something about firefighters but didn't really pay attention to it.

Then posts started appearing on my dash about Buck coming out as bisexual in season 7, which I thought was amazing. As a bisexual person myself, I really love when there is bi representation in media, and coming out stories are really close to my heart because they helped me so much with figuring out my identity when I was younger.

I was skeptical at first because I thought it was just a one off mention kind of thing - like these things usually are - that maybe he was more of a side character.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that it was a multiple episode thing, that he was actually dating a man - I'll tell you my thoughts about Tommy later in this post - AND that he was one of the main characters of the show.

I knew about Buddie and knew that the fandom would probably be equally as happy and divided about this development.

Because I was procrastinating on my exams HARD and was sick of watching random youtube videos I decided to start watching 9-1-1 to get context for Buck's coming out and hopefully enjoy the show and the shipping while I was at it.

My first surprise was Buck actually being a main character. I think because of how I have usually seen people come out - or rather not come out - in other shows, I was pleasantly surprised.

It's the kind of thing where you can theorize a character being bisexual, but you know the writers are just queerbaiting/never intend to make them actually bi. Characters who are bi in these kind of drama shows are usually bi from the start, if that makes sense.

An example that comes to mind is Magnus from Shadowhunters. He was bi from the beginning, there was no big plot about him coming out - it was just a fact. There are many examples for writers never going through with it, but it's obvious that they are intentionally writing it - two examples are Dean Winchester and Stiles Stilinski.

I have no clue what was going on behind the scenes of this show and I'm not that deep in the fandom (because I don't want to get spoilers for the later seasons), but the fact that Buck didn't start out as a character that they meant to make bisexual from the start is what means the most to me.

I think the early seasons have almost no clues to his bisexuality (i'm on season 3 as i'm writing it).

There is queerbaiting with Eddie and Buck and I think that is pretty obvious from the end of season 2. I think it started in the last episode of the season, when someone was livestreaming and comments about them being cute together popped up in the chat. After that their friendship was suddently more and more in the spotlight.

Knowing now that they -partially- went through with it and actually made Buck bisexual, I don't mind it as much as I would have without knowing.

I really enjoy the representation on this show, it feels more natural to me than other shows I've seen recently.

That being said, I need to talk about Tommy.

Disclaimer he has been in maybe 3 episodes so far so please don't crucify me if I get something wrong about him.

Piecing together information from my dash before watching the show, I had reached the conclusions that Tommy was a) a pilot b) probably a character that was newly introduced in season 7 to date Buck and then disappear forever.

The second conclusion, as sad as it is, is simply how gay characters are treated in these kinds of shows (I mean it happened to Glen in season 2).

So imagine my surprise when Tommy showed up in Chimney's flashback episode. This was honestly huge for me. And yes, he is a side character, at least for now. But I do think that two established ("straight" - the other firefighters mention Tommy's girlfriend) characters getting together is amazing.

I love that they didn't pair up Buck with someone random and instead have him date someone who is already on the show, and has been for a while.

And okay, it isn't Eddie, but if the writers have the balls to go through with Buddie, hats off to them.

But I personally think Buck+Tommy is amazing too, and I'm really excited to get to season 7 to see it all unfold. (I do have a soft spot for Tommy)

I hope that watching so many cheesy speeches about family will pay off in the end, and that I can enjoy the bi Buck storyline to its fullest once I get to it.

[akinmablog]

Nautilus thoughts and minor episode 10 reaction (Spoilers, obviously)

ILOVEITILOVEITILOVEIT

It was more than I ever hoped for

I adore that it really is an origin story for Nemo. He's different from who we know him to be because he's yet to become that man, but there are moments when we see him beginning.

I am so happy that Humility wasn't some useless British lady which was admittedly one of my biggest fears for the show. She has a brain and opinions and heart and is just lovely.

I know that they're setting Nemo and Humility up for their romance, which I am all for, but I gotta say Kai and Loti have won my heart right now. He is an adorable malewife and she is That Bitch.

I did not expect what they did to Aadesh. Had me on my toes the whole time because of it.

I feared for Archie's wellbeing the entire time, not gonna lie

Blaster is just adorable and I will hunt down Lord Prat - Oops, I mean Prit - if it's the last thing I do.

Creepy Crawley, you're gonna catch these hands.

Jagadish, Benoit, I will never forget you! *sobs*

What is up with Jiacomo? Where was he from? I know he was an asylum patient, but there's obviously more to it than that. Was it electroshock therapy? Even lobotomised, possibly? Either way, I loved him!

Suyin is Mother and no one will hurt her babies! (If anything happens to her, I will riot)

Turan. Oh, Turan. From his bad poetry to his romancing a weird sea insect queen, he is just adorable.

Ranbir you went through so much, sweet boy, let me give you a hug.

Boniface, firstmate of the Nautilus, you are a great and wonderful man and I hope you find your brother, you sweet little cupcake!!

Cuff, I don't trust you after what you did!

Youngblood seems okay so far but I am keeping my eyes on you, captain!

Billy? Billy?! BILLY!!!!

The cricket scene was brilliant. I just wish we got to see them beat up the other crew more.

The fight scene in episode 9 was awesome. I loved seeing the Norse characters have their own little story arc, too.

"I'm gonna burn the whole damn company to the ground." SWOONING SOMEBODY CATCH ME.

"This is about bringing down the company." YES RANBIR!

"Not quite nothing." That's my boy, Turan!

Nemo hiding in plain sight as Crawley thinks he's got the upperhand? Oh, Nemo, stop making me fall in love with you!

Using gossip and slander as a weapon? Oh, this is good. Too good.

The whole montage in episode 10 was brilliant. So well done.

Jerico Baker jumping in to buy the mine made me giggle.

Oh my god, he was in on it! So clever. Captain Nemo, you devil you.

BYE CRAWLEY WON'T MISS YOU

Not the man's wig falling off, how embarrassing

Girl, good for you! Even if I am officially jealous.

Blaster's reaction to the kiss lmao

We should - We shOUlD - Humility, same.

"I care for you. More than I know how to tell you." MY HEART!

The final confrontation was wonderful.

GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER YOU GIANT PRAT! KICK HIS ASS LOTI!

"That's my girl." DAMN RIGHT LADIES!

I swear to god, Crawley, you and me - outside - right now!

YOUNGBLOOD! NOOOOO! I WAS SO WRONG TO DOUBT YOU!

He did it for Blaster. He did it for Nathaniel!

YOUNGBLOOD! NATHANIEL! RANBIR!

"Thank you, Mr Harris." Oh look now I'm heartbroken.

Oh, Kai. The worse thing is that he knows, on some level at least, that Nemo is right and that's what's really heartbreaking.

Aww, Loti and Humility. That's my girls!

Wait, is that - are they - is he - OH MY GOD!

A CLIFFHANGER? IT ENDED ON A CLIFFHANGER? (I was warned about there being a cliffhanger, FYI) BUT A CLIFFHANGER!!! *aggressively shakes laptop*

My beautiful ocean-based found family I love you and I miss you all already!!!

[monarchisms]

dogbark, in both concept and execution, is just so interesting to me. i think the trailer they uploaded before they started making content regularly was a bad way to showcase their ideas of what they wanted to make for the channel, precisely because those ideas weren't solidified yet. and honestly, i believe the trailer becomes a bit worse the more the crew finds their footing in more recent content

personally, the trailer generally represents dogbark (and parts of achievement hunter before it ended, rip) with its weaker qualities. overly edited with jumpcuts and some louder, goofy-ass sound effects sprinkled in that makes it harder to focus on the video itself. outside that video, everything else on the channel that has someone saying a curse word is inexplicably bleeped out on their site and youtube. with the channel being newer, i don't know if they have a specific target audience in mind, since those that came from AH have long adapted to their crude humor, but they may not vibe with what dogbark does because it feels more childish in comparison. it's like watching someone go through an identity crisis with how the group don't know what they want to be lol

i stuck around beyond the initial video because i know these guys are funny, having watched AH for almost 9 years up until everything with matt went down. i think their chemistry is strongest with live action videos that have little to nothing to do with improv sketch comedy. i'm more than happy that they're seemingly focusing on that more in the last month. the gameplay videos also get better over time, but that's a given, seeing that that's what their previous jobs were. the dogbark boys aren't strangers to improv, with or without video games as a jumping off point. the problem is that they seem to be so inexperienced with this type of comedy they spent so much of the channel trailer focusing on

like, the improv content is the one thing that's stayed more or less the same since day 1, imo. the green screen improv videos i have found myself enjoying thoroughly are the ones that aren't exclusively michael, trevor, alfredo, and/or joe, weirdly enough. any other friend/rt employee with any combination of the dogbark boys feels more natural to me since they can explore more unique scenarios and have some new, fun dynamics to explore. with just the db crew themselves, it has the same energy as a high school improv group who just started taking classes. it's most likely fun to be a part of, but not necessarily fun to watch at a consistent rate

i wish i had more positive things to say about their other content that i do enjoy for a fairer opinion. however, the stuff i want to see more of like their podcast beyond episode 1 is first-exclusive (why???), which is bizarre for a new channel, but there's nothing i can do about it. that's why i come here to complain <3

[ranbling]

So I've decided to rank the episodes from s7, and here are my list

1. Step Nine, best episodes of this season hands down! Bobby's backstory was already tragic and the writers just love to make him suffer

2. Abandon Ships, also an iconic episode, started the season with a bang, its a shame it went downhill later on. Showcased the team's dynamic in its finest, had great moments for everyone!

