#me and connor every single time we see each other

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buck & Eddie: “You don’t know me!” - 7x5

In 2x8, Buck told a woman, “You don’t even know me!” and according to the script for episode 5 in season 7, the title of it will be almost an exact match since it's "You don’t know me!” and it appears to be a callback to his comment.

Since it's possible some may not have watched 2x8 Buck Actually in a while, here’s a quick reminder of the conversation Buck had with Bobby.  They were discussing TK and how Buck hooked up with her in a bar restroom but Buck told him that since he had finally let go of AC, he thought she had changed him 🙄. Then he proceeded to say he had only been single for like a day and he was back to basically being Buck 1.0. When they entered the gas station, Buck kept talking to Bobby about how he was thinking about calling TK but he didn’t want her to think he was only after one thing.  While Hen was treating the woman robber victim, she overheard Buck talking and commented, “You are only after one thing.  Jerk!”.  Buck responded, “You don’t even know me!” and she replied, “You’re a man, I know enough!”

Why is this important?

It’s important because the theme of “You don’t know me” has been applied to Buck with regards to every hookup or so-called “relationship” he’s had with different women on the show.  Let’s be real for a minute because the truth is none of them AC, AM, TK, ND, Dr. Wells nor the two women he hooked up with in season 1 knew him either.  Also, the woman who made the comment was a random victim who overheard Buck talking for less than a minute and she thought she knew Buck just because he’s a man. It was implied that all men want to do is hookup and leave like he did with TK but Buck has been and continues to search for the love of his life. The conversation he had with her connects to the one he had with Eddie in 6x15 while they were standing in the cemetery.

Buck said, “I feel like I have to try and be the same old Buck… mostly for the sake of everyone else” and Eddie responded, “You don’t have to be anything for anybody”.

IMO, their comments were being made directly to the audience and they were for the people who, after six seasons still want to keep seeing Buck do the same thing over and over again (I know it’s hard to believe but trust and believe there are people in the GA and in the 9-1-1 fandom who want to keep Buck on the hamster wheel and I think it’s because they DON’T WANT HIM TO BE WITH EDDIE).  These are the viewers who would rather he keep randomly hooking up with people (it could be anybody and it doesn’t matter if it’s irrational, nonsensical, illogical, random or whatever/whomever just as long as they can see him hookup with another guy or another random love interest) instead of him finally accepting the love that him and Eddie effortlessly share with one another.  I’ve said this many times, Buck and Eddie are in love with each other, they’re soulmates (post linked here) and they share a once in a lifetime love of their lives type of love that transcends space and time.  They have a deep, emotional and intimate connection that’s not superficial and it’s not based on a hookup.  They have an EPIC love story that deserves to be told without any more distractions or the addition of one-dimensional love interests.  It’s not platonic, it’s romantic and if they do go CANON, it will make for groundbreaking television.

Back to our regularly scheduled program…

After the title for 7x5 was released a few weeks ago, I completed a post about how Connor really doesn’t know Buck the way he said he does in 6x4 (linked here) and I stand by everything I included in it.  However, this post is in addition to that one and it includes the details about how all the women Buck dated didn’t know him either.

In 1x1, the first woman Buck was shown hooking up with in the firetruck told him to his face that she didn’t want to get to know him.  He asked her for her number and she replied, “You’re cute and you’re very good at whatever it is we just did but let’s not ruin it by getting to know each other.” She didn't want to get to know him and the look on his face showed he wanted more but she didn't so he moved on to the next one.

Dr. Wells was the LAFD’s trauma therapist and SHE TRIED TO BEFRIEND Buck on Facebook before he ever entered her office.  She knew the day would come when he would need therapy and when he asked her if she sent him a friend request, she told him he should delete it but then they ended up having sex.  It was played off like a joke but that’s not what it was because she was in a position of power and as a licensed therapist, she should have been charged because it’s against the law for that to happen. IMO, since Buck didn't know any better, as his captain, Bobby should have reported her. She wasn't mentioned again until 3x9 when Buck, Bobby, Chimney and Eddie were sitting in the loft at the firehouse and all Bobby said was "She's no longer with the department". That wasn't enough and she took advantage of him. Trust and believe the situation would have ended differently if the roles had been reversed.

AC wasn’t any different because after Buck stood by her and helped her after her mom died, he was being catfished by a man and several women were after him because of that guy's lies. After a woman threw a drink in his face, he said to her, “You know me right? Come on” and she replied, “I don’t even know who I am right now. But I definitely don’t feel like I know who you are right now.” She ended up ghosting him and abandoning him while he waited for her for months.

When she returned two years later, she didn't even apologize to him.

AM didn’t know Buck either and don’t get sidetracked by the fact that she called him Evan sometimes.  It was proven she didn’t know who he is when she said, “I know it’s who you are” after he said, “You want me to quit my job”.  Well, being a firefighter is NOT who Buck is, it’s what he does but she clearly saw him as a hot firefighter just like AC did and was looking for a good time. Please remember she didn't have a problem leaving him because of it.

TK didn’t know Buck at all and for everyone who thinks just because they were having sex and living together, that doesn’t mean anything because after meeting four years earlier, TK still had no idea who Buck was before it was over and she didn’t care.  If she had known him then she wouldn’t have betrayed his trust.  Also, he did cheat on her which made the situation worse but neither of them wanted to admit they weren’t supposed to be together and they clung instead of just ending it.  When he got ready to break up with her, she didn't try to see his side of it, she just stuck to her immoral ideals and wanted him to be ok with her running with the Jonah story.  Instead of saying, “I understand and I apologize” she said, “You knew who I was when we started dating” and he replied, “I guess I thought I could learn to live with it”.  She made it all about her the same way Buck makes everything about himself. They were two self-centered people with tragic childhoods in a trainwreck relationship and it shouldn’t have ever happened. It's still interesting that Buck ended up in a relationship with her after everything she did to Bobby and the 118 four years earlier (related post linked here and here).

ND fangirled over Buck and was so enthralled by his death but when she found out he had a full life, she did judge him.  He said, “I know this is something that’s easy to judge” but even though she said that him being a sperm donor was a kind gesture or whatever, she left because she couldn't handle his full life. Granted she was a death doula but her actions weren't professional and it would have been better if she would have helped him deal with his death. Her return should have ended with Buck saying "No thanks" and sending her on her way but of course he was shoved into another lackluster one dimensional relationship. Also, them telling each other, “I like you” was very high school like🙄.

Please understand, I don't like TK but in 4x8 she said, "You just can't stand the idea of someone not liking you" and she was right. Buck works hard to make people like him and it's very reminiscent of the way he's been trying to get his parents to love him anyway. He needs therapy.

It seems like he's still doing it and the words Bobby spoke in 6x11 during his coma dream had no effect since he still cares about how people see him. He hasn't learned anything yet but hopefully he will in season 7.

Eddie Diaz is the ONLY person on the show who KNOWS and SEES Buck and the video above includes several snippets from different episodes to prove it.

Eddie knows him at his core. He knows when to call him on his BS, he recognizes when Buck makes things about himself and he knows when he's trying to fix things instead of understanding it's not always his job to fix them.

Maddie is Buck's sister but she still sees Evan (post linked here) her little brother but Eddie knows Buck and after they become a CANON couple, he’ll know Buck even more. 

While I’m not sure who’s going to say, “You don’t know me” in 7x5 or if it will be said at all, I do believe Buck might say it again and if he does, it will be a callback to 2x8. Also, 6x15 could be included in it since Buck might not be trying to be the "same old Buck" anymore and hopefully it will be enough for the naysayers to understand he's not the same person. IMO, I still think it’s something he will say to Connor especially since the sperm donor arc is supposed to return and OS said in an interview it won’t be revisited before the first 5 episodes.  Hopefully, Buck will finally realize the people he thought knew him really don’t including Connor.

