#its heartbreaking but extremely fun to play around with

[feroluce]

So I spoke somewhat about my thoughts on Emanator Sampo here, but I never really thought of it from a design point of view or what kind of powers he would have until just recently. But I actually kind of love leaning into it from a "stage hand" perspective?

Because like. Aha's body in THEIR official art is completely black, giving attention to all the fun brightly colored things around THEM. And that's so fitting for Sampo! He usually prefers to be a side character. He likes to act from the shadows. His is a much more subtle hand.

So I wonder if as an Emanator, a lot of his clothes are actually very dark? Not necessarily plain, still extravagant and needlessly detailed in things like cut and quality with lots of different fabrics and textures and ornamentation, but dark. Or maybe even his skin itself becomes blackened further down his body; his hands in particular are dark, as a sort of sleight of hand reference.

The motif of a lot of straps wrapped around him like in his canon design is still present, but they're all loose and flowing off of him like paper streamers now instead of restraining him or holding him together. He is no longer contained! Or maybe they're still a bit more rigid/heavy, but just draped more like red stage curtains!

And this is like. Fully self-indulgent, but I love inhuman designs, and there's nothing in canon to say I can't do this, so screw it! Go for broke!! Maybe it's not visible to normal people, but Sampo having a second set of arms would be really cool, as further sleight of hand reference. One set is almost normal looking, but his hands are a bright, attention-drawing white, and the other is dark, set almost in the shadows of the first arms, to act less noticeably.

He also has something of a broken heart design to him in canon (the front of his black shirt with its jagged shape down the middle; his coat looks like a full heart shape in the back), and I actually like him keeping that element as an Emanator, because I think it suits him. Sampo says his taste in aesthetics and views on Elation involve human dignity,

and the story he helps create in Belobog involves the long and winding road of resistance and survival and eventual triumph in the face of some very adverse, oppressing odds. (I'm pretty sure I heard he once called Wildfire "artless" though, plus the man acts like he thinks Shame is some kind of dessert, so like ndkdjzjskkd) But the point being!!

I think Sampo is someone who can appreciate heartbreak and angst and tragedy in a story, because it makes the victory at the end all the sweeter. And this would be another thing he shares with Aha, because I think THEY did bless the Mourning Actors partly just to be a little shit, but also because Aha does recognize tragedy as part of THEIR Path, too, and you can see it in some of the game. So a broken heart motif can still suit him, and I like him having elements of both comedy and tragedy. Like his clothing having a happy sun/sad moon (like the moon in Aha's art) or him having both of the traditional comedy/tragedy masks in his design.

And as Emanator, Sampo can maybe play with the stage settings environment, too. Like lights sometimes behave strangely around him, appearing blindingly bright to someone or dramatically dark. Sampo wills it and suddenly there seems to be a metaphorical spotlight right where he wants everyone to look. And when he doesn't want to be noticed, his face seems to be cast in shadow, he seemingly just fades into the background, no one notices or recognizes him and he sneaks away easily. He can create smoke or fog literally out of thin air without his bombs now, too, the air will just suddenly thicken until his stage is obscured, and Sampo can set the scene as he pleases or disappear without a trace.

And in line with being a stage hand, Sampo can direct attention like no other. He was already extremely good at this as a normal mortal, and becoming an Emanator only took it up to 11, past human limits. Sampo points, and all present feel compelled to follow his fingertip. He looks away, and they all follow his gaze. He can even affect the mood of an audience; he can influence everyone to be calm and placid or he can whip them into a feverish frenzy. Sometimes a crowd will start to become unsettled, agitation stirring until it boils over, until it incites a full on violent mob.

And in the middle of all that chaos will stand one perfectly calm figure, face cast in shadow, until they quietly slip away out of sight.

[youryurigoddess]

Welcome to the Magic Shop

Or why Will Goldstone’s Magic Shop might be more important than it seems to be and why the Bullet Catch isn’t the only trick in its stock that should interest us in the context of the Good Omens plot.

Let’s start with very first thing Aziraphale saw and literally ran towards after crossing the shop’s threshold. It’s nothing else but the legendary sword Excalibur (foretelling the divinely appointed ruler) and a prop for a spectacular illusion called the Excalibur chest.

But wait, there’s more to it! During the handshake besides the Excalibur itself, placed right between Crowley and Aziraphale, there are three more swords struck into the angel’s back. It’s Tarot symbolism: reversed Ace of Swords (miscommunication, clouded judgement) and reversed Three of Swords (recovery from a difficult patch in a relationship or heartbreak). I’d say it checks out for the angel in this minisode! Reversed because they suddenly switched sides for this particular scene.

Insane how the Good Omens crew found a cobra from the snake-charming act and put it on the counter in front of Aziraphale — as if it wasn’t clear enough that this angel is a professional snake charmer, right?

I wanted to make a joke about Aziraphale buying the cobra afterwards, just like Crowley bought the eagle lectern as a souvenir of that night, but then I remembered… this stupid, sentimental snake HAD IT IN HIS BEDROOM IN S1.

Just imagine how many Aziraphale-related memorabilia he had accumulated over those six thousands years, when only one night out with the angel led to two new items in his collection.

The only way for Crowley to be more obvious would be covering the walls of his apartment with Aziraphale’s pictures like in a classic Stalker Shrine trope.

And since our thoughts are already in the present, there’s also something super interesting in the background between Crowley and Aziraphale during their visit in the shop in S2. Look to the right!

As you can probably suspect at this point, nothing in this shop is what it seems to be. This isn’t just any piece of rope, but a prop for the Indian rope trick, sometimes described as the world’s greatest illusion.

The story behind it revolves around someone going to Heaven and the magician bringing them back in the most spectacular fashion! And one of the Good Omens producers, Catriona McKenzie, shared this BTS photo with it some time ago.

The classic trick looks like this: the magician’s assistant climbs the rope until he’s lost to view, as if ascending to Heaven. The magician calls him and feigns anger upon receiving no response. He arms himself with a knife or sword, climbs the rope, and vanishes as well. An argument is heard and then human limbs fall, as if cut from the assistant’s body by the magician. When all the parts of his body land on the ground, the magician climbs down the rope, collects the severed limbs, and puts them all in a big basket. The assistant resurrects/reappears from it uninjured.

Not that it means something in particular, but this scenario would be extremely fun to play in the context of getting the Supreme Archangel Aziraphale back to Earth.

[certifiedgoofball]

so i finally watched the devil's chord and i. AUGH!!!! UEUHGH!!!!!!! i watched space babies a couple days ago and it was good ofc but i felt like it was missing something but devil's chord was literally fucking PERFECT. it was scary and emotional and silly and weird all at the same time and i almost cried and i got so many goosebumps and i just AAHH!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE EP UNDER THE CUT. GIANT RANT. I AM AUTISM.

i already have a giant bias towards the episode cuz one of my longest interests has been music and instruments but oh my fucking GOD the way they talked about music and hearing classical songs that i knew almost sent me to tears IM NOT JOKING. ruby playing the piano was so awesome and hearing saint saen's danse macabre made me feel like i was going to ascend into the heavens. putting doctor who and classical music, two of my biggest interests, together, was the best thing imaginable. I LITERALLY CANT DESCRIBE HOW HAPPY THIS EPISODE MAKES ME.

SECONDLY, I LOVED MAESTRO. like the toymaker (who i also adore so SO incredibly much), they have this silly evilness to them that makes them so INTERESTING!!! and then finding out maestro is the child of the toymaker was EVERYTHING. BECAUSE IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. jinkx monsoon, the person that plays maestro, says some stuff about them that explains why i love them so much. "When human rules don't apply to you, you get to do whatever you want. You don't have to worry about whether your emotions make sense to people because you don't have to answer to them." and "What I love about Maestro is that, while objectively evil, they are an artist, they have a mission statement. " THESE ARE THE EXACT REASONS I LOVE THE TOYMAKER AND MAESTRO SO MUCH. both of them are other-worldly beings. they're gods of their own realms. they're dramatic and passionate and so dead-set on getting what they want. but its not just about getting what they want, its about having fun with it and turning it into a show. because what's the point in going out if you cant go out with a BANG?

something else i loved was the doctor in this episode. ncuti gatwa's doctor, like david tennant's, is so extremely emotional and passionate and it makes me want to SOB. the doctor mentioning his granddaughter? TEARS IN MY EYES. "i can only smile like this because ive lost so much" SOBBING ON THE FLOOR. the 15th doctor has already been so emotional and i know im gonna cry so so much while he's around. BUT THATS SOMETHING I LOVE ABOUT DOCTOR WHO. because it can be so silly and weird and funny and then it can turn around and be spine-chilling and emotional ALL IN THE SAME EPISODE. because when you think about it, the story of the doctor is HEARTBREAKING. and when that side of him comes out you HAVE to expect the waterworks.