3. Rock the boat, Athena and Bobby were perfect in this episode, loved seeing them being badasses! The 118's storyline was good to, but I dislike how they played out the councilwoman storyline later

4. Capsized also iconic, all episodes of the cruiseship arc were great! The banter between Lola, Norman and Julian was soo funny and I wanted Julian to stay on the show. Bobby and Athena were great, I loved that Hen decided to rescue them, I need more of her and Maddie!! Still kinda mad that we didn't get Lucy

5. Ghost of a second chance, it was an okay episode, Maddie and Athena working together is always great, I loved the scenes between Maddie and Chimney. Bobby carrying the baby while Amir is watching them was also great! I loved the moment between Buck, Eddie and Chris, my only complaint about the episode is that it introduces Kim

6. There goes the groom, I wasn't totally happy with this episode, I wanted the Madney wedding to actually focus on them, but Doug had more screentime than Maddie :/ loved Chimney's parts (also the Buck and Eddie moments in the beginning). Maddie and Chimney deserved to have their dream wedding, not this

7. You don't know me, the only saving grace of this episode is Mara! I love her and the Wilson family! Also the moments between Maddie and Eddie and Buck were good, but the Marisol's nun storyline and the date ruined it for me

8. Buck, Bothered and Bewildered. Nope, i disliked this episode, it wasn't the 100th episode I wanted. Buck being confirmed as a bisexual is the only good think about it, but I hate the way how they did it. I wanted the episode to focus on the 118, maybe a BBQ at Bathena's place. They brought Harry back, but acted like he disappeared after this episode.

9. Ashes, Ashes... Only thing I liked was the converstation between Buck and Eddie which showed us how well they understand each other and Ravi being back for a minute. I hate the councilwoman and Mara being taken away storyline, how Bobby said goodbye to everyone because he wanted to kill himself, Kim showing up cosplaying as Shannon and Bobby getting a heart attack

10. All fall down. This episode was a mess and not in a positive way. I'm happy that Mara is with Madney, but thats it. The pacing was weird, the order of the scenes made no sense (looking at the date scene) and everything was super predictable.

[simslegacy5083]

Not So Berry (Straud Descendants) Gen 9

Today's (8/23/2024) Episode: Gaming and Goodbyes

As everyone settled down for dinner after Skye aged up, Luigi snagged a seat across from Jade and wasted no time launching into 20 questions. 

"I'm one of the only sims around here who believes in The Watcher" he told her, "other than some real crackpots on the internet anyway." He shuddered. "So, what's it like for you, living under their direct influence? My Papa always said The Watcher could control just about anything but if that's true the one around here has a sick sense of humor!"

He then went on to describe some of the many misfortunes that had befallen him and Noemi in the past.

"Oh…my…that's a lot " was all Jade could think to say when he'd finally wound down. Well, Isra did warn me… she thought before responding.

"I don't think our Watcher controls everything. For example, my mom's friend Summer died quite unexpectedly recently, it was really hard on her. Being a legacy family may mean The Watcher keeps a closer eye on us, but in general more crazy things happen when we're around, not less!" 

"Do you know the legacy family here?" she asked "Isra and Par haven’t heard of one, but I thought The Watcher had favorites in every nation.”

"Well, actually…" Luigi began, before Noemi cut him off. "No. We've never heard anyone even mention a legacy family." she said, glaring at him. 

Jade could tell she'd stepped in something with her question, though she wasn't sure what. Now more ready than ever to extract herself from the awkward conversation she rose "It was nice chatting with you, but I think I'm going to go inside and get out of this heat for awhile."

"Hey! If we’re going inside, I’ll fire up the gaming console and start the real fun.” Rhys said. "Anyone else ready to join us?”

“You know that’s my jam." Luigi stood too, causing Jade to suppress a groan. At least if we’re playing he’ll stop talking so much! she thought.

“My foot has a prior appointment with Darth’s ass," Beau chimed in “Just give me a minute to visit the bathroom for the hundredth time today first." 

After a great session of gaming with the chatty e-sports pros Jade was almost sorry to see them off at the end of the night. “It was great to meet you, kid” Luigi told her. “Sorry about all that doom and gloom earlier. I have a tendency to get wrapped up in myself, but you were a trooper about it, and a pretty good video gamer to boot! If you decide to explore a career in E-Sports look me up, I can introduce you to some people.”

“I’ll do that” Jade fibbed, trying to be nice despite having no interest in becoming a professional nerd herself. “It was nice to meet you too.”

“Luigi, I know you believe yourself to be a legacy heir the same as Jade's sister and mother do, but we both know that isn't a "thing" here." Noemi reminded him once they’d returned home. "I thought we agreed we were going to keep that little piece of Lawbourne lore to ourselves." 

Luigi sighed "I know. I just got so excited meeting someone from another legacy; I got carried away. Thank you for reining me in, as usual."

"Happy to do it" she chuckled “now, how about you get Skye to bed while I get started on my latest side project? This one wants all their phone icons updated to penguins! The things sims come up with to do with technology…"

"Thank you again, so much, for having me. I had a blast!" Jade gushed the following morning. "I've got the pictures we took, the gifts you made for everyone, and your donation for Sims United in my inventory. I'm sure everyone will love them." 

"It was so wonderful to see you again" Wren smiled "I'll be stalking you on social media; I can't wait to see those graduation photos!"

Isra chimed in, “All Elyse wanted to talk about this morning was how much she loved hanging with "silly Auntie J!“, making Jade blush happily.

"I'll be sure to send along any fun kid appropriate memes I find for you to share with my little nieces and nephew.“ After one final hug and kiss she headed towards the teleporter that would take her home, her family watching her retreating back until she blinked out of sight.

Once Jade had disappeared back to her homeland Isra’s quietly weeping par buried their face in her shoulder and whispered, “It was wonderful to see her, but so hard to watch her go.”

“I know” Isra agreed “You want to come home with me and give your grandbabies a snuggle?"

Wren nodded, grateful for Isra’s loving support as they stepped out into the warm paradise of a sunny Sulani day.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[dr-futbol-blog]

The Defiant One, Pt. 9

In Miller's Crossing (S04E09), John Sheppard talks a man into killing himself. He does this for Rodney (but also for himself, because he simply can't stand the thought of losing him; it is both a thoroughly selfless act and an utterly selfish one). He sacrifices the life of a man who did some terrible things for a pure motive -- in an attempt to save someone that he loved, his dying daughter.

Sheppard can't admit it, most of all to himself. So he tells Rodney: "I presented a situation. He volunteered."

A similar thing happens here, although it is never McKay's intention for it to happen. He -- his actions, his words, his growing agitation -- presents Brendan Gaul with a situation, and he volunteers. Sheppard and McKay both put the gun into his hand, and he turns it in on himself. He is in pain, to be sure. Believes that he is dead anyway, and becoming more and more a burden. He feels his life-force draining away by the moment. But still. Here, Rodney McKay talked a man into killing himself. For Sheppard.

It's not what he says, it's the way he speaks about him: "What I really wanna do is call him on the radio, but I'm afraid if he's hiding from the Wraith, I might inadvertently give away his position, and let's face it, what chance do we have against the Wraith if Sheppard can't take him out? I was hoping to be strong enough, then I..."