Is it possible Eddie could say it to M, maybe but I don’t know because IMO that doesn’t sound like something he would say to anyone.  But he is all therapized now and he’s supposed to be joking or whatever this season so who knows.

The point of this post is to illustrate how Buck said, “You don’t even know me” in 2x8 and apparently, it’s going to be a callback in 7x5 but the question is, if he does say it, who’s he going to say it to? 👀 

[charlesleeclerc]

back to you // mason mount

paring: mason mount x fem!reader

summary: in which after 5 months of mason leaving chelsea with no notice to her, they meet again in a chelsea vs man united

includes: angst, and just mason being a prick

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''we give everything today out on the field, and take every opportunity we have to transform the match quickly'' said pochettino while clapping, trying to encourage the players and the team.

''ben, you sure you are okay?'' she asked quietly to the left back who had suffered a muscle pull the training before the match

''yes yes, don't worry, if anything happens you'll notice'' he said while giving her a quick hug and heading to lineup in the tunnel

she started walking to her place on the bench next to the manager and prepared her kit for if she had to enter the pitch for any little problem. both teams headed out of the tunnel and lined up next to each other as the premier league anthem played on the bridge. the referee blew his whistle and the match started with nico passing the ball to enzo. minutes went by and possession was distributed between both teams.

ben was near the goal when mason slid down and made him fall fouling him. shouts erupted all over the stadium and all players went straight to defend their teammates. while this was happening, ben was on the floor grabbing his quad from the back, looking like he was in pain, whilst the referee was giving mason a yellow card.

when everyone started walking away, she could see ben was still on the floor and the referee was signaling for the physios to enter the pitch. she got up, grabbed her things, and entered the pitch.

''is it the muscle again?'' she asked ben while the other physio started stretching his leg

''it wouldn't be if that dickhead didn't cut me out'' he spat out while looking bitterly at mason who was standing next to us

''you know it was not my intention'' he declared while his eyes went back and forth looking at them

''but you know that he had this problem twice and still did it'' she told him while helping ben get up who clearly couldn't continue playing the match

ben got out of the pitch while being clapped by the fans, it wasn't an injury that would take him out for a lot, no more than 2 matches, but still, he was an essential player for the team. thankfully there was not so much time for half time whistle to rumble throughout the stadium.

she entered the dressing room and saw that everyone was shouting one name ''mount''

''if mount hadn't taken ben out''

''if mount wasn't trying to take us out at every single pass we do''

''if mount wasn't such a bitter baby''

''take him out'' the words blurted out of her mouth and everyone turned their heads to see her ''sorry'' she said while trying to walk away

''honestly we should'' said enzo with a chuckle

half time passed quite quickly, with the manager giving orders to the players and the physios checking that everyone was okay.

''we give everything again, and even though you're mad at him, don't take mount out, we don't want to play with 10'' said pochettino while looking at her and laughing. everyone laughed including her, and started gathering their things to play the last 45 minutes.

after a couple of minutes, reece was the one who made the 2nd goal and the cheers erupted as the players went after him running to celebrate. she was glad that after some time, there was an actual chance to win against united.

when a counterattack started with connor recovering the ball from a corner, the united players after seeing that there were not many things that could be done by their defense, their last resort was one that came running meters behind connor. mason he slid and tackled connor to the gound, for which awarded him a second yellow card and as a consequence a red card. everyone was shouting, the manager, physios, coaches, and assistans were complaining to the 4th referee. players were pushing each other on the pitch, while mason was entering the tunnel to go to the locker room after getting sent out.

''thank you for taking both of your friends out'' she said while passing next to him to enter the pitch again

he didn't do much, just looked at her and continued his path onto the locker room.

connor had to leave the pitch, and after the last 10 minutes, the match finnally ended with chelsea taking the 3 points.

the chelsea players stayed on the pitch thanking the fans while the united players went back to their locker room. she grabbed her things, and started heading back to the locker room to organize the things for when the players get back. after 5 minutes, all the players came back and hugged each other after a well deserved win. after more than 1 hour, she had changed herself and most of the players had already left the bridge, with only reece, ben and thiago still being there.

''have you talked with him, i mean after everything?'' reece asked while putting away his things

''no, not yet and i don't think im planning to'' she answered him, a bitter tone on her voice thinking about even talking to him

''im with her, he left and didn't told her anything'' shouted thiago from the bathrooms

''okay boys, it's not time to talk about my life and what happened, it's time to head out because it's getting late'' she said with a quiet chuckle and grabbing her things to leave

she said her goodbyes and left the locker room, and kissed goodbye every staff person that was there.

''sorry'' a voice she could recognize everywhere made her freeze

''for what? taking 2 of our players out, or leaving without saying anything?''

''both''

''what is done it's done mason''

''im truly sorry, i didn't want to leave like that''

''but you did it, you didn't say anything and i was the last one to find out

''just let me give you my side of it, please'' he said

''maybe one day mason, but not today'' she gave him one last look and started walking away

she wanted to hear from him, more than 4 months since he had left and last talked. well, he sent her messages, but she didn't answered them.

''I'm sorry, i truly am''

''i know you are mason, but still i cannot bring myself to talk to you''

[fryingpan1234567]

movies I think every demigod loves

Focusing on CHB for now but we’ll get to the Romans eventually

These nerds all know the whole entire soundtrack for every single one with the choreo and everything

Massive viewing parties in the winter in random cabins that definitely can’t hold everybody and the amphitheater in the summer with a projector

Hecate campers have enchanted a fuck ton of those old plastic popcorn containers with the same magic as the dishes in the pavilion— every kind of popcorn, the perfect amount of butter, kettle corn, for some reason a blue one that apparently tastes like cotton candy (or so Percy says; no one else has dared to try it)

Sharing endless amounts of blankets and pillows

Everyone usually passes out towards the end of the night, resulting in the hugest bed nest known to man full of shreepy demigods

Literally every streaming service ever plus premium Hephaestus channels

Anyways onto the movies

We’re starting with Mamma Mia

Because let’s be honest— a big pretty Greek island with a ton of hot people and fabulous music?? Yeah they’re into it

Who doesn’t love Abba?

That fun little “WEEE’RE SOPHIE ALI LISA WE’RE THE GREATEST BESTEST MATES, I’M TALL— I’M TOUGH— I’M TINY— AND WE’RE GONNA ROCK THIS PLACE!!” is such a vibe

Everyone gets into groups of three just to sing it with each other, including

Percy as Tall, Annabeth as Tough, and Grover as Tiny

Jason as Tall, Piper as Tough, and Leo as Tiny

Connor and Will even convinced Nico to be the Tiny to their Tough and Tall once

Anyways everybody screaming the lyrics and dancing around, swinging each other in chaotic circles until they collapse laughing

By FAR the loudest they ever get is Dancing Queen— Chiron says it’s something to rival their battle cry and Dionysus pretends to be annoyed by it, but he’s always caught humming it to himself the next morning

”Well what do you suggest we do with three men?” “Well now that takes me back.” WHEN I TELL YOU EVERYBODY SCREAMS

Couples singing Honey Honey and Lay All Your Love On Me suuuper dramatically at each other

They’ve turned it into a challenge: how long can you two go, mercilessly flirting and teasing, before either of you break and end up making out? (The answer is not very long)

Splitting into two groups (mainly girls v boys but really it doesn’t matter) to scream Voulez-Vous at each other

It’s a competition

After the end of the movie, everyone goes and jumps into the lake in their clothes— this massive, shouting, laughing mass of magical teenagers booking it across camp just to go flying off the docks into the water

Moving on to another movie

You c a n n o t tell me they wouldn’t love Disney’s Hercules

I mean they hate it, obviously, but like. A Disney movie about them. What!!