AND THEN RUBY THE ENTIRE EPISODE ???? i know theres something up with her and i just OH MY GOD!!! BECAUSE THE SNOW??? THIS EPISODE AND LAST EPISODE? AND THE SOUND OF CHRISTMAS?????? im gnawing on the bars of my enclosure I NEED TO KNOW. shes so interesting I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT because its like who's her mom?? whys she able to do the snow thing?? how did she have a song in her ????? AND MAESTRO SAYING THINGS LIKE "no he couldnt be there" "the old one couldn't've been there" WHO IS THAT. WHAT DO YOU MEAN.

IM GOING INSANE. IM SO EXCITED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT I COULD EXPLODE INTO A MILLION PIECES.

[iicha-0s]

Machines VS Humans | Jungkook×f!reader

Summary: you find yourself getting jealous of a machine which leads into a big fight between you two. things take a turn eventually and you both find your way back to eachother in the end.

Tags: !jungkook and f!reader are a couple, !yelling, !mentions of heartbreak, !crying, !yelling, !fighting, !marriage proposal, !fluff (only a little)

"Yes, baby. Give me a minute. I'm about to win." He says his eyes focused on the tv screen on which he was playing his favourite game, Call of Duty.

"Jungkook, stop playing please." You whine.

You had moved in his house 5 months ago when suddenly the world decided to throw up this disease on everyone's plate that has now turned into a pandemic and there is a lockdown all over the country.

In the start it was all fun but then the Xbox started getting more attention than you.

Getting annoyed you climb on Jungkook's lap sitting on his left thigh but he shifts both of his hands to his right side and continues playing.

"Heyyy~" You whine again and shift to the other side but he moves his hands to your opposite side and continues playing. You groan and shift, straddling his lap and wrap your arms around his neck as he wraps his around your waist and continues playing.

You be patient and wait for him to finish his game.

As much as you wanted to go and break his Xbox you were stopping yourself since you knew how badly he reacted when his Namjoon Hyung accidentally dropped and broke his Xbox.

God of destruction.

You chuckle thinking.

The guy he loves so much and looks up to was suddenly his enemy and he didn't talk to him for 5 days. He didn't even look at him. For those 5 days Namjoon kept apologizing for his mistake but Jungkook wouldn't take it.

You were scared to break it, even if you were extremely jealous of the machine getting more attention than you, since you were the only one he trusted and the new one he brought was only allowed to be touched by him or you. That's it. He doesn't let anyone else get near it thinking that they'll break it.

*20 minutes later*

You have been patient for the past 20 minutes, but here is your beloved boyfriend still playing and not giving you any of the attention he used to.

You let out a small whine and get off his lap and go to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Yes! I won!!!!" You hear Jungkook yell loudly. You hear his quick footsteps coming towards the kitchen and feel two strong arms wrap around your waist as Jungkook presses multiple kisses on your neck.

"I won!" He says but you don't say anything.

"Why aren't you excited?" He pouts.

"Yay." You say waving your hand in the air acting excited with sarcasm, earning a chuckle from him.

"This is why I love you." He says smiling unwrapping his arms from around you and starts walking away as you let out a scoff. He stops in his tracks.

"Did you just scoff?" He says turning around.

"What?" You say placing a bowl of cereal on the kitchen counter.

"You just scoffed when i said that i love you." He says.

"What are you saying?" You look at him, confused.

"You know I love you, but just as I said you, you scoffed." He says.

"You love me?"

"Of course I do, baby. More than anything. Nothing is as important to me as you are, and you know that too." He walks to you and wraps his arms around your waist pressing the fronts of your bodies together.

"Nothing is more important than me?" You raise both your eyebrows, while looking up at him.

"Nothing." He shakes his head.

"Fine. Then just as you said, we should get rid of things that is not important to us. So lets get rid of it, shall we?" You say and walk out of the kitchen to the living room and disconnect the Xbox from its chords and pick it up dropping it against the floor.

"What- why would you do that?!?!?!?" Jungkook yells at you.

"What? You were the one who always says that we should get rid of the things which are not important to us." You shrug.

"Are you out of your mind?! How could you do that?" He yells.

"Because I need some attention too. Earlier you used to give me the attention I needed but now, nothing. You're playing games all the time."

"So???? You would go ahead and break my Xbox?!" He yells.

"What do you mean 'SO'? I understand you love playing but i need your love too, don't you think?" You say.

"So because of your childish behavior you would go ahead and break my Xbox?! How could you be so selfish?! Think of someone else for once other than you." He furiously runs a hand through his hair.

"I do think of someone else other than me." You say.

"And who is that?"

"You."

"If you would've been thinking about me then you wouldn't have done this." He says scoffing before continuing. "Dont you think I need some time for myself too, Y/n? It's not always supposed to be about you. You might think that but let me tell your that it isn't supposed to be always about you."

"But you play all day long. Earlier we used to cuddle and have those sweet talks but now it's nothing. It feels like it was just a dream." You fidget with your fingers while feeling a tug in your heart.

"Things change, okay?! It's not always the same throughout." He yells.

"Stop yelling." You say trying to stay as calm as possible.

"Why would I not yell if you go ahead and do such a thing?!?" He yells loudly taking a step towards you causing you to flinch and take a step back.

"You should stop being so childish and act like an adult for once. You are not the most important thing to me. I have more important things in my life than you. I trusted you by letting you touch the only thing I love in this world and you go ahead and break it!" He says squatting down and picks up the broken machine as your heart drops at his sentence. You choke on air as your vision becomes blurry and a tear drop falls from your eyes. He looks up at you to see you crying causing him to sigh.

"Now stop crying like a baby." He say but only to cause more tears to flow down your cheeks.

"Stop crying, Y/n!" He yells standing back up.

"You know what? I dont want a crying baby like you anymore in my house. Get out!" He yells pointing at the front door as you stare at him in disbelief.

"Get out!" He yells loudly as you let out a loud sob and walk towards the door opening it and walk out sobbing loudly as you walk out of the house barefoot still sobbing.

You were about to step out of the main gate of the bungalow but crash into someone.

"Y/n?" You hear a familiar voice calling your name. You look up to see Taehyung standing in front of you.

"What happened? Why are you crying?" He says but you don't answer and just continue sobbing loudly.

"What happened here?" Jimin comes placing his hand on your back pulling you towards him and hugs you as you wrap your arms around his waist and sob in his neck as he rubs your back.

Just then the door of your house opens as Jungkook step out. He was about to come search for you but looks up to see you sobbing loudly in Jimin's neck causing his heart to break.

"What did you say to her?" Taehyung says to Jungkook as his head drops down and he was now facing the floor.

"What did you say?" Taehyung repeats sternly.

"Explain this situation. What happened?" He says.

There were some footsteps as the rest of the Hyungs came in, except Namjoon since Taehyung had asked them to meet at Jungkook's house to discuss what they would be doing for Namjoon's birthday. Jin cracked a joke as Hoseok laughed along with him and Yoongi gave a disgusted look to Jin.

"Stop would you? Your jokes make me want to kill myself." Yoongi says. They turn to see you sobbing loudly in Jimin's neck as their smiles fade away.

"What happened?" They ask.

"Jungkook said something to Y/n and isn't telling me what." Taehyung explains.

"Jungkook what did you do?" Jin asks.

"We- we were fighting."

"About what?"

"She broke my Xbox."

"And what did you say?" Jungkook fell dead silent and the only sound was of you sobbing.

"L-leave."

"Loudly, Jungkook."

"L-leave." He says loud enough to be audible.

"Is that the word you used?" Taehyung asks as Jungkook slightly shakes his head.

"Then what did you say?"

"Get out."

All the guys standing around you let out a sigh.

"H-hyung, Y/n I-i know I made a mistake. But I can make it right."

"And you will. Come on, guys let's go inside, sit and talk." Jin said.

"No." You say stopping Jimin who was about to take you inside Jugnkook's house.

"Y/n, come on."

"No." You say.

Jimin was holding your wrist trying his best to take you back inside but you kept pulling backwards, trying your best to get your wrist out of his grasp.

"Y/n we have to go inside and you both have to talk this out."

"No!" You say and try to free yourself from his grip but he doesnt let you go.

"Baby, please. I'm sorry." Jungkook says to you and walks over to you and tries to take hold of your hand but step away from him.

"Go back to your XBox. It means to you more doesnt it?" You say in middle of your sobs.

"No. No. No. Baby you mean more." He says.

"Yah, what about us?" Taehyung asks but Hoseok slightly nudges him.

"Dont." Hoseok shakes his head.

"Baby please." He says and takes hold of your hand and pulls you towards him.

You try to break free but he was stronger than you.