The thing is, while Brendan was in pain and dying, his decision seems to have been motivated not just by the desire to let his old friend McKay off the hook, but for McKay to get his happily ever after. Just before, they have this exchange:

McKay: It's been too long. I think the Major could be in trouble -- and if he's in trouble, we're in trouble. Gaul: Then go. McKay: You figure you can move? Gaul: Not a chance. I'm not going anywhere. McKay: OK. That's OK. Gaul: Go. Rodney, just go! Save the day.

Save the day, get the girl.

This echoes Sheppard's sentiments in the previous episode: save the city, save Weir and McKay, take the rest of the day off.

In the final season, we see many instances of this: people willing to sacrifice their own happiness, even their own lives, for the chance that someone they love might be able to have a modicum of happiness. I'll get to the many mirrors to the main story later but obviously the biggest example of this is Sheppard himself, willing to sacrifice everything (and by everything I mean unfathomable things) just to give Rodney a chance at something that he thinks might make him happy. Rodney getting his happily ever after is more important to him than his own life.

And here, Brendan makes that choice. He doesn't think he's going to survive anyway, so he might as well help Rodney save the day and get his guy. There is not a doubt in my mind that Brendan hadn't realized by this time that McKay's agitation over Sheppard's well-being went well beyond the regular. Listening in on them, he might well even have come to the conclusion that Sheppard returned those feelings. They are so obvious that literally everyone else can see what they can't, even when it's right before their eyes.

The events of the Genii siege had reminded Sheppard that his love will get people close to him killed, and hence it is better not to let anyone get close. Brendan seems to have thought of himself as a roadblock, something that kept McKay from getting to where he wanted to be but taking such drastic measures, he actually made himself into an obstacle -- ensured that his death would be looming between these two for a good while.

McKay doesn't think that his love is poison. He thinks that his love is worthless. Here, Brendan's actions reinforce that belief; he sacrificed a lot to stay back with his friend, to take care of him, but in the end, it wasn't enough. His compassion and devotion weren't worth staying alive for. No matter how much he does for other people, he can never do enough. No matter how much he accomplishes, he can never accomplish enough to earn love (because he thinks that it is something that is earned through good behaviour and the correct performance and flawless execution of tasks). It is through acts of service that he expresses his love and sincerely believes that if he could only do enough, one day he might be worth someone's love.

Doing things is also his way of avoiding his emotions, just as self-isolation is for Sheppard. He actually confesses this to Zelenka in This Mortal Coil (S04E10), "That's one of the perks of the job. Something terrible happens, you don't have enough time to dwell on it ‘cause you're too busy trying to stop the next terrible thing from happening. Seriously, if it wasn't for the Replicators and their plan to wipe out every human in the galaxy, I'd be in pretty bad shape right now."

Beyond some disturbing anecdotes, we don't really learn that much about McKay's childhood but I would bet dollars to doughnuts that this stems from losing his mother at a young age, possibly to slowly progressing disease (McKay's last words before the gun goes off here are "I was hoping I would be strong enough..."; it is easy to transfer the sentiment for a young boy's words to a dying mother). This kind of a traumatic event often causes estrangement in siblings and embitterment in the surviving parent. By the the next episode and definitely toward the end of the season we learn that he and his sister are estranged and can infer that by this time, both of their parents have passed. She is the only family he has left, and indeed it seems like most people chosen for the mission have minimal ties to earth.

Of course it is dramatic irony that McKay's feelings of unworthiness for love would increase at the same time that Sheppard is beginning to open up and let someone closer, to learn that he doesn't have to be alone, that he doesn't have to save the world alone when there are such heroes as Rodney McKay in it. Of course it has to be this way. Their journey is only just beginning, after all.

Outside, we find Sheppard talking to himself again. This is obviously for the benefit of the audience, as watching the strong silent type doing stealthy commando stuff can carry an episode only so far. But we can interpret it as Sheppard's need to communicate. He really wants to have that link to McKay, wants to at least hear his voice on the radio if he can't have him near. But it was he himself that told Rodney to stay off the radio, and he doesn't to open it back up again just to tell McKay that he's still here, still failing at the one task he needs to succeed which is to keep him safe. He doesn't want to contact McKay until he can approach him with the all-clear, come pick ya up.

He also doesn't know how badly McKay wants him to get in touch. How some of the final words he spoke to Brendan were "What I really want to do is contact him on the radio". Neither of them realizes how much the other needs them.

Ford and Teyla are finally able to contact Sheppard. He sounds so relieved to hear from them because back-up means not that they might defeat the wraith, not that he might be able to get to the jumper, but that he might be able to keep Rodney safe, because all of the other things were meant to accomplish that aim. But alas, his relief is short-lived:

Sheppard: Lieutenant, I like your timing! Get your ass down here. Ford: Sir, we're still two-zero minutes away at top speed. Sheppard: Well, in that case, your timing sucks! Get here as soon as you can.

Note that Sheppard is not performing military for the young soldier under his command, he's not using military parlance even though that is how Ford approaches him, and it would probably be the way Ford wishes Sheppard behaved toward him (because the hierarchy and code of conduct exist for a reason, after all). Sheppard just has such problems with authority that he can't put up the performance, especially when he's the one that is supposed to be the authority. This is relevant both to his sudden use of military parlance with Dr. Gaul earlier, and his responding McKay with "Negative" instead of "No".

Sheppard and the wraith are shooting at each other, and it seems like the Major might be done for. It's interesting how his last resort is an answer to the here unspoken question "What would McKay do?", which is something he also used to motivate himself in the previous episode in which he actually said the words out loud. Here, he just does the thing he thinks McKay would do in this situation -- which is to say, try to project invaluability, make it seem like the wraith needs to keep him alive to perform a task that cannot be accomplished without him. He shouts to the wraith: "You need me to get off this planet. I'm the only one that can fly that ship."

Again, this is a bold faced lie. Sheppard feeds lies to his enemies, this is what he does. He started by lying about the war, about being Lantean himself, all of it. Lying and subterfuge are weapons he uses against his enemies.

Note also that while he's doing the thing he thinks McKay would have done in this situation, he's protecting Rodney at the same time, as we began the whole episode with him teaching Rodney how to fly -- Sheppard, that is, is not the only one on the planet that can fly that ship but he would very much like the wraith to believe that he is. What he thinks might be his final act is keeping Rodney safe. He knows there's 20 minutes until reinforcements arrive and he's making sure that the wraith has no reason (having just fed upon him, which it very much wants to do) to go looking for McKay before that in the event that he is killed right here, right now. He might die, but McKay will live.

And then Rodney throws a wrench in that plan.

Continued in Pt. 10

[sebaztianlovesgeek]

(don't read if you don't want to be spoiled for Black Butler or JoJo's Bizarre Adventure part 1)

The best thing about being both a black butler AND a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fan is because of the potential the 2 stories have in a crossover fan fiction.

Think about it, JoJo's part 1 (Phantom Blood) and the first few arcs of Black Butler take place IN THE EXACT SAME YEAR (1888), they also take place in the same country and the same city and they both have sort of the same supernatural and horror elements in it.

Not to mention in both stories there's a part where the characters are on a happy boat cruise and suddenly a bunch of zombies start attacking them.

I think the only thing that drives these 2 universes apart is the fact that Jack The Ripper is different in both stories. In Black Butler he (or she) is both Madame Red and Grell working together, in JoJo's he's just a random dude who later is turned into a zombie by Dio (and then is killed within like 5 minutes lol).

But I guess that can just be excused by saying Dio found the wrong Jack the Ripper and just found a random guy who coincidentally also killed prostitutes, and meanwhile Grell and Madame Red were doing their own thing.

I'm honestly very confused why I barely see any JoJo's x Black Butler fan fiction, I'm not sure if it's me just not looking hard enough or if not many JoJo fans are also fans of Black Butler or vice versa. I've met some people who are both JoJo and Black Butler fans (mostly online since where I come from, anime and manga, especially less popular stories like Black Butler, aren't well known) but most of the time when I meet someone who is a fan of one of these, it's just the one and not both.

Anyways, I'd also just love to see the interactions between the Black Butler and JoJo characters. I know a lot of the characters in JoJo's part 1 are less memorable than those in other parts, the only really memorable characters are JoJo, Dio, Speedwagon and Zeppeli, and sometimes people can remember Erina, Poco, Dire and Straizo but they usually only remember the first 4.