Especially the littles

The littles looove this fucking movie you don’t even understand

They sit eagerly waiting to see the garbage caricatures of their parents onscreen, collapsing on each other in giggles when they do

The older kids still get a kick out of it, but Connor sulks in Malcolm’s lap anytime his dad is on, hiding his face in his chest and refusing to look

(“Mal, he looks so dumb.”

”Sweetheart—“

”SO STUPID.”

”You’re so dramatic—“

”LOOK AT HIM.”)

They make Chiron sing One Last Hope every damn time

Funny thing is, the projector they have now is not the first one. There was one before, which mysteriously went up in purple flames the first time Mr. D watched with them… coincidentally at the exact moment Disney Dionysus popped up on screen in all his drunken fuscia glory

Poor Nico di Angelo wants to say no to watching it every time, but his favorite of Will’s little siblings, Lilac, begs him to because it’s her favorite Disney movie

So there he is next to Will, Lilac watching eagerly from his lap, Nico bonking his head on Will’s shoulder every time the TERRIBLE interpretation of his dad is on

Will laughs at him

Nico pouts and says he’s mean and threatens to shadow travel Lilac to the nearest candy store and get her whatever she wants just to hand her back to him for the night with a raging sugar rush

When the 7 dress up as the Avengers for Halloween one year, it’s added to the rotation.

Percy was Black Widow

Leo was Spider-Man

Jason was Captain America

Piper was Iron Man

Annabeth was Thor

Hazel was Black Panther

Frank was the Hulk

Nobody was prepared for the level of hotness that they brought to the table, but the Marvel fanatics were definitely prepared to start watching the movies

Eventually it devolves into a big war over who the best character is

The smash or pass is getting out of hand guys

lmk if you think of any more I’d love to write them

[captain-hen]

extremely self indulgent speculation for the finale

The realization doesn’t come upon him all at once. It washes over him in waves, slowly, gradually; from the collapse of the overpass and Eddie going missing, to finding him again, to sitting by his side as he sleeps in the hospital, to coaching Connor through his fears over fatherhood, where Buck realizes that all this time, without even knowing, he’d been thinking of Christopher as his kid. The pieces eventually slot into place, so neatly and perfectly that once Buck can see the full picture, he wonders how he’s been so blind to it, all along.

You need to step into that trap with her, Bobby had told him about Abby, and Buck had never even gotten the chance to do that with her, but he’s been doing it, every single day with Eddie without giving it a second thought. You don’t find it, son. You make it. Thomas had told him, and isn’t that exactly what Buck has done with Eddie and Chris? Built a family with them?

And yet, somehow, it’s taken him this long to figure out. Another near-death experience. Yet another series of heart-stopping, terrifying moments, where he didn’t know if Eddie was alive or dead. He could have been too late. He could have—

Buck draws in a deep breath, pausing at his front door, jacket in one hand and keys in the other. He doesn’t even know what to do with this new-found revelation. All he wants is to go to Eddie’s, to bask in the warmth of his home, to look upon him and Chris with fresh eyes and see what he’s been missing this whole time, to see for his own eyes that it’s real.

Then…what? What if Eddie doesn’t feel the same way? What if he does?

Buck can’t decide which prospect is more terrifying.

Before he can second-guess himself anymore, Buck flings open his door.

He nearly falls over himself in surprise when he sees Natalia standing on the other side, her fist raised to knock, looking just as startled as he does.

“…Hey,” Buck says, slowly, confused.

Truth be told, in the chaos of the past couple of days, he’d almost forgotten about her and their…breakup, if that’s even what it could’ve been called, given how short-lived their relationship was. And now she’s here. On his doorstep.

“Hi,” Natalia gives him a hesitant, embarrassed smile. “Sorry, I was…I mean, I heard what happened, with the overpass. Are you okay?”

That’s why she’s here? Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Buck nods. “I’m fine.”

“I feel bad,” Natalia goes on. “About how we left things. I shouldn’t have walked out like that, it—it wasn’t very mature of me.”

“That’s okay,” Buck surprises himself with how much he means it. It really is okay. He has no hard feelings…no feelings at all, really, just a strange sense of detachment, and impatience, because right now, all he wants to do is get to Eddie’s house. “You didn’t have to come all the way here to apologize.”

Natalia shakes her head. “I felt I owed you that much, at least,” she admits. “And I was thinking…maybe I was too hasty, the other day. You’ve lived a hell of a life, but that doesn’t mean it’s a reason we shouldn’t try to do this, right?”

Buck stares at her. “You’re saying you want to give it another shot?”

She nods. “Like I said, I jumped the gun before. Maybe we could take the time to know each other. See where it goes.”

Buck can then recognize where the sense of déjà vu is coming from—this is just how it was with Taylor, all over again. Obviously, Natalia isn’t Taylor—thank god—but her leaving, and then changing her mind again and coming back, it feels a lot like his history with Taylor is being rewritten all over again but in a different font.

I think I’m afraid of making a mistake again, he’d told Bobby, and he’d meant it. Dating Natalia wouldn’t be as colossal of a fuck-up as dating Taylor was, but Buck is starting to realize that it would be a mistake, nonetheless. Eddie or no Eddie.

“I’m sorry,” Buck says, after taking a breath, and winces when her face falls slightly. “I think—I think you were right to leave, before. We were interested in each other for all the wrong reasons, and that’s not a good way to start something real.”

Buck had told Eddie that he thought Natalia saw him for who he was but in reality, she was only seeing the side he allowed her to. Not fucked-up, traumatized Evan Buckley, who died for three minutes and seventeen seconds and hasn’t been able to shake the nagging sense fear and dread following him around since. He could be someone entirely different, and she wouldn’t be able to call him out on it because she doesn’t know him, not really.

But Eddie does. Eddie knows him, and Eddie has seen him, seen right through all his bullshit, since day one.

And Buck is tired of going in the same circles. He just wants to go home.

“I see,” Natalia says, after an uncomfortable pause. “Well. I really am sorry.”

Buck shakes his head. “Me too,” he says, wryly. “I know all of that was…a lot.”

Natalia laughs a little, and Buck is relieved that she doesn’t seem too hurt by his rejection. “Maybe not for the right person,” she says, and glances pointedly at the keys clutched in his hand, his foot tapping impatiently on the floor—Buck hadn’t even realized he was doing it. “You look like you have somewhere to be.”

Buck grins, and feels lighter and happier than he has in ages. “Yeah, I do,” he says, softly. “I really do.”

[lucienarcheron]

HOFAS Thoughts and Review!

This is also my review on Goodreads. Naturally, this is full of spoilers so proceed with caution!

4 star read!

This was a wild ride from start to finish. I found that you jumped right into the action and it literally didn't stop. The crossover with ACOTAR was very info-dump but I didn't mind since a) I don't remember anything lol and b) we needed to make the connection. I really loved seeing Nesta and Azriel in this different element. Given the timeline between ACOSF and HOFAS being about 3 months, I loved that Azriel and Nesta now know how to fight together and Nesta is so in touch with her powers. I love seeing how their friendship has bloomed.

Bryce is a menace and will forever be one. She's one of Sarah's MCs I relate to the least and therefore needed to warm up to her more. I found that in this book, I could despite a lot of her arrogant moments that will rub people the wrong way. I love Quinlar's love but didn't appreciate that she minimized Hunt's reaction to basically reliving much of his trauma with the first war. I'm glad she apologized and got to the point of understanding him but it left a little meh of a taste. The ending scene where he goes after her had my heart in pieces!! Through love, all is indeed possible and I love they were always with each other through it all.

