#if there is no over the top drama or one person being ousted for no apparent reason then they don’t know what they’re talking about

[maladaptivewriting]

you know how when you read smut, you can instantly tell whether the author has had sex or not?

well the same thing is true for people who have or have not been a part of big friend groups, especially in their teen years

[the-yuri-librarian]

Review: Her Tale of Shim Chong

Summary: Her Tale of Shim Chong (referred to as Her Tale from here on) is a Korean manhwa written by Seri and illustrated by Biwan. Set in feudal Korea, Her Tale is a historical, girls' love retelling of classic Korean novel The Tale of Shim Chong. It tells the story of Shim Chong, a beggar who is desperately trying to make ends meet to feed her and her blind father, and the soon-to-be second Madame Jang, who has been sold into marrying the Chancellor to give her family a better position. After a chance encounter, they build a friendship -- and eventually more -- that transcends class boundaries. But not everyone is happy with the Chancellor's new wife, and Chong's presence is far from welcome in the royal palace. When the Chancellor falls into a mysterious coma after the wedding night, his children make plans to oust Madam Jang, and it may be up to Shim Chong to save not only their relationship, but their lives.

Minor spoilers under the cut:

The Good: This writing in this manhwa is, overall, excellent. Chong and Madame Jang are complex characters with a variety of competing wants, needs, personalities, and flaws that elevate the conflicts in the story and bring them to life in an extraordinary way. As a result, their relationship is very realistic, developing organically thanks to their dazzling chemistry. But, not all is easy in this story; as our protagonists grow closer, they are met with fierce opposition, sometimes from each other, that adds much needed drama to the story. In particular, Jang's daughter-in-law and Monk Sumin are incredibly effective antagonists, each challenging Chong and Jang in unique ways. The long term conflict -- the raging waters of the Indangsoo Sea -- is also an ever-present threat, growing and growing until the characters in the story have no choice but to take drastic action. All of this is brought to life by Biwan's incredible art, which injects a vibrancy to the story that elevates it from a great story to an unforgettable one.

The Bad: Despite how much I clearly love this story, Her Tale does have some shortcomings, the most glaring of which lies in the pacing. This story has, putting it lightly, a lot of ground to cover and, though it is a solid 81 chapters long, there is not enough time to cover it. This results in some major plot points being resolved incredibly fast, particularly at the end of the story, and other plot points being seemingly dropped with no explanation. A good example of this is in the first half of the story, when it is revealed that Madam Jang may be poisoning the Chancellor and causing his coma. Initially, this seems like it is going to be a big deal in the story, but at a certain point, it is dropped and never brought up again. This leaves the audience no insight into why Madam Jang would potentially do such a thing, despite the crucial fact that the Chancellor's coma is actively making her life harder. Additionally, while some of the antagonists are well-written to the point of being lifelike, others are antagonistic to the point of being over the top, making them feel cartoon-ish and overall clashing with the tone of the rest of the story.

The Overview: All in all, Her Tale is an excellently written and plotted story that drew me in and raised the bar for what it means to tell a visual yuri/girls love story. Shim Chong and Madam Jang will stick with me for a long time and I really look forward to rereading this series sometime in 2024. It says something that my biggest criticism of the series is a complaint about the pacing, which ultimately boils down to wanting more of the story. I truly can not recommend Her Tales enough and will certainly be looking for more girls love stories by Seri in the near future.

Overall rating: A-

[fluorescentpipedream]

Ian Adelaide Mason Pearce - This beauty is actually Langston’s older sibling (only by 2 years) and is the first to be ousted out for their…uniqueness. Lord Albert Pearce has had three sons, none of which he’s been able to deal with much to the dismay and annoyance of many of those around them. Adelaide or Adela, uses Mason as their last name after they were forced to drop Pearce when their father cut them off and stripped them of any title related to the family. Apparently the name Adelaide is actually their great grandmother’s name from their mother side, “She was as elegant as Audrey Hepburn and deserves to be honored”

They are 36, and actually live in the same small village Deacon does, around the corner from his home. Apparently they had come for tea when he had been getting settled, fell in love with the area and had a home built as well, on the other side of the village though, oddly closer to the parish. Guy Buchanan had a tongue in cheek sign made for the yard that says Here There be Faeries Adela introduces themselves to Ali by baking a lavender lemon loaf and comes to visit the first time Deacon brings her (before the yacht incident

Gender fluid, they express their gender as whatever they please, whenever they please. They are bisexual, and prefer women though they have been with both, including Niall a few years ago. Very friendly and genuinely sweet, Adela works primarily as a professional photographer for the royal family, as well as working with Charlotte Moore in Black Moon Cosmetics, I think they do the photos for it though I’m not entirely sure.

Joseph Skinner - While I know Skinner is not his real last name (at least I don’t think so) he takes on the moniker when he joins the Suicide Kings as the lead guitarist, taking over when Wolf steps back into being the lead singer and I’m not entirely sure what happens to Scott. I think he stays in the band as a secondary guitar player but I’m not sure. 

Arthur Noble - Formerly a professor at Brown university he takes a significant pay decrease when he becomes Vice Principal of O Fallon East in Illinois. He does this after seeing how hollow the college age kids are and wants to find a way to help them actually succeed in their future rather than just be another cog in the wheel. Arthur has studied Sociology, Psychology and English Literature, the last was his specialty at Brown. He is kind and genuinely cares about the kids he’s taking care of, similar to Casper he wants to see people succeed and actually have some kind of passion going forward in their lives. He’s recently divorced but still wears his wedding ring, so I don’t think he’s quite ready to let that go. 

Casper Barnes - eldest brother to Elias (who uses their mothers last name, Sharpe, rather than their father’s name) and Cornelius. Casper has a very big heart and seeks to make schools safe for the kids under his care, he feels responsible for each and every one of them and considers what happened with the former vice principal a personal slight in his judgement. He has set O Fallon up to be a test school for new education practices and tries to make sure everyone is getting the best they can possibly get. After his middle brother’s passing he took over as guardian for Lilly though she does better on her own, so he’s there if she needs him for anything but doesn’t force her to live with him. 

Christopher Reigns - Christopher has been around for a while, a former sex addict turned psychiatrist and therapist for the same issues, he currently lives and works in New York City close to the rest of his degenerate family. After the drama with his younger brother Ethan, Christopher takes over taking care of Ethan’s son Tanner and picks up where he left off with Hannah Lee as well. He seems to be one of the few Reigns that has their head on correctly, he went through his trauma and addictions and managed to come out on top of them. 

Eirondyr Thalasane - one of the elves of the Woodland Realm of Murkwood (formerly Brightwood) and also one of Valenduil’s closer friends. He is actually older than Val, formerly being one of those closer to Legolas’ age. When Legolas chose to take his human wife with him to the undying realm, leaving their half-blood son behind in the care of his grandfather, Eirondyr (sometimes called Raine due to one of his spells) promised to keep an eye on him. While older, he acts as though he is still young and doesn’t work so much as a mentor as he does just a comrade.  Eirondyr is an arcanist, practicing arcane magic and a magister of glamour, he will occasionally make his ears disappear so he can travel amongst the world of men. He’s also been known to change the size of certain items, more often than not as a prank. He chooses, when Thranduil makes the proclamation that someone should pick up the quest to help Sara and her group, to go with them and Val, to help them traverse the destruction that is Middle Earth. He has connections to the Hobbits and the world of men as well, in Bard and a mysterious boatsman called The Blackwald (Halfdan)

Gage Robards - Gage’s real name is Gabriel Toussaint, he is the “lost” brother of the Toussaint sisters and has, for the last 10 years or so, been somewhat trapped inside his own mind. I don’t remember exactly what happened to Gage, he was put into a mental hospital by a member of their family and locked away there for something he saw and while there he had electro-shock therapy performed, which caused him to lose his ability to speak. Over the years, he came into the care of Sylvia Summers and is currently living in NYC with her. He has also learned sign language and does some speech therapy but he chooses most times not to speak because his vocal cords have been damaged as well. Gage has some memories of his sisters, and does still want to get back in touch with them. (he was sitting in my head the other day feeding the birds from a loaf of bread in Central Park) 

This creature doesn’t have a name yet, or at least hasn’t given me one yet but he is where the “super soldier serum” behind Project Wildfire comes from. He is actually a Hunter that was captured by the CIA by a former member of the early Section who shared with them what is going on behind the scenes, and told them that taking control of the darkness would mean better survival in the future. The Hunter’s blood has been used to alter and create the soldiers and failed experiments including Drayton and the rest of the hitmen as well as the pyromancer Badger and a handful of others. When Drayton calls on Kristy for her final job with them, they apparently find the ragged creature in a room, spitting all manner of obscenities at them. It’s against Kristy’s warning that they let him go, something that will come back to haunt later, as he makes a bee-line for Cirian wanting to punish humans for what they’ve done to him. 

Adrian Wilde - Professor at Harvard when he meets Crystal Townsend and against his better judgment strikes up an affair with her, he can’t really explain how it happens but he falls for her hard. When she expresses to him her fear in falling in love with him, he cradles her in his arms, combing his fingers through her hair and tells her to fall, he’ll always be there to catch her. Adrian originally wanted to be an author but never managed to make his stories translate into full blown books, instead he teaches creative writing, jokingly saying ‘those who can’t, teach’ but the reality is he is still writing and working on finishing his first book as his and Crystal’s relationship continues. While slightly concerned for the safety of his job while she’s a student, when she turns fully into her music he feels safer being more open about their relationship. 

Aryn Hobb - Aryn is an alien, first and foremost, having been on Earth since the late 90s, or somewhere there abouts, they were recruited into the very earliest form of Section and worked as a scientist for them after being brought in from NASA where they had originally worked as an astrophysicist. Aryn is a sebacean like Maxwell later on and actually is able to help with his assimilation into human culture a bit better (though it helps that Maxwell has actually been on Earth once before, even if it was back in the 1880s) Working for Section has helped Aryn blend in a bit more with the human race, feeling absolutely no desire to return to their people, as they were deemed less than by a tribunal of Commandants. Exile is one of the worst things for their people, as it separates them from their own, and being alone is unhealthy for them. Aryn stole a ship, rather than be cast out from their people and used wormhole technology to warp to this version of Earth C-139 (our earth, it’s apparently not one of the more popular Earths to travel to as it’s technologically inferior to most of the others in the alter-verse) Assuming correctly that they could hide there and because humans and Sebaceans are so closely related to one another, with only internal differences (and lifespan, they can typically live for about 700 years) most people wouldn’t pick up on without getting too intimate. 

When Aryn comes to work for the original Section they are figured out by the medical tech Avery and they come clean out of concern of being used and abused by these humans. Instead they find friends there and take a special interest in both Avery and later Justice. Aryn uses their knowledge of weaponry to create a brand new arsenal of weapons and “toys” used by Justice and the rest of the teams. In particular the holo-training lab and more recently some very interesting explosives. Outside of Section, Aryn has a very normal life, they have an apartment with a cat given to them by Justice’s friend Adriana, and spend their downtime with a small handful of friends. Generally they identify as non-binary, as it’s easier to explain their appearance, though their voice is incredibly deep. 

@musesnotebook

[readwithmiaa]

Dazzled Bride -

(Shattered and United By Love) 

By Farhaana Tahseen

Page count : 399

Blurb:

Aahil Shah, the King of Business Industry, is known for his anger. Filled with high arrogance and pride, he never made a mistake in his whole life. Marrying her was not in his plan. Hate was the only emotion he had for her while drowning in the pool of misunderstandings. He hurt her not once but even after their marriage. But when the truth comes out, he feels like a worthless person in front of her. A marriage that happens most unexpectedly is going to bring only the buried secrets of their love and their family.

Inaya Mirza, the queen. She turned herself into a stronger woman after what she had faced in life. Ousted by her parents, the girl who was silent and innocent has gone. She is the pride of her adoptive family. She is the angel for the innocent and the devil for the villain. She feared both love and marriage after facing humiliation from him, but he was her first love, and as they say, first love never dies. Marrying him came like thunder to her. She never thought she would see him after 10 years. Carrying a dark past with her, she is back for revenge. Revenge is going to fulfill the promise.

They married under pressure, but when the hate and misunderstandings started becoming clear to them, an old enmity came to the surface, shaking both of them at a crucial time. Nadir Aziz. One man destroyed many innocent lives. Their blooming love was killed by him 10 years ago. Now they are together, but this time their love will fight against him. His enmity with Aahil is a mystery. His destruction is a promised oath for her. Love, hate, betrayal, and the hidden dark past of each Their story was not easy, and it never will be.Dazzled Bride- Shattered and United by Love

Review:

“𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬; 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐮𝐬"

Now, I'm posting about a book that not only sucked me in but also kept me bog down in the drama and angst. To be frank, I was pulled into this story from page one, ins't an apt description, I think I may have been lured in while getting to know about the plot and characters.

Book introduces us Inaya Mirza who never had an easy life, she's always struggled, either with being neglected by their own family, dealing with hatred and facing innumerable amounts of humiliation from her husband whom she once thought will protect her from everyone. The author portrayed her character as a strong,feisty, successful woman who never been one to let anything get her down. I just love how feisty Inaya is, she's not one to back down or scare easily. 