(I actually like a lot of the Phantom Blood characters, and despite it being one of my least favourite JoJo parts I still like it, I love the aesthetic of it, plus if Phantom Blood never happened we would have never gotten better parts like Stardust Crusaders or Diamond Is Unbreakable.)

Black Butler, meanwhile, has a wide range of amazing and memorable characters, though this is probably because Black Butler is a lot longer than JoJo's part 1 for obvious reasons:

Phantom blood was the first part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and is the shortest part, in the anime only being 9 episodes long while most parts are 20-40 episodes long, JoJo's is a story told through different parts which usually take place years and eras apart, every part also often takes place in different countries and every part the main character (or as the JoJo fandom knows them as... The JoJo's) changes because each part is the story of someone descendant of the Joestar family.

So therefore in each part we mostly get new characters and only a few reoccurring ones.

Black Butler was designed to only be told within one whole big story line, with the same main characters, therefore we'd be seeing the same characters every arc, the story mostly takes place in one main setting (London city, England) but on occasion the settings can change:

Like when Ciel and Sebastian joined the circus and left the city, the anime only version when they went to Paris, the emerald witch arc which takes place in Germany, we also sometimes get flashbacks to other countries like India.

So how would the Black Butler and JoJo's characters interact?

This question can be interpreted in many ways depending on how you see the characters from both stories.

Ciel and Jonathan are quite similar, they're both rich nobles who live in Victorian era London, their parents died, their mansion burned to the ground, their brother is an antagonist in their story. Heck they both even have blue hair (well in the anime for JoJo's at least because apparently in the manga Jonathan's hair is brown).

Personality wise though, Jonathan and Ciel are very different. Jonathan is a kind, loyal gentleman who just wants to protect his friends, family and the innocent, meanwhile Ciel has experienced a lot of trauma from a young age, his family was killed, he was kidnapped, abused, watched his twin brother die, made a deal with a demon who only wants his soul and so much more I could write a whole other post on.

Because of this trauma Ciel, despite being 12-14 is a cold, miserable, depressed and sometimes a bit cruel.

Of course Jonathan went through a lot trauma during Phantom Blood but since most of it didn't happen when he was a child, him and Ciel react to their traumatic pasts differently.

Jonathan would probably want Ciel to open up to him, but Ciel just isn't having it, this could lead to some interesting dialogue between the 2 protagonists because of how similar but also different they are character and personality wise.

What about other characters, more evil characters such as Dio and Sebastian?

Now I don't think these 2 would get along, because since in my mind Ciel would be an ally to Jonathan, Dio would want to be rid of him as well, so Sebastian would have to protect Ciel at all costs.

However, these 2 are both supernatural creatures (Sebastian being a demon and Dio being a vampire) so they'd probably like.. I dunno tease each other when fighting? Like they wouldn't just be yelling angrily at each other they'd make fun of each other.

(okay maybe Dio would yell angrily if he starts to lose because in Phantom Blood he's a bit of a manchild compared to him in Stardust Crusaders in my opinion, I don't hate Dio, he's in fact my favourite JoJo's character ever but we can definitely see how his character developed after all the mistakes he made in Phantom Blood)

Sebastian probably knows about the existence of vampires, the mask, hamon and the pillar men, he's existed for thousands of years afterall, possibly since time began itself, heck he may have even been friends with some pillar men.

I don't think demons are affected by hamon, since hamon comes from the sun and we see Sebastian and other demon characters are definitely NOT affected by the sun unlike vampires.

Undertaker and Grell would probably both be interested in Dio, for different reasons.

Grell would probably be attracted to Dio romantically and sexually, because...

1: she's a simp

2: Dio is canonically very charismatic and handsome which is why he literally has so many servants and minions in part 3

Dio would probably be annoyed by Grell, but Grell is a fairly useful and strong character with her being a grim reaper and her thirst for blood, so he'd probably manipulate her and just try to put up with Grell being an obnoxious fangirl

Undertaker would probably be interested in Dio's ability to turn people into zombies, I don't think he'd want to join Dio's side but he'd probably do it anyways for his own gain. He wants more knowledge on the cinematic records, he may even kill one of the zombies to see what their cinematic records are like, if they ended when they became a zombie or if they continue since they're neither dead or alive. Undertaker also wants to get inspiration for his own bizarre dolls and how to make them more life like.

The grim reapers in general probably also know about vampires and hamon (though I'm not sure if they'd know about the history with the stone masks and pillar men) and would probably treat them the same way they treat demons, obnoxious creatures who interfere with soul collection.

You're probably wondering "But vampires and demons are not the same, the reason the grim reapers hate demons is because they eat souls, and therefore don't let the grim reapers collect them. Vampires don't eat souls, they drink blood"

Well I feel like when vampires turn people into zombies, it sort of corrupts both of the cinematic records and the soul, the zombies still have records and a soul, but after being turned they're just broken and not worthy of the reaper's time unless it's for experimental reasons when it comes to characters like Undertaker.

I feel like if Black Butler and Phantom Blood were to ever have a spin off crossover anime show (which definitely will NEVER happen because they're both owned by different companies and both Hirohiko Araki and Yana Toboso probably wouldn't have an interest in that, but pretend we're in an alternative time line where Araki and Toboso's works are owned by the same companies and they are both very interested in each others works and have all the legal rights to make a crossover series) It would definitely be a lot longer than Phantom Blood, not as long as Black Butler is but probably about 20 episodes+ , I'm not sure how many seasons or arcs there would be, but I'm guessing 1 or 2 seasons and a few arcs.

So I'm guessing they would be in Japan specifically, in other countries? Well despite me coming from the same country as Jonathan and Ciel (England) both Black Butler and JoJo's are sadly not that popular here, it's a pain in the arse trying to find merchandise for both animes even in anime based shops, the most I usually find of them is manga, and even then they usually don't even have majority of the volumes.

Would it be popular? Well JoJo's and Black Butler in Japan are rather popular (JoJo's is definitely a lot MORE popular with some describing it as around the same amount of popularity as Star Wars does in the West in Japan, but Black Butler is fairly popular as well, I'm guessing JoJo's is more popular because it's been around since the mid 80's and Black Butler has been around since the mid-late 2000's)

I just think this whole concept is really cool and I'll probably talk about it a lot

[lady-phasma]

Is something wrong with me because the mere idea of Aemond x the Madam scene triggers me? It doesn't have anything to do with shipping Aemond with anyone else. I simply don't want to see him retraumatized for shock value's sake. I don't think it could foreshadow his relationship w/Alys, since the Madam's and Alys' actresses don't even look alike. I'm also afraid they are likely to imply Aemond has a mommy kink or something of sorts. Which, in turn, smells like laughing off or diminishing trauma male victims of SA could possibly experience. Honestly, I started to consider not watching HOTD until it's confirmed Aemond doesn't seek comfort in the Madam's arms.

Hi nonnie, no, nothing wrong with you at all! I'm going to be kinda serious here for a moment. (after a hug)

I hope you continue to watch, but please take care of your mental health. As an SA survivor it bothers me a lot that they may go that route, I don't think about it too much or look to deeply into it because we don't have anything other than about 1.25 seconds of footage (I extended my gif to about 1.9 seconds).

A lot of people have heard me get on my soapbox about male SA survivors. Starting right after episode 9 aired and there was a schism in the fandom where a few fans didn't believe that he was assaulted and, instead, that he went willingly. Here's my soapbox post if you're interested. I have been curious since October 2022 to see how the show will treat this assault and if they will even treat it as assault at all.

I can separate my headcanon from canon and those from my delulu wishes, but that doesn't make me any less emotional about a series that I am invested in and thoroughly enjoy. Every time this comes up, the conjecture that it is the madame, I get a little nauseated and try not to dissociate. It will be incredibly difficult to watch this scene if that is the case. But, I have to say, I also trust Ewan. Even though he doesn't write the script he is the reason I love Aemond. He and Leo Ashton made a great character together. I trust that Ewan can help me to not suspend my disbelief as I watch whatever this scene entails.

Trust that I will be back on my soapbox if they do it wrong. I will scream about inclusivity and representation until my throat aches. I will rant and block people (and be blocked). But I will probably keep watching the show because this is only one aspect of Aemond and only one small aspect of the series.

