#pascale vital

[mariocki]

Le lac des morts vivants (Zombie Lake, 1981)

"Stories about the lake of the damned go back to the Inquisition. They used to celebrate Black Masses back in the Middle Ages: they would sacrifice children, which they threw into it so as to appease the spirits which otherwise rose out of their watery grave in search of blood. And we too, we've used it as an unholy grave during the war. But the soldiers we threw in were not a sacrifice... and they're coming back with a vengeance."

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

Thinking about sugar daddy Joel (when am I not) and then the wheels start turning in my brain… and then I realize: you know who would EAT as a sugar daddy? JAVI PEÑA!!! Bc one thing about him is he WILL get a girl out of a situation

I have specifically been avoiding Narcos because I know this son of a bitch

will absolutely destroy me as a person.

Y'all think I'm feral for Joel Miller and Din Djarin?

I just know Javier Peña would turn me into a monster.

[liamlawsonlesbian]

new charles haircut bad but he is still the most beautiful man in the world so it only adds to the charm unfortunately

[dreamofbecoming]

today my french teacher talked about how even after living in the states for like 20 years and having english skills good enough to teach languages at an ivy league school, she still orders the simplest most basic drink possible at coffee shops because it stresses her out when baristas ask her clarifying questions and force her into an unrehearsed interaction, and i have never related to anyone more

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The Canadian government on Friday demanded that Meta lift a "reckless" ban on domestic news from its platforms to allow people to share information about wildfires in the west of the country. Meta started blocking news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms for all users in Canada this month in response to a new law requiring internet giants to pay for news articles. Some people fleeing wildfires in the remote northern town of Yellowknife have complained to domestic media that the ban prevented them from sharing important data about the fires. "Meta's reckless choice to block news ... is hurting access to vital information on Facebook and Instagram," Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge said in a social media post. "We are calling on them to reinstate news sharing today for the safety of Canadians facing this emergency. We need more news right now, not less," she said.

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[dyns33]

Elastic heart

Sooo let me be one of the first to write about Pedro Pascal!Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic because of course I had to write about him, even if the movie is not even out yet.

It was like a dream come true when Y/N received the email congratulating her because she had been selected to become Doctor Richards' assistant.

Everyone knew about the Fantastic 4, a group of heroes who protected the Earth from all threats, with Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the Thing.

In addition to his activities as a protector of humanity, Doctor Reed Richards continued his research in physics and engineering.

Although he was considered the smartest man in the world, he seemed to have difficulty organizing his schedule and his notes, deciding to post an ad to find an assistant who would help him not end up crushed by a mountain of unclassified files.

Many candidates had applied, including Y/N. She didn't understand half of what Dr. Richards was talking about during the interview as he explained his current work, but she listened intently, finding it wonderful and fascinating that he was so invested in his work.

He had clearly noticed her listening skills. He had also liked that she didn't ask him any questions that weren't related to the position, that she took notes, and that she really tried to retain as much information as possible.

"I'm not going to ask you to solve the mysteries of the universe with me. Of course, if you said a theory that helped me solve the mysteries of the universe, I would mention your name. But you must especially remind me of my appointments, that I have to eat sometimes, update my research results, that sort of thing."

"No problem, Dr. Richards."

"Oh, no. Reed, please. Dr. Richards was my father." he said with a huge smile.

The first few days, Y/N was a little afraid of not being up to the task, or that he would ask too much, without ever paying attention to her.

But Doctor Richards was very attentive. Not only did he thank her or congratulate her for her good work, always happy to find hot coffee on her perfectly tidy desk or to hear her ask a question that would point him in the right direction, but sometimes he was even the one who took care of her.

"No. I'll take that."

"But Doc… Reed, I have to finish sorting these documents."

"I'm pretty sure it can wait until tomorrow. You should have been home two hours ago, you haven't eaten anything this afternoon. Don't deny it, I saw you with your energy drink. It's late, you were perfect, go get some rest."

"Only if you go too."

"… You got me. Deal."