I really appreciate the fast-moving storyline. Book starts with Inaya getting married to Aahil, whom she loved dearly in the past but also whom humiliated her so bad. One misunderstanding seperated them but after 10 years without option shw was getting married to him because of her father. 

“𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁"

The book delves deep into their relationship, how the love-hatred turned into "touch her/him and die" Kinda trope. I really loathe Aahil at the beginning, he made sure to punish her and started throwing tantrums. Inaya tugged at my heart strings. She had suffered so much but deep down, she only wants to survive, loved and accepted, but doesn’t trust easily. There are so many over the top drama scenes that I was just hooked from page one!

“𝐄𝐠𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝.”

I loved the found family concept, the book taught us to value friendship, relationship and family. Each of the characters had me curious, and I was hoping to discover more about them as the story unfolds. I loved the little ones, Ryan and Riya. 

Also there's more than one love story here, I found myself curious about what is really going on between some of the side characters. I loved how the author portrayed brother-sister relationship, it makes me want to know more about Zayn's side of story. Also I loved the scenes where both Aahil and Inaya supported each other till the end, even though he acted like he didn't care deep down readers know how hard he's trying to contemplate it. 

"𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨, 𝐇𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐭𝐢."

The tension between them is off the charts, even when their enmity is at its height, you can just see deeper into it. Their interaction leave you with swooning over. So yeah it is one of those books! 

I can't tell you enough to read this! 

This book made me trust Farhaana's work and put her name in my "Auto-buy Authors" list. 

Rating - 10/10

About the Author:

Farhaana is an author from south India. She has always been a lover of Contemporary romance and crime thriller books. Her love for stories can’t be described in words. After going through many hurdles in life she has decided to pen down her imagination into a story in 2019. She has created 3 stories in an interactive story gaming platform. In 2022 she have written 3 novels which have been published in daily updating novel platforms.

 After gathering enough amount of knowledge in this industry she has touched this draft. Her first story which she wrote in a paper. The moment she decided to publish a novel on Amazon. She knows this would be the perfect one. 

After months of hard work, this novel is out. Her debut novel. Her goal is simple, stand on your feet who discouraged you as being a female. Her thought is simple, being a girl doesn’t stop her from what she wanted to achieve. She has started this journey. With hope and with a will to fight against the odds.

Reach out to her – on Instagram - @farhaanawrites

[leqclerc]

How do you think Seb will come out looking in DTS? I watched S2 with some people who don't watch F1 and their opinions from solely watching the show ranged from neutral to don't like him LOL

Good question! 👀

I hate to say it, but I think that was the point. I’m not claiming there was no tension between Charles and Seb throughout their time as teammates, because there was, and 2019 in particular was rife with it. But still, the way they chose to frame it and the shots they picked and even how the scenes were cut was all very deliberate because they were crafting a certain kind of narrative. On top of all that you’ve got Will Buxton’s, um...inflammatory comments, trying to paint Seb in a certain (not very positive, as you pointed out) light. Which...well. 

I think Buxton personally gravitates towards Charles, is more hyped about him as a person and as a driver, and this blatantly bleeds through here. I get it, Netflix wants drama - even if they have to fabricate it or blow things out of proportion for it to fit their narrative - but it was...really kind of on the nose. We’re supposed to believe that Seb’s jealous of Charles’s success, that he’s growing increasingly insecure as his “pull” in the team is dwindling now that Charles has started outperforming him. Buxton even alludes to the fact that in his mind Seb was expecting to have an obedient second driver in Charles; that he wasn’t expecting to be on equal footing with him, let alone be outperformed by him, certainly not in their first season together. Which...if my sources are to be believed, was actually Ferrari’s plan, initially - swap one designated second driver for another, have Charles be Seb’s backup while he learns the ropes. Then that gradually shifts throughout the season and they sort of start letting them “off the leash” so to speak. Anyway, the point is...Yeah, maybe Seb and Charles had some tension; didn’t get off on the right foot. But that’s far from the full story. I think Seb also had a lot of issues with team management, particularly Binotto, who took over from the unceremoniously ousted Maurizio. Seb was always very vocal in his support of Maurizio, he enjoyed working with him, and you could tell they had a close friendship. Then suddenly he’s booted from the team and replaced by Binotto who...wasn’t exactly a stranger to the team, but was suddenly being promoted to a very public, very prominent role that...maybe he wasn’t the best fit for. I’m sure Seb losing someone he trusted to have his best efforts at heart, someone he felt supported by, also affected his demeanour throughout the season. But going solely off of DTS’s portray it’s easy to believe they were ready to tear each other’s heads off every other weekend, and that basically all of Seb’s problems at Ferrari stemmed from Charles’s arrival, which just isn’t true. 

As for how they portray him in season 3...remains to be seen. Maybe they’ll continue their narrative from season 2 and sort of drive home this idea that Charles “won,” that he ousted Seb from the team, demolished his self-confidence and gleefully took over as the leader, which again...overdramatised at best. I can only hope they won’t lean into some kind of tinfoil hat conspiracy theory about sabotage because...No <3 So they might paint him as this washed-up lost driver who’s on the verge of retirement...Or they might give him a slightly more hopeful narrative and flip things around to say, “Well, at least he gets to turn the page and start over fresh as the face of Aston Martin, who [as Racing Point] have performed decently this season, which might see him return to the top step of the podium in the future. Meanwhile Charles will have to deal with Ferrari being at their lowest point and facing an uncertain future and omg what if their performance hiccup means he’ll never win a WDC with Ferrari the draaama.” I just hope they’re a bit more honest in their portrayal of Charles and Seb’s relationship this time and do take the time to outline how their shared disappointments brought them closer together, and how they parted on good terms (Sebmet or bust.)

[banschivs]

𝚅𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙾𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝙽𝙸𝚇 𝙾𝙽𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙴 :  

                                                     𝐵𝐴𝑁𝐾 𝐻𝐸𝐼𝑆𝑇 #𝟹

One of the clearest videos in the archive,  though also the one most likely to cause you vertigo,  Bank Heist #3 is a fan favourite,  if only for the chaos that erupts and the specific way the game was played.  Held separately from Skizm’s usual tournaments,  those lucky enough to have caught the original pay-per-view livestream in the fall of 2019 were able to pick their favourite player from the group to follow,  with each having a varying price to witness their live point of view.  Named players whose povs were sold were as follows:  Dino,  Kannon,  Necro,  Shav,  and Nix---  all big favourites at the time and leaders on Skizm’s board with prices varying depending on popularity,  and Nix’s tickets being double the cost of the second most expensive,  Shav.  The catch being that if  (when)  your player dies or is pulled from the heist in any way,  the cost to view another’s pov triples,  thus making the game all about betting on the right horse in order to stay for the long run.  It proved popular,  with high stakes and even harder kicks,  promising an adrenaline-filled night that wouldn’t let up.

It delivered;  giving the viewers several first-hand accounts and a real feel for being right at the centre of the action.  Named behind the scenes as a fan-wide bank heist for a fandom full of pussies,  #3 offered an experience that was brand new to all Skizm clientele,  those who rarely leave their basement rooms:  all the action of a first-person shooter with no respawns,  and no saves.  When blood was inevitably spilled,  the audience was rocked,  and thrilled---  unless you were a watcher of Necro,  who unfortunately became his namesake not two feet from the bank’s back door and before any of the real action had even begun.  They weren’t even in the getaway van yet.  Necro fans would have to pay four figures for even the cheapest of the remaining players to continue watching,  many of which did.

All cams varied in style,  with colour filters and borders slapped on top of the feed to keep the appropriate level of Skizm tackiness.  The only female of the group,  Nix was granted a live feed through a gaudy filter of bright purples that left most viewers believing they weren’t given the full experience,  however others agreed that it somehow suited the ridiculousness of the footage.  In true Skizm fashion,  they didn’t care,  and in truth neither did the viewers;  they all continued to watch and there was never a demand for a return of funds,  although it’s likely this is because they knew they’d never receive it.  Ironically,  Necro’s pov was touted as the most watchable,  before he met his demise and the feed was lost.

Surviving witnesses describe the five as mostly unrecognisable,  given the fact that all were in bulky layers with little exposed.  What stood Nix out from the rest of the group  (beyond the hot pink balaclava she picked to wear)  were her teeth;  she was ousted by the fangs she has instead of canines,  though of course at the time the heist was assumed to be of Skizm’s design anyway,  with the fact that each perpetrator wore a headcam,  and the apparent flare and character the heist had.  It was a performance,  through and through.  From vaulting over desks,  to giddily waving at the cops through the front door,  Nix earned her paycheck,  and destroyed any possible ambiguity,  reportedly telling one clerk that the guys were ‘taking this all a little too seriously’.  

‘Cash won’t make your dick any bigger,  Turtle-Head’,  was also overheard.

One hostage taken,  and more than a handful of corpses littering the floor  (some being Skizm-on-Skizm kills between no-names for supposed fun),  the group barely got away out of the back door with a surprise from their getaway vehicle ploughing through a number of cop cars,  with just over $150,000 in cash,  or thereabouts.  Though some was lost in the ensuing drama,  a number of bills remain unaccounted for...

more to come.

[deans-baby-momma]

The Padackles Link-Chapter 96

A/N: Anyone wanna make a new banner for this story? This one above is kinda old. Should I just keep it?

Hours later, I wake when the bed dips behind me. I can smell the distinct fragrance of some top shelf whiskey and wonder where in the world Jared and Jensen stumbled across liquor so late at night.

Jensen scoots up behind me, molding his body to mine. I feel the effect the alcohol gave him poking my ass as he begins kissing along my neck.

"Baby,  you awake?" he mumbles against my skin.

As much as I'm hurt and suffering from Gen's rejection, my body responds to the stimuli and I whine as I press back against his erection.

"Oh good," Jay says as he kisses and nibbles my ear lobe. "I didn't want to have to rub one out. I need to fuck you, my beautiful, loving, sexy girlfriend. "

I turn in his arms and meet his lips with mine as his hand slides over the baby bump I'm sporting and slips into my shorts.

God, with the speed that I soak my panties at his touch, you'd think I was touch-deprived. That I hadn't just had amazing sex not even 24 hours ago.

As Jensen's fingers slip through my sodden folds and find my clit, we hear loud voices coming from the other bedroom.

Jared and Gen are arguing!

I whimper as Jay pulls his hand out of my panties and looks toward the door. "What the hell?"

I can't answer, I don't know how to respond. I knew Gen had been upset earlier over starting her period while on vacation but why take it out on her husband.  It's a fact of life,  not his fault. 

"Guess he probably went to bed the same way you came in here; horny and needing to fuck her senseless but she probably started and….

I trail off when I hear my name being yelled by Gen. Whoa, wait? How is this my fault? I hurriedly climbed out of bed, hoping to go diffuse the situation.  Jensen follows behind me.

From the hall, their voices only get louder and more intelligible.

"You have got to be kidding!" Jared screams. "You know I love you."

"Yea, well it doesn't look that way when all you do is look at her with these great big heart eyes."

I gently knock on the door and it goes quiet inside. I hear whispers and curses until the door opens with Gen standing there frazzled and crying.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"None of your damn business!" Gen answers and goes to shut the door but Jay's hand slaps against the wood above our heads stopping it.

"It is her business," he says with a bite in his tone. "You guys are fighting and her name was brought up so I think it the fuck is her-our- business. 

"Now what the hell is going on?"

Jared steps up behind his wife and plasters a smile on his face but I can see right through it; something is amiss.

"Let's take it outside so we don't wake the kids." Jared advises, his voice tight and tense. 

I nod at his suggestion and turn toward the kitchen,  knowing-or at least hoping- the trio will follow.

"So this isn't going to work," Jay says as we all sit around the patio table, the stress and anxiety tangible.

We all look at him, as if he has all the answers for the conundrum we've found ourselves in.

"I thought we were all in agreement; no one would feel betrayed or left out. What happened?" Jay inquires as I look across the table at Gen and Jared. 

"We each said that feelings wouldn't get hurt and no one would feel betrayed and left out when we starting fucking each other separately. So, I don't understand what happened. Can someone please explain it?"

Gen sits back into the cushion, crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. "What happened?! Like you don't fucking know!" she spits out toward me. 

I stare at my dox, doe-eyed and mouth agape. The last person I thought would have a problem with this arrangement is her. She is so confident and sure in her sexuality that she is the last person I imagined would be feeling resentful. 

"What are you talking about?" I ask, honestly confused. "What did I do?"

"Oh yea play dumb," Gen sneers. "You got pregnant by my husband and now I'm just a second thought to him! He's all about Drea," she says with a mocking tone. "All day long, he was hovering over you making sure you were okay. It was like I wasn't even there!

"And then,  theeeeen, I get tagged in this." She pulls her phone out and lays it on the table where everyone can see. A social media app is opened and a clear and distinct picture of Jared and I strolling through the market area during our "date" with his arm over my shoulders is on the screen. 

The caption is 'Trouble in Paradise?' I read the words underneath just as Jay and Jared do the same.

Supernatural star Jared Padalecki spotted in a renowned vacation spot cuddled up with a mysterious woman, who our sources later uncovered, is the same woman his co-star and best friend, Jensen Ackles has been dating. Did we just oust a secret love affair? Where are Genevieve and Jensen? Do they know where their significant others are?