Bryce basically being the High Lady of Dusk and controlling the land was amazing! I loved seeing those scenes. Saitha being the one to kneel first, declaring her as queen? Loved that. The two fae kings dying an awful death? Fabulously done! Hunt mf Althar removing his own slave halo and then removing Isaiah's while calling out that governor lady on her shit??? ADORE! Jesiba's everything in this book? I salute you, queen! Sabine's death??? The Under-King's death??? Literally had me gasping so much.

Ruhn my love, you will always be the Crown Prince of the Fae and that soundbite will always be on repeat every time I see your name lol.

Ruhn x Lidia's romance fell very flat to me. I love Ruhn and hated everything he had to go through but Lidia's character felt out of left field for me. I expected better/different? We find out out of NOWHERE that she's a mom of twins and suddenly, that's her whole personality. She went from this badass agent to everything being about her kids. There is NOTHING WRONG with her being a mother but why couldn't she be a mother AND care about the cause because it's the right thing to do? This was a missed opportunity in my opinion. I also felt like this was very self-insert of Sarah being a mom to have to include another character having kids. The constant talk about all these traumatized idiots having babies is getting on my last fucken nerves tbh. They have a million years to live so can we, I don't know, let them LIVE for five seconds without the absolute need to "start a family"? Let them go to therapy damn it. Sarah constantly writes about how awful it is that fae are obsessed with breeding and whatnot, yet every single of one her characters talks about babies...pls sarah, I beg. Give me ONE otp that doesn't have children. I know she's a HEA author which is what I love about her and her romances but it doesn't always have to end with kids and I just wish we'd see that more. Ruhn and Lidia did not strike me as characters who would be parents at all but now, Ruhn is a stepdad to the Hind's secret twins? It's very weird to me but I hope maybe down the line, we get to see Lidia realize that she is a whole person outside of being a mom. Aside from all that, the rescue scene was amazing. I loved seeing her destroy that asshole she had to endure and I just want to say, Aelin would be cheering mad hard at her for it! It felt like Lidia's fire abilities, the stag relation, and her son's name were all a nod to TOG and I loved that.

As for all the other characters, I really enjoyed seeing Ithan come into his own even though my guy was making mad stupid decisions along the way. His moment with Connor will always have my heart! l also loved the little bits of Ithan and Perry so much! Tharion my love, you will always be famous for making the most desperately dumb decisions before passing that one brain cell you have to Ithan but you know what? Sathia is going to be great for him and I ship it with my whole chest. Ari was wasted in this book and her ungrateful attitude annoyed me. Sigrid's whole plotline was pointless. Declan and Flynn are the best buds and I love them so much. Baxian, you are a gem! Pax being the one responsible for the actual HOFAS while being a healer who is making those antidotes was a great twist and I love it for her. The little fire spirits were so cute and their little moment with the viper queen made me cackle. The Viper Queen can suck it but I am also so very curious about what will happen now considering how that scene ends with Tharion/Ari/Sathia/Colin. I have a feeling all these characters will be showing up again in the future and I'd be excited to read how that will go. I have a feeling it might be done ACOSF style - in that, it'll be standalone in the CC world.

Bonus Chapters:

Bryce, Azriel, Nesta - hilarious and also so cute how Nesta was fascinated by the music playing from Bryce's phone. Azriel doesn't have a mate or partner so let that be clear LOL. Also Nesta already thinking about babies makes me wanna die tbh.

RuhnLidia - It was cute that she proposed and Ruhn is such a little dork crying left and right hahaha.

Quinlar - Hilarious how the big strong thunder boy was scared of those little dolls HAHA.

Ember/Randall - This made me want the Archeron sisters to have a mother figure so badly! The moment with Nesta and Ember hugging was so sweet in the book. I know people are mad at Rhys for yelling at Nesta but y'all...the whole world was at stake and that was a scary decision to make on Nesta's part given how the Pyrthian is STILL traumatized by the Asterie. I don't love how much he yelled but I get it.

Despite having parts I didn't like, I did overall really have fun with this. I think Sarah always does a great job with the action scenes in the end and giving us that found family connection. I could do without having the whole girl boss/girl power white feminist nonsense constantly shoved in our faces but alas! As I said, I still really enjoyed it! It had a lot of moments that pulled on all my emotions as every SJM book does. I will always enjoy what she puts out because I take it all at face value and read it to have fun. Sarah always knows how to enjoy her writing and you can tell while reading and for me, that's more than enough. The lore/plot is secondary to the characters for me and that is always how she sucks me in. She writes compelling characters who have amazing adventures and friendships that you feel through the pages and I will always enjoy that. Can't wait for more books! Here's to hoping we hear something about ACOTAR soon especially now that Bryce gave both swords back to Nesta! Can't wait to see how it plays out!

[canonically47]

I’m so glad someone else has the same opinions about Disventure camp rn, I want to like it and be invested SO badly bc its insanely impressive for what it is, but they just.. keep fucking up all the characters so badly. They introduce interesting ideas or dynamics that are immediately dropped, and some of the characterization makes no sense to me (that is NOT Tom and Ellie wtf !!), and ofc they have to keep ruining every single romantic relationship for some reason?? I don’t really care about any of them outside of maybe 2, but the fact that they keep doing it just pisses me off. Jaiden was a rocky road until the LAST episode of s2, Connor and Riya seems to be over for good, Huntessally and especially just Hunter and Ally was a huge mess, Tomjake is. Tomjake. Trevek has a weird love triangle plot, and they’re clearly going to ruin Gabellie next bc Ellie is almost cartoonishly evil this season. (Not counting Will and Ashley or Kai and Maggy bc they have like 1 minute of screen time)

And the other relationships aren’t safe either!! Fiore and Alec barely got focus and now she’s gone, Miriam only talked to Tom like one time and didn’t talk much with Jake either, they seemed to forget about Gabby and Tom being friends until like episode 5, Ally and Connor never interacted, etc. Tom and Aiden are rlly the only friendship that’s getting a lot of focus, and I have mixed feelings on them bc they’re fun together but I wanted to see Aiden on his own a bit after Lake and James were eliminated. Now he’s just Tom’s friend instead. Same with Tess having at least half of her screen time being about Hunter and Ally even though she’s only talked to both of them once each outside of episode 1. These characters could be so interesting if you stopped sticking them to other people!!

I know we’re only like a third ish of the way through the season so I feel a bit bad for ranting so much, but seeing how it turned out previously I have doubts that they can turn it around. Which sucks bc when it’s good it’s GOOD!! I loved episode 6!! But they keep making such annoying choices for all of the characters that it’s hard to stay interested. At this point I’m rlly only invested in seeing Gretts arc and how the villain alliance will turn out. Sorry for yapping so much I had a lot to say LMAO

i am 100% with you on all of this! you worded this perfectly! i want to be invested, i just can’t because they fuck everything up. alec and fiore pissed me off so much! they villainize ellie too much! we got trevek confirmation and it’s just bitter, no sign of sweet! everything sucks!!!

they took everything good about every season and ruined it in said seasons. oh you like the polycule? yeah theyre not actually a polycule and they fucking suck. oh you like alec and fiore? fiore will betray alec and will never give him reasoning why. oh you like tomjake? LMFAOAOAOAOAOAO

like!!! come onnn give me some meat not just a bone to chew on!!!!!!!

i am very much interested in grett’s arc rn as well, i hope they don’t ruin her and they give yul the ending he deserves (a bad one)

[morningstargirl666]

director’s commentary on Big Bad Wolf chapter 33, please!

Oh, that's a good one. Yaaaaassssss let's see shall we?

So, first off, chapter 33 and chapter 34 were originally plotted out as the same chapter, so jot that down. The original outline was something like this:

(yes I have tbbw all plotted out in a separate document, all my secrets are in there, no you will not be seeing them hehehehehe)

You will see, Sam and Kol's scenes aren't even on there because it was something I thought of closer to writing the chapter, and after I wrote chapter 30, @stars-and-darkness was particularly traumatised over Sam's ordeal so I promised her some fluffy video gaming between the two (I'd already been thinking about it for a while, like those two playing mario kart was an image that would NOT leave me alone). I'd also forgotten to plot in some scenes addressing what happened to Sam and him waking from that...so that ended up in there too. Add Liz arriving, the conversation between her and Klaus becoming longer than I anticipated even though I'd already written some dialogue for it...