He wraps his arms around you, hugging you tightly as you continue crying in his arms.

"Im sorry. Stop crying please." He says patting the back of your head as you hide your face in his chest and continue crying.

"Baby please stop crying. Come on lets go inside." He says as you keep crying in his chest with your arms wrapped around his waist.

He bends down and picks you up in his arms as you wrap your arms around his neck and continue crying in his neck.

"We can discuss about the party later. You guys figure this out first. Come on, lets go." Yoongi says to everyone so they all go back to their car and drive away as Jungkook takes you inside and places you on his lap as he sits on the couch.

"I'm sorry baby." He says cupping your face with both of his hands and making you look at him.

"Please stop crying." He says and then bends forward taking hold of some tissues and wiping the tears off of your face for you.

"I'm sorry. You can yell at me, beat me. Do whatever you want, but just dont leave." He says and wraps his arms around you.

"I hate you." You say sniffing and wrap your arms around his neck and place your head on his shoulder as he leans back on the couch while wrapping his arms around you.

"I love you too." He says pressing a kiss on your head.

He holds you close to him as you both sit quietly.

"You want me to get you some food?" He asks as you nod pouting.

"I'll go get some food for my baby. Wait for me okay?" He says cupping your chin as his fingers press your cheeks making you form a fish face as he kisses your lips softly.

"I hate you dont kiss me." You say pushing him away.

"No." He says and starts kissing you all over your face as you keep pushing him away.

He takes hold of your hands and keeps kissing your face.

"Stop kissing me." You say pouting as he smiles at you.

"Go, get me some food." You say and get off of his lap.

"Give me a kiss or i wont go." He says.

"I hate you so im not gonna kiss you." You say.

"Then you won't get any food." He says and takes hold of the TV remote and turns it on.

"Fine, not that i care about food anyways." You say and get off the couch and walk upstairs to your shared bedroom.

You wash your face and then come back downstairs and go to the kitchen and make yourself some cup noodles and sit there eating it.

"This girl is so stubborn." Jungkook says to himself and then gets up from the couch and takes hold of his jacket and goes to the market to get you some food.

He comes back home and goes to the kitchen to see you eating cup noodles as he places the bag on the kitchen counter.

You dont even spare him a glance and continue eating as he opens the bag and then comes to you with a piece of your favorite teriyaki chicken.

"Here." He says.

"No, thank you." You say and finish your cup noodles and then go to the couch and sit there watching TV.

"Yah, Y/n~ I bought this for you." Jungkook says holding the box of teriyaki chicken in his hands and standing next to you.

"Please eat it." He says making puppy eyes at you.

He sits next to you and tries to make you have them but you keep ignoring him.

He gets annoyed and slams the box on the coffee table and walks off to yours and his bedroom.

You continue watching TV as he comes back after some time and sits down on his knees, and takes hold of the remote from you and turns the TV off.

You were about to walk off but he stops you.

"Y/n. I'm gonna ask you something to you now and i want you to give me an honest answer." He says and then lets out a deep breath. He takes out a small box from his pocket and opens it revealing a diamond ring.

"Y/n, will you- will you accept this and give me the honor to get to spend the rest of my life with you?" He asks looking at you eyes sparkling with eagerness as he waits for your answer.

"Aww, Jungkook............" You start with a smile causing him to smile too as he takes out the ring and was about to make you wear it. "No." You say and get up from the couch and walk off.

"Wha- w-why?" He says getting up and follows you into the kitchen.

"You Xbox means a lot to you doesnt it? Marry that then. Give this ring to your Xbox then." You say.

"Baby i already said sorry." He says.

"Well you said a lot of other things too Jungkook. Things you cant take back. Things that really hurt me. How do you expect me to accept this after what just happened?" You say.

"Baby please. I love you." He says.

"Not as much as you love your Xbox." You say taking out a water bottle and walk back to the living room.

"Baby please. You know i love you a lot. Please dont do this." He says.

"Well the a lot seems to be really small when it comes to your Xbox." You say.

"Baby no. Look, i- i will stop playing from now on. Okay? I wont buy another Xbox. I will give you all my time. I will cuddle you, say sweet things to you and love you a lot." He says.

"No. I dont want it." You say.

"I know you do. Stop acting like this." He says.

"I used to. Now i dont." You say.

"Baby please." He says and takes hold of your hand and kisses the back of it.

"Im sorry Jungkook. But things change." You shrug and pull your hand out of his grasp and walk to the kitchen.

Jungkook drops his head down and walks upstairs to your shared room as he sits on the bed and tears start forming in his eyes and flow down his cheeks.

You sit in the kitchen thinking about it over and over as you come to a decision to say yes to him.

You've been together for such a long time and there was part you didnt want to push it away because of some silly fight.

So you walk out of the kitchen and go to the living room to see it empty. You then walk to your shared room and enter it to see Jungkook sitting on the bed crying causing your heart to break.

"Bunny, hey stop crying." You say and walk to him as you sit on the floor in front of him.

You pull his hands away from his face to see his red face with all the crying.

"Hey. I- im sorry, bunny. Please stop crying." You say as tears form in your eyes seeing him cry.

He cried rarely and you have seen him cry before too but it hurts everytime.

You take hold of his cheeks and wipe off his tears as he takes hold of your hands and holds them in his tightly.

"Im sorry, bunny. Look i felt bad about it and which is why i want to let everything that happened go and say yes. I will accept you and the ring." You say to him placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Really?" He asks sniffing.

"Yes, really." You say and get up climbing on his lap and hug him tightly as he hugs you back.

"Stop crying now please." You say pulling away and cup his cheeks as he sniffs and nods.

He takes hold of the box and takes the ring out of it and puts in on your ring finger.

"Do you like it?" He asks.

"I love it. Just like i love you." You say and wrap your arms around his neck and give him a peck on his lips.

"I love you too." He says.

"I love you more." You say.

"I love you more." He says and then kisses you again both of you smiling.

----------×----------×----------×----------×----------×--------×

A/N: hey guys! this is my first post on here. I wrote it a long time ago and it's been in my drafts since. hope you guys like it and share it and lmk your thoughts!:D

[youngjusticeslut]

Since we can almost all agree season 1 was the best. What do you think made it so good and so favorited compared to the three seasons?

Given that I've recently finished rewatching Season 1, I feel like now is an excellent time to answer this ask.

In my opinion, Season 1 of Young Justice is the best, and none of the following seasons even come close to matching it. At its core, Season 1 introduced us to this core team of teenage heroes and told the story through their lens. There are a few defining key features to this season that makes it stand above the others, and they are as follows:

You did not have to know any comics history in order to understand and follow the plot. This is, arguably, one of the most important elements of Season 1 that the other seasons (Outsiders and Phantoms in particular) fail on. Each character is a unique take to their comic counterparts. In the case of Kaldur and Artemis, they remain completely separate and can almost be considered characters that are completely unique to the show. In the case of more recognizable heroes (Wally, Dick, Superboy and Miss Martain), Season 1 gives them enough of a refresh that they feel new, but with familiar elements that make them fun to watch and get to know. Easter eggs don't detract from the plot, and remain just fun little things to point out and commend for their inclusion. Unlike later seasons, which pulled heavy elements from DC comics and wove them into the plot, Season 1 is accessible and enjoyable to everyone and isn't just for those who've read the comics.

The core cast of characters. Season 1, primarily, focused on the Team (Aqualad, Robin, Superboy, Kid Flash, Miss Martian and Artemis, sometimes Red Arrow.... and later, Zatanna and Rocket). These characters were the main cast, and every episode revolved around a story that put them in the spotlight. Every character (with the exception of Rocket) got at least one episode focused on their their development and gave them a chance to shine, and the audience a chance to get to know and appreciate them. The famous couples (Spitfire, Supermartian, etc.) got proper build up and were pretty fleshed out, making them endearing to the fandom. Unlike later seasons, which have outrageously bloated casts and relationships that got maybe 50 seconds of screentime (I'm looking at you, Wonderbird), Season 1 invested in its characters and let them lead the story, making them feel all the more real and the story that much more genuine. This is why the harsh transition between Season 1 and Invasion feels like a heartbreak. We spent 26 episodes falling in love with the core Team, and now all of a sudden we're expected to care about an entirely new cast with no support, explanation or buildup. It felt like being cheated out of 5 years with this cast, and even now we still don't have answers to a lot of questions in the gap.

Show, don't tell. I won't get too much into this one, but if you've been following me throughout Outsiders and Phantoms you'll know how much I loathe the amount of "telling" instead of showing. Season 1 does this so much better. Missions are played out, instead of explained to viewers through excessive monologues. Characters let their actions speak for them and actually had the time to play around the plot, instead of letting the plot making the decisions for them.