"Gen, this isn't what it looks like," I begin but she cuts me off.

"Really?! You guys went out in public and were all over one another! This is supposed to be between just the four of us! Even today when I was right there my husband couldn't keep his hands off you!"

"Whoa whoa whoa" Jay speaks up. "This is what your issue is? Gen, I know you know this is all speculation.  You know how the media is. They love a good drama.

"This picture-" he points to the mobile device. "doesn't prove a thing.  Hell, I've wrapped my arms around your shoulders way before we began fucking around. And as for today, you want to know what I saw?"

"What?" Gen says, defeat in her tone, like she was a child being reprimanded. 

"I saw Jared treat Drea the same way I watched him treat you when you were pregnant. Both times. Listen, it's not that he is 'all about Drea', it's because she is carrying his child. The child you had a part in asking her to create."

"He's right babe," Jared says, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "I love you so much. I would never do anything to ruin what we've worked so hard for. You are my wife and I love that you are the one I get to grow old with."

I sit with bated breath, watching and waiting to find out Gen's reaction. Will they guys get her to understand nothing has changed? That Jared isn't choosing me over her? That me carrying their baby was as much her idea as it was his? 

Actually, she was the one that suggested I get pregnant "the old-fashioned way" when the IVF treatments weren't working. This was as much on her as it was on anyone. 

Things were so much simpler before we all fell into bed together, back when we were just friends. Maybe it would be best if we went back to that? Could we though? 

 @sea040561 @pretty-fortune @squirrelnotsam  @death-unbecomes-you @sandlee44  @internationalmusicteacher @kricketc29 @natura1phenomenon @mannls  @nickie-amore @spn-tw-37 @frozenhuntress67 @blacktithe7 @supernaturallymarvellous @thetardishasaquidditchpitch @sirod-30  @heyitscam99 @smoothdogsgirl  @i-just-wanna-run-hell @paintballkid711 @closetspngirl @starfirerules @vickiq9761  @rainflowermoon  @spnbaby-67 @drakelover78 @jessieray98 @81mysteriouslyme @travelingriversideblues-x @akshi8278 @keymology​ @topthis808​ @lilulo-12​ @onethirstyunicorn​ @i-love-superhero​ @tftumblin​ @markofdean79​ @thevelvetseries​ @larajadeschmidt13​ @delightfullykrispypeach​ @deanmonandnegansbitch​ @midsummereve1993​ @atc74​

@lostinaseaoffictionalbliss @carryonmywaywardcaptain  @darlingpeanut @sunskittlex

[lilianesol]

task 001: the beginning

part one: the basics

name:  Liliane Sol age:  twenty five gender & pronouns:  cis female, she / her house:  Oleander tier & role:  prime, heir gifts:  necromancy and summoning occupation:  none positive traits:  unyielding, dutiful, loyal, direct, ambitious  negative traits:  condescending, insensitive, ruthless, inflexible, elitist more information:  can be found by clicking this link aesthetics:  early morning fog over a graveyard, biting words, the click of high heels on marble floors, family heirlooms, sharp nails & a sharper tongue, setting yourself deadlines, applying a perfect cat eye without even trying, glass shards, and catacomb walls covered in bones which rattle gently as you pass.

part two: the story

tw: mentions of dead animals / people / things bc necromancy When Liliane was five years old, her aunt told her how fitting it was that the flower most often brought to funerals in their native Korea was chosen to be her namesake as it bloomed in their greenhouse ; the family cat tilted his head as though in agreement, clumps of dirt stuck in his fur, lifeless eyes glassy and opaque. 

The initial lessons she had begun to receive increased tenfold after her gift manifested, and the stirrings of her secondary gift appeared soon after, blurry shapes hovering over her hands as she glared at them. Over the years, her instruction began to include the differences between her house and the others, as well as ( with perhaps more enduring effects ) the difference between her tier and any other ones. If that was not enough to give a precocious ten year old an over-inflated sense of self-worth, the differences she found between herself and her peers certainly were ─ all of the other heirs, her own sister included, were not part of the head of house’s actual bloodline. 

Some might take this as a gift, or a reason to be gracious to the others, but Liliane saw it yet another example of the innate superiority she held over them. After all, she was the only one born to be the head. 

This attitude often manifested in what she liked to call confidence ─ and what everyone else named arrogance. It hardly made her the most popular person around ( though her tendency to raise the dead certainly didn’t help ) but she did not mind in the slightest ; she much preferred quiet afternoons studying than spending time with her so-called friends. Besides, knowing she was better than them was entirely different than being able to follow through with it. 

She confronted the task of strengthening herself just as she had all other tasks up until this point ─ with anger and intense determination until a problem was resolved, only to quickly turn to the next obstacle in need of conquering. Every possible hour was spent learning to use her gifts, every spare moment spent summoning or bringing back whatever animal she could find on the headquarters grounds. Soon enough, human skeletons rattled in front of her, their bones growing ever more ancient as she grew older. 

As she neared adulthood, it was clear to her that only a few professions would be worthy of her time, and, more importantly, would be useful in her quest to become the head of Oleander House. A lawyer was easily the most attractive of her options, and she threw herself into becoming one with the same fervor as everything else. Although she has recently been focusing most of her efforts on her schooling, the ultimate goal is never far from her mind ; her father had clawed his way to the top, and she is determined to honor his efforts and continue growing the might of the Sol family and that of their House. 

part three: the headcanons

When she was taught about her uncle’s ousting, her first reaction was not one of concern, or even pity ─ it was to ask her father exactly how he’d done it so that she could make sure the same trick would never be used on her.

It’s true that she is fiercely protective of her sister, and that there is love between them, but she is still a bit purposeful about keeping the other girl happy. After all, her family is an example enough that a sibling who is not close and content could easily stab her in the back. 

After her mother passed away, she poured all of her energy into learning how to bring back the deceased’s spirits instead of their bodies, if even only for a short while. For much of her late childhood, she could most often be found on her bed, tiny legs swinging above the ground they couldn’t yet reach, complaining about one thing or another to the hazy figure sitting next to her.

She has summoned and made frequent deals with a raven spirit which, as of yet, still refuses to make a permanent bond as her familiar ( citing the fact that summoning is only her secondary gift as the reason ), much to her displeasure.

the plot drop: The very idea of having to spend hours at Mortensen’s party socializing with people she couldn’t stand had nauseated Liliane, and, after what was definitely not pleading, her father had agreed to let her stay at home to study. When the lights had gone out, her first instinct had been to investigate ─ and her assigned sentinel’s first instinct had been to immobilize her so that she could do no such thing, dragging her instead to a safe room with the others where she was forced to sit and wait, fuming the entire time.

part four: the connections

note:  liliane is ... a Lot, so most of her connections will probably be negative and I’m completely down for that! pls feel free to have your characters be her enemy for more Drama!! ─    fellow heirs:   they’re all part of the Heir support group chat  it’s more than likely that she’s pissed them off with her arrogance ; maybe they still try to get along for the sake of future inter-house relations, maybe they’re completely fed up at this point and try to ignore her at all costs. ─    other members of Oleander House:   their reactions to her are entirely up to you! maybe they look at her as the future of their house and are proud of her ambition, maybe they think she’s a spoiled brat - anything goes! ─    members of the other Houses:   how she behaves with them depends on their tier, role, and power levels ( respectfully disdainful with the Heads & Heirs, polite-ish to advisors and mentors depending on her mood, and plain old rude to everyone else ). ─    independents:   in her mind, the very idea of not belonging to a house is ridiculous, so she doesn’t have much, if any, respect for them. ─    magistrates & wolves:   she understands that they technically have a higher rank than her at the moment, but that doesn’t mean she has to like it. ─    nulls:   she considers them far beneath her and is basically Not A Fan. ─    a glimmer of hope:   positive interactions where she actually cares about the other individual would definitely include her family members, possibly the Oleander leadership, and mayyyybe a friend? sounds fake but okay.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

President Trump’s firing of Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney in charge of investigating major crimes in the influential Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan, is another move by the Trump administration that, though likely legal and not totally unprecedented, appears to violate core democratic values.

The firing was dramatic, with Attorney General William Barr announcing late on Friday night Berman’s resignation and a replacement. Berman issued a statement roughly an hour later saying that he had not resigned and that Barr personally did not have the right to fire him due to the nature of his appointment.1 So on Saturday afternoon, Trump himself fired Berman, and Barr designated a different person to replace Berman than the one he had named on Friday. The firing was also somewhat surprising given that Berman is a longtime Republican who not only donated to Trump’s first presidential campaign but also served on his transition team.

Yet underlying all the drama is something we’ve gotten used to in the Trump era: the breaking of democratic norms and values, which are two distinct concepts. As we’ve written about before, values are fundamental principles (e.g., free speech), whereas norms are the unwritten rules we abide by (don’t cut in line) that sometimes reinforce those values (Supreme Court justices don’t endorse political candidates, thereby bolstering the independence of the judicial and executive branches) but also sometimes don’t. So let’s look at Trump’s firing of Berman in the context of some of those values.2

Equal justice under the law

Under Berman’s leadership, the Southern District was reportedly investigating Trump lawyer and ally Rudy Giuliani, including Giuliani’s dealings with Ukranian officials that were scrutinized as part of the impeachment inquiry against Trump. We don’t know the status of that investigation, whether Giuliani was likely to face criminal charges or even whether that investigation was a factor in the decision to oust Berman. There is some logic to the idea that Department of Justice prosecutors should avoid making decisions close to the election that might influence its outcome — indicting the president’s attorney is arguably such an example. In fact, Democrats in 2016 criticized then-FBI Director James Comey on these grounds, when he announced less than two weeks before Election Day that he was reviewing new evidence involving Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

That said, if Trump and Barr were trying to protect Giuliani (and therefore Trump), it fits a pattern of Barr’s Justice Department seeming to extend special treatment to Trump allies. In February, DOJ officials overruled career prosecutors and asked for a significantly lighter sentence for longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. All four prosecutors withdrew from the case — and one resigned — in protest of the decision. Even more unusual was the decision in May by a Barr-appointed U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., to drop charges against Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, even though Flynn had already pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Not only did a career prosecutor quit that case as well, but federal appeals judges are considering not allowing the Justice Department to drop the charges.

The democratic value at play here is equal justice under the law — a person should not get unusually lenient treatment by the Justice Department if he or she is an ally of the president’s. Arguably, previous presidents have violated this value — for example, as he was leaving office, Bill Clinton pardoned the ex-husband of a major Democratic Party donor.

Independence of law enforcement

The most alarming potential explanation of what happened to Berman is that Barr tried to fire him specifically for investigating Giuliani. A milder version may be that the Southern District, under Berman’s leadership, demonstrated that it did not care about Trump’s preferences and would investigate whichever crimes it deemed important, no matter the potential ramifications for Trump. Two years ago, the Southern District persuaded onetime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to plead guilty to a number of crimes, including violating campaign finance law, with Cohen suggesting his illegal behavior came at Trump’s behest. (It’s worth noting that Berman recused himself from that case.)

So Barr and Trump may consider Berman insufficiently loyal to their interests and fear he would bring charges that would reflect badly on Trump or Republicans, even if Berman didn’t bring forward a case clearly linked to the president.

Indeed, the Trump administration has a long record of demoting, reassigning, firing or otherwise sidelining law enforcement officials who show independence from the White House: Comey, former FBI general counsel James Baker, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump or his allies often hinted that Rod Rosenstein and Robert Mueller would be fired during their tenures as FBI deputy director and DOJ special counsel, respectively, in a manner seemingly designed to intimidate them. Trump has also recently complained about current FBI Director Christopher Wray and hinted that he could be fired.

And Barr has implied that the Justice Department will seek to bring charges against those involved with initiating the investigations of the Trump campaign’s connections to Russia — in effect, criminalizing efforts that bring scrutiny to the president.

Again, it is not unprecedented for presidents to replace law enforcement officials. Presidents in both parties traditionally replace with their own choices all the U.S. attorneys appointed by the previous administration, which often results in a wide partisan swap. As president, Clinton fired the FBI director, and most notably, in what came to be known as the “Saturday Night Massacre,” then-President Richard Nixon purged the senior leadership of the Justice Department for refusing to quash an investigation of him — he was impeached and forced to resign in part because of these moves.

The democratic value at stake here is the independence of law enforcement. That ideal, that their decisions should be divorced from politics, is hard to maintain if key law enforcement officials are constantly worried about being fired by the president, attorney general or anyone else for political reasons.

Accountability and oversight

It’s worth thinking about the initial bid to fire Berman on Friday night, because that is in part what made this move so problematic at first glance. It appeared to be an attempt by Barr and Trump to install at the top of an important law enforcement agency (the Southern District of New York) someone more likely to be friendly to their interests. Generally, when a political appointee like a U.S. attorney leaves, he or she is replaced by the No. 2 person in that office, usually a career civil service employee not formally aligned with either party. But on Friday Barr announced that Berman would be temporarily replaced by Craig Carpenito, a U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, a close ally of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another Trump loyalist.