Really, Reed Richards was a charming man. Too charming, no doubt, and Y/N quickly realized that she liked her boss a little too much.

It was never a good idea to mix feelings and work, but above all he was not free. When it was not her who reprimanded him for not taking care of his vital needs, Susan Storm appeared in the office sighing, pulling him by the arm and declaring that they were going out to lunch.

Like a celebrity couple, the newspapers were always trying to take pictures of them and spread their private life. So they rarely happened to be seen together outside of missions.

But Y/N saw them every day, and she couldn't deny that they looked perfect for each other.

So she had swallowed her ridiculous love, focusing on her work, while being unable not to smile stupidly every time Doctor Richards spoke to her.

If he hadn't seen it, it was obviously not the case for the rest of the group of heroes, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm, who often made fun of her in a more or less hidden way.

"Wow, nice meal box Reed."

"Homemade by my lovely assistant. She's so helpful, so kind. I'm really lucky."

"Yeah, that's for sure."

"You're only jealous because I have cookies and you don't !"

Since he was the smartest man in the world, Y/N still wondered if he didn't know, but was too polite to say so. Preferring to save her honor, he played the carefree game by telling everyone that she was a great assistant, who was simply doing her job, without ever trying to seduce him and jeopardize his relationship.

In any case, if Johnny knew, his sister must have known too. Maybe she watched them sometimes, invisible in a corner of the room, waiting for Y/N to dare to try something.

"Susan thinks we should have dinner together tomorrow night." Reed said, writing an incomprehensible calculation on his board.

"Oh, where are you going to go ?"

"Hmm ? No, I mean, you and me. Italian or something. She thinks it would be good."

"… Why ?" Y/N asked, immediately thinking it was a test.

"It's okay if you don't want to. I'd understand, you already put up with me all day."

"I'm seeing friends tomorrow night."

"No worries, it's fine. I told her it was a bad idea anyway."

He didn't mention it again, probably because his partner had been satisfied by this refusal, and the lack of a proposal for another day.

However, something changed. More often lost in his thoughts, looking sad, Reed Richards seemed to withdraw into his work, to the point of sometimes forgetting Y/N's presence, and forcing himself to smile when she spoke to him.

It was hurtful. She didn't understand, and she ended up looking as sad as him.

"Hell, they're stupid, they're so stupid…" mumbled the Human Torch as she passed through the hallway with a ton of files.

"And it's you who says that, that means something." sighed the Thing, rolling its eyes.

Despite all their efforts, their work ended up being impacted. Y/N and Reed forgot things, dropped documents or cups, fell asleep on their desk.

Especially him, but Y/N didn't dare wake him up or ask him to go home.

She preferred to go see Susan Storm. If anyone could channel him, it had to be his lover.

"I would love to babysit that adorable idiot, but I have a date tonight. He's going to have to stop acting like a child."

"A date ? But… Can't you talk to him during your date ?"

"… Who do you think I'm on a date with ?"

"Doctor Richards ? Your boyfriend ?"

"… Johnny was right. I can't believe it. Sit down."

Modest, very modest, and not really caring about the opinions of others, Reed and Susan had broken up several months ago, without any problems, without any arguments, remaining very good friends.

Totally focused on his research, he had not tried to meet anyone else, convinced in any case that people only saw his powers and his notoriety. And he would quickly bore them to death with his long scientific explanations no matter what.

Then Y/N had arrived, and Reed had fallen in love at first sight. Already during the interview, he had found her wonderful.

Trying in vain to be discreet, he had asked the other Fantastics if it was a good idea to hire someone he liked, someone who was perfectly competent, but with whom he would probably never be able to have a relationship because that was not done in the professional world. Or was it alright ? Hypothetically, he had specified.

No one had been fooled by seeing him with Y/N, and while it was funny and cute at first, their inability to see that the other was interested was becoming quite painful to watch.

"Reed is completely incompetent when it comes to socializing. We must have encouraged him to ask you out, because he was sure you were just being nice to him. Now he thinks he was right, that you're not interested. But you thought he was taken… Damn, I knew we should have done a long interview about that."