The reality of it all. At the risk of sounding like I belong on Twitter, Outsiders and Phantoms has an insane amount of 'woke' storylines-- for the sake of being woke. Don't get me wrong, several of the topics brought up in these later seasons are extremely important topics and I can understand why they're included; they're just not executed well. Compare this to Season 1 where the natural reaction to the events of Failsafe was that everyone on the team needed therapy to discuss it. There was no cheesiness, no hammering on the head about it. Action --> Natural Consequence.

I can really go on and on about how amazing Season 1 is, but truly, it was so good. I wish we'd gotten 4 seasons just outlining 4 years with the Team, getting to see them grow and change and be together. The rest of the seasons are fine, but none hold the charm and sheer power that the first have, and for that it will always be top tier in my book.

[lokislittlesigyn]

This past weekend I had .. A truly lovely experience. One that will stick with me forever, I believe.

Story time.

About a month ago I got an unexpected message that Tom Hiddleston would be at NYCC. I'd never heard of NYCC before - though I live within driving distance of NYC. I visited last year to see a Broadway play and visit the Loki figure at Madame Tussauds. But more, in 2019, my parents surprised me with tickets to see Betrayal on Broadway.

When we went to the show, I hoped to give Tom a letter, thanking him for the impact his work has had on my life, and get some art autographed. After the show - which was breathtaking and fantastic and funny and heartbreaking - I stood outside in the bitter cold and watched as Tom stayed outside for 2 hours talking to and autographing things for his fans. I distinctly remember saying his name and him looking me right in the eye - I asked if he'd take my letter. His response? "Of course I will." those words also stuck with me. spoken surely, as though kindness was deserved without question.

I got an autograph from him that day on my Playbill - they didn't allow non-Betrayal works to be signed. But I wanted, very badly, to see him again. Namely for a hug ... And to get that art signed.

In the spring of 2020 I heard about a drivable convention Tom was slated to be at. Tickets to see him were hundreds of dollars, but I was willing to pay.

Then the pandemic hit. Everything was cancelled.

Fast forward to last month. My birthday is coming up and I have no idea what to ask for, I have a steady job and I'm trying to give myself permission to buy fun things so I actually feel something when I get a paycheck. ive legit been getting money and just feeling nothing when it goes into my account. :')

And I did it. I bought a pass. An autograph pass, since the photo passes only allowed a few seconds with the individual - I wanted to talk even for a moment, not stand awkwardly while I try to make myself give a natural smile.

I'll spare you the details of the convention itself - it was huge, and while it was exciting, that wasn't the main draw. Tom was. I finished an art piece and had it printed, and took it with me to give to him. I also wrote a message on the back of it, so there was no risk of the message being lost (I don't know if he actually got my first letter. There's really no way to tell!). That message is private, but the art is not.

It took over two hours to get through the line. As someone with joint and sensory issues, this was .. Quite an experience. if i hadnt had my compression socks on i honestly dont think i would have made it. also i really need to look into what ADA passes they have because there is an ADA line and i continuously tell myself im not disabled enough for that but maybe i am, idk

But I got through the line and went around the corner where they had a curtained-off area, and there he was.

My first thought? "Oh, you're real."

its always surprising to see him in person.

But as happened before, the nervousness and excitement and heart beating out of my chest gave way to a quiet calm.

He took the piece I brought to be signed, and signed it. And I spoke up.

"I made this for you, if that's okay." And I handed him the above artwork.

He took it. Looked at it. "You're very talented."

I thanked him.

And he looked at me again.

Now, it's relevant to mention I am autistic. Eye contact is extremely difficult for me. It feels unsafe, exposed, scary. I can literally get physically unsettled if I look at someone's eyes too long. This man is the only person - not even my mother and father feel safe to look in the eye - that I can not just stand to look in the eye, but actually feel ... peaceful. i think it's because he has lokis eyes.

"Thank you. Have a good rest of your weekend."

He smiled at me, and I smiled back. I thanked him again.

It's a small interaction. It was in the last event on the last day of the con - this man was probably exhausted, and rightly so. I also want to be clear, I don't have any sort of parasocial feelings toward Tom, or even romantic/etc. feelings. Tom is his own person, with his own life and experiences, and I don't feel anything toward him other than a general fondness and gratitude. More importantly, he is married, a husband and a father, and that is so important to remember.

I'm simply grateful to him. Out of hundreds, possibly thousands of people over the weekend, he took a bit of time to look at the art, and say something kind, and to look at me and smile.

Photos weren't allowed in the area, or I would have wanted one. Likewise, there were tables between the attendees and him - I would've asked for a hug otherwise. But I don't regret the weekend, for all its ups and downs. I got to give Tom a present, and I know I'll see him again someday.

And maybe next time, I'll get that hug.

[noegrets]

What do you dislike about Yoshio? I stopped keeping up a long time ago (around Bell Tree Express) and for the anime, much earlier, I just now later anime originals were usually not great, with a few nice exceptions...

In super short: we don't like his episodes because he ignores established characterization to be able to make jokes, and his jokes are extremely juvenile. He seems to think old people are inherently funny, he seems to think scatological humor is the height of comedy, and that having characters wildly gesticulate or dance is a sure recipe for hilarity. It's a type of humor that, beyond being extremely juvenile, also reads to us as mocking and mean-spirited, as the targets of his humor are portrayed as laughable, vapid, stupid, gay, and/or old. Which is gross and we don't want to pollute ourselves with this stuff. So, since all of his episodes are anyway out-of-character excursions mostly just to make fun of old people, we decided to skip them entirely.

Our first incident with this guy's writing does not even come from Detective Conan, but from Digimon 02. I don't know how familiar you are with it, but the first arc's plotline is about Ken, a child genius in the real world becoming an evil dictator in the digital world. He doesn't understand that he's not simply playing a videogame, and when he finally realizes the truth, there are serious repercussions for Ken that he now has to face. And then there is an absolutely heartbreaking episode about Ken's trauma about the death of his older brother and how he has been in the role of replacing his dead older brother, which has been unaddressed and festering and at the core of all of his problems.

And sandwiched right between the episode where Ken found out after fucking around for the whole first half of the series, and the trauma backstory episode, there is an episode that was written by this guy (although we didn't learn that tidbit until much later). We pre-emptively apologize for making you read this. The episode is about the main heroes accidentally walking in on an old tortoise digimon who was enjoying a piss. The tortoise is so mad about being interrupted in its joyful piss that it chases the kids for the whole episode. Antics ensue. And whenever the tortoise thinks it's safe to piss, the kids witness it again, restarting the cycle. Eventually the tortoise gets to piss again alone.

We were rewatching Digimon 02 after many years, and when we got to this episode, we stopped. The next day, we just said, …why don't we watch something else.

The first episode he contributed to Detective Conan is the "Tokyo Barls Collection" (episode 943). The entire episode exists solely because of an extended pun between garuzu (transliteration of the English word "girls") and "ba" (Japanese for "old") - what if there was an idol group, consisting of all old ladies, and they were the baruzu? That's the joke. That extremely stretched out pun that barely even counts as a pun. During the episode, we meet the four old ladies, who are all just recolored copies of like, Wendy Oldbag from the Ace Attorney series, and they do dancing antics and are so so so funny because they are so so so old. Kogoro and Conan are also in the episode, but they both act extremely out of character, and they just get to be the vehicle by which we meet these old ladies so we can laugh about how they dance even though they are old.

In the next episode written by this guy (episode 955), the Detective Boys stumble into a village where everyone is dressed in bug mascot costumes, and they participate in a human bug-catching contest, and… weren't we watching a mystery murder series? When we came around again to this episode on our rewatch, we knew we didn't want to see it again, and this time, we went to the wiki to learn some context for this off-the-wall incongruous zaniness, and that's when we realized this bug episode was written by this guy, who is the same guy who wrote the Tokyo Barls… and the pissing tortoise in Digimon 02. And certain episodes of Lupin III red jacket, and we would have to do a whole rewatch of the series to be sure (we do plan to), but in our hazy memories, we have a feeling that our least favorite episodes were written by him. In our opinion, the Lupin III red jacket series has a quality that wildly fluctuates between supremely excellent and absolute shit, and it would only make sense if the absolute shit was contributed by this guy.

So yeah, this information freed us: this man's writing has been our nemesis for our whole lives, and now that we can simply check who was the writer of a certain Detective Conan episode and see it was him, we can decide we don't want to see it. We are in charge of our own destiny. Never again will we be tormented by this man's weird obsessions.