This is a pattern for Trump: removing the leaders of various government agencies or departments, ignoring normal succession procedures and passing over the people who would normally step in, and instead replacing them with Trump allies. The temporary replacement’s role is essentially to do Trump’s bidding in a way that the removed person would not. The most prominent example of this was when, after the 2018 midterm elections, Trump replaced Sessions with his chief of staff at the time, Matt Whitaker. Often, as in the case of Berman, Trump has removed someone appointed in a process he did not totally control (usually Senate confirmation — in Berman’s case, he was installed by the judges of the Southern District) with someone chosen solely by Trump for that particular role.

Trump’s controlling the executive branch in this way — minimizing the oversight of other branches — weakens checks on his executive power. In this instance, however, Berman’s own chief deputy, Audrey Strauss, stepped into the role.

That said, that Carpenito never actually made it into Berman’s former position doesn’t mean the move wasn’t still problematic in terms of oversight. In indicting one Trump lawyer (Cohen) and investigating another (Giuliani), the Southern District under Berman’s leadership was effectively conducting oversight of the president, since Giuliani in particular was basically executing Trump’s policy goals with Ukraine (pressuring Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden). Berman’s firing suggests Trump was unhappy with that oversight and wants to limit it.

Trump’s attempts to stop oversight of his policy moves is also part of a pattern. He has essentially refused to comply with any congressional investigations into his administration. And over the past few months, he has fired a number of the inspectors general at federal agencies, the people formally charged with scrutinizing the executive branch. The intelligence community inspector general played a key role in bringing forward the whistleblower’s complaints about the Trump administration’s dealings with Ukraine, leading to the president’s impeachment. Trump seems to now view all inspectors general as threats to his administration.

The democratic value at play here is oversight of the executive branch. The Senate’s role in confirming executive branch appointees and the presence of inspectors general are ways in which a president in theory is not able to do whatever he wants with the executive branch. Trump seems unwilling to abide by these constraints. Having his personal lawyer conduct foreign policy puts that person out of the purview of the Senate or inspectors general. Firing the U.S. attorney whose office was investigating the president’s lawyer signals that the president’s lawyer and the sphere of policy he is implementing is off limits.

Media and public scrutiny

The Berman firing, like the removals of several inspectors general, was done on a Friday night. This is not the most important of these violations of democratic values. Previous presidents — and plenty of other people outside of politics, for that matter — “dump” bad news on Friday nights, hoping it will get less media coverage as journalists take off for the weekend.

That said, these firings are important for the reasons I have laid out above. Trump’s seeming desire to obscure them suggests he wants to avoid careful examination of decisions that he no doubt is aware will be controversial.

Media and public scrutiny of presidential decisions is a core democratic value as well, even if other presidents have also neglected to maintain it.

And, again, this is a pattern for Trump. In the past few weeks, he and his aides have sought to get CNN to retract — and apologize for — a poll showing Trump trailing Biden and to block the publication of former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s book, which is critical of Trump. Presidents often complain about polls and dislike books critical of them but Trump’s actions go beyond those more traditional objections.

We recently wrote about how the administration’s decision to use chemical agents and rubber bullets on protesters outside the White House violated several democratic values. Key officials involved in that incident now seem to regret it. The firing of Berman may also backfire on Trump. It could embolden more people, including some Republicans, to start criticizing the president for politicizing law enforcement decisions.

Berman’s decision to resist his firing and administration officials’ distancing themselves from the White House protest incident suggest something else that should worry Trump: People in his administration may be reading and believing polls showing him trailing Biden, thinking Trump is likely to lose reelection in November and becoming more unwilling to do questionable things to stay in good standing with a man who may not be president come January.

[mobius-prime]

58. Special - Sonic and Knuckles Mecha Madness

Previous / Table of Contents / Next

Mecha Madness

Writer: Michael Gallagher Pencils: Pat Spaziante Colors: Kyle Hunter

Oh boy, time to see what "Operation Last Resort" is! Turns out, it involves a portable roboticizer - the same one, in fact, that partially roboticized Bunnie all the way back in StH#3. Apparently they actually took it with them when they rescued Bunnie, and Sally's been having Rotor fix it up this whole time in case of such an emergency. It even has a built-in neuro-overrider to let the person inside keep… their… okay, hang on. I'm calling BS. You're telling me that this entire time they've had a portable roboticizer which functions normally, lets the person keep their mind, and as revealed later in the issue even comes with a reverse function that can deroboticize any 'bot that it's created? Can you say plot holes? First of all, since this is Bunnie's roboticizer, it should be the simplest matter ever to stick her in it and give her her organic body back. I guess you could fudge around and say, well, there's too many risks since her process was interrupted and whatnot, but the other problem comes with the fact that two different issues now have had this same drama about someone being roboticized and not having kept their normal mind. How different would literally the last issue have gone if Sally, in response to Sonic's request, had said "Well sure Sonic, we have a nearly-risk-free option right here in Knothole Village. With your consent we'll throw you in it and have Robotnik defeated and in prison by lunchtime"? There would be absolutely no risk of him losing his mind and becoming a slave of Robotnik's! Sure it would come with physical risks, but since when has Sonic ever balked at a risk of death or injury before?

Man, the only way we'll be able to get through this issue is if we just pretend there's no plot holes, so I'll stop my yapping and move on. Knuckles comes to, and after deliriously trying to punch several of the Freedom Fighters present Sally kicks him in the back, which makes him recognize her, because I guess she's the only one who's ever kicked him in the back like that. Healthy relationship, guys! They get a bit gaga over each other for a little while, reminiscing on their past together - apparently Sally's father used to vacation on the Floating Island when Knuckles' father was still guardian and before Robotnik's takeover. Really, this issue makes it seem like they have a residual crush on each other, with Sally in particular still being affected by it. Man, Sally, how many crushes can you have at once? I still insist she's polyamorous. Things would be so much easier for her if she could just date multiple people at once. After a bit more discussion, Sally tells him the plan, and apparently Knuckles just cannot wait to scoot his booty into the 'botmaker and get roboticized.

Everyone actually acts quite terrified by using this option, with Rotor even questioning Sally if this makes them "no better than Robotnik." While it's played for laughs with Sally's response of "Et tu, Rotor?" honestly all this makes me think is that these literal kids (none of them is over 18 at this point) are definitely traumatized by all the crap they've gone through in this war. For basically their entire lives, getting roboticized has been synonymous with psychological warfare and death, with only a handful of examples otherwise (such as Uncle Chuck and the people he rescued a few issues ago, but even then that's an incredibly recent occurrence). It's clear they're having a hard time getting over this association in their minds, apart from Sally, who's the pragmatist of the group, and Knuckles, who… well, has spent most of his time away from the war anyway, and thus doesn't have the same fear.

As all this is going on, Tails is the last to evacuate Knothole himself while Mecha Sonic lays waste to all its buildings, and as such is spotted and targeted. He tries to fly away to safety, but it's hopeless. He's still within reach of Mecha Sonic's blasters, and Mecha Sonic locks on… and…

…hesitates! Sonic, you still in there buddy? He seems to be fighting back somehow, even though Robotnik's apparently upgraded his roboticizers since Sally's old attempts to thwart them. Not a problem for Robotnik though, since he has nuclear bombs, apparently! Jeez, man, he's really serious about taking these guys out for good. After a little while, Mecha Knuckles emerges from the roboticizer, and engages Mecha Sonic in battle, conveniently right before Mecha Sonic can tell Robotnik the coordinates of Knothole. They duke it out midair for a little while, until Mecha Sonic eventually hits Mecha Knuckles hard enough to knock him back straight toward Robotropolis, on a direct course for wherever Robotnik stores his nuclear warheads. Mecha Knuckles, determined to take out Mecha Sonic no matter what, grabs him with a magnetic pull, and together, they hit the stockpile.

Oh, boy.

Everyone back home is in tears. Certainly, as confirmed by Nicole, there's no way they could have survived a nuclear blast like that, not even with upgraded robotic bodies. Sally has to take a few moments away from the group to hide her tears. It's pretty damn bleak.

So, turns out that the blast just straight up ripped a hole in the middle of Robotnik's city, vaporizing basically every building in its path and irradiating the crater. This is some serious damage. No mention of the fact that this probably just killed untold numbers of roboticized Mobians who were stuck inside that section of the city, however, because Robotnik then emerges from an underground shelter, straight into the radiation - how messed up is this guy, dude? He drinks motor oil like it's a nice glass of wine, never exercises, and already lives in a city made out of pollution, and now he can just walk right out into the site of a nuclear bomb explosion with no issue? Anyway, he then happens to find Mecha Sonic's mangled body, somehow still barely alive, though heavily malfunctioning. Oh, and Mecha Knuckles is alive, too, so Robotnik gets punched in the head.

Mecha Knuckles isn't doing so hot, but incredibly, he recounts how just before the impact Mecha Sonic switched their places so he would take most of the brunt of the blast instead. Mecha Knuckles heads back to the Freedom Fighters with Mecha Sonic in tow, to Sally's immense relief, and they get ready to deroboticize Knuckles.

Aww, poor Sonic. Literally, he thinks he doesn't deserve to be saved after what he did, despite it not even being his fault. That's some seriously heavy stuff for a fifteen year old, man. Of course, Sally isn't about to take that. Nicole is able to run some tests and confirm that somehow, back when Sonic collected his one billionth ring and went on that crazy drug trip with the Ancient Walkers, it gave him a magical protection around his "life force," which allowed him to keep some of his personality even while roboticized. I don't know how the hell all that is supposed to work, but essentially, she's certain she'll be able to use that life force protection to deroboticize him even without the help of any machinery, since all of Rotor's equipment was destroyed in the attack on Knothole.

Miraculously, it works, and after a few moments, Sonic is back to normal, although suffering from one hell of a migraine and unable to remember anything from his time as Mecha Sonic. At first everyone is quite happy to have him back, but then he sasses Knuckles right out of the roboticizer, who glides away in a huff, and from there things start to turn sour.

Yeah, you didn't think everyone forgot about his supposed disobedience of a direct order, did you? He's handcuffed and marched away in preparation for a court-martial, as he's now suspected of treason! Remember, from Sonic's point of view, this is all he remembers: got denied his proposition, walked away and passed out, woke up in very brief agony before everything going blank, and then woke up again on the floor with a migraine. He has no idea what has even happened these past two issues, and now he's suddenly being dragged away in cuffs. Can you imagine? This poor guy.

Don't Let the Island Hit You on the Way Down!

Writer: Kent Taylor Pencils: Harvey Mercadoocasio Colors: Kyle Hunter

Well, we couldn't have an epic issue like this without a couple of silly "nothing" stories following it, so time to see what the Chaotix were doing while Knuckles was away being a robot and everything. Turns out they're under attack from the "Fearsome Foursome," a random group of Mobians who are apparently just interested in kicking some ass. The Chaotix get slapped around for a little while before regrouping and fighting back.

It goes on for a weirdly long amount of time considering nothing even happens in this story until like, six pages in. All they do is punch each other around. Suddenly, a mysterious figure emerges onto the scene: Mammoth Mogul, a gigantic mammoth with delusions of grandeur. Apparently, he was actually born in prehistoric times, but a chance encounter with a Chaos Emerald granted him mysterious powers and immortality, and as such he declared himself ruler of Mobius while sitting on a throne wearing a loincloth that leaves almost nothing to the imagination. People eventually couldn't take his manspreading on the throne any longer and ousted him as their leader, and so he just bided his time for millennia until the modern day, where he assembled this really weird ragtag team and is now intending to take the Floating Island's Chaos Emerald for his own, since apparently there are absolutely no other Chaos Emeralds for him to choose from on the planet right now.

The Chaotix respond by punching him in the face in unison, and he immediately retreats, insisting he'll be back at a better time. He literally just jumps into a hovercar straight out of the punch and zooms away at top speed while essentially doing the stereotypical villain thing of shaking his fist and yelling "I'll be back, mark my words!" C'mon, man, you're apparently this immortal god-being from prehistoric times and four random dudes slapping you is enough to drive you back? What a wuss.

Eel of Fortune

Writer: Michael Gallagher Pencils: Dave Manak Colors: Kyle Hunter

This story pretty much only exists because Michael has overestimated how much people might care about the Forty Fathoms Freedom Fighters. P.B. Jellyfish encounters Octobot swimming at top speed and tries to stop and fight him, but turns out Octobot, no longer a big bad boss of the ocean, is himself running away from someone even more terrifying - Eel Capone! Yeah, this guy is basically just a big mob boss joke, even getting his own "hired mussel" (geddit? geddit?) to beat the crap out of P.B. His other friends in the F.F.F.F. find him unconscious, and Bottlenose decides to take things into his own hands by beating up Eel Capone in ninja getup, while simultaneously murdering all his lackeys! Wait, what?!

That is cold-blooded, man! No one even makes mention of the fact that Bottlenose just brutally killed like, a hundred sentient beings. They just drag Eel Capone off to "Aquatraz," and then sing a silly, pun-filled song about the battle. Guys, I can't stress this enough, but your friend is now a literal murderer. Just because he was dressed in a ninja disguise while he was doing the murdering doesn't make him any less of a killer. These weren't even roboticized mussels or anything, they were literally just some living individuals who made bad life decisions. What kind of a Freedom Fighter keeps the head honcho alive but murders all the lackeys who were just following orders? Jesus christ.