Whether it's in episode one or episode eight (because we don't know yet), here's my advice: have a plan in place. I can't assume that you are an SA survivor as well, but you said "triggered" and that means something very specific for me. If I watch/read something that might be triggering I try to have a plan if I am watching/reading voluntarily. Skip it entirely if that's best for you. My plan: cigarettes, meditation, long rants, and making gifs of other things in the episode that make me happy.

And we always have fanfiction, anon. AU fixes exist for a reason. So just wait for all the AU fixes I'll be writing if the show runners fuck this up. 💕

[grumpygreenwitch]

The Witches and Wizards Job 7-8

Around this point I actually read back and asked myself, "Is this moving too fast?" Then I remember the speed at which a Leverage episode actually moves and the kind of beating Harry usually picks up each book, and went, "Nah."

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Remember: Tumblr has no algorithm. Reblogs give me life.

1-2 + 3-4 + 5-6 + 7-8 + 9-10-11 + 12-13-14 + 15-16 + 17-18-19 + 20-21-22 + 23-24-25 + 26-27-28 + 29-30 + 31-32-33 + 34-35-36 + 37-38 + 39-40-41-42

SEVEN

The divide between magic and technology is a known quantity. Every wizard knows to stay away from most mechanical things; the more complex they are, the more likely they were to break. The more powerful the wizard, the quicker it was gonna happen. Even knowing these things, I hadn't realized how deep that boundary ran until I tried to find out anything about my prospective employers.

If it had been a magical entity, a spell, an artifact, between Bob and I we could have probably found out at least the basics, but Bob couldn't find out anything about the Leverage people. I wasn't crazy enough to try and scry something in Boston, never mind the range.

All I could tell was that Leverage was, apparently, a purely mundane affair. Based in Boston as they were I didn't doubt they'd run themselves into something other that the average human, but as the afternoon dragged on I began to realize I was going to have more luck finding out what, rather than getting any sort of information on whatever Deveraux and Ford actually had going on.

A smart man would have said no on principle. What little I could find out told me that if things had gotten so bad that an entirely non-magical outfit like Leverage had come looking for a wizard, then they were bad enough that walking away unscathed to enjoy that absurdly large paycheck was not guaranteed. Not even 50/50 odds.

But 50/50 was still better than no odds at all.

And I hadn't lied when I told Deveraux that I'm a curious man.

She'd written a number on the back of the card. Not a hotel, so they could have been anywhere. I eyed it while I called Butters and asked him to look after Mister while I was away. Then I called it.

"Harry." Deveraux actually sounded happy to hear me; it was refreshing.

"Train. The older the better," I told her. "That applies to any tech you want near me, too. Mouse comes with me."

"Yes, of course."

"The daily fee is… good." My voice cracked a bit despite my best attempt at sounding like it was not a holy-heck amount of money. I cleared it. "It's good. But I can't go longer than a week. One week and I'm coming back home, even if your problem's not solved."

"That's fine."

"And I need a basement."

"A b… A basement?"

"It's contained in case something bad happens."

"Ah." The fact she didn't ask questions told me containment was a common concern in both her line of work and mine. "Anything else?"

"I can't think of anything off the top of my head. I'm sure something will come up." Something did almost immediately. "A full briefing as soon as I'm there. No secrets, no lies. If I find out you've lied to me, I'll leave."

"We'll tell you as much as we know," she assured me, and I found myself believing her. "Welcome to the team, Harry."

It felt weird to be welcomed, to be made to feel as if I were part of a team that actually wanted me there. "When do you think you'll have everything ready?"

There was laughter in her tone. "When do you think you'll be packed?"

Three hours later I was at Union Station, being escorted off the oldest VW minibus in existence and onto a rail car that apparently I had all to myself, like something out of an Agatha Christie book. I'd packed Bob, my tools, a quick-spell kit, any books I thought might help, and a change of clothes. Mouse looked mournfully at me as the train began to move, and I couldn't blame him; it felt as if I were leaving a piece of myself behind.

I knew Chicago. It was home. I knew the people, the streets. I knew its seasons, its weather. I knew the hangouts of most of the dangerous creatures in it, both human and inhuman. I knew every layer of it, every mood, every current.

I knew very little about Boston except that it was a supernatural melting pot. Most creatures that crossed from the Old World or from Other Places and didn't come through the Nevernever landed in Boston; many stayed there, made lives there. There were inhuman families that were generations old, living side by side with the descendants of human immigrants. The divide between mortal and supernatural was as thin as my willpower in Boston.

Look, Deveraux had handed me a really big number.

The train never stopped. That struck me as weird, but then I'd never traveled first class on a train before, so I had no bar for normal. I tried to sleep, but the novelty of everything wore off a couple of hours into the trip, and panic began to settle in. What the hell was I doing? I was Chicago's wizard, not Boston's!

Well, it was done. The AC broke about halfway through the trip, but with the windows open I never even noticed. I got my books out and read, trying to give myself a crash course on the magical scene in Boston, so to speak. Mouse took over one of the windows and seemed to have forgiven me, head thrust out into the wind of our passage, jowls flapping and the plume of his tail wagging sedately. He scared the crap out of the one person I did see, a young man who brought me breakfast and lunch, somehow still warm.

The sun had just set when the train pulled into the Back Bay. I could feel the air buzzing all around me with an imperceptible, invisible charge, the ambient energy of hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of supernatural creatures crackling against my senses. I felt both supercharged and itchy, and Mouse shook himself furiously when we finally made it off the rail car.

There was a man waiting for me on the concourse. He was tremendously solid, the sort of build I used to wish for when I was young, heavy muscle under a worn leather jacket, faded blue jeans and comfortable curb-stomper boots. He had long, very fine brown hair and oddly guileless blue eyes. He had stubble matching mine and he straightened up from his lazy slouch with the ease of someone perfectly at peace with the world around him.

I couldn't see the bulge of a gun anywhere, but I was pretty sure this was Leverage's heavy hitter.

Then he grinned at me, and his whole face lit up, and I thought maybe I was wrong. "Dresden?"

"That's me," I admitted.

He offered his hand without hesitation. "Eliot Spencer. Eliot's fine. Sorry to drag you so far from home."

This man was a walking contradiction. His hands told me I was right. His attitude told me I was wrong. He was the nicest, friendliest man with violence as his main occupation that I'd ever met up to that point in my life. He meant every word of his apology. He was sizing me up for threats.

Belatedly, I realized that Boston was literally supercharging me. My senses, both magical and normal, were trying to run away with me. I had nothing else at the moment; I clung to the hand Eliot Spencer offered, to the strength in it. "Oh, you didn't, not really. Too curious for my own good. Give me a second, would you?"

"You ok, man?"

"Just a little… drunk on the night air," I said, knowing how that had to sound to him.

I was not expecting the change that went over him. It was seamless, instantaneous. One moment Eliot Spencer was welcoming me to his home like a ray of sunshine; the next he was all deadly intent, a sort of quiet, intangible menace radiating from him like the darkest light. "A problem?" he asked mildly.

It told me two things; one, that I was right after all and two, that whatever had brought me to Boston was big enough to have this calm, steady man on a hair-trigger. "No, it's…. Boston's busy. Boston's real busy when it comes to magic. It hangs in the air, makes it thick, and it's giving me a head rush."

"Chicago's not like that?"

"No. The Lake grounds it. Water's good for that."

"I could take you by the Charles if it would help - hey!" And just like that the ray of sunshine was back when Mouse came trotting back from wherever he'd gone to take care of his business. Eliot dropped down to a crouch. "Who's this, Mouse, I think?"

"Yeah. Just watch out, he's not always -" Mouse, tail a blur, charged the Leverage man with a delighted huff and proceeded to lick anything Eliot didn't vigilantly protect, making him chuckle. Well. That was new. And good news for me. "Friendly. He was also a lot smaller when he was a puppy."

Eliot straightened up, rubbing Mouse's head with rough affection. My dog looked blissful, tongue lolling to one side. "Bait-and-switched you, huh."

"It might've been, if he'd given me any choice in the matter."

"He's big for a Tibetan Mastiff," Eliot pointed out. "Wrong color, too."

"He's not. He's a Tibetan Temple Mastiff."

Again that brief pause. Eliot looked down at Mouse. Mouse looked up at him.

The Leverage man grinned again and rubbed Mouse's ears. "Eh, he looks dog enough for me. Anyway. If you're feeling better, let's get you settled. I rented a van."

"Cars get temperamental with me around."