Continuing in our rewatch of Detective Conan, we made it into kind of a game to not check beforehand, but, if we're watching an episode and either of us has the inkling that it's by that guy, we stop and check. And so far we've been right almost every single time, and often within the first 3 minutes. We almost admire the stylistic consistency, except we hate it. For example, we start watching an episode (976), and Kogoro has been hired to find a lost pet armadillo. Ding! Armadillo mentioned. To puerile sensibilities, armadillo is a funny word and a non-standard pet. So we raise our eyebrows. In the next minute, Kogoro searches for the armadillo in the fish market of Tokyo, and insinuates that the armadillo was butchered and sold as tuna, and the fishmongers blast him out of the market with a hose. Ding! Racist joke about foreign meat, and Kogoro is out-of-character, because for all of his vices, Kogoro's greatest skill is being polite and copacetic. Kogoro proceeds to make this same faux pas a few more times, getting blasted out of the market again and again, learning nothing from the experience. Ding! Slapstick comedy and mindless repetition. Defeated, Kogoro decides to leave the fish market and calls a taxi. The taxi driver learns that he's the great Sleeping Kogoro, and turns around in the seat to ask Kogoro if he will marry him, as the car swerves wildly through the highway - but he meant to be present as his wedding, not as the groom. Ding! Homophobic joke, plus more slapstick comedy. By this point we have more than enough evidence, and we stopped watching. This is how episodes with this guy go.

Nobody make this into a drinking game or you'll need to go through the entire Black Organization before the commercial break.

Only in one case did we watch the whole episode and then only at the very end, when people started dancing, we realized it was his work (episode 1119). Though, even the wiki mentions that this episode is unusually sedate and serious for this guy's writing. Maybe he's improving. Maybe people are stepping him to save the show before he kills it. Who knows. Though, it's not like it's a good episode or anything we would particularly want to praise or even rewatch, just one that didn't cross a line for us.

We do want to say that we actually really enjoy a lot of the anime original episodes in Detective Conan, and a big part of why we started doing our ongoing series of anime episode reviews was to talk about the anime original episodes and how some of them are among our top favorite episodes. Some surpass the canon material, in our opinion. After all, the anime is largely responsible for Takagi, Shiratori, Chiba, Azusa, about half of Kogoro, most of Eri as a likeable character and not a nasty appendage of Kogoro, Eri's prosecutor rival Reiko who remains anime-original but is really cool, Fumimaro (or as we call him, "squirrel cop"), and Yuya "Eyebrows" Kazami. So don't let this one guy, who only came in around 2019, cast a shadow over all the good anime-original episodes. There is still plenty of good about the anime series. We still just skip anything that we realize is by this guy.

[nonbinaryresource]

hmmmm not sure how to phrase this exactly, but I've been looking through the questioning tag and thought I could try just asking specifically. (Sorry it got quite long!)

I'm pretty sure watching too many trans tiktoks did not make me nonbinary, but it sure brought up questions. Mainly, what if relating to nonbinary/trans experiences in my case is just that, relating? I'm thinking I might be nonbinary or trans, all because I suck at almost everything considered my gender, from looks to skills and so my "disphoria" is me not liking how others see me, rather than it being my body. I don't want to be my body to people first and then my person, besides I get the feeling top surgery would make me look and feel aesthetically cooler lol but that's just me

Is that a thing or I'm just extremely in denial?

Not sure if you caught the study we were just reblogging on how dysphoria and transness is not caused by "social contagion" like tiktoks, but if not, it feels relevant to link.

Researchers from the Fenway Institute disproved the theory of "rapid-onset gender dysphoria" (RODG) and determined that "social contagion" does not influence gender identity in the largest study of its kind, published earlier this month in Pediatrics journal.

"The hypothesis that transgender and gender diverse youth assigned female at birth identify as transgender due to social contagion does not hold up to scrutiny and should not be used to argue against the provision of gender-affirming medical care for adolescents," Dr. Alex S. Keuroghlian, the study's senior author and director of Fenway's National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, and the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Gender Identity Program, said in a statement.

But I'm gonna focus on the idea of "what if I just relate to trans experiences but aren't trans?"

Okay.

So.

What if you do?

What?

Then what?

You...find out more about yourself?

You...discover new things about your own feelings and comfort?

You...consider all of the options and come to decide on which label is best for you to adopt?

I'm not seeing a downside here. I'm not seeing anything to panic about. The transphobes have turned exploration and experimentation into the boogeyman. Life is about exploration and experimentation. Capitalism has absolutely ruined us. It's ridiculous to expect children who aren't even done psychologically developing yet to know and pick their life path and dedicate the rest of their life to it, including going thousands of dollars in debt to get a degree if necessary. It's ridiculous to expect people to not explore and experiment and have some damn fun in life, whether that's trying out 60 different jobs to find something that they want to do or discarding and picking up a new hobby each every single week to find what they actually find enjoyable or playing around with genders/sexualities/names/pronouns/clothes/etc. to figure out their feelings and better get to know who they are.

There is nothing - NOTHING - inherently wrong, bad, or immature about exploration and experimentation in life period.

So what if you relate to trans experiences but are actually cis? So what you identify as trans now for whatever length of time and change how you label later? So what?

I am so tired of the idea that anybody knows what they are doing ever. Nobody knows! We're all just making it up! The imposter syndrome we're putting everyone through for every aspect of their lives - from their jobs to their hobbies to their genders to their sexualities - is out of control. The society we have built is not meant for people. And that's incredibly, incredibly heartbreaking.

People should be allowed to play and explore and experiment!

People should be allowed to grow and change!

People should be allowed to be confused and unsure!

People should be allowed to not know!

People should be allowed to try on identities like we try on clothes at the store!

Fuck the self-gaslighting society is pressuring you to put yourself through.

I don't care what you know for sure. I don't care if you're going by a label you're unsure of. I don't care if you're going by a label you know is technically not the most accurate. I don't care if you stuck up a bunch of identity labels on a dart board, threw a dart, and decided to identify as that one. I'm here for you. The messy, confused, complex, hard to understand you. The real you.

Could it be a thing that you relate to trans experiences, don't really relate to cis experiences, and yet are cis? Sure. (Slightly tangential, but I think you might get some food for thought out of this piece of writing.)

But don't sit here thinking you have to identify as cis because you don't have "proof" of being trans. That's not a thing. It's just what the transphobes want you to think. You can identify as any damn thing you want (let's avoid cultural appropriation, though!), even if you're only 0.5% thinking you might be that thing.

If you think you might be nonbinary, practice not giving into the thoughts like "but I can't really be nonbinary because I'm only just now thinking about it". Practice letting yourself try out being nonbinary! For at least several months, unless it's just too terrible and you realize right away that it's not right for you. Don't debate on this or put yourself through a court of law or beat yourself down. Just let yourself be nonbinary. In a couple months, then come back to the questions of "is this right for me?".

And there is no "right" or "wrong" reason to identify with whatever identity. Some people identify as nonbinary because they have a very specific, pinpointable, non-binary gender. Others identify as nonbinary because they're not really sure but nonbinary makes them the most comfortable. Others identify as nonbinary because they want to be nonbinary. Others identify as nonbinary because they don't relate to or don't understand or don't want to identify with the binarily gendered structure of our society. Whatever your reasoning, it's both valid and nobody else's business (though ofc you can tell anybody why if it's what YOU want to do).

~Mod Pluto

P.S. If anything in this ask comes off as angry or frustrated, it is not with you. It is towards society and bigots who purport attitudes that harm people, even if in seemingly "little" ways like making them feel like they can't trust their own feelings.

[okthatsgreat]

Kyoko for the ask game?

SURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

headcanon a (realistic): definitely not the most expressive person just because of her desensitisation from her detective work, but i think she had the habit of covering her mouth whenever she gets too expressive drilled into her in case something DOES slip. she covers her mouth when her lower lips starts wobbling when she's very sad, when she's caught extremely off guard and shocked, and even when she laughs or smiles too hard!! makoto definitely starts calling out the habit whenever she does it just to slowly start weaning her off of it lol. also i think kyoko has a rather "practiced" smile in the sense that the very most she allows herself most of the time is a small grin, but later on (and i mean LATERRRR) she definitely can't help but smile wider and it is a bit awkward and offputting but still hers :)

headcanon b (may not be realistic but it is hilarious): not good with kids LMAO. like really really not good with them. she talks to them like she would any other adult stranger and is very reluctant to play any games with them so she just kind of sits on the couch and observes ghfdjksg. its not that she actively hates children or anything, she just feels very uncomfortable around them and they usually mirror that and feel uncomfortable around her. more often than not the kids are entertained merely because she just keeps saying some extremely out of pocket things when they ask her questions

headcanon c (heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends): i think there is so much about kyoko kirigiri that is just sooooo heartbreaking its almost difficult to narrow down a headcanon because of it ghfkjdsgjk. but i will tell you one thing ive started writing postgame kyoko as somebody who smokes very heavily whenever she's stressed out. she has little to no outlet when it comes to her emotions and i do think a lot of that will start to manifest in both some awful habits she picks up as well as physically. i imagine she has a lot of hair falling out because of her stress and her teeth are in some serious danger because she keeps grinding at them all of the damn time. keeps skipping on meals because shes so focused or her stomach is just always feeling off, loses tons of sleep to the point her vision is going a bit blurry, etc

headcanon d (unrealistic, but i will disregard canon about it): has twenty different instagram accounts all under fake aliases. one of them has over ten thousand followers and nobody is really sure how shes managed to keep it up for so long

headcanon ask game!!!