[tellywoodtrash]

Sanjivani - Week 6

Overall Plot

Holy shit, what a fucking week. Lots of interpersonal developments (read: dhamakas!) Shashank ousted Juhi all those years ago (on the request of Rahul) because he was in love with her?!?!? Shashank is also possibly Sid's father, or somehow personally associated with him?????? Rishabh's background is revealed too!!!!! Phew. I am dizzy.

The Medical Stuff

Not that much focus on the medical stuff this week. Neil's dad is quickly diagnosed with Legionnaire's disease and I assume cured (since we didn't see him after that, and Neil happily went along to Sid's for Ganpati.) There's an old friend of Shashank's whose wife had a nasty fall and is showing some pretty bad effects of concussion. Sid's injuries seem to be the priority right now.

The Acting

Dude. Sayantani, what a stellar actress. I could not take my eyes off her in the the scenes where she's at Juhi's house. Her eyes glittering with a strange sort of determination, almost like a suicide bomber, as she presses the button to detonate life as Shashank and Juhi know it. Fucking amazing. She blew (pun unintended!) even Mohnish outta the water, with her ice-cool, unperturbed performance, standing up to him so ably! Gurdeep too, had a nice couple of scenes, alternating between Juhi being disturbed at what she found out, as well as having to take charge of one crisis after the other, and she played it with such grace and poise. Surbhi had a more toned-down week (other than the scenes when Sid gets injured.) I particularly liked the apology scene and the scene where she's praying for Sid. I'm watching YPNTKH rn, and find Namit to be waaaay more polished in that than he is here? How did his dialogue delivery and acting regress a level or two, when he’s so damn steady there? Now I'm legit suspicious of the director(s) of this show, coz if they're not extracting the best out of their two leads, who have proven to be much better performers than they’re exhibiting in this show.... What are they even there for?  

The Characters

Sid: Watching YPNTKH has given me a new appreciation for Sanjivani!Sid (he's called Siddhant in that show too!) because he's a much better character here. He's a soft boi who isn't hyped up on ego and toxic masculinity, and I really really love and appreciate that. His admonishment of Ishani (during her apology) underscores his true character; he glossed over her poor behaviour towards him in public and even the fact that she slapped him, to focus on how she was ready to blow up her own career and throw it all away over a past she had nothing to do with. He's an excellent mentor who truly cares for his team and wants to make them the best doctors that they can be. Also, I'm so, so heartened to see how accommodating he is of Ishani's germophobia. Everyone else treats it as a quirk or inconvenience, but he truly takes it into consideration, asking for consent before coming in contact with her (at almost every instance they're close by - not just once for effect and done - I hope they maintain this aspect for good), or protecting her from unwanted contact from others. His crush on her is just so adorable - checking if she’s okay while he’s carrying her, remarking he’s glad that he didn’t punish her for her insubordination because he likes seeing her all soft and contrite; his bashful glee when she gives him a flower, the (mischievously) proud grin as he watches Ishani walk off to give Rishabh what he deserves; gently guiding her to where the best views of the Ganpati fest are, all the while shielding her from unwanted contact from strangers; semi-consciously dragging himself on top of her, to protect her from the gunde!!!!!! What a good, good bean he is. He's truly so beloved that seeing him brought in injured paralyses the whole hospital in shock, and they all unite in both dawa-and-dua ways to ensure he pulls through. Please show, I am fucking begging you; do not ever ruin this character by making him a typical Tellywood hero. Keep him soft and respectful and lovable forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I deserve a male character like this after all the fuckery I’ve been through the years!

Ishani: Ishani finally comes around to seeing Sid for what he is. Even before she learns that he wasn’t the one to blame for the poster drama, she opens up about her emotional issues to him, perhaps the first person she's let in for over 20 years now. Not only him, we see she lets in his mom as well; letting her smear colours on her face, hug her, and feed her sweets from her hand, even asking for more. Really sweet and shows the willingness to make progress on her part, for people who really matter. We also see the side of Ishani that's fiercely protective of those she considers her own; lambasting Rishabh for trying to play with Asha's career, and taking on a whole group of rowdy men who were harassing her, but as per usual, her impulsive side creates more problems than she ever accounts for. Couple that with her tendency to self-blame to a destructive degree, and our girl has a lottttt of work to do, mentally. I really liked the scene where she's praying for Sid, and she says that Sid is her friend, he's everyone's friend here, and they all really need him in Sanjivani. That's all the emotional development that's appropriate for now; what the fuck is this sudden realization of "love" that's coming outta nowhere acc. to the promo for next week???? Please! It's too fucking early for love and all. Friendship, maybe a confusing infatuation of sorts because he’s been her saviour multiple times now, that's it. Not CAPITAL L waala LOVE and all. Also not a fan of how she was just paralyzed and clutching at Sid and weeping after he got injured, instead of doing something helpful. Like, it's hard to believe she's a good doctor when she reacts so emotionally in scenarios like these. I think her skills extend only to diagnosis and she should maybe focus on that, instead of the surgical part.

Asha & Aman: Asha's woes against the patriarchy continue. First with Rishabh threatening to derail her career by bringing her family into the picture, and then those random drunkards at Ganpati. She does pull together nicely though while Ishani is panicking tf out, and manages to insert a chest tube for Sid to alleviate the internal bleeding. I’m glad that she finally opened up to Ishani about why she’s so competitive and bullheaded at work, which in turn leads Ishani standing up for her against Rishabh. A solid girl!love bond growing there and I am thrilled! Aman toh... Lol, continues being Aman. He offers to beat Rishabh up for Asha, roams around the hospital like an errant 10 year old, just generally having a gala time, unlike the others who are there to focus on work. I really cannot read the vibe between these two; are they just really good bro-sis type friends, or is there a romantic undercurrent? I can't tell. Either way, they're good together, and I don't mind whichever way it develops.

Dialogue(s) of the Week:

Asha [when Ishani freaks out that she threw away the literal white flag she was carrying to make up with Sid]: Ab ke ho gaya???? Wapas se teri overacting; dekh, sahi dustbin mein daala hai (iss baar.)

Aman [literally rolling into the scene on a razor scooter, seeing the yellow rose that Asha suggests Ishani give Sid]: Chee, chee, chee chee; itni gareebi aa gayi, ki yo peela phool dene laage tum log? Arre, manne bol diya hota, english waala phool mangwa deta, phoren se. Lekin [scoffs disdainfully] tumhari marzi... [scoots away]

Rishabh: We finally conclusively know who the worst fucking person in this show is so far. Ding ding ding! Winner winner, chicken dinner! This dude is just something fucking else. He threatens to fuck up Asha’s career if she tells anyone about the poster drama. He is a classist fucker who puts down Asha’s background to Ishani, saying she has “gaon waali harkatein.” He doesn’t give a shit if Sid dies of his injuries, to the point that even Vardhan is taken aback with how vitriolic he is. A truly vile creature, this one. We finally find out that he’s the son of the canteen waale chachaji, which explains the confrontation on the day Sid was called in for his investigation (Sid says that only he knows Rishabh’s “asli aukaat”, before Rishabh rudely pushes past him and the canteen chacha who came to offer them both chai.) All his LV belts and fancy car and show-shaa is just to hide his actual economic background and as such, he prevents his father from interacting with him while in Sanjivani. He’s terribly rude and dismissive of him, to the point where the dad wishes it was Rishabh who was battling for his life instead of Sid, who’s always been more of a son to him. Yiiiiikes. Anyway for all his bluster, I am happy that he’s properly terrified of Ishani, who threatened to fuck. him. up. if he steps out of line as far as she and her friends are concerned.

Neil: I was hoping we’d see more of the Neil-struggles-with-medicine-and-his-father’s-expectations plot, but it was done away with for this Ganpati wala track. Maybe next week? Shout out to him for his adorable wardrobe filled with cartoon characters, even a Tweety Bird waala kurta that he wore to Ganpati!

Rahil: Ride or die for Sid, and I’m so glad these two soft boys are best bros. They deserve each other. He seems to be pretty close with Sid’s mom too, which makes me wonder what his family situation is? It was nice to finally see Rahil integrated into the group of residents, teaming up with Asha and Aman to get the truth out of Rishabh. I also like that despite his own terrible injuries, he takes charge of the situation when Sid is injured and gets him the first aid he requires at the moment by instructing Asha/Aman/Neil what to do. Nice progress from that first case where he was panicking and Ishani had to step in. He’s inconsolable when they reach the hospital though, and unwilling to leave Sid’s side to get his own injuries looked at. Best boy, all the love for him!!!!!!!! 

Shashank: Lord above, what a week for poor Dr. Shashank. All his children are spontaneously combusting and giving this poor man the worst week of his life (probably.) Anjali unrepentantly blew up his personal and professional relationship with Juhi, Juhi is freezing him the fuck out (I refuse to believe that he has any romantic feelings for her unless he says so himself, out loud), Sid has been brought in at the brink of death, and Ishani is on the verge of a breakdown blaming herself for what happened with Sid. For godssake, this poor man is still recovering from a VERY MAJOR BRAIN SURGERY! Could y’all cut him some damn slack, you terrible little brats!?! He’s trying his best to manage; diplomatically addressing the issue with Anjali, trying to engage in conversation with Juhi, comforting Ishani and friends about Sid, but gosh, he’s really struggling to keep his head above water. Also, the overwrought reaction about Sid......... We’re supposed to think he’s Sid’s father right? But would they really do that to this character???? Make him romantically involved with Juhi AND have an illegitimate child with another woman? Very unlikely that they’d make him such a horndog. So one of these plotlines has to give up, and I really hope that it’s the Juhi one. I can begrudgingly tolerate him being Sid’s dad, but being in romantic love with a woman who was canonically a daughter-figure to him for all these years? Un-fucking-acceptable.

Sid’s mom: We don’t have a name yet, but Aarti Bahl (aka Ekta Sohini) also played Nurse Padma Bansal Gupta (Shashank’s second wife) in DMG after Shilpa Tulaskar left. So is she Padma here too, or a whole new character with the same face? As for why the previous actress was replaced, I have a feeling it was because she didn’t look age-appropriate and/or conventionally “attractive” to be paired against Mohnish for this “is Shashank Sid’s father?” plotline. I’m not sure what to make of Aarti’s acting, she seemed very stiff with that forced smile throughout the Ganpati function; and wasn’t too impressive in the scenes where she was panicking and hiding from Shashank either. The scenes I really liked her in were when she was lovingly fussing over Ishani, and later in the hospital when she remarked how proud she was of Sid for standing up to protect the honour of a woman. She has a very soft and calming voice, and her dialogue delivery is really pleasant and soothing, so I’m hoping I grow to like her in this character.

Juhi: Juhi’s not really having a great week either, but she’s a boss bitch who has everything (mostly) in control and I am so fucking happy to see that. I’m glad she didn’t fall apart over the “truth” or try to leave Sanjivani over it - curtly stating to Shashank that she’s signed a contract and intends to honour it, unless he fires her again. She has a brief confusing moment with him while conducting a motor function assessment to determine his fitness to do surgery again, but other than that, she’s all pulled together. She’s mostly brusque with Shashank, trying to prove that she deserves to be here because of her capabilities, and trying to break out from under his shadow to be a proficient COS in her own right; but she’s also gently firm with him when he emotionally barges in trying to help with Sid, insisting that she has it under control and assuring that she will not let anything happen to him. It’s so great to see her balance both her medical/admin skills as well as the firm-yet-empathizing demeanor so ably.

Anjali: Oh Anjali. I love you but you have some serious daddy issues that you need heavy-duty therapy for. On one hand, I understand why she is so resentful and passive-aggressive the way she is (Sayantani’s portrayal compels us to peek beneath the layers!) but on the other, she really had no right to throw Shashank under the bus like that. But I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the way she did it - so bloody spectacularly; unfazed at getting slapped by her father in front of her “rival”, chugging down a whole glass of wine and insulting Juhi’s cooking before she left for the night. So tragic, yet so fucking hilarious. On a professional front, I’m predicting that she’s gonna tire of this Luxury Ward COS post real soon, since it only seems to have her stand around kowtowing to rich assholes like a receptionist of some sort. I can only hope that she wises up to Vardhan’s BS soon enough, instead of serving as collateral damage and falling into the quagmire he’s planning with Rahul to target Shashank/Juhi.

Vardhan: Not much of Vardhan this week other than him entering that secret room he’s built for Rahul in the Luxury Ward. Good. I prefer him in small, controlled doses. And at least we have some clarification that even with all his shady crap, he’s not as horrible a human being as Rishabh - stating that even though he doesn’t like the way Sid operates within Sanjivani, he hopes he pulls through in surgery.

Overall Rating: 4/5

[ckret2]

If you had the chance to write a free for all continuity for transformers what would you write? I think writers are allowed to write with whatever character too. Any pairings you’d be interested in exploring?

I’m gonna give you two ideas.

Number one:

What I kind of want to do is rewrite Energon.

It’s a series that had a whole lot of potential. You start the story with the war having been over for ten years, with the Autobots in charge, and the surviving Decepticons uneasily working alongside the victors. Unicron is dead and floating out in space—but might not totally be. The prequel series, Armada, was all about the Autobots’ and Decepticons’s fight to control and/or “liberate” (depending on how benevolently you interpret the Autobots’ actions) a subrace of tiny Cybertronians who easily serve as weapons, and who, it turns out, are also thousands of tiny Unicron-spawn; what’s their position like ten years on, with the side fighting to liberate them in charge but the knowledge that they’re offshoots of the world-eater out there? Energon barely touches on it.