"You say he likes me…"

"Honey, he's crazy about you. You too, no point in denying it. And since you're both hopelessly shy, I guess I'll have to step in to save the day. Don't move."

Y/N didn't know why she moved. As soon as the Invisible Woman had disappeared, she had stood up, quickly going to her office to get her bag, then taking the elevator to quickly go down to the underground parking lot.

Reed Richards liked her. He was single, he had asked her out on a date, and he had been sulking for weeks because she had said no, making him believe that his feelings were not reciprocated.

Normally she should have been happy. But this was scary. Because the smartest man in the world was perhaps a romantic idiot incapable of integrating social codes, he was not wrong. If things did not go well between them, it would be complicated for work. They got along so well before talking about love.

"Y/N !"

She jumped when she saw Reed's floating head as the elevator doors opened. Or not really floating, she could see his elongated neck that went all the way to the door of the fire escape.

"Excuse me !" he exclaimed with an embarrassed look. "I could have run but… I've always been bad at sports. And I didn't know where to find you, I tried several corners of the building at the same time. That said, I don't really know how my feet would have recognized you. Would you mind waiting, until I gather all my limbs together ?"

He apologized again, because it was quite strange to see his body return to normal, and quite long too.

The silence was not broken however when he was finally complete, and they remained looking at each other like inexperienced teenagers.

"So… You thought I was in a relationship."

"Yes, like everyone else I imagine."

"True, it's true that we never made the separation official… It's an important detail, which I could have specified at some point. But since I thought I had no chance anyway, I didn't think about it too much."

"This could make our professional relationships complicated."

"Exactly. I've read the labor code three times, and it's not very clear. It depends on contracts and collective agreements, and so I've read our collective agreement three times, and it's not forbidden, but…"

"I love Italian food."

Reed Richards stared at her, cut off in the middle of his nervous stammering, with a confused expression before showing a huge smile, which Y/N ​​returned shyly.

It might not have been a good idea, but if they didn't try, they would regret it. Work was already disrupted, and it would be disrupted if they didn't have this meeting to see where it could lead them. In the end, they could find a balance, between their private relationship and at work.

"Kiss her, damn it !"

"Johnny, you're ruining everything." Ben sighed, half hidden behind a car.

"I'm not ruining anything, he's doing just fine on his own ! Ouch… But Susan !"

"He's not good, but I think Richards was going to get there before you broke the moment."

Growling, Reed looked at his teammates who gave him big thumbs ups and nods of encouragement.

He then took Y/N's hand, leading her back into the elevator and pressing the button so they could have some privacy.

"… I read a study that said it's good to wait until the third date to kiss."

"You read a lot."

"Ah, yeah. One of the reasons Susan and I broke up, besides the fact that we didn't love each other that way anymore, was that I wasn't very romantic. I'm trying to work on that."

"A kiss in an elevator is romantic too."

"… Really ? I'll look for a study that…"

"Kiss me."

"Okay."

It was part of her job to guide Doctor Richards and tell him what to do when he forgot or was lost after all.

But after a simple reminder, he did just fine with his mouth and hands, although it seemed that when he was excited, he wrapped his arms everywhere without realizing it.

That would be interesting to study later, after the third date.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

Nestled beside traffic-choked New York Avenue NE, the historically Black Ivy City neighborhood in Washington, D.C., was built in the late 19th century as a community for African American laborers who soon found themselves living amid industrial sites and a racetrack. 

Today, the neighborhood, like so many in D.C., is partially gentrified but can’t completely escape the environmental inequities of its past or the suffocating exhaust from traffic of present rush hours. 

“A lot of us are experiencing issues with breathing,” said Sebrena Rhodes, an Advisory Neighborhood Commission member and organizer with the nonprofit Empower DC. “Everybody is experiencing the exact same thing.”  

Ivy City is an archetypal “environmental justice” community in which residents have for years been disproportionately harmed by pollution, as a growing body of research makes clear. 