...Well, you can see why I ended up having to split the chapter into two.

[deep sigh]

ANYWAY another plan that changed when i finally wrote chapter 33, was the scene between Kiera and Klaus. Originally, Sam was going to be in the same room during Liz and Klaus' conversation, and after Liz left, Klaus would have this massive blowout where he destroys the room, kicks Sam outside for lying to him and Sam would wait, defeatedly sat outside the door, for Klaus to cool down. Then Kiera would arrive and that line - if you want to break something, break it, just don't let it break her - would come in.

That line, actually, has a story of it's own. It comes from the cinematic adaptation of Patrick Ness' A Monster Calls, which was both a book and film I loved, telling the tale of a boy that comes to terms with his grief over his mother (who's dying of cancer) by imagining a monster that visits him every night, telling 3 stories that turn into lessons. In one of the stories, the 'monster' destroys a town? church? (can't quite remember) and I seem to think the destruction was justified, like someone else had done something to earn the monster's wrath. The boy, Connor, wakes from the monster's story to realise he's destroyed his Grandmother's (who he's living with while his mother's sick) living room, smashing all her prized possessions. At the hospital the next day, his mother tells him - after learning about what he's done - that if he wants to break something, then break it. The monster's lesson was everyone experiences grief and anger and pain in different ways, and it's okay to be angry, it's okay to break something. Expressing emotion is part of the human condition, and when you start bottling those emotions up inside, that's when the problems start. That's when you become a ticking time bomb that's about to explode. (It's a fantastic book AND film, Liam Neeson voices the monster - go forth and educate yourselves)

Klaus is the same. Mikael has beat into him the need to not show weakness, to bottle those emotions up until he explodes and every single time he does, leaving carnage in his wake. Kiera, like Caroline, understands who Klaus is on a fundamental level, and she's probably the first person to say, it's okay. It's okay to break things. It's okay to feel fury and betrayal and hurt and pain. It's okay to show it. Just don't destroy everything - don't let your rage destroy the ones you love. No one can be King over a pile of bones.

But I digress, back to how that plan changed - obviously Sam was with Kol, so I had that blowout instead where Klaus confronts Sam upstairs and then Kiera arrives later to calm him down. Klaus and Kiera's relationship is so tricky for me to write because I'm trying to get across that they're very close - probably understand each other better than most do - without overshadowing or belittling the connection Caroline and Klaus share. It's a tricky balancing act, but I think I got it right this time around in that last scene. They have so many memories together - an immortal's worth - and the basis of their relationship is born of mutual respect for each other. I hope that comes across in that scene.

[moregraceful]

1, 3, 5, 6?

I was like this will be easy if we narrow it by team but very difficult if we do it broadly...fuck around and find out 😩

Anyway for hockey:

which character do you relate to the most from your fandom?

GOD. I almost said Connor McDavid bc I too suffer the agonies but I am like, not nearly good enough at any one single thing to claim I'm like the next next one. YOU KNOW WHAT. maybe Cole Caufield, bc a) we're both short kings, b) I also get ripped up when my goals and life plans fall apart but I am Learning To Love The Journey, c) we love the homies and the homies love us, d) good size for huggin, e) my social circle is wide and affectionate enough that people get a bit 🧐 about interactions with my friends too, and f) the whole thing at the NTDP where him and Jack Hughes were BEST FRIENDS!! WHO SHARED EACH OTHER'S SUCCESSES!! LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE PRE-DRAFT PROFILE ON THEM MENTIONED THE OTHER!! AND THEN GETTING DRAFTED AND THE RELIEF ON COLE'S FACE WHEN MTL FINALLY PICKED HIM AND HOW EXCITED JACK WAS FOR HIM!! and now they're like the most underrated ship of the 2019 ntdp draft class and no one in fandom or the media ever thinks of them as a pair (except me, bc I have brain damage) but the love is still clearly there. anyway that whole situation of: childhood best friends who successes made each other what they are but the relevancy of that has faded overtime as they've grown up but there's still clearly a lot of love and affection...to drive this ask straight into a bridge, I recently found out one of my best friends in middle school died and I was thinking a lot abt how I hadn't spoken to him in over a decade (just due to like drifting apart, not a falling out or anything) but the fondness I feel for him is still so visceral....it's abt what we take with us as we grow. The love is still there, even as we fade out of each other's lives.

mainly we're both so fucking short. no way that dude is 5'7. no way

3. what is your favorite ship?

this is so hard bc as people get traded and the narrative evolves, my tastes change and I drop ships...anyway generally any Cale Makar ship makes me insane due to aforementioned brain damage (except natecale sorry to natecale nation but that's my one single notp) but rn I am sitting here so impatiently waiting for people to GET ON BOARD with Devon Toews/Cale Makar. Devon Toews is HANDSOME. AND CONFIDENT. AND HE WEARS PINK SUITS. you think he isn't blowing Cale Makar: most boring man on the planet's mind on the reg? You know how Cale never smiles anymore but sometimes he smiles around Devon??? my god. The photo of them at the Nuggies game looking like boyfriends?? kill me??? like I know the story of my fandom engagement is just me noodling from Cale Makar rarepair to Cale Makar rarepair but I stg Avs fans we GOTTA open our hearts to Devon Toews. GOTTA.

5. who is your favorite character (and maybe why?)

I love Cale Makar and Cale Makar hates me, because I keep writing weird rarepairs about him. My Avs fandom has kind of faded with time but every once in a while I see Cale Makar photo or gif or quote about how boring he is and there's a little kaiju in my head that rips a building off its foundations.

Also every Asian guy who has ever played the game and wasn't a douche bc they are my people and I must stan my people. Robo I love you. Kailer I love you. Nick Suzuki I love you, you monotone doofus. Matt Dumba? Make him commissioner. Paul Kariya I wish you ran DoPS and I also wish your husband would get off Twitter.

6. when you first think of the fandom, what image comes to mind?

This is SUCH an interesting question. like there's definitely vibes and memories and stories that come to mind immediately, but an IMAGE...maybe the fake worlds kiss photo from the inimitable @msmargaretmurry's fic The Next Next One which haunts me in my sleep. I have like real visceral memories of sitting in the Denver airport choking back tears when I got the final installment of that fic in my inbox, that is also an image. also this photo is the first photo I ever reblogged of hockey (I was a hater for SO long, sorry about the tags) and it still hits 8 years later. the joy on everyone's faces!! it's cute!!

Thank you for the ask my friend!!

[pengblackgirlorjustlexi]

As a major hearstopper fan, I have to to say that the fandom is nasty. Like genuinely disgusting. Every single time I get onto twitter, I see that they've managed to find a new way to be assholes. Whether it's to the actors, each other, randos on the internet, they find a way.

In the span of about a year they: bullied Kit Connor off of twitter. Were freaking weirdos in how they expressed their attraction to him. Bullied Joe Locke about his looks (like they literally called a teenager ugly) in a near constant basis. They were so many kind of racist it was a bit hard to keep up. Were extremely transphobic, both implicitly and explicitly. Harassed Sebastian over a mistranslated interview after he apologized and explained what happened. Bullied Joe Locke off of twitter for siding with his friend. And finally, they forced Kit Connor to come out, this 18 year old had to out himself because people accused him of queerbaiting, (sidenote: people cannot queerbait, at least not for the reasons they are being accused of it. Not explicitly sharing what your sexuality is, is not queerbaiting. You don't owe private information like that to anyone. That shit is your business) the fandom were literally at-ing and quote tweeting Alice Oseman asking them to recast him because apparently he's straight, they felt entitled to his information and when they didn't get it, they decided he didn't deserve his platform and accused him of being false representation.