"Dresden, if you can break down a u-Haul, I'll believe you're a wizard no further questions. Where's your luggage?"

EIGHT

Apparently the Leverage people weren't unfamiliar with what happened when you put magic too close to tech. I was put up in their 'temporary' quarters, a small house a lick away from their actual place of business, a loft over a bar by the incredibly Irish name of John McRory's Place.

The house was nice. It had a fenced yard that Mouse promptly claimed as his own and a finished basement that I promptly claimed as my own. The bedroom looked suspiciously like someone had ordered it directly from a catalog, sheets and all. The only other rooms that were accessible were one bathroom and the living room, which had been set up as a meeting area of sorts. The kitchen was empty. The other rooms were full of crates.

There was dinner from the pub waiting for me that night, and a phone in a manila envelope. I offered to share my beer with Eliot; the phone died with a sad little squawk before we finished it.

"That's gonna make things hard," he admitted wryly, examining the dead screen of the phone. "I take it a bluetooth's out of the question?"

"The more parts to it, the quicker it goes."

I saw him get very thoughtful. "What about size? The bigger it is?"

"How big are we talking about?" I asked mildly, sensing a chance to finally get some information as to what had brought me to Boston.

"TV screen," Eliot answered without hesitation, then spread his arms. "Yay big."

"What were you doing at the time?"

"Trying to get a composite from a bunch of blurry pictures."

"What happened?"

"It cracked." He grinned wryly. "Top to bottom. We took that thing out to the recycling in two halves." His jovial mood faded. "I don't like the look on your face right now, Dresden."

"You shouldn't." I was trying to think of creatures that could shatter a screen like that, with just their image, without actually being there. It was a short list; it was also a very scary list. "It wasn't anything else, it had to be the picture?"

"The man who works our tech is the best, hands-down. His equipment doesn't blow up like that without a good reason," Eliot said calmly, then put his hands up. "Wait, no, I'm supposed to let you rest tonight. You're gonna hear all this tomorrow morning anyway."

"I did nothing but sleep on the train ride," I told him. I won't lie, it felt nice to know the Leverage outfit, whatever their business might be, gave enough of a damn to give me the night to myself. Most people who hire me for that kind of money expected 24-7 service, never mind what kind of shape I might be in at the end of the day. "Tell me what you can."

He gave me one of the few measuring looks I've ever gotten that didn't have my harm at heart before he made a decision and tipped his head toward the pub. "Come on."

"Mouse, watch the place." Mouse flopped in front of the door and settled down with a yawn.

The front of the pub was roaring, but we came in from the back. Eliot knocked softly on a door, poked his head in and murmured something to someone in there. I caught a faint whiff of something sweet, almost like licorice - probably a storage room, and a bottle of liquor had broken and been cleaned up. Eliot got his answer; he closed the door and we moved on. He peeked out into the main floor and called out something I couldn't hear over the noise of the crowd before heading to a pair of elevator doors.

I stopped walking. "Uh…"

He paused, turned, and led me to the stairs, grinning. "You know, I don't even think about most of this stuff. Tech's embedded so deep into our lives."

"I just wish for a hot water heater that didn't break in under a week," I told him.

"Yikes."

"Yup."

"Just keep your distance from Hardison's tech," Eliot warned me as he led me into a vast, elegant little loft. The bare brick walls had paintings on them that looked… modern. Expensive. I didn't know enough about art back then to appreciate what they were. A spiral staircase led up to what was probably a bedroom, and behind it was a typical modern kitchen. Most of the open space was taken up by a very modern, very sleek meeting room sort of setup, a wall full of screens and a small curve of desks before it. "He's still sore about those screens."

"Screens? More than one?"

"Yeah, a second one a day after -"

A young woman came flying into the loft. "Where is he? Where's the wizard?"

"Parker, don't -"

She whirled and faced me, and immediately made a face. "Aren't you supposed to have a white bushy beard?"

"Not for another couple hundred years."

I hadn't expected my quip to bring her up short, but it did. She seemed to really think about it, and it gave me a chance to examine her. She was young, wiry, blonde, pretty. She had the same kind of intensity Karrin had, but her focus seemed to change from minute to minute.

"Oh. I didn't think about that. There have to be young wizards to get old wizards."

"Parker." Eliot sighed.

"No robes?"

"Not if I can help it."

"Fancy spell books?"

"I do have one of those."

"Can I see it?"

"Parker, let the man catch his breath." Sophie Deveraux looked cozy and elegant and beautiful in a flowing blue blouse and a shimmering gray skirt. She beamed at me and I felt warm and fuzzy. Look, I'm man enough to admit it, I'm a sucker for a pretty lady, particularly one that doesn't want me dead. "Harry."

"Miss Deveraux."

"Just Sophie, Harry, please. Are you sure you wouldn't rather wait?"

"I'm good. I got all my rest in the train ride. Boston's full of energy, and it's making me buzzed, I rather put some of it to work, get it out of my system -"

"Why do you carry a stick?"

I whipped around. Parker had my wand in her hands.

Hell's Bells, I'd never even felt the theft. My wand, and I would have never known she'd gone for it if she hadn't said something.

Something in my face clued Sophie and Eliot that things had gone very badly, very quickly. "Parker!" Sophie cried out.

With all the care of someone handling live explosives, Eliot closed a hand over the 'stick'. "We are trying," he told her, sticking to his calm demeanor like tar, "to make a good impression, Parker."

"Oh, fine. Should I give everything else back?"

I took the quickest stock of my person I'd ever taken in my life. Immediately I found another thing missing that I would have never thought could be taken from me without my notice. How in the hell -!

"Yes!" Sophie told her firmly.

"Well, he didn't have anything interesting anyways," Parker put out her hand with my wallet on it.

And my shield bracelet.

Eliot offered me my wand back, looking sheepish. "Sorry, man."

"I just - how?" Seriously. Never mind the theft, everything was coming back to me, nothing was broken, no one was hurt, I just wanted to know how she'd done it.

"Parker is the best in the world," Sophie said, somehow managing to convey warm pride and icy disapproval all in one. Parker squirmed uncertainly. "She should also bear in mind that as of now you're part of our team, and we don't pickpocket teammates."

Parker held strong under the tone of disapproval longer than I would have. "Sorry," she muttered with ill grace.

"No harm no foul if you teach me how to do it."

She grinned, just a little. "Deal."

"Also, where should I stand so I'm as far away from anything tech-y as possible?"

"Right there." Nathan Ford had arrived, and the mask was off. He still looked vaguely friendly, a little rumpled, somewhat distracted. But there was nothing hiding the ruthless ice in his eyes anymore, or the deep mistrust in the gaze he leveled at me. I was in his world, in his domain, I was his employee. The carrot had done her job, the stick didn't have to mind his manners anymore. "Right there's fine, mister Dresden."

Ford passed everyone by and moved to the kitchen to find himself, apparently, some coffee. "Where's Hardison?"

"He said he wanted to take a few more pictures of the cylinder we found at the museum," Eliot told him. "He's in the storage room."

"What cylinder?" Something was bugging me. It wasn't big, at least not big enough to pin it down, but it was there, nagging at the back of my mind like a toothache after too much sugar.

"There was an issue at the Isabella Gardner Museum," Sophie told me. "Someone tampered with the fire suppression system. They attached some kind of homemade cylinder to the system and it started pumping something out in the air, some sort of perfume." She shrugged lightly. "We don't know why, there was no need for it."

"Perfume?"

"Yes. Fernflower."

I was running the next moment, going on a guess and a prayer. The guess was that the closed door was the storage room. The prayer was that I wouldn't be too late.

The moment I hit the bottom floor a faint reek of sweet, rotten candy and burning flowers made me reel back, coughing, my lungs burning. I could definitely smell the fernflower; worse, I could also smell night's breath. This was some deep, deep magic. Deep and old. Someone had cooked up a Burning Witchwell, and Leverage had blundered right into it. Only luck had kept any of them from being magically inclined, but that luck had run out with the fernflower.

Eliot was right behind me, and he threw a hand over his face. He snatched a bunch of cloth napkins from a nearby shelf and shoved them at me. "What is that?!"

I ran on and shoved the door open to the storage room. There was a man kneeling on the floor before a table, wheezing. The fernflower fumes burned my eyes and I actually heard my skin hiss on contact with the night's breath, but I was running on Boston air. I was so charged up I barely registered any pain.