One of the early antagonists is a Quintesson trying to resurrect various powerful dead Decepticons to further help him resurrect Unicron; when he wakes up Megatron, Megatron ousts him as main antagonist, after which he very slowly becomes a protagonist, and we find out that his homeworld was devoured by Unicron and he’s looking for a way to make Unicron upchuck it. That’s great! That’s a compelling storyline and could be made even tighter!

In Armada, Starscream sacrifices himself in a hopeless attack on Unicron in order to provoke Unicron to counterattack solely to prove to Megatron just what a massive destructive power Unicron is, forcing Megatron to realize that he has to set aside his fight with Optimus to address Unicron. In Energon, he’s a memoryless ghost the Quint finds wandering Unicron and uses as a minion, only for Megatron to seize control of him and brainwash him into loyalty, where he remains for the series. This is after the series with the Starscream who revolted against Megatron for truly noble reasons, to attempt to better the Decepticons, spent a stint as an Autobot before returning to the Cons, and died a hero. So much more could have been done with a ghost of Starscream that started slowly remembering his past life while Megatron struggled to suppress his memories—or, a Megatron ambivalent about psychologically beating this shade of Starscream back into place, or acknowledging the hero he became and the important lesson he taught Megatron.

There’s a plot arc where an Autobot is half-brainwashed by Megatron, and ultimately sacrifices himself to avoid being forced to turn on the Autobots—which is stupendous! He’s uh resurrected in a couple of episodes though. Why not make that sacrifice worth something? Why not make him wooed to the Decepticons for more compelling reasons than brainwashing? Or: why not dig deeper into the brainwashing plot, have him realize that on some level he’s truly deeply beginning to agree with the Decepticons, and even though he knows that he only agrees because he was reprogrammed to believe he still finds the rhetoric compelling? Make him fight with himself!

One of the Decepticons from Armada gleefully returned to the Decepticons as soon as Megatron shows up; but his best friend struggles between rejoining Megatron or staying with the Autobots in the peaceful post-war life he’s found. Eventually he throws in his lot with Megatron… dies in the process, and is casually revived as a completely loyal Decepticon with a rather new personality. Beginning to catch a pattern, here?

There were so many compelling storylines in Energon—a morally gray but ultimately sympathetic Quintesson, multiple characters grappling with their loyalties and with the fallout of the recently-ended war, a story that starts with Unicron rather than ending with him, more I didn’t mention like Cybertron/Earth politics—but most of the most fascinating storylines were truncated with abrupt kill-offs and next-episode resurrections that wiped away all complexity, ambiguity, and internal strife, or else sudden snap decisions that instantly resolved what could have been interesting character strife; and meanwhile the main plot dragged on twice as long as it needed to, reaching two or three events that could have been a satisfying climax to the ongoing plot but then lumbering on to another new unrelated plot twist. I’d love to dig my hands into Energon to tighten its main story, expand its best subplots, and make something more coherent out of its best themes.

If I were to write a totally new storyline, though?

Number two:

Okay first off it would be Decepticon centric so jot that down. A fully Decepticon-centric storyline might be cool to do as, like, a paired series, with somebody else writing the Autobot line and me writing the Decepticon line, showing the same events from both sides so that each story is complete on its own and you don’t need to read/watch the other, but if you do it’s practically a whole new story. It’d mean a lot of Teamwork and Coordinating but I’ve got years of RP experience under my belt doing just that, and what would this be but a two-person RP where we’re each responsible for playing a whole faction and coordinating a storyline accordingly?

The grody machinations of Decepticon leadership inner politics could certainly run an entire storyline all on its own. As it is, usually when we look in on Decepticon politics, it mainly ends up being brief interludes that are mainly important in the way that they affect the Autobots. But let’s just have nothing but politics between awful people! Awful people who have their own compelling complexities and moments where you can sympathize with them, without stopping them from being awful! Maybe redeem one or two. We’ll see what feels natural.

Or, if I can grant myself a token Autobot, and REALLY make this a dream story: give me a Prowl who’s been captured by the Decepticons. I’ve got a little AU I’ve never done anything with where the Decepticons capture Prowl, try to torture him for information, and instead he flips a little self-destruct switch in his mind that renders him nonverbal (possibly unable to write as well—possibly he’d just pretend so), and thus unable to spill any secrets even if he wanted to. The Decepticons assume that he fried his processor, not just his ability to speak, and keep him around as a potent hostage but put laxer and laxer holds on him the less they think he’s a danger, to the point where soon he’s wandering the base as long as he’s like, wired with a killswitch so he can’t go outside alone or something.

So our viewpoint character is Prowl, wandering around with Decepticon High Command as the audience’s eye into their drama, learning about the intricate politics and interrelationships between the leaders and the followers they keep closest just by observing; and all the while seeking a way to escape them, to forward all his intel to the Autobots, or to sabotage the Decepticons from the inside; without being able to communicate, and all while knowing that he’s only allowed this freedom and safety as long as the Decepticons think 1) he’s harmless, and 2) the Autobots are going to desperately want him safe regardless. The story, therefore, progresses on two levels: we’ve got both that wider expanse of Decepticon politics—which we only ever glimpse parts of, limited to Prowl’s POV, learning more about it at the same time he does—and the far narrower story of Prowl’s attempts to Save Himself And/Or Win The War weaving through the Decepticon political games.

Ships, I’m not sure about off the top of my head. Poly Constructicons would be a delight. And I like the idea of a Con falling for Prowl just by paying enough attention to realize that the fact that he can’t talk out loud doesn’t mean he isn’t still the very sharp strategist he’s always been, and perhaps ultimately getting swayed into helping him and, by extension, the Autobots. One of the Waves would be my top candidate for that. They seem the most likely Decepticons to recognize that silent doesn’t necessarily mean stupid and take a closer look; and “cool-headed logical pragmatist who has a passionate need to Protect but unlike the average Autobot can’t be lured into doing something stupid to save one that would endanger ten” would probably appeal to either of them: Beyond that: anything that hasn’t been done before, I like the thought of taking what was once a crack ship and justifying it in such a way it makes other people see it too. Need at least two ships with absolutely zero canon basis.

[stedes-black-bonnet]

My Baby Does Me: Chapter 5

POV: John Deacon x reader

Notes: Whelp, I got carried away by Freddie in this one, guys. We will rejoin our regularly scheduled program in Chapter 6 

Warnings: Swearing?

Abstract: You share a closet with a famous Queen.

You were in the closet with Freddie Mercury, holding a string. Could this night get any more bizarre? You immediately chastised yourself for jinxing it. You had the distinct feeling anything could happen in Freddie and Jim’s home. This had more to do with Freddie, you guessed, but you couldn’t deny the magic of this night and this place.

Freddie was as fascinated by the string as one of his cats might have been. To him it was more than a trinket from the party downstairs. He knew Deacy was sentimental to a fault, and somehow this balloon string meant something to him beyond its basic utility. But what? How best to find out?

Freddie looked from the string to you, deciding best how to phrase his words. His raw charisma was unmatched by anyone you had ever seen. Every gesture, every touch was laced with elegance, every word, every glance was intentional. Some might say he was affected and fraudulent even, but that wasn’t it, that didn’t touch it; he was stylized, particular, and commanding. There was absolutely nothing fake about Freddie Mercury.

“Y/N, dear?”

“Yes, Freddie?” Your voice sounded far away.

“Did something happen to you and Deacy with that string?” His eyebrows jumped scandalously.

You were sure he was implying something akin to being tied up. Admittedly, you felt a little tongue-tied, though that had nothing to do with this string. Going over the events of the past half hour, you felt somewhat surprised at yourself and unsure if you could trust your memory. It felt like those moments in the cupboard with John Deacon had happened to someone else, someone more interesting, someone more beautiful. Maybe this string was all the proof you needed to remind yourself of what had transpired. You kissed and kissed and kissed a man over and over and over. It had happened. And it wasn’t just any man, but John Deacon, bassist of Queen. And here you were standing next to Freddie Mercury talking about a string Deacy had given you only moments before. The absurdity of this made you burst into hysterical trills of laughter. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the natural high from making out with someone you couldn’t take your eyes off of, someone you couldn’t stop thinking about, maybe it was the larger than life presence of Freddie Mercury. You weren’t sure.

Freddie laughed with you, “Are you trying to tell me he did tie you up?”

“No, not at all!”

“And you’re disappointed he didn't?” Freddie winked at you. “Really, men just need a little encouragement then they’re ready to play the game, darling.”

“I usually don’t do this.” You slumped against the wall. Deep in thought, you slid to the ground.

“What? Talk with queers in closets? Quick! Should we oust ourselves?”

You knew he was trying to make you laugh; he was performing for you. “I don’t typically carry on with men, or with rock-stars, and I definitely don’t just make out with them at the drop of a hat.”

“Really? I used to do it all the time!” Freddie joined you on the floor with a flourish.

“Which--men or rock-stars?” You asked cheekily.

“Both! I recommend it highly. All you beautiful people should be making out all the time, if you ask me.”

“You must mean everyone but me,” You adjusted your glasses, frowning slightly. Freddie studied you closely, looking confused. You shook your head, “I’m not. I mean, I know the ‘everyone is pretty in their own way kinda line.’ I’ve always been the smart one, or the ‘oh at least she has nice eyes’ one; the one with the good personality; I’m not the pretty one, trust me.”

Freddie rumbled, sighing deeply. He knew about insecurity. A stranger in a strange land, surrounded by adoring fans who expected him to act a certain way continually. It was tiring to always be someone else, to never have anyone to share your true self with. Ever since he could remember he had been teased about his overbite, his ethnicity, his flamboyance, his identity, his sexuality; what often gets overlooked is how adversity often makes the weak strong, and the enemy petty and to be pitied. Well, here he was, in white hot-pants, a full-length red cape, lined in regal white fur, and an honest to god crown; he wasn’t about to let anyone tell him who he had to be, or what he was, or that who he was wasn’t acceptable. Life means absolutely nothing until you can be who you are out loud. Hiding wasn’t ever anything he was interested in or good at.

“Y/N?”

“Yes, Freddie?” You were both sitting on the floor of the pantry, just two old friends sharing confidences.

“You know what you’re doing, don’t you?”

“What? Contemplating the course of my entire life?”

“You’re feeling sorry for yourself. And, dear, what really irritates me about it is you’re feeling sorry for yourself for having a good time. You’re beating yourself up because you don’t believe you deserve what happened in here, whatever that may have been.”

You wanted to fight him, you wanted to protest. But you couldn’t because you knew he was right. You weren’t a child; you were an adult, and old enough to know the difference between rationality and self-delusion. You weren’t being fair to yourself. Why were you deliberately trying to ruin what had happened between you and Deacy? What use was it to self-sabotage the moments you had shared? It was that beast in the back of your mind, the one that made you feel less than, the one that said you’re not good enough; it was awake in your mind, ready to pounce over every good thing that had happened tonight. Yet, here was this relative stranger, this rock-star front-man, this talented musician, sitting here telling you to knock it the fuck off. He didn’t need to do it; all Freddie saw was a person in need, and without even thinking of the consequences, here he was, beating away the darkness in your mind. He was too good to be true. And you couldn’t deny the accuracy of his words.

Since your teen years, however, you were suddenly in a world where everyone was compared to everyone else. Where standards were unreachable, unrealistic, and designed to separate people from each other instead of bringing them together. Instead of believing in yourself, in your own inherent worth, you belittle yourself, and destroyed your own happiness. What you and Deacy did happened to you and because you wanted it and he wanted you. You deserved it. Now if only you could really believe it.

Freddie took your hand in his, “Listen,” he said, “I don’t do that anymore. I used to, but not anymore. I don’t feel sorry for myself. And now that we’re friends, you don’t either. I don’t intend to let you. Deacy’s girlfriend won’t be down on herself unless she truly has reason for it.”

Looking into his brown eyes, you couldn’t help falling a little love with him. No one had ever put it that clearly to you before in such terms of finality. Feeling sorry for yourself for drama you create in your own head was pointless. Here we are again, our own worst enemies.

You didn’t know how to express your gratitude for his words, so instead, you said, “I’m not Deacy’s girlfriend.”

“Not yet.” His smile was conspiratorial. There was a glint in his eyes that made you feel like he always knew a secret, always had a hidden truth in his pocket. “Now, do I have to bitch at you more, or are we on the same page?”

“Same page, definitely. Though, if you wanted to bitch at me more, I’d let you.” You both laughed, and he patted your hand affectionately before letting go of it.

“Believe me, I’ve already done enough bitching tonight. I’m going to need to be contrite the rest of the evening, I wager.”

“Would that have to do with the chandelier?” You ventured a guess worth guessing.

“Jim is going to be disappointed. I do hate letting him down.” His frown was extravagant.

“Like you let the chandelier down?”

Freddie’s eyes flashed mischievously at you, “Well, I was caught up in the moment! and it really was the flashiest distraction I could think of…” This was pure drama; he tilted his head up, and swung an imaginary sword in the air like Errol Flynn.