[accidentally-in-fictional-love]

Things I Noticed While Writing Light The Fuse: Part 4, Episode 2

Time for episode 2!

Two weeks ago according to Ethan later on, since he probably didn't waste too much time in Detroit, he's wearing the same outfit after all so he more than likely bailed that night

Ethan really is a sweet pea and I love him but god do I love writing that temper of his, I don't do it often enough yet between all the fun and smut and heartbreak and angst

I went to rewatch this bit for any details he might've filled in but nope, whole page is empty ;w; thanks Reprisal. Also laughing at Ethan literally leaving everything behind apart from this outfit and a single bar of chocolate. I love the detail that Horn makes its way into pretty much every title, it's a reoccurring bit

Again I was so not paying attention to anything when Johnson wasn't on screen that first watch that I completely missed that she gave him this front and center 🙃 what a jackass I am

I need to know what this means. It was never brought up again, not even when they met up. My guess is that it's supposed to be like 'look at this and feel reassured that I'll get you out' but the take that it could also mean 'show this to someone and they'll help you' is also interesting, but it's probably the former since everyone thinks she's dead and I doubt she has any friends left considering they think she started a war oop

He will be getting rid of this eventually and that's a promise

This is unforgiveable. It's also funny to me that both Ethan and Matty cry but Johnson, the man played by David 'He's Workin' Those Eyes' Dastmalchian, doesn't. Do you know how hard it is to write scenes where he's sad but doesn't cry cause he's Johnson? Extremely.

It's been pointed out before but Johnson is just straight up gone and Ethan is in his place lol like at least get him a stand-in if David had to be gone for the far shots

I still cannot believe that Bash made me imagine this. This line is so fuckin wild

Even Matty got worried when Bash started doing his thing he was not ready for a fight here

lmao Gary in his sunglasses trying to look intimidating, imagine Johnson trying that, it's not working for you bud

This one's a double, cause not only does this say that Doris taught Ethan how to come down from his panic attacks (which makes me cry) but it's also the super rare time that any amount of time is mentioned. It was so incredibly difficult to work out my timeline for this show that I had to grab the one single date shown (ep4) and move entirely around that based on what everyone says, when the boys go on a run since it takes 11 days (ep5), and when their outfits change

This isn't a detail or anything I just wanna say I love writing their scenes since it lets me really get into Ethan's head while he's hearing her actively push away everything he's saying. I kinda made him way more self-aware in my fic because of that, but having him be aware but still trusting her enough to rationalize her actions in real-time is a lot more fun to me than blind trust

I love this line so much lmao there's so many lines I passed over because I watched without the subs, like I just thought Bru was eating the ham pie like that because he liked it but nope he gets them 'runny' so he can 😂 I also like the detail how they had Ethan order four, so either one is for Johnson or Matty's having two lol

That's the one thing that lets me down in this show, Johnson keeps disappearing for no reason ;w; he should always be by Matty's side even without me knowing they're dating so let's just imagine he ducked inside to grab more drinks or he's using the bathroom and he'll just be right back, hence the fourth pie 👍

Can everyone please stop hitting Matty 😭

Matty just going 'mm' and then getting back to eating lmao he's so fuckin cute he doesn't even care, there's also no reason for him to be sitting on the table and hunched over his food like a gremlin he's gunna make me kiss him what who said that

Well I reached my limit trying to talk about their last scene so I guess I'll see you tomorrow to wrap up ep2, who would've thought such a short amount of scenes would need two posts? 💛💙

[unfilteredaj]

Fun and Fear

——

(A/N : While technically not an A Nightmare On Elm Street fic, the guy in this is 100,000% A Dream demon. And I wrote him with Freddy in mind.)

…

(Y/N) started out having the BEST time, admittedly.

I mean, when a free ticket to the local theme park was up for grabs, (Y/N) absolutely LEAPED at the opportunity.

They’d woken up early that Saturday morning and set out for a day of thrills.

Excitement bubbled up inside them as they pulled into a parking space and practically sprinted for the front gates.

The coasters were all freshly painted and bright for the season, and The Park was in it’s stride for Spring. It warmed (Y/N)’s heart to see it for the first time in admittedly too long.

“Have a great day!” The attendant smiled brightly, scanning their virtual ticket.

“Thanks! You too.”

And with that, the fun began! For a short while at least. Now standing before (Y/N) was a …perplexing ride.

It was called ‘The Tunnel of Fear.’ It was a new indoor dark ride based on the idea that Fear and Love are triggered by similar parts of the brain.

A twisted tunnel of love?! They’d give that a shot!

The queue was decked out in a mural of Cupid babies, that showed the bright little creatures growing into toddlers, and children, and so on.

The interesting thing was that as the baby Cupids grew, they were painted into more heartbreaking situations.

The Cupids grew into children, and it showed them surrounded by ripped up Valentines, and a group of similarly aged human girls laughing. All of The little Cupids had large, cartoonish tears running down their faces.

The Cupid Children grew into Teenagers as the mural continued. They were now chasing the Human Girls, but something seemed wrong. A few of the Teenage Cupids had caught the girls, and seemed to be dragging them away by their hair. The Humans in their grasp all had expressions of horror.

There was only one other rider at the loading station when (Y/N) finally arrived. The bored looking ride attendant muttered that they needed to ride together.

The guy shrugged. He was a nice enough looking guy, with sharp features. He smiled, a friendly glint in his blue eyes.

(Y/N) shuffled awkwardly into the car with him, trying not to seem like they were staring.

They mentally Damned Anxiety. A park full of people and they get squeamish having to ride with just one person. They felt a little silly.

The ride started, and an even more cartoony version of the Mural’s story played out, but with special effects and expensive looking robots.

“I don’t bite. Honest.” The man beside (Y/N) said eventually.

(Y/N)’s eyes widened.

Oh god. He just spoke to me. What do I do? SAY SOMETHING BACK TO HIM.

“….What?”

Smooth.

“You just look so nervous…” he began.

Some of the tension melted, and (Y/N) laughed.

“Oh nah, dude you’re chill. The mural in the entrance there just kind of got to me.” They tried to be casual.

The car was coming up on what looked like an extremely steep drop underground.

“Oh. Oh fuck.”

The curse spilled out of (Y/N) just as the car tipped over the edge and into the abyss.

It seemed like endless falling through darkness, and (Y/N) panicked. They grabbed onto the only thing their body would allow them to.

The closest other human being.

Music blared as (Y/N) desperately squeezed their eyes shut, reaching out and gripping the Man’s arm.

“Its ok!” He spoke over the music, pulling his arm around them. The cart eventually leveled out, but never slowed. The darkness was replaced by strobe lights that were somehow worse than the darkness.

The lights and rumble of the cart pounded against (Y/N)’s skull. The man roared with laughter. The ride continued to pick up speed. He finally leaned over again and spoke into (y/n)’s ear.

“Open your eyes. This is great!”

“FUCK no! This thing has to be going over 150!” (Y/N) argued.

The ride, as if hearing them, slowed, but didn’t stop.

“Open your eyes,” The man said again. “This is the best part.”

The softness of his voice, and a hand brushing hair our of (Y/N)’s face coaxed them to open their eyes.

They wished they hadn’t.

They were once again seeing depictions of The Cupids. Now they were grown. Strong looking, with a dark hunger in their beady animatronic eyes. And they looked more demon than angel now.

They were surrounded by real dead bodies. Dozens of women, strewn across the floor or propped into the Animatronics’ arms.

“You know, none of them understood. But you do.”

The man’s voice was barely a whisper, his arms snaking around (Y/N). His voice was like water from the River Lithe. It made (Y/N) want to forget the horrible things they were seeing. His arms were oddly comfortable.

“It’s the same. Love..Fear..Beauty,..Ugliness…”

“Did.. you do all of this?” (Y/N) asked, the question leaving their mouth before they could think.

“Mmhmm. Don’t worry about them. You look tired…”

(Y/N) giggled softly, letting their mind slip down, down, down… until there was nothing.

“Shh…”

…

(Y/N) woke with a start. They were in the cart, seemingly at the end of a perfectly normal ride. They’d been laying on the man’s shoulder from the ache in the side of their head .

“What.. what happened” (Y/N) muttered.