A study published last month in the journal Nature Medicine by Assistant Professor Pascal Geldsetzer and other researchers and collaborators at the Stanford University School of Medicine found that Black Americans have had the highest proportion of deaths from fine particulate matter air pollution, known as PM2.5, when compared to all other racial or demographic subgroups from 1990 to 2016. 

Fine particulate matter includes particles produced primarily through vehicle fuel emissions and other burning of oil, coal and wood that are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, small enough to lodge deeply in the lungs, affect other vital organs and even enter the bloodstream. 

PM2.5, about one-thirtieth the diameter of a human hair, causes a range of harmful health effects, from aggravating asthma and other respiratory illnesses to increasing the risk of death from lung cancer, heart disease, dementia and stroke. 

“It’s very well recognized that PM2.5 is the biggest environmental killer globally,” said Tarik Benmarhnia, associate professor at the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the study’s senior author. 

Researchers found that Black Americans had the highest PM2.5-attributable mortality in 96.6 percent of U.S. counties and faced a “double jeopardy,” being more exposed to PM2.5 pollution and more susceptible to its adverse health effects due to poverty, existing medical conditions, more hazardous jobs and lack of access to housing and health care. 

“Exposures to air pollutants, broadly, are not shared equally. They fall disproportionately on racial minorities throughout the U.S.,” said Marshall Burke, an associate professor at Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability and a co-author of the study. 

[elder-sister]

Can you please make me some cover art for Turnabout Vengeance in the style of ace attorney 1 case cover arts like this one for example?

These are the characters I want included:

Celeste doppio

Diane Pascal

Eleanor Timm

Harvey Stone

Vick Timm

Alice Timm

A silhouette of a girl meant to represent Alice and Harvey’s daughter. (You can decide how she looks.)

Is it safe to assume you meant Alice Stone or am I missing a vital lore piece

And um I kinda missed Vick's design if we ever made one so there's this and um. I used the showcase for Diane's design. So.

Anyway ignore my paranoia here's the art (that I refused to do in the actual Ace Attorney style...)

Lmk if you want a colored/rendered version!

[bwoahtastic]

i feel like an obvious choice for a/b/o divorce is lewis and nico. they go from being childhood sweethearts to an f1 power couple with adorable baby pascal (he just fits so perfectly) to fighting on and off the track. they both love their baby so much, but they also both want to win so badly, and as the racing season progresses they get into more and more fights until they're hardly speaking at all. at the end of the season, nico wins the championship, but decides to retire and spend more time with their child. at first lewis thinks that this might be good for the relationship, but he's devastated when nico files for divorce and moves out, taking pascal with him. i feel like their divorce would be relatively amicable, as they both want what's best for pascal and they can agree that their relationship has not been good, but they miss each other like crazy, especially as lewis has to travel so much for work. nico is also very protective of pascal and doesn't want him in the public eye too much, and so doesn't like bringing him to races, which lewis understands but it still upsets him because it feels like he hardly ever gets to see his baby.

maybe lewis then has an accident whilst racing, and nico, watching at home, sees it happen on the tv. so he flies across the world to be there with lewis in the hospital, and of course brings little pascal to help make lewis feel better.

Oh plss!! Nico and Lewis with tiny Pascal being such a happy family for a while, Nico having had a hard pregnancy and birth bur it's worth it because he has a pup eith the love of his life! Pascal is such a sweetie too and its just bliss for a good while, but the 2016,season is so tense and while they tey to be nice to each other especially around Pascal, its so hard and they are just so cold and Pascal ofcourse notices daddy and mutti are fighting...

The season being over brings relief but it left their relationship so broken and they know it's over. The divorce is amiably and they explain to pascal as best they can what is happening. Pascal is scared at first but daddy and mutti both spend time with him, mutti the most but Nico always let's him watch daddy race on TV and Lewis comes over whenever possible! Also when Lewis comes over, Nico lets him stay in the spare room. Sure it's a bit odd, but they tried moving pascal to another place Lewis was staying for those days or weeks and the pup didn't like being away from "home". And nico and Lewis are amiable enough to deal with it!