These people need to be fucking for real, like genuinely listen to themselves. They are angry because an 18 year old, a literal fresh out of the box teenager, didn't tell them if he's bi or not. They bullied someone who literally just took his first steps out of being a child for not behaving and expressing himself the way they wanted to.

The hearstopper fandom is gross, mean and awful. Even if it isn't the whole fandom, the assholes have become the face of it, and you can't separate yourself from them as easily as you'd want to because you will always be associated with them when people think if the fandom. No one is going to see the cutesy memes and the friendship bracelets that you've made for the actors because they're too busy watching the fandom burn a child inside out.

They're too busy watching a group of children get bullied by hundred and thousands of people.

There is no "toxic minority" and "good majority" when the loudest meanest people work hard to be the face of the fandom. When the worst of the fandom ensure that they get the most attention. You cannot truly think that anyone would view the hs fandom in anything other than a negative light when this is the kind of behaviour they exhibit.

And I am aware that I'm making sweeping generalisations, and that lumping all of you into this one category of complete assholes is unfair but I think that we saw tonight that most things are unfair. They way people treated Kit Connor was unfair, me making generalisations is unfair, but I don't care. I can't care, not when people are moving in droves to ruin a child's life. People being offended by my words won't even hold a candle what their words have done to the cast of hearstopper.

[leeiivxy]

⇢ ˗ˏˋ The moon affects the tides ࿐ྂ

— Summary; the events of my pjo dr told like Rick Rordian himself

— Word count; 1.6k

— Warning; This is based on my dr and the people in my dr. They do not act completely according to canon.

______________________________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

I stand up from the cherrywood picnic table; Annabeth has already done her offering, and it’s was time to do mine.

I can feel the concrete warmth from my shoes as I walk over to the hearth and put an end piece of the bread into the fire--my Mother’s favorite.

The last I heard from her, it was her favorite.

I thank her for allowing my sisters to end the school year early and come to Camp Half-Blood to spend time with me before the other campers arrive. I turn around and start to walk back to my table, tripping over my feet a little bit, although it’s largely ignored because there’s only about 10 people in the pavilion.

We’re finally gonna get some kids later in the day, and felt relieved--I’m tired of being the brunt of all of Connor and Travis’ pranks. I was excited to teach classes and see other people again.

I sit back down at my table when Malcolm interrupts, “I heard Chiron saying we might be getting a special camper this summer.”

“All new campers are exciting,” Prim replies, not even looking up from her plate.

No one else looks up from their food or stops what they’re doing at what Malcom said, either--new campers come and go, and we’re all so used to it at this point that we don’t really care anymore. I simply make a mental note of another introduction that I would have to make for the camper and considered what I would do with the tour this year. I was tired of doing the same tour year after year and tried to do something different with each summer.

“The way he was talking about him, he might have something to do with the conflict with the summer solstice.” he says, attempting to focus the conversation back on him. Every single person pavillon raised their heads, except for Val, Clara, and Prim.

We were suddenly very interested in this new camper.

“What is going to happen on the summer solstice?” Val say, confused about our reactions and now curious about the information she lacked.

“This year, we went to visit the Olypumpus, and they were clearly trying to not fight in front of us.” Luke directed at Val, from the table over, Travis nodded his head while Connor had a blank stare like he couldn't quite remember the trip.

“That is enough, finish your food and get started on preparing for the campers' arrival.” Chiron says, walking into the pavilion, wanting to prevent the gossiping from getting worse than it already was, but we all knew our thoughts would be filled with the summer date getting closer and the identity of the new camper.

Some of us quickly finished our plates, and some barely ate anything else before getting up, I just sat there, thinking about all the things I had to get done.

I took to strawberry off my plate and started to walk towards the medic base, I needed to make a whole lot of lists before noon.

I walked past two dozen beds, a row on each side of me, neatly made and waiting for hurt campers to occupy them, into the storage tent.

I worked for a few hours, so much so that my playlist had looped and played a song I had heard when I first started to work. I put down my clipboard after I finished taking inventory, which took me about ten more minutes.

I grabbed my phone and to-do list and put them in my pocket. I walked into the pavilion, two steps at a time, with ease.

“Do you have everything you need?” Luke asked, catching up to me.

“Yeah! I hope I don’t get too many campers in the beds on the first day.” I said, remembering the first day of the summer of 2017.

He smiled at me comfortingly and I nodded back at him, he went to go sit at his table, and I went to mine.

Although I wanted to eat somewhere else right now, so I grabbed a plate, filled it up with food, made my offering, and went to go sit on the docks.

I slipped off my shoes and socks, and let my feet hang in the water.

I saw something in the water, so I quickly lifted my feet out, scared it would hurt me. I moved so I was on my knees and was looking over the edge into the water.

Something was floating to the top, and it was a dagger. I plunged my hand into the water to grab it, and I managed to get a hold, but as I touched it, it seemed to sink down, taking my arm with it.

I quickly released the metal and brought my hand up.

Odd.

I put my shoes back on and walked towards the kitchen to return my plate, and started to make my way back to the medic base.

I started to make sure all of the beds were proper and checked my to-do list, I had finished everything on it, so I went to the amphitheater and watched Luke and Calrrise spar with each other.

At some point, I felt myself dozing off and allowed myself to take a quick nap.

I really hope I don't dream.

A cold, salty surge of air swept through me, making me shiver and blow my hair in every direction. I opened my eyes and the sky was dark and loud.

Zeus was angry, the tense electricity in the air was obvious, but why, I didn't know, and for the most part I don’t care.

I don’t Zeus, he had never shown any kindness towards me in particular, but I knew better than to speak out about it.

I raised my head and realized I was on the dock, and something much larger was rising out of the water. I got up and ran onto the beach, why don’t I have shoes on, I wanted to find out but my thoughts were cut off by a large, what felt like a bucket full of water splash on me, turning my attention.

I looked at what had emerged from the water and was surprised to see a god in a Hawaiian shirt.

Poseidon had dark shaggy hair and eyes that looked like the ocean right before a storm.

“RETURN WHAT IS MINE.” a voice raged from the sky, Zeus doesn’t want to make an in-person appearance I guess.

“I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG” Poseidon retorted.

I didn’t know what they were talking about but I felt like it had something to do with the summer solstice.

I felt a pillar of air knock me onto my back, my head hit a rock. I felt a sharp pain and I was out.

I woke up with a loud voice in my ear and spit on my face.

“WAKE UP!” Clarisse screamed in my face once again, almost like she had been doing it for a few minutes and was having more fun every second that passed. I shot my eyes open, making her rise up.

“Some campers have started to arrive.” Luke said in a much quieter voice.

“Okay, fine gods Clarisse brush your teeth.” I spat at her.

The three of us walked towards the campers, Clasrisse broke off, she had no interest in talking to them.

The rest of the afternoon was the was as it has been every year, talking to campers, introducing myself a hundred times, and giving tours.

At 6, the horn signaled dinner, I told the kids around me what I meant and they ran off to go eat, while I was walking over to Annabeth, who was talking to Malcolm.

She waved and jogged over and said “It never gets old does it?”.

“Oh, I certainly think it does.” I say back to her, surprised at her cheery attitude towards another summer.

We chatted about some of the new campers we met and went to our tables.

Chiron had given a speech that should have been given by Mr. D, but I was just glad I didn’t I have to deal with his misery for the first dinner of the summer.

I walked up to the heart to give my offering, instructing some of the new campers how and why we do it.

Everyone was eating, then 30 minutes later, they made their way to the amphitheater.