“The ride put you to sleep, I guess. You were out like a light! I’ve never seen anyone take a power-nap so quickly in my life.”

(Y/N) rubbed their eyes, shakily exiting the ride and getting their bearings.

“Come back any time. I’m the only one ever on there.” The man flashed a too sly grin, quickly vanishing into the crowd outside.

——

[newtlesbian]

k favorite parts before i see fools paradise again tonight. hope youve watched it already if its playing near you

the dance scene easily the best. extremely cute and fun. 10/10 perfect addition to the movie cannot wait to see it again. lenny and latte dancing crazy together in a parallels way

how the opening of the movie is more about latte getting gently swept up by the world instead of actively shoved around. joining the group of walking men and just seeming happy to be part of it was kinda sweet tbh. just havin fun riding in the truck

also his oranges………. 🥺

i said it before but the scene where ken runs into the park screaming to grab latte was so funny i was laughing a bunch at that

the whole cast is insane

the fucking camera angle where its on the martini tray i was going APESHIT it was so pretty and cool

i said this but the backgrounds esp the Symmetry of the backgrounds its all very precise and there are sooo many dope shots i really love how everything looked. i go crazy over lamps thats something u must know. pay attention to the lamps theyre pretty and theres two of them

george lopez

that whole scene was so funny in a fucked way also i said theres a billboard of his tour right by the theater 😭

the costuming and all the details. all the interesting jewelry.. giant oversized circle glasses and that huge exaggerated chunky necklace.. beautiful flowing nightgown golden hair wrap holding a giant white rabbit.. insane for that.. big hats and sunglasses.. how theres a receptionist for 30 seconds but has beautiful red earrings and a matching blouse and even her CHAIR is red and matching i went crazy im glad i was alone because i was loving it i love colors

“theres someone here to see you”

EVERY single time latte is alone walking around the city. i would love more of that. cute and sweet moments or really heartbreaking when hes carrying that around. but always gave a nice moment to breathe & listen to the beautiful score w/ that giant orchestra you see in the end credits my goddd thats insane

all the color palette i loved. the blue of the water pitcher he throws that sticks in my mind also all the yellows. very matching the poster. and the rainbow colors of the flowers in the fountain at the ending was the most beautiful i was in love w/ that scene. symmetrical there also the flowers as a frame for them

speaking of that love is real and they found it…… this post is turned out too long to talk abt the ending but its sweet and theres other stuff throughout i liked too but anyway. highlights bye

[bitchfitch]

Marnie and John are on my mind right now, mostly just because I'm chewing on how funny their sorta tangential relationship to the mers is.

Like, They both meet this intern within a few minutes of each other and this intern is like Weirdly good at hearing the nuance in an alien language that's basically just whale song and and can translate it with an excessive degree of accuracy no one else has been able to. It's not even his first day, they haven't actually gotten to the research station yet.

One of the fuck off giant alien mermaids takes a liking to him and begins following the ship around. It's fun to tease him about the mermaid having a crush on him Right up until it exceedingly obvious the giant alien mermaid Does Actually have a crush on him and isnt going to play nice if he doesn't come hang out with him. and it's a Touchy situation because on one hand. They don't know the level of sapience these fish are working with. They suspect something that's at least near to human level? but they can't confirm that. On the other a small whale regularly ramming your vessel and threatening to sink smaller collection boats (which double as the lifeboats, they're Very important) is Bad. And it's unclear what is the Ethical thing to do in that situation because he is posing an immediate threat but he might also be a person so like. What Are You Going To Do besides just put the intern he's sweet on in harm's way to keep the big fucker entertained and helping out.

And then they get to the island the research station is on and everyone thinks the mermaid will get bored and leave eventually. but he doesn't. one of the beaches is just his beach now. He's Extremely aggressive and breaks shit if he doesn't get visits from the intern. and like. it's the closest look basically anyone has managed to get at one of these things and he's tolerant enough of the intern to let him take cheek swabs and draw blood and take vitals and such. So like. Again pros and cons. Furthering the understanding of this actual alien? good. Potentially letting an alien eat the intern? bad.

The mermaid goes so far as to start teaching the intern bits and pieces of its language bc the whale song sounding stuff is more akin to yodeling in its purpose than an actual spoken tongue. it's for shouting and being heard from far away. So Again. This is something that Probably on par with a human but itll do tricks for frozen grapes and will with no hesitation act like a beast because he Genuinely has no interest in being friendly to anyone Besides the intern. And they still haven't figured out what about the fucking intern is so enthralling to him

Anyways. The season ends and the researchers are leaving to go back to earth to wait out the hurricanes that ravage that hemisphere throughout it's equivalent of spring and summer. and it's heartbreaking watching this massive asshole who's been a thorn in their sides since they got here mope along beside the ship on the way back to the portal.

They all go home and there's still so many damned questions. The intern is now full time translating recordings and explaining the language but there's so many elements that most people Physically can't hear. They're too high pitched. and adjusting the pitch to make them audible screws up the Rest of the recording because of how it flattens everything out and makes it impossible to tell certain elements apart. and the Details Matter. So this intern is Still the only person capable of hearing everything and being able to make heads or tails of it even After they figured out that sub 25yos can usually hear the higher tones bc of how the ear works it's just impossible to parse them if you aren't already Used to parsing them.

Anyways. Fall rolls around and everyone is back out on the boat to return to the alien water world. That winter goes about the same as the last but the intern is Acting weird and cagey now. He and the mermaid keep disappearing for hours at a time and then for whole days. It's not like. Hard to guess what they're getting up to. The intern is getting to see things no other human has and is probably meeting way more mers and learning a lot more about the culture than he's letting on. and tensionsbare starting to run a little high. he's withdrawing a lot more and the translations are getting inconsistent. He's intentionally omitting things and mistranslating entire recordings. He stops trying to get the mermaid to be friendly.

spring is here and the storms are brewing. it's time to go home again. The intern is acting business as usual, for the most part. he's cold and quiet and shaking a lot. Everyone just assumes he's going to miss whatever he's found here. The mermaid follows the ship to the portal again he's agitated and staying back.

The portals take a Massive amount of energy. their batteries are the size of small buildings and require entire nuclear generators to be entirely devoted to them. Once a portal is open it can only remain open for a few minutes and it will not be openable again for months. That's just the reality of the situation.

The portal is opened. They cross through. The intern isnt aboard when they dock. Security cam footage caught the moment he jumped over board but there wasn't a clear enough view of the water to know if he sank swam or got caught.

The waterworld is not suitable for humans. there's not a single drop of fresh water anywhere on the planet. They might never know what happened to him.

Spring turns to summer the summer to fall. It's time to board again.

The mermaid doesn't follow them. there's not even a sighting of him. The intern was liked. He was sweet natured and always eager to help. Curious and charming in an awkward way and the sort of person who older researchers looked at and just knew he had a future brighter than most would ever dream to have.

Everyone was hoping he'd be at the station. That the mermaid would be on his beach. He wasnt.

The door's lock was bashed open. security cam footage showed the intern visiting the station a few times in the spring. Stealing this or that and on a pair of occasions doing something with the computers but destroying the logging files before he shut them off again to prevent anyone from being able to know what exactly it was he did. Everything was backed up many times over so they know he didn't add or destroy anything. Just looked.

He was never seen on any of the ocean cameras but the mermaid was. usually traveling with another of his kind who had only started to be spotted last winter. but never was he seen with the intern

They comb through all the security footage. It's been months since there was last any sign of him. They assume the mermaid finally got bored. Someone jokes that they don't know if they hope he ate the intern nice and quick or if he died from exposure or drowning without knowing that kind of betrayal. no one laughed.

Research continues. everyone is a lot more wary of the mermaids and the mermaids seem more aware of the cameras and microphones. avoiding them and quieting anytime they were near enough to one they might be heard.

It's the day before the portal is going to be opened again.

The mermaid beaches himself, alongside another. More are circling out in the water. It's largest number of mermaids in one place anyone had seen before. There's a lot of uncertainty and fear. Until someone spots him. The intern is on the beach. his hair is a tangled mess and his wet suit has seen many better days. but he's there. full faced, rosy cheeked, a few shades darker from spending so much time in the sun. He looks worried, but fine. Healthy and alive.

He waits with the mermaids until Marnie is sick and tired of the higher ups bickering about what to do. She stomps out to demand to know what's going on, John following close behind because fuck man, that's his Friend he thought was Dead.

The intern hugs them both. he smells exactly like you'd expect a man whos spent a year in the ocean would.

He tells them everything he kept hidden. The mermaids are people. They don't want their home invaded, they don't want their waters made into a laboratory or filled with pollution and rot. They're far more advanced than they had been letting on. They will fight if they must, but they don't want to. Peace is an option.