“You dropped a chandelier from the ceiling to win at sardines?”

Freddie straightened out the creases in his cape, “Well, it does seem a bit foolish now, doesn’t it?”

“A bit?”

“Well only a bit, darling, considering there’s no way we can possibly win now.”

“I didn’t know you were all so competitive.”

“Oh, honey, we fight over EVERYTHING. Lyrics, politics, pizza toppings, tempo, fashion, where to eat for breakfast, legal words in scrabble, what order tracks should be on our albums, whether Godfather Part II is superior to the first one, and on and on. Really, it’s our favorite hobby, arguing with each other. You’d think the music, but no. You know, it’s purely by habit at this point we haven’t gone our separate ways.”

“That and you all clearly love each other, and love what you create together.”

Freddie’s eyes softened considerably, “Well, yes, that too. I’m surprised they put up with me. Honestly, I’m a basket-case, relentless; I never give in, and I don’t care what anyone thinks about me.”

“I admire that; I wish I had that.”

“Oh, you will someday.” He delicately waved a hand at you,  “Either someone will push you hard enough and you’ll erupt out of that shell you’ve crafted for yourself, or you’ll get tired of always putting yourself second.”

“Deacy’s very mysterious.”

“Mysterious?” He was shaking his head, “He’s easy. He’s a walking contradiction in monochromatic outfits.”

“You think that’s easy?” You asked half-impressed half-disbelieving.

“After the people I’ve dated, yes.” He could tell you weren’t convinced. “Look at it like this: you’re famous, and it is like walking on a tightrope 24/7 darling, and maybe you’re in one of those spangly bodysuits hoping some small umbrella will keep you from falling flat on your arse.” He laughed, but his eyes were serious and dark. “Then! Suddenly, you fall.” He clapped his hands together loudly, making you jump. “And you don't fall onto some sensuous mattress, your lover waiting for you; no, you tumble into a crowd of people. The people who are always wanting a piece of you, needing to know what you're wearing tonight, who you’re fucking, who you want to fuck, what you’re next project is, if you really were out with Elton last night? Is it true what such and such tabloid printed about you last week?” He was speaking faster and faster and you knew the truth of his words ran deep into his heart. “Was it true what your ex said about you on that program? Were you seen doing cocaine at whatever club? Are the rumors true about trouble in the band?  

“And it’s endless questions and lies, and it never stops. Not until they have every piece of you on display. Nothing is yours anymore; it’s theirs. How do you be yourself in that kind of ruthless swarm, darling? What would you do? What do you hide away? What do you keep for yourself? How do you keep yourself alive? What do you lie about to protect yourself, to protect those you love? How does it work? Being in the public eye and being private? You start to develop this second-skin literally, a persona that takes care of you. Though, this protection makes it harder to be yourself when the time calls for it. Maybe you aren’t even sure who you are anymore? Or even what that means.

“We all cope in whatever way we can; Deacy and I cope the same exact way. Yes, he’s not as outlandish as I am, but that is what is expected of me. He’s the bassist, they’re supposed to be elusive, quiet, enigmatic, sharp; and yes, he is those things in the public eye, but in private, well, you’ve seen him; he’s got his own brand of outlandish, outrageous swagger, charm, and daring. Still sharp as a tack and as deadly as an asp. Out there, he’s the musician they expect, the silent partner who writes the most heartfelt songs for me to sing, but he’s more than that. We all are. Well, maybe except Roger.”

You laughed together.

“It’s easy to pick on, Rog. He’s the strongest of us all though. Him and Brian. Strong as the sun, those dazzling men.”

“I had never thought about fame in those terms before, Freddie.” You were overwhelmed with what these men went through just to be successful artists. As someone following, hopefully, down the same path, you wondered if you were up to the challenge. “I’m sorry it is so consuming.”

Freddie grinned, “They haven’t discovered the person capable of consuming me yet, dear. We like it, Y/N. We must or we wouldn’t do it. We’d retire and do something else. Something,” he shuddered, “normal. It’s not the kind of men we are, to shy away from what we want.”

“Does that include women?”

“Deacy won’t let you go without a fight. Nothing will get in his way of possessing you, of belonging to you.”

“We’ve only just met; it’s ridiculous.”

“There it is again, that negative voice. Just enjoy the ride and take it at your own speed. Just because it appears he’s settled with you doesn’t mean he’ll pluck up the courage to tell you that for months. He’s romantic, yes, but not insane. He’d just die of embarrassment if he scared you away.”

“So would I, I mean, if I did something to scare him away.”

Freddie shrugged like a 1940’s starlet, “You won’t. You also aren’t stupid; he’d never be interested in you if you were; he’s a man of taste. Too bad he’s not queer.” He sighed regretfully.

“I’d fight you for him, Mr. Mercury!”

“And you’d probably win. I’m a bit too nelly to fight you on my own.” He mimed boxing you.

“How long before they send out a search party?”

“Could be days!” He gasped, “Why don’t we rejoin what’s left of the game?”

Freddie stood, then offered his hand to help you up. “Before we part ways, can I let you in on a little secret?”

You nodded.

“I know where Lydia is hiding already.” Freddie whispered.

Tag List: @phantom-fangirl-stuff @triggeredpossum @obsessedwithrogertaylor @groupiie-love @richiethotzierz @partydulce @sophierobisonartfoundationblr @psychostarkid

[tjkiahgb]

Alright, let’s talk about that TJ scene in the last episode

I’ve tried to figure out the Buffy/TJ scene from “A Walker to Remember” numerous times now. I’ve flipped and flopped on what truly happened, what’s a lie, and what the character motivations are.

The only thing I’ve truly settled on is this: it’s not working for me. I think the problem is that the show maybe tried to have its cake and eat it, too.

Let’s look at this from a writing standpoint. What are the goals for the scene? What pertinent information are we’re supposed to get from it?

There’s a lot.

TJ is back on the team after telling the math teacher (Coleman) about his dyscalculia

Coleman knows Buffy did TJ’s homework and she might be punished for it

Buffy figures out TJ has used “You’re right” to trick her in the past and likely got the information from Cyrus

TJ is trying to change for the better

First problem: almost all the information we get from this scene comes from TJ himself. And about halfway through the scene, Buffy claims that everything he’s said is a lie, which he sort of admits to. I say sort of because he doesn’t say what’s a lie or come clean about some plan. He just says, “Old habits die hard,” which is... vague. For our purposes at least.

Back to the list of information. We can mostly leave #1 aside. Let’s assume it’s true. It’s fairly straightforward. Even when Buffy accuses TJ of lying about everything, I don’t think she means this. He wants back on the team, this is his way back.

Let’s also leave aside #3 -- that information mostly comes from Buffy’s detective work -- and hone in on #2.

What’s likely true here: Coleman knows Buffy did TJ’s homework. I don’t think there’s any grand bluff there. TJ told Coleman that.

Did TJ volunteer that information or did Coleman figure that out on his own? It’s not a wild leap to guess that after Coleman learned about TJ’s disability, his next question would be about how he then aced his homework assignment. It’s possible TJ could’ve thrown that info out there unprompted, but that’s a risk on his part, no? There’s no way of knowing that Coleman wouldn’t also punish him for going along with a plan to cheat instead of coming to him in the first place.

I guess it really depends on how much malice you want to attribute to TJ here, and that’s probably affected by whatever your thoughts were about TJ coming into the episode.

What we also need to figure out is whether or not TJ told Coleman that he asked Buffy to do his homework.

Here’s where I start to have some real trouble with the scene, because I think I’ve finally settled on the answer being no, he didn’t. I think this is the lie Buffy is calling TJ out on. I think we’re supposed to get from all this that TJ told Coleman that Buffy did his homework on her own, in one last attempt to get her off the team.

And it’s real tough to work out the logic behind how that plan would work or why TJ would even attempt it in the first place.

First, like the idea of him throwing this information out there unprompted, why would TJ assume he wouldn’t also be punished (or that Buffy would be over-punished) for this whole homework cheating thing? At the very least, he went along with it for this long. There’s culpability there. He’d have to assume Coleman would think something like, “Well, he’s got a learning disability and didn’t know what else to do while Buffy should’ve known better.” I mean, I guess that’s what Coleman did, but that’s such a weird sense of justice for a teacher to have. Incredibly lucky on TJ’s part.

But once you dig into the actual story he would have to tell Coleman to get to this place, it really falls apart.

First off, it just weird – Buffy, against my wishes, just did all my math homework. For fun?

You could argue, I guess, that she might do it just to say she tutored him and fixed him, but that would blow up in her face the next homework assignment or test, and every subsequent one after that. She’s smart enough to know that. And Coleman should know that she’s smart enough to know that.

And really, how would that benefit Buffy anyway? Why would she even bother trying to pull the wool over Coleman’s eyes when she could just say TJ’s untutorable and leave like every other tutor he’s had. No harm, no foul. It’s not like she’s got some big cash prize waiting at the end of this or anything.

Furthermore, this entire plan is predicated on Buffy never explaining her side. She could very easily tell Coleman that TJ asked her to do it and she could point to any of these aforementioned logical gaps as to why she wouldn’t have just done his homework on a whim. It gets into a he-said, she-said situation, but it’s not like TJ’s reputation is sterling, while Buffy’s one of the best students in school.

And this whole thing, by the way, doesn’t even gain TJ that much: Buffy’s gone in a few days anyway. He gets his team back. If it all falls apart -- if at any step along the way Coleman stops and says, “Wait a second, this doesn’t make any sense.” -- then TJ would be in even more trouble with the basketball team than he’s already been in. You can’t explain away lying to throw your tutor under the bus with a learning disability.

The whole plan is both brazen and pointless.

So, why bother with this bit of storytelling? Well, it creates immediate drama, obviously. It leads to a big blow to our hero Buffy’s hopes and creates a deep conflict with Cyrus that needs to be dealt with.

Ok. So TJ’s a bad guy then. He wants nothing more than to beat Buffy and be the top dog.

I mean, look, if that’s the case, fine. The logic of the plan still bugs me, but the storytelling works for the most part.

But here’s where I say that the show is trying to have its cake and eat it.

I don’t actually believe it’s the case that TJ is meant to be some moustache-twirling villain here. I’m pretty sure the show truly wants us to believe point #4: that TJ is trying to change for the better.

Why? Because of how he acts throughout the scene. You have to remember: TJ’s behavior in this scene is a conscious choice by the director and the producers. The actor, Luke, didn’t just try to play TJ as sincere for most of this scene on a whim. If he was making character choices that the people behind the scenes weren’t gelling with, it would’ve never made it to air.

So let’s look at how TJ behaves throughout this scene.

He stops Buffy outside the gym and approaches real easy, even mentioning that he’s coming in peace. They have the whole exchange about telling Coleman about the learning disability, and Buffy needing to talk to Coleman. TJ talks about how he’s changed, and how he’s an open book, and even says some nice things about hoping Buffy doesn’t get kicked off the team and about how he heard she had a good game.

Then he heads for the gym and Buffy stops him by saying everything he’s said is a lie.

And here’s where the whole thing throws me for a loop.

If this whole scene had happened the same way up until this point, and Buffy called him out, and TJ turned around with an evil grin and said, “You’re right.” and then something like, “Boom baby, you just got Kippen’d!” and ran off into the gym, I’d have gotten it.

Oh, ok. Moustache-twirling villain. Playing evil chess and scheming. Got it.

It’s not like we haven’t seen that before. It would be very similar to the scene on the basketball court in “We Were Never.” Let’s remember that scene real quick.

Buffy calls timeout because TJ won’t pass her the ball. They bicker about passing for a second. TJ says he’ll do it next time and Buffy calls him out for lying. She says, “You just say what you need to say to get what you want, but you don’t mean any of it.”

And TJ says, “You’re right,” in a super smug way, and drops this look on her.

Which is just a cold, cold stare. Basically: Yeah, you caught me. I lied, I don’t care, I’m in charge, what are you going to do about it, etc. etc. (Or in other words, “You got Kippen’d.”)

Again, if this is how TJ turned around after Buffy called him out for lying in “A Walker to Remember,” I’d instantly understand where we’re at with him.

But he doesn’t. Let’s look at the body language.

It’s shame.

Regret.

Admission.

Let’s listen to the way he says “Old habits die hard,” and the seemingly genuine tone he uses when he says that he’s really trying.

I mean, think about him saying that now. He contends that he’s really trying after Buffy’s busted him for lying. Why would he do that? If that’s untrue, what incentive does he have for trying to convince Buffy of it? Unless... Unless he’s telling the truth.

And then he tells her she’s right. And for a second, you maybe think he is making fun of her. She even calls him out on it.

And once again, he could drop everything and reveal himself as a villain here (You got Kippen’d and all that) but he doesn’t.

He seems actually surprised that she’s mad. Like, he was either trying to lighten the mood with a joke or he was honestly trying to make her feel better by saying the words he knows she loves hearing, but he wasn’t doubling down on evil. (I mean, let’s be honest here, it’s not the most natural thing to say either way, and the only reason he really said it was to advance the Buffy/Cyrus storyline by giving Buffy a clue to sniff out. But, you know, I’m analyzing it as a line of dialogue and not a plot-pushing device.)