"Venti, ventum!" I shouted. Wind poured into the storage room. Everything went flying off the shelves. I felt my magic careen out of control, as supercharged as I was, and fought to bring it back under control. I didn't want to wreck the room, I just wanted to get the man to safety, away from the fumes.

"Hardison!" Eliot had already dashed past me, catching the man. He was lanky, lean, deceptively muscled, possibly an inch or so taller than me. His skin was very dark and it had gone blotchy where the night's breath had had time to settle down and sink in. He slurred something unintelligible and squinted intently at me; I couldn't even begin to imagine what he was seeing.

"Dresden?!" Eliot asked, spitting his own hair out of his mouth.

"Go, get him out!"

He didn't question me. I could have danced a happy jig at that show of trust. I backed out of the room; I was one step past the doorway when helpful hands slammed the door shut. "Does the ventilation system here connect to the pub?"

"No, it goes straight out," Ford replied.

"Then just put some…" The borrowed energy from the Boston ambiance ran out. I felt pain creep up over any part of me not covered by fabric. "Put some…"

"Sophie, put some towels at the bottom," Ford's voice was full of calm, focused competency. "Parker, go tell the front of house no one is to come into this room until one of us says otherwise. Eliot." There was a pause. "Dresden, is a hospital going to help either of you?"

"He's fine." Oh, that was Ford's shoulder under my arm, holding me up. When had that happened? "Unless he's got magic, he's just drunk. Sort of."

"And you?"

"I'm a little blistered." I was a little more than blistered, but I had the advantage of knowing the damage wasn't real. "No hospital. A bath."

"Alright. Let's get you and Hardison up to the loft, then."

I wasn't in any shape to argue. I got shoved under a spray of miraculously hot water. Someone peeled my clothes off. At some point I realized I trusted only two people in the loft, and one of them was helping undress me. "Wash your hands," I told Eliot. "Wash the clothes."

"Can we burn them?"

"Don't burn my clothes, I didn't bring any more." I stared at him suspiciously; well, there was only one person I trusted anymore. "Tell Parker to watch my things."

Eliot offered a sound of deeply amused disbelief. Somewhere nearby a man's voice was tunelessly singing what sounded like a church song. "Drunk?"

"Intox… Intec… Sort of. Fernflower gives you magic. See things. Talk to animals. Sorta thing. But it's eph… emph…. It fades quick. You gotta lace it with… other stuff. It It wasn't the weapon, the night's breath was."

"Night's breath?"

"Old plant. Burns up magic. Night's breath was fire. Fernflower was gasoline. 's called a… a Burning Witchwell."

"You aren't breathing right, man."

"Fake. I'll be fine when my…. when my magic comes back. Easy, in this place."

"Fake damage." At that Eliot did look disbelieving. "Hurt's hurt."

"Particularly if you believe in it," I shot back, then put my head up to the spray of hot water. "Oh, that feels good."

I heard Eliot snort in amusement. "Well, enjoy it while you can. Haven't blown up this heater."

"Give me a chance, I just got here."

[lemotmo]

Just random, silly questions about you and the show:

1. On what format do you watch 911? Tv, computer, tablet, phone?

2. Do you have a ritual before sitting down and watching it? Get a glass of wine, tea? Put on your pjs, etc.?

3. Do you watch it with someone?

4. Do you check Tumblr prior to watching an episode? Do you mind spoilers or do you avoid them?

5. How often do you re-watch an episode that airs?

6. When you go back to re-watch an episode, do you ever skip to the Buddie scenes? 😝

7. Do you enjoy more drama based episodes or the fun and comedic?

8. What’s your immediate reaction to a cliffhanger? Frustration? Excitement?

9. When 911 ends, would you be interested in a 911 movie or should they leave it as is?

10. What would you consider to be a solid series finale? Where are the characters at in the end?

Oooh, these are nice.

I watch on my tablet, since I don't live in the US. I can only watch it a day later. I wake up every Friday and the first thing I do is download the episode, so I can watch it when I have time in between work.

Nope, I mostly watch it somewhere in the morning, so usually I just sit down on the couch with a coffee in hand and watch it. I do always take some tissues with me in case I have to cry. 😋

I watch alone. I hate it when people start talking when I'm watching a show or movie for the first time. So, I always watch alone.

Well, it depends. Last season I sometimes asked a mutual to drop a couple of spoilers about certain topics in my inbox for some of the episodes. I went spoiler free for the finale I think. All the previous seasons I just went on Tumblr first and then watched the episode fully spoiled. 😂 I'm planning on watching season 8 spoiler free though. I have some hopes for this season and I'd like to be surprised. 🤞🤞🤞

Well, I watch it in its entirety for the first time. Then afterwards, I watch again in pieces so I can write down my thoughts about it and post it on Tumblr. If it's a really good episode, I might rewatch it again during the weekend. But after that I'm focused on the next one. Once the entire season has aired, I usually do a complete rewatch.

Well yeah. Of course. Sometimes I do a Buddie only rewatch of the best Buddie episodes and skip to all the big Buddie moments. 😏

Depends on how my day has been or on my mood. I love comedy, but I also love drama. So, I don't really have a preference.

Complete excitement! I start theorising and analysing straight away as well. The further into the hiatus my frustration grows though, because of the 'not knowing', you know?

No, they should leave it as it is in my opinion. I don't want them to milk the concept and make it into something it isn't. So no movie for me, thanks.

Pfff, well: I'd love to see Bathena retired and happy. Both Athena and Bobby really need to let go of their jobs. Enough already. Let them truly enjoy their life together. I'd love for Henren to be happy with Denny and Mara, just living their life together, enjoying the little things. I would kill to see Hen as the new Captain of the 118, taking over from Bobby. Then Madney. They are finally in a good place. Let's keep them there. I would love for them to have another child. They could adopt and give that child the best life they could possibly have. As for Buddie... I want to see them happy together. Just them and Christopher. Maybe another child in the future, but not yet in the series finale. It might be implied though. I would love to see them married and settled, making each other happier than ever. They would live in a new house. After Buck sold his loft they lived in Eddie's house for a while, but with their plans to expand their family they eventually move out to a bigger house.

[justreckin]

20 questions for fic writers

alright @emonydeborah said hey there's a thing and i say yes (ages later)

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 6

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 28,070

3. What fandoms do you write for? Honestly, whatever's catching my fancy in that moment. Of the things I've posted, The Librarians is the only fandom that I've ever even posted more than one fic for.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Raising Harry (Harry Potter/Underworld) Where Selene comes across Harry playing at the park alone at night and decides that the best idea is to sorta adopt him.

Never Say He Isn't Grateful (Agent Carter/Captain America) Howard realizes he owes Peggy big time and the best way for him to repay her is to go rescue Steve.

5 Times Ezekiel Called Eve Mum and the Time They Made it Official (The Librarians) 5+1 what it says on the tin.

Second Time Around (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) Coulson went in on the Bahrain mission, May died. Oneshot re-write of the first episode that I considered expanding and have actually written other chapters for but... 🤷‍♀️

How Apep got Ezekiel Grounded for the Rest of his Natural Life (The Librarians) Season 3 Finale in the same universe as the previous Librarians fic that has a second chapter I have yet to write...

5. Do you respond to comments? I certainly try to. I'm not the best at it, but I love getting to have a conversation with anyone who likes the same things I do.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Heh probably I'm Not Your Mother but even then it's a) not really all that angsty and b) mostly that I dropped a mean bomb on characters and then ran away because I have no idea what else to do with it.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? ...everything else? Look, canon is already regularly very mean to characters. I am here to live in my happy little fantasies where everything works out.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not hate per se but I'd left up an unfinished multi-chapter fic at one point and someone commented that I was the reason they'd lost faith in authors with unfinished works and is maybe more responsible for me not posting any of the myriad of things I have on my computer than I want to admit.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Nah. I write more family than relationship stuff, really.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Yes. Uh... it's not posted, but maybe the Harry Potter/Song of the Lioness that I hashed out at one point.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Don't think so.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?  Don't think so.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Ha! @emonydeborah and I spitball all the time (it's wonderful) and she absolutely gets credit if that parent trap fic ever gets finished, but I don't think I'm up to the group project that would be co-writting a fic.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? the Enterprise NCC-1701 dash nothing! All jokes aside, it genuinely is the only ship I go back to on a regular basis.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Uh... honestly, I don't know that I'll ever finish half the things in my WIP folder.