I didn’t want to be apart of the festivities, so I went to sit somewhere secluded but still had a view. I wasn’t paying attention to the singing as much as I was watching everyone, as they ate s’mores, sang, and played.

I missed being that happy to be here.

Around 9:30, everyone got up to go to explore on their own, but since I sat closer to the camp boarders I didn’t feel the need to rise from a spot. I simply sat and looked at the stars, making a mental painting of them.

I could hear everything that was happening around me, including the sound of a car running into something in my left ear.

I quickly got up and ran up the hill a little to see a car flipped, and no movement happening around it. I know I couldn’t just leave camp, so I ran down to get some help from Chiron.

“Hey, there was a car crash over the hill and on the road,” I said, looking directly at Chiron for a clue on what to do next.

“You interrupted our game.” Mr. D whined, “The game can wait, show me where it happened Josephine.” Chiron spoke.

We both walked hurriedly over to the board, just as a boy with shaggy black dropped Grover and his sword on the ground and passed out.

I quickly ran over and kneeled down in front of him, as did Chiron. I put my head to his mouth, making sure he was breathing, and noticed that gripped tightly in his hand, even asleep, was a horn.

Horn of the Minotaur.

[scorbleeo]

Book Review: Saint

Priest (Book 3) by Sierra Simone

Source: Google Images

I can't have Elijah Iverson.

I can't have him because he's my older brother's best friend. I can't have him because I broke his heart five years ago; because he's now engaged to someone else—someone kind and dependable who deserves his whiskey eyes, his soft mouth, his fierce intellect.

I can't have Elijah because I've chosen God instead.

The Bell brothers, though . . . well, we don't exactly have the greatest track record with vows. But I'm determined to do this monk thing right—to pledge myself to a cloistered life and spend the rest of my years in chastity and prayer. But now Elijah's here. He's here and he's coming with me on my European monastery road trip, and between the whispered confessions and the stolen kisses and the moments bent over an ancient altar, my vows are feeling flimsier by the day.

And vows or not, I know in my heart that it would take more than a good and holy monk to resist Elijah Iverson right now. It would take a saint.

And we all know that I'm no saint.

Source: Goodreads (2021)

Way Better than Priest

I almost always read books chronologically if they are part of a series, even if they are companion novels and need not be read chronologically. This is not the case though, I DNF-ed Priest and because I did not like how Simone wrote the heterosexual couple's story in the first book, I have qualms about the second book. However, I was only interested in this series because of Saint so in spite of how I felt for Priest, I decided to still read Saint. And I really enjoyed it.

I loved the fact that smut did not come into the picture until many chapters in. But I would have liked it slightly more if Simone showed just how much Elijah means to Aiden (and vice versa). I got enough from their sexual tension, but I wanted more of just how deeply they loved each other. It was obvious Aiden and Elijah are soulmates but Simone really only focused on their issues and the sexual tension, not so much of the deeper feelings they feel for each other. The ending could have been better, not that Simone's a bad writer but she's not a real good one either.

But, I have to admit, chapter 47 was something. I am mentally healthy and so I will not say if that chapter was well written or not. What I would like to say is that, chapter 47 showed me what it could look like for someone who suffers from certain thoughts. And when Aiden was talking about his mother as his anchor, I understood why he reached the point of that night. So, for someone who never had certain thoughts, chapter 47 taught me something.

On to the brighter side, I do not think I have ever read a book where I adored every single character. If there comes a time when I read any possible future books in the Priest series, I would be bumped if I never saw Brothers Connor, Titus and Thomas again.

Honestly speaking, I do not see myself touching any other books (published or not yet) in this series anytime soon. What I felt from Simone's writing in Priest seriously...I have a prejudice now. With that said, I am still extremely curious about Father Jordan and the real story behind the text message.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5/5)

[tomwambsmilk]

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about the first three episodes - even having seen the show more times than I'm willing to admit, I do still think "Celebration" and "Lifeboats" are Succession's two weakest episodes. "Shit Show at the Fuck Factory" gets a slightly higher ranking, but it's still a bottom ten episode for me. And admittedly, a big part of that is that these three episodes need to do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of establishing characters, dynamics, and setting, which doesn't leave much room for the kind of interesting and engaging storytelling that really makes Succession a good watch. One thing that highlights this is that there isn't a single wasted scene in "Celebration" - every scene, line, and interaction tells us something important, something fundamental, about who these people are, the world they operate in, and their relationships to each other. But as strong as this is from an economical-storytelling standpoint, it's a big part of why so many people (myself included when I started watching) really struggle to make it past the first three episodes - especially considering you don't truly understand the importance of what you're seeing until you've finished at least the first season, if not the third.

But, all that being said, I can't think of another show that does such a good job of efficiently and effectively establishing what it needs to. Aside from the Kendall and Logan scenes, we have the aforementioned baseball scene with Roman, as well as his introductory scene, which establishes him as not caring about being in the business - and then his one-on-one with Logan, which shows us that he does care very much about his role (or lack thereof) in Waystar, despite pretending not to. We have Shiv's first scene with Tom, which establishes the tenor of their relationship and the degree to which Logan hangs over it; and her own one-on-one with Logan, which tells us how badly he wants her in the business, the fact that he doesn't have much respect for Tom, his lack of respect for her work, and her own disinterest, not necessarily in the business, but in playing second fiddle to her brothers (hence needing 'the top job'). We learn that Connor is disconnected from the rest of the family (the ranch, not realizing that 'old bread' is not a good gift for Logan) as well as his chronic need to avoid confrontation (I'm water, I flow).

Tom's scenes with Logan further highlight both Logan's lack of respect for him and the keen desperation with which he wants that respect, even though (as we'll soon learn) he's been dating Shiv for quite a while; his scene with Greg simultaneously establishes his twin desires for power and friendship when he currently has neither, as well as his failure to live up to the (highly sexual and to a certain extent sexually violent) ideal of "masculinity" prized by other members of the Roy family. And Greg's scenes communicate his status as a chronic failure and his discomfort with nepotism (he 'doesn't want to get into it' when his mom asks if he told the park managers who he was) as well as the desperation that causes him both to push forward with Logan despite that discomfort (and the ambition that makes him ask for much more than is reasonable, given his situation) and to tolerate Tom and the incredibly confusing and borderline abusive conversation the two of them have at the baseball game.

Of course, the first time we watch, we don't realize that's what we're seeing. That's because one of the rules of filmmaking is that you generally need to communicate something three times before the audience understands it - so while certain things (such as Kendall's relationship with Logan) are readily apparent from the get-go, a first-time viewer doesn't yet have enough information to properly interpret most of what they're seeing. But that doesn't change the fact that the screenwriters do an incredible job of throwing a lot of important information at us in the course of an hour without making it feel overwhelming.

The other really interesting thing about the first three episodes is that they do a good job of establishing the characters in certain archetypes - which they then spend the rest of the season unravelling. Coming out of the first episode, Logan is a well-meaning but misguided father and a brilliant businessman who has disappointing children; we understand that he's not a great father, but his frustration with his children feels somewhat earned, given what we know about them so far. Kendall is the heir with great potential but also substantial flaws who is cut down by Logan and will (probably) have to learn to overcome those flaws to assume his rightful place. Roman is the irresponsible and childish son who isn't meant to be taken seriously and doesn't have the emotional depth of the other characters. Shiv is the responsible and sensible only daughter, not as susceptible to her father's manipulations, relatively innocent by virtue of removing herself from the company, and ultimately supportive to Tom. Connor is the harmless, oddball son whose impact on the family is negligible. Tom is the sycophantic and power-hungry asshole who cares more about Logan than Shiv. Greg is a wide-eyed, innocent burnout who has no idea what he's getting into.