And then, after all that, when Buffy’s figured it out and TJ realizes he’s given up Cyrus.

And that he’s gotten him in a lot of trouble with Buffy.

That is not the same TJ from earlier in this season.

This is someone who actually cares about a person other than himself.

That’s my issue with the scene. It presents us two wildly different things. What we saw from TJ in the episode was character growth. Especially in the scene with Cyrus earlier, but in this one, too, if we believe him to be sincere for at least a chunk of it.

And yet, he makes a sneaky, irrational move to try and oust Buffy from the team? And the only explanation we get is “Old habits die hard.” Like, as much as he was trying to be a hashtag good boi, a little devil inside of him jumped up and made him blame Buffy for the homework thing? I couldn’t help myself, I just had to frame you! It’s really very disjunctive.

(Here’s a quick alternate explanation for everything that, in my opinion, makes more sense and is more consistent with the character arcs, but doesn’t actually seem to me to be where they’re heading with this.

Assume TJ was honest about being an open book with Coleman. Say he laid all his cards out on the table: I have a disability, I asked Buffy to do my homework. Coleman, because of his still warped sense of justice, chooses to punish Buffy anyway. This sort of leads us to the same point, but TJ’s actions are less malicious and more in line with his recent character growth. He doesn’t make some risky, near pointless attempt to ruin Buffy. It just kind of happened through carelessness.

When Buffy says he’s lying, it’s possible she’s referring to the last things he said to her before that line: that he hopes she doesn’t get kicked off the team and that he heard she had a great game against the Raptors - implied there that he’s happy she had a good game, even without him.

Then TJ’s line about old habits dying hard, coupled with the line about really trying is saying, “Yeah, I honestly would still rather you not be on the team. I’m not happy you’re a good team leader. Though I am trying to be better about that.”

This whole way of viewing the interaction requires more nuance and explanation though, and I don’t know if we’ll get that. It’s easier to just accept TJ=bad for now until he shows up next time and they inch him closer toward redemption.)

Last thing.

I think this scene has been a big source of the conflict this week in the fandom. (Well, some of the conflict. We got conflict for days out here.)

But I think this scene is a problem in that sense because its vagueness has served as a sort of Rorschach test for anyone who has thoughts about TJ one way or the other.

If you came into this scene hating TJ, it’s likely you mostly just took from it the TJ=bad parts. He’s a snake. He’s out to get Buffy again. He’s a villain. (It’s honestly not an unfair reading of it, especially if want to believe it was a targeted attack and you also want to believe everything he said about growth was part of the lie.)

And if you came into this scene rooting for TJ, you see the person trying to make a change and the Buffy stuff leads more to disappointment than rage, like someone you know can do better, but keeps sabotaging themselves. (Again, assuming it’s based in rancor and not carelessness. You might also be more willing to believe the alternate explanation of what happened.)

Anyway. I don’t know how to wrap this up. I’m exhausted. I’ve been writing and thinking about this for too long now. Still, if you want to hit up the comments and discuss it more, that’s cool. I’ll jump back in. In the meantime, though, I’m going to go have myself a little lie down.

[kdramaxoxo]

Wok Of Love - A K-Drama Review

About This Drama: Wok of Love follows a broken-hearted and talented Chef who opens his own small Chinese restaurant across the street from where he was ousted. A collection of quirky characters including a strong-willed lady who lost all of her money, a loving thug who owns the building, and all the people who surround them. Watch them join forces to grown the business and take down the evil hotel empire. Little Guy vs. Big Guy trope. Fun talking horse Included.

---spoilers---

The Good Stuff:

Lead Chemistry: Chef Seo Poong (Lee Joon-Ho) and Dan Sae-Woo (Jung Ryeo-Won) have amazing chemistry! They vibe off of one another and their relationship feels so natural and cute and dare I say...sexy? I could watch them all day long. Plus, Sae Woo is an awesome strong female lead with strong opinions and career goals which I love.

Quirky Characters: Once the team of rag tag family members and gangsters are put into the kitchen and given their own story lines, the show became a lot more full and captivating. I adored the relationships between the knife handler and the thug and was even interested in the back story of the lead chef of the “evil” hotel. Really great character building!

Talking Horse: Ok, props to adding a talking horse. Imma isn’t a large part of the story and sometimes I feel like he was just there to be funny at the beginning of the show but hey, I don’t care! I take talking animals wherever I can get them.

FOOD: A lot of what makes this show interesting is how they overlay cuisine and cooking techniques into the story line. I was baffled by food I’d never seen before or even heard of. Even simple foods like black bean noodles being prepared and cooked were made fascinating. It was probably the favorite part of the show for me. I am VERY hungry now.

Creative Storyline: ‘Wok of Love’ / ‘Greasy Melo’ is not perfect. Lots of people dropped the show after the first few episodes due to the over the top wackiness and slightly uneven story-telling. But, the show is unique - there isn’t another one I’ve seen quite like it, so even with it’s shortcomings, I give it props for taking a creative route and wish people had given it a full 5 episodes before dropping it.

The Bad Stuff:

Creative Storyline (!): As I mentioned, Wok of Love is quirky and took storytelling risks. When that happens, it doesn’t always work (though in my opinion I’d much rather watch a show that tries and fails, than one that phones it in). So the story starts out SUPER wacky and fast paced and evens out over time so it takes on a more traditional feel. That’s not bad, but it’s misleading and many people dropped the show before it “got good” because of that. On top of that, some of the scenes felt uneven or not needed.

Love Triangle and Alpha Male: Of course there is a love triangle, and most people hated to see the adorable thug not get the girl. I personally didn’t have a problem with that this time around (he has other interesting stuff going on). What I did have a problem with (and it’s my own personal problem) is the alpha male character of Chef Poong. He comes on as quite the jerk and is very aggressive at the beginning of the show and since the thug is so sweet, everyone wants to root for him. Like the rest of the drama, he evens out and is super thoughtful and romantic after a while, but I wish they hadn’t made him so cruel in the beginning (though if I’m honest, I could NEVER hate Junho so I’m biased).

Evil Mom Trope: I LOVED Sae Woo’s whole family, especially her mother. She was sweet and sensitive and like a fancy trespasser in the working class world. Towards the end, the show does a 360 and makes her a straight up spoiled and rich lady who opposes the relationship for no good reasons. 

Episode Cut Because of World Soccer = Sadness:

In Conclusion: ‘Wok of Love’ was a slightly unevenly paced but quirky and creative K-Drama. I’m super disappointed at the rushed ending but as a whole, it was a fun watch. I’d watch it again with foodie friends, and recommend it for the magical romance, the unique feel, and definitely the food! 

Rating: 7.5/10

[theabsurdistcryptid]

off my chest

I need to talk about my 2020 so far. I don't think anyone I know IRL knows about this Tumblr and I know none of my followers really care so I wanted to just post this in my own little void. I needed to let some things off my chest in this void so no one who knows me thinks i’m doing this for sympathy points. I just need to let so much out it’s suffocating me. I know we’ve all been suffering in 2020. it’s effected all of our mental health. If I'm being honest covid 19 scared me but I thought I was handling the adjustments pretty well. the worst part was being so close to finding a real makeup job just for a pandemic to start where even touching your own face let alone being within 6 feet of others was not allowed. I've been stuck at a job I've been wanting to leave for 18 months since. like I said, it was going well besides having to live with four people who all got to go on unemployment for 5 months while I had to keep working 40 hours a week at a to go place and only earn $10 bucks an hour. I don't resent any of my roommates, I’m glad they got their time off and were able to stay home and be safe. it all changed in April though. I got the highest I've ever been in my entire life and had a complete melt down in my room, like a whole ego death. everything that I hated about myself and everything that I've been lying to myself about since I was born came to. if I had a gun I would've ended it that night. I was going to ask my roommate to drive me to a pyschward but I couldn't move and I couldn't stop crying. god I didn't know I could cry like that, I burst blood vessels in my eyes and they were swollen for weeks. I've never been that scared in my life. from that night on I had extremely graphic suidical thoughts. I thought of the most awful disgusting ways to die, I thought about being r*ped and abused and it was the only way I could fall asleep at night. that's when the extreme drinking started. I blacked out almost every night in room. I told one of my roommate’s that I was planning on checking myself into the hospital after my birthday (may 6th) I told my parents too but they talked me out of it. then the protests came and I least I could channel all of my anger into something healthy. but there were at least 5 extra people staying at my house every night including my abusive ex’s little brother (he’s cool tho but it was triggering but I told everyone it was fine bc I like him) then the drama in the house started. there’s so much to go into but basically I hurt my roommate and broke their trust bc I did really selfish things while drunk. at this point i’d been avoiding food after walking for miles all day and I would mix the alcohol with drugs to get as numb as possible. I decided to spend the night at my best friend’s house to give them space but I had an out of body experience. I don't know what happened. I guess it’s because of all this built up hatred and anger I had towards myself but I cut myself up the worst I ever had. I started at the top and planned to finish myself off at the bottom but the blade got too dull and I passed out from fear. my best friend took me to the hospital in the morning. at the hospital my alcohol addiction wasn’t addressed. when I got out I decided it was a good idea to start a relationship that was already built on drama, looking back he was not healthy for me and encouraged me to stop taking my meds and he just fucked with my head a lot, I don't think he’s a bad person by any means but we just weren't good for each other. on the fourth of July everything changed. I blacked out from drinking and drugs. the next morning my boyfriend told me I had physically abused him the night before bc he wouldn’t have sex with me. the pain in his eyes. in his voice. I'll never forget it. all of my suicidial thoughts I had been suppressing came rushing back. I wasn't better and I had lied to everyone about it. I hurt the person I love. then I made him comfort me because I was actively trying to plan out my suicide. god it was so fucking selfish. he deserved so much better and he had even begun to deal with the worst of me. we decided to take a break but we were still fucking and hanging out. then I moved. his roommate/close friend came over bc I thought I was being followed. he came to protect me with a literal gun. I had been smoking a lot, not eating a drinking a large bottle of wine. he had bought alcohol too. I just remember sitting on my porch with him. in the morning I was told that we had gone back to his house and I saw my boyfriend and was so excited/all over him but he was pissed I was drunk so his friend drove me back home and took off all my clothes and started to touch myself and was all over him. there’s probably more but that’s all I was told. I have scarred my friend for life. he hasn’t spoken to me since and I deserve it. he probably has nightmares and idk it could’ve changed his outlook on sex forever. I have done irreversible damage. I very much deservedly lost a huge amount of friends and I will never be able to gain their respect or trust again but I get it. I barely left my bed. just laid there. tried to kill myself a couple more times, mostly with pills. I wrote notes and had one big plan to put on my nicest dress, and drive to the beach and slowly poison myself with liquor and sleeping pills. Angie stuck by my side and it made all the difference in the world. I told all of my friends everything, old ones, ones who live in different states, I even made a semi public apology and ousted myself. I told my family everything too, of course they just wanted me to get help. I'm staying strong now. trying to. living with knowing what I did and what I'm capable of is the hardest thing I've ever done. do you know what’s like to try to live with yourself when you already wanted to die so badly?? and now you have to live with the knowledge of knowing you did what you did. how it weighs on you. how it’s always on your mind. no matter how many distractions it’s just always fucking right there. what’s like to be finally be okay with the abuse I endured in the past, to be okay with being r*ped because I feel like I retroactively deserved it?? I believe people can change and I believe addictions and alcohol can make people do awful things but I just can’t seem to apply that to myself. I've sent an in-depth apology letter to everyone involved and even to my old roommate who I've wronged. I just can’t look at myself anymore. I feel like my soul is marked. people tell me that the fact that I know what I did was wrong and that I feel remorse means I'm a good person but I just can’t believe that. god just holding in all of these feelings has been torture. I don't tell people these things bc what I did should be about my victims (which is why im posting this on my Tumblr bc it’s private) it’s also hard because I feel like no one takes my apologies seriously. like I'm only saying it so the rumors won’t spread or to save my reputation. I don't give a shit about that, I know so many people already don’t like me anymore and I get it, I wouldn’t either. but I have to grieve with this too. I did something I had no idea I was capable of and it shook my entire view of myself when I already hated myself on such a deep level. like I've always hated every aspect of my being but now I really had a real reason to, like I'm a fucking villain.  I'm staying strong and getting better but I can't even go 10 minutes without thinking about the people I've hurt and their well being, not an hour goes by where I don't think of a new suicide plan. my friends and family are telling me I have to forgive myself eventually so I can move on in grow but I dont think I can forgive myself for such a heinous act. if you read this I know you don't know me and this probably seems like oh boo hoo poor you your life is so hard what about your fucking victims and I KNOW. I feel awful and disgusting for even expressing how this has effected me as well but I needed to let this out somewhere. I feel like im losing my mind. I'm lucky to have a good support network and im working on changing my relationship with alcohol. the good thing is I don't crave it or feel like I need. I had a glass of preseco with my best friend on her 21st and I didn't feel the need to have anymore or even want anymore. of course I've had a slip up once, healing isn’t linear but I've really gotten under control way more than I had in the past. I don't mean to end such long post on such a boring note but god I am so so so fucking sorry to every single person I have affected in all of this. I will never stop being sorry. I hope I get better. fuck me and fuck 2020.