The humans needed a pair of portals powered by top of the nuclear reactors. The mermaids didn't. they weren't going to be sharing that secret yet.

They did share one though. The mystery mermaid, not the one who'd been spotted over the last year, a different one who'd been seen many times for at least a decade. He introduces himself. in full English sentences, mangled as they were by an inhuman tongue. As does the big one who'd started this all. He could understand English just fine too. He just didn't like talking. Especially not to people he wasn't particularly fond of. Especially not when it was much funnier to play dumb.

The new mermaid gets a chuckle out of that and moves on to the actual important topic at hand. the mermaids have chosen the intern as their ambassador. They want peace. They want more than that. Their home is vast, they can share some if humans share with them as well.

The intern says he's already spoken with some people on the other side of the portal, but needed help proving that really was him. So he gives them each a word to carry home for him. Promises to see them again. and then says good bye. He leaves with the mermaids, carried away by the big fucker who was never very nice but now they all knew had been just fucking with them that entire time.

It's a bittersweet but hopeful goodbye

The absolute last thing the two of them ever expected to see when they got back to earth that next day was the intern and a tall, broad shouldered, mute stranger with a familiar glint in his eye.

John asks him if he'll still do tricks for grapes and gets shoved into the water for it.

[endlich-allein]

Day 5 — Favorite Music Video

Before answering, I would like to thank Rammstein and all the directors, for the quality of the videos they offered us and for their willingness to make them for each new album. Not all bands do this. The band's latest album is a perfect example with five very high quality videos. We find everything that makes Rammstein : emotions, humour, denunciation of a part of our society, irony, provocation, etc.

For me the best video the band has done is Deutschland directed by Specter Berlin in 2019. Deutschland is a great song, but the song and the video make Deutschland a real work of art. In 2022, they also gave us some great videos, I especially like the Angst video directed by Robert Gwisdek which I think has a very important meaning and is without a doubt one of the most political videos of the band, proving that Rammstein is perfectly anchored in our society and aware of the world around them, I'll give you the link here.

I have a lot of hesitation, there are several videos that I really like : Zeit, Mein Herz Brennt and Mein Herz Brennt piano version, Rosenrot, Ohne Dich, Mein Teil, Mutter and Ich Will.

I really like Mein Herz Brennt Piano Version and Mutter. They are beautiful and extremely sad videos. The essence of these videos lies in Till's interpretation. In Mein Herz Brennt piano version directed by Zoran Bihać, the singer gives us an exceptional theatrical performance. He manages to carry more than four minutes of uninterrupted shots, as few artists are capable of doing. So beautiful ! When he sinks into this hole, it is difficult not to make the connection with Mutter's video, where Till tries to escape from the hole where he is. The opposite is true here, since this hole is the one where he dies.

Mutter, precisely. Directed by Joern Heitmann, it's the second video in which Till appears completely alone. As a soft song, the video is not animated by action, but rather by the emotion that characterises this very intimate song because it is very personal for Till. It shows Till playing both the role of a man navigating in a thick fog and the role of a half-naked man trapped at the bottom of a well. For me, this illustrates a man lost in his life, who doesn't really know where he is going. Hiding deep in his heart is his innocence, the innocence of childhood. This man is the incarnation of the innocence of a child, a child who has been deprived of care and love, especially maternal love, since he asks for his mother. This part of childhood exists only thanks to the man who feeds it and visits it, because he is the only one who knows of its existence. We all have a child inside us, who has kept the traces of our history, of our past, and who serves as a compass when we become adults. But when this child has not known love, attention, family joy, it is no longer able to guide us and we find ourselves lost in the fog of life.

As much as I love these videos, I'm going to pick one where the whole band appears. This video is Ohne Dich directed by Joern Heitmann. Why did I choose it ? For several reasons :

1°) Because to make this video, the guys had to grow a beard to look more realistic. The only one who didn't do it is Flake, so they had to put a fake beard on him. Of course, this made the other band members laugh a lot, especially Till, who made fun of Flake by wearing a "Das Ding aus dem Sumit" t-shirt.

2°) This video was not shot in the mountains. It was shot on a climbing platform at the back of a car park with fake snow and a temperature of over 20°C.

3°) The band manager Emu Fialik was very worried that Till would fall, even voluntarily, and get hurt. But Joern said that nothing could have changed Till's mind and prevented him from doing this stunt.

4°) The message of this video is very strong. The song is about the heartbreak of losing a loved one. The video, on the other hand, talks about unity, solidarity, the importance of sticking together as Richard will say. This video also evokes the fact that alone, we can't do anything, we always need each other. And this is especially true for Rammstein: without one of its members, the band no longer exists.

[rayless-reblogs]

Nine People Tag

Thanks so much for the tag @iffylogic

Last Song:

I'm listening to music right now, "Northern Lad" by Tori Amos. I was aware of Tori for a long time, but only really got into her around 2012ish. My interest can come and go in waves, but right now I'm really into her again. "Northern Lad" is a gorgeous and heartbreaking song, though, given the lyrics, not something you'd slow dance to at a wedding. At least, most weddings.

Last Movie:

I'm feeling really nostalgic lately, so I've been rewatching the 1980s BBC adaptations of the first four Narnia books. They hit this perfect note of being extremely earnest and wholesome and endlessly generous when it comes to making fun of them. The Disney movies are better as far as production goes, but not nearly as fun.

Currently Watching:

Maybe I should've saved the Narnias for this question. I'll switch in what I'm currently playing: The Caligula Effect II. The first one is something of a dark horse for me, so I'm curious to see how this one goes.

Currently Reading:

On my last vacation, I hit an antique store that was so desperate to get rid of its 1970s Harlequin paperbacks they were being sold for fifty cents each. I am easy prey for a) vintage romance novels and b) a deal, so I came away with eight. The Midnight Sun by Katrina Britt is the first one I've opened. Lovely but tragically scared Sabina has gone away with her new husband to a remote manor in Finland. How can he truly love her with her scar? Does he actually love a local college student with a bad attitude? What about the handsome plastic surgeon who's determined to save her from her hideousness? Will Sabina eat lots of Finnish cheese and rice pastries, because that sounds delicious. Whether there's any more plot than that, I can't tell you yet.

Currently Craving:

I'd been wanting some Cadbury hot chocolate, and despite the scorching weather, I had some today. So that makes me happy.

Last Thing I Searched for Writing:

Oh, I have no idea. Things I've recently searched (for different projects) include ancient Roman methods for treating asthma, the definition of "blowzy", and typically Dutch foods.

Three Ships:

My interest has been holding pretty steady on RedBoxer (Transistor), AschNatalia (Tales of the Abyss), and ArcherHakuno (Fate/Extra) for a while now. Though thinking about The Caligula Effect has reminded me that I liked LucidShogo for a hot minute in 2020, and I'm still sad there's so little content for it.

Tagging:

If you'd like to do this, consider yourself tagged! But I'll call out specifically: @deemoyza @pandor-pandorkful @peachyindeed @bibliophileemily @assortedpencils @vangrants @caffeinatedpoltergeist @somacruising and @sweet-suzume

No pressure of course!

[popentertainmentconcertreviews]

JVKE, Blake Proehl & Hariz – Theater of the Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA – September 1, 2023

An evening for all ages was hosted by music sensation JVKE at the TLA in Philly this past week, and what a night it was. The audience of all ages was treated to charming opening acts such as Hariz and football-player-turned-musician Blake Proehl, who captivated the audience with their original music as well as a cover or two. It is also worth noting how much fun was seemingly being had not only on the stage, but behind it as well. An unknown individual was having a blast typing jokes and poking fun at the performers on the screen behind them as the sets went on. From responding to the musicians to getting bored and watching YouTube clips of just about anything, the crowd was left in hysterical laughter. Overall, the atmosphere was one of a comedy club, but with very good music. 

However, once the main event began, the energy in the room had shifted as JVKE told a story through his music on stage. A story of love, heartbreak, recovery, and loving again, one that he made sure to get the audience involved in. The scenes he depicted had some calling out to him as the show had become an involuntary play that left not a dry eye. I should know, his songs managed to leave me with misty eyes, as well as the many other fans around me.

The performance of each song, such as his opening “This is What Falling in Love Feels Like,” was accompanied by visuals that helped him tell his story in more detail. Beautiful art with captivating colors gave his music a face that only enhanced its sound. Especially once the end had come and it was time for him to perform his most well-known original “Golden Hour.” The song echoed with the sound of the audience knowing every word. It was truly a unique experience to hear this powerful song live. I would say that it could shake one to their core. The way this show was executed was nothing short of art, and it was extremely commendable for JVKE and his crew.   

JoJo Wagner

Copyright ©2023 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: September 7, 2023.

Photos by Jack Farrell © 2023. All rights reserved.