But then, over the course of the first season, Succession slowly unravels all of these archetypes. While there is some truth to each of them, nothing is truly as it initially appeared to be. As the show progresses, the characters develop in ways that are simultaneously unexpected, and yet, in hindsight, perfectly in line with what we've learned about them so far. And in doing so, the show gives depth and nuance to those archetypes and engages us in these people and their lives and their relationships, making us empathize with them, despicable as they may be - and the fact that our initial assessments were somewhat off only makes the gradual reveal of their true characters more impactful.

[calamitydaze]

i’m rewatching young justice s3 for the first time since it came out and while it’s definitely charming to see the role reversal of the teenagers we watched in season 1 all grown up and being responsible for a new group, i think the setup for that is.. pretty weak? the formation of the team in season 1 worked because they had a reason to make a team (feeling disrespected by the justice league) and a reason to do it together (already knowing each other and being friends) and you just don’t get that with the new team. other than one training session that went mildly badly and the inherent awkwardness of not having a place to live yet, i don’t buy that they don’t fit in with the team and want to be outsiders? you haven’t even tried? and they haven’t even really been shown to bond amongst themselves aside from brion giving halo an apple when she’s hungry or whatever so 😭 why do you like each other so much

and this is minor but i’ve also noticed that season 3 is obsessed with explicitly reminding us connor used to have anger issues and i’m sure it’s because of the six-year irl gap between s2 and s3 so they wanna refresh us but like dude…. you’re not appealing to the general audience here. the people watching this season are the people who were lobbying for years to get this show back on I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!!! YOU DONT NEED TO TELL ME every single time brion gets mad that connor used to be like that i knowwww you can just SHOW the way connor instantly connects with and understands him more i promise i would get it

[recentlyheardcom]

While Justin Trudeau, K-Pop and also Drake were amongst the most-mentioned subjects on Twitter Canada this year, there was one more big style in 2018. ” It was a year for huge tales in sporting activities on the Olympics,” Twitter Canada’s Christopher Doyle informed Global Information. “Scott and also Tessa being amongst the most-mentioned professional athletes. ” The whole nation and also nearly the whole globe kind of obtained rolled up in their tale. To me, that was quite unique simply to sort of see every little thing they take into their jobs. They likewise simply occur to be amazing to adhere to on Twitter.” Amongst Canadian professional athletes, just NBA pro Tristan Thompson had extra points out than Tessa and also Scott, possibly as a result of his Kardashian link. Various other most-mentioned in 2018: Justin Trudeau was Canada’s most-mentioned political leader for the 4th straight year (Doug Ford was 2nd) Jason Kenney was Alberta’s most-mentioned political leader (and also leading 5 most-mentioned Canadian political leader for 3rd straight year) K-Pop team BTS was Canada’s most-mentioned account in 2018 (Selena Gomez was most-mentioned private home entertainment star by Canadians) Drake was most-mentioned Canadian artist (ousting Justin Bieber) Connor McDavid was the 11 th most-mentioned Canadian professional athlete on the whole. It’s the very first time because he was prepared that he had not been in the top 10 most-mentioned Canadian professional athletes. He remained in the leading 5 in 2015, 2016 and also2017 He likewise ended up listed below previous Oiler Taylor Hall, that was 10 th. Most-mentioned Canadian groups: 1. Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) 2. Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) 3. Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) * 9. Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) ” We constantly speak about exactly how on-ice or on-field efficiency affects the Twitter points out,” Doyle stated. ” Clearly McDavid has actually been just one of the leading most-mentioned professional athletes in Canada because we have actually been monitoring this information. It interests see there are some have problem with the group so you see a bit of dip there yet I assume there’s still such a boost in Tweet quantity around hockey each and every single year.” In the political round, the quantity of points out on Twitter can be anticipating of political election outcomes, Doyle states, yet not constantly. ” It relies on the view around those tweets.” Most-mentioned Canadian political leaders in 2018: 1. Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) 2. Doug Ford (@fordnation) 3. Andrew Scheer (@AndrewScheer) * 8. Michelle Rempel (@MichelleRempel) *11 Rachel Notley ( @RachelNotley) Most-mentioned Canadian premiers (resting) on Twitter in 2018: 1. Doug Ford– Ontario (@fordnation) 2. Rachel Notley– Alberta (@RachelNotley) 3. John Horgan– BC (@jjhorgan) ” Having a look at that was the most-talked-about in sporting activities information and also home entertainment is kind of enjoyable,” Doyle stated. “However I assume likewise there’s a larger point you’re considering which’s what was actually on the minds of Canadians. ” We do that a great deal entering into political elections too. We constantly draw information around what are the most-talked-about concerns? If Canadians are discussing it on Twitter, that indicates it’s a top priority for them.” Scroll down for even more listings of Canadian Twitter highlights from 2018. When did Twitter website traffic height in Edmonton in 2018? ” The most-mentioned one was actually intriguing,” Doyle stated. “A peak especially for Edmonton when they were called as a host city for the 2026 Globe Mug, which was definitely taking control of the system when that statement came via with a joint quote with UNITED STATE and also Mexico. ” Super amazing for the whole nation with Edmonton revealed as a host city. Clearly they have actually obtained a lengthy background of organizing huge football suits.” 1. June 12, 2016: Edmonton revealed as a host city for 2026 Globe Mug

2. June 16, 2018: Shawn Mendes plays Rogers Area 3. Aug. 30, 2018: Harassment at Clareview Warehouse store– viral video clip 4. Feb. 2, 2018: Justin Trudeau city center at MacEwan College Calgary versus Edmonton in 2018: Calgary had 44 percent extra points out than Edmonton in 2018 Mayor Naheed Nenshi had 59 percent extra points out than Mayor Don Iveson Oilers had 23 percent extra points out than the Fires Stampeders had 17 percent extra points out than Eskimos The most-mentioned Oilers (Connor McDavid) had 405 percent extra points out than the most-mentioned Fire (Johnny Gaudreau) Canada’s most-liked Tweet in 2018 was from Barack Obama Youngsters have actually aided lead all our fantastic activities. Just how motivating to see it once again in a lot of wise, courageous trainees defending their right to be secure; marching and also arranging to reprise the globe as it need to be. We have actually been waiting on you. And also we have actually obtained your backs. — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 22, 2018 Canada’s most-mentioned celebs of 2018 (Canadian Individualities): · Music Act: Drake ·(lady): Shay Mitchell · Professional athlete (man): Tristan Thompson · Professional athlete (lady): Tessa Merit · Sports Group: Toronto Raptors · Political Leader: Justin Trudeau Canada’s most-mentioned worldwide home entertainment celebs (people) in 2018: 1. Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) 2. Kanye West (@kanyewest) 3. Drake (@Drake) Most-mentioned Canadian artists: 1. Drake (@drake) 2. Shawn Mendes (@ShawnMendes) 3. Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) Most-mentioned Canadian stars (man): 1. Ryan Reynolds (@VanCityReynolds) 2. Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) 3. Seth Rogen (@sethrogen) Most-mentioned Canadian stars (lady): 1. Shay Mitchell (@shaymitch) 2. Nina Dobrev (@ninadobrev) 3. Sandra Oh (@IamSandraOh) Most-mentioned Canadian professional athlete (man): 1. Tristan Thompson (@RealTristan13)– basketball 2. Scott Moir (@ScottMoir)– ice dance 3. John Tavares (@91 Tavares)– hockey Most-mentioned Canadian professional athlete (lady): 1. Tessa Merit (@tessavirtue)– ice dance 2. Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard)– tennis 3. Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson)– golf Most-mentioned Canadian mayors (resting) on Twitter in 2018: 1. John Tory– Toronto (@JohnTory) 2. Patrick Brown– Brampton (@patrickbrownont) 3. Val Plante– Montreal (@ValPlante) * 4. Naheed Nenshi * 7. Don Iveson