16. What are your writing strengths? Probably dialogue. I feel I'm pretty good at getting the character's literal voice down.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Anything happening around the dialogue. In my head these people are always moving around and doing things, but it always feels so clunky if I try to put that onto a page.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Maybe an individual word or two for a curse or endearment. I know enough Spanish I'd probably be comfortable writing in it. But that'd be about it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Uh.... Star Trek? One sec, must check files. Yeah, pretty sure it was a short TOS thing. Hmm might need to take a look at that again, clean it up, repost...

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? Posted? Probably Ezekiel calling Eve mum. Not posted? Nah, actually, don't know that there is one that's not posted.

.... @the-redhead-in-a-dress and @sun-lit-roses did you do it yet, did you do it? I wanna see 😁

[gren-arlio]

Yeah, I'm still doing this. Shocking, I know. Welcome to Season 2 of Episode 3 of Waku Puyo Translations.

(...I can't explain what happened here today.)

Hey, Gren here. It's been a bit and I took a break for Christmas and New Years to spend time with family...and as of currently writing this, it's snowing outside. But during that time, a teaser was thrown out for an actual translation team working on Waku Puyo Dungeon. Shocking, IK.

This is also late because imma be real with you...I didn't save this once and the entire thing was gone. Pain.

I'm happy about this, genuinely am, but it also sorta left me in a...moral dilemma. I'm glad it's being worked on, but should I even continue, despite it not going to be as good as the actual works? It's probably just a iffy feeling I'll experience for a week or two, but eh, we'll see.

With that, here's the video I'll be translating.

Timestamps:

Intro: (0:18)

Suke Boss (2:19, defeat at 4:25.)

Serilly Boss: (5:25, defeat at 9:00)

Apologies if this isn't up to par. Enjoy.

Intro: (0:18)

Scaly Lady: (Mermaid Girl/Woman/Lady also work here honestly.

Kyaaa~

Arle:

Woah there! What's the matter with you?

Scaly Lady:

You're here to bully me, aren't you? Please, please don't bully me...

Please - Don't - Do - It ~ (...Whar)

Arle:

Err...

Scaly Lady:

Everyone always bullies me since I look like some sort of fish...

Arle:

(I really dunno what to say here, maybe we should head back...)

[Somehow Suke enters the scene]

Suketoudara:

Whew! Hey, I'm right here you know!

Scaly Lady:

Eek! You're here to bully me too!

Suketoudara:

What- no! That ain't it at all! I'm Suketoudara!

Scaly Lady:

... ... ...

Arle:

Umm... I don't think she really knows you, ya know?

Suke:

Gaah! (Appropriate response.)

Scaly Lady:

Ah...

Suketoudara:

That's awful, Serilly!

Arle:

(Aha, so her name's Serilly...)

Serilly:

Wait, hold on! How do you know my name? (I assume it's to Suke.)

Arle:

Eh? They both went in...

There's no one here now. Maybe I can enter too?

Carbuncle:

Gu!

------

Suke Boss: (2:19)

Arle:

Wait, you're-

Suketoudara:

Wait, you're...that gal from the entrance!

Arle:

Yeah, I'm Arle. Nice to meet ya.

Suke:

And I'm Suketoudara! (He starts to dance, and honestly? It's either Sha or Cha IMO for Onomatopoeias.)

Arle:

W-Wha? What's with the dancing? It's so odd, please stop!

Suke:

Hey, what the!? You insulted my dancing!

I won't forgive anyone who does that!

Arle:

I'm being honest though! Look, if you really wanted a fight, you could've asked for one!

----

Suke Defeat: (4:25)

Suketoudara:

Oh no, Serilly will forget about me now...

It's just not my day today! Feeesh! (...I hate translating this guy.)

Arle:

I told you to stop with that odd dance!

Suke:

It's like no one here understands my sadness...

Arle:

(...Nothing I do seems to help.

There's plenty of people[?] who won't listen to others...it's an issue.)

Suketoudara:

Serilly...you're so kind, yet you forgot about me...

Arle:

...I don't really get it but alright.

Carbuncle:

Gugu?

-----

Serilly Boss: (5:25)

Serilly:

Even all the way here...you still want to bully me?

Arle:

That's not it! I'm here to play and enjoy my day...

Serilly:

What in the world did I do?

Arle:

... ... ...

Serilly:

Please, just leave me alone!

Arle:

Hey! What did I do to you!?

Every time you interact with me or anyone else you tell them to go away, or they they'll bully you!

Serilly:

It's because it's true!

Arle:

You're driving me to my wits end! Are you going to fight or not?

Serilly:

Hey, even I get mad sometimes!

-----

Serilly Defeat: (9:00)

Suketoudara:

Hey, wait for me!

Arle:

Oh, you're...

Suketoudara:

I've had enough of this. Give her a minute.

She didn't mean any harm either. (...And then he Cha and Sha dances again..)

Serilly:

So, you're here to bully me also?

Suketoudara:

S-Serilly...you know that's not true...

Serilly:

You and everyone here, you're all here to bully me, aren't you!?

Arle:

What you're saying right now is worse than anything you've said so far!

I'm upset also, yet Suketoudara still wants to be your friend!

Serilly:

Wait...? My friend...?

Arle:

...if you keep pushing everyone away from you, then no one will want to become your friend!

Serilly:

... ... ...

Arle:

(Sounds like I was preaching. Are you going to cry from that?)

Serilly:

Um...do you hate me?

Arle:

Eh? No, not really, but...

Serilly:

Uh...I'm sorry...

[And she leaves.]

Suketoudara:

Hey, wait for me Serilly!

Arle:

Go after her! Be a good friend for her!

Suke:

Gya Gyaa! I'm out then!

[He leaves.]

Arle:

...She's a nice girl, but I feel like it'll be hard for you to be friends with her...

Carbuncle:

Gugu?

-----

And that is IT. Expect delays and sort now because school is getting significantly more challenging + midterms, but with that, that'll be all.

Adios.

[kevin-sedai]

The comments on this reddit post are giving me hives https://www(dot)reddit(dot)com/r/television/comments/1756ksa/amazons_wheel_of_time_has_a_serious_dragon_reborn/ they're talking as if the books had everything figured out and were perfect from the start and as if they don't understand how tv works or even storytelling in general no the show isn't perfect but it's doing so many things right some of the stuff they're complaining about is insanity saying rafe hates the books is so stupid when he's demonstrated in so many interviews how much he loves them and has tried to follow their spirit and the characters arcs despite some impossible challenges

Yeah, it's really insane how people are just not going to bend that changes have to be made. It's 14 books and 8 episodes a season is going to warrant changes, some more creative than the others. I remember Rafe was actually annoyed because he wanted more episodes and a longer pilot, and he was denied both and told 8 episodes. I'm sure there were scenes that Rafe wanted in the show (RIP flicker flicker scene) but I think he took the route some other book readers are taking, which is that if it has the spirit of the story, then he's happy (and so am I!)

I reread EotW last fall and THG in the spring, and there were some things in both books that didn't hold up as the series went on. I can't remember specifically (I was reading the story and was like, "Wrong," lmao) but I'm pretty sure they related to channeling. Idk if anyone else would be able to find them, but I do remember that there were inconsistencies. RJ was writing a long series, so he was going to make changes, which weren't going to flow with the rest of the series.

Next part I'm going to write as a read more bc it's a spoiler, but it's an example of a change RJ made himself. If you didnt finish the series and don't want spoilers, don't continue, you have been warned.

The Dusty Wheel on Youtube confirmed that RJ's notes have it written that Taim was supposed to be Demandred the whole time. At the moment of Taim's intro, Lews in Rand's head was comparing Taim to Demandred (same nose, same hair, same height, etc.) Literally everytime Taim showed up in LoC, Lews would say, "I don't trust this dude you think is from this Age and Saldea(?), we better go kill Demandred!" I was convinced they were the same person, as did most people, until Taim and Demandred were given different scenes giving the same order to the Darkfriend Asha'man in book 9, which confirmed they were different people because Demandred would never lower himself to repeating an order. It was just done when he gave it.

My point of bringing this up, is that RJ looked like he was setting something up, only to change his mind. It's a "What was the point of the comparing the two if there's no big reveal they were the same in disguise" type of deal to me. It's not as big of an inconsistency, RJ still did a good job making him a separate character despite his original intentions, but it goes to show you that the books themselves have some things that started and were eventually dropped.