Lewis being sad he doesn't see Pascal nearly enough because of the increasingly busy race calendars and while he agreed to keep pascal away from the spotlight, he naturally misses his pup a lot...

Lewis getting into an accident and Nico instsntly bags his bags and Pascal's bags too, and travels to where Lewis is, to support him himself but also because he knows Lewis would benefit seeing his pup! Pls Lewis in the hospital, relatively fine but hooked up to machines to monitor his vitals and the door opens with a worried outcry of "daddy!" And Nico trying to keep Pascal from jumping onto the bed too roughly. Pls it would be such a sweet moment!

[byenycfm]

most wanted residents/fcs for them? asking for a friend 👀

Hello!

I know that Ria would love her husband and was hoping for Nadech Kugimiya or Finn Whittrock as the fcs.

Charlie and Jeremiah would LOVE their middle brother JP. Fc suggestions are Jack O'Connell, Kit Harrington, Dave Franco, etc.

The Wexley's Butler and their eldest son's right hand man Liam Dalton is a vital role we'd love filled! Fcs could be Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, Laz Alonzo, Javier Bardem,

The Caretaker is also a vital role that we'd absolutely LOVE to see someone take and love. I could see Norman Reedus, Pedro Pascal, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Nathaniel Arcand

We're always open to tweeking skeletons if need be, as well as fc suggestions or others that we didn't mention!

[pixeldolly]

SWAT - Round 1 - Smith

PT9 could feel Death’s cold fingers reaching for his throat. When he’d first crash-landed into town he’d been young and full of vitality, but his kind could not withstand long-term exposure to this planet’s sun without consequences.

It had aged him prematurely, and only his secret regeneration device had kept his organs from failing and his immune system from going haywire.

Of course, PT9 had known this would happen; Sixamese scientists had studied Sim Earth’s atmosphere in order to modify the pollination technique to compensate for their incompatible physiology. 

Full-blooded Sixamese could not live on Sim Earth, but their hybrid descendants would. Despite the prohibitions against permanent settlement, PT9 had an idea for how it might be done, allowing him to escape planet-side, beyond the reach of his people.

He’d made a life for himself in Strangetown, with a human wife and hybrid children born from their union, not created in a laboratory. That was something else the scientists said could not be done.

And now, another child was on the way. PT9 had plenty left to live for.

Death would just have to keep on waiting.

Brenda: “Hey, Mr Smith! I left your newspaper over there on the porch.”

PT9: “Thank you, Brenda. Is this your last round?”

Brenda: “Yup! Just the Curiouses left and then I’m done for the day.”

PT9: “You must be freezing!”

Brenda: “Yeah, the post office doesn’t actually have any winter uniforms, so... They promised they’d order us some, but that hasn’t happened yet.”

PT9: “Listen - why don’t you come in and have some pancakes and hot tea to warm you up? I’m sure Pascal, Lazlo and Vidcund can wait a little longer for their paper.”

Brenda hesitated; technically, she wasn’t allowed to take breaks in the middle of her rounds, but who was going to tell? She quickly texted Tiffany to tell her she’d be running late, then followed Mr Smith inside.

[biggestsimponhere]

Well because I am in a mood to die I will say Narcos because I've been trying to avoid the hot papi that Javi is.... but why not suffer. Or to safe my soul you can dump me into the pedro pascal cinematic universe 😂 I'm pisces 🐠, dark ginger hair, blue eyes, can do both a classy look but also catch me in a baggy hoodie with a messy bun. Favorite artist - florence and the machine. Favorite flower - austin roses.

Favorite food - anything from Italian cuisine, and for some personality traits: well like a true fishy I am a ball of emotion. Also people say that I have a resting bitch face that makes people feel like I'm judging everyone while for most of the time I'm just zoned out thinking about my books. Also, hella clumsy... idk if's there's a day when I'm not rocking a single bruise. I'm super shy because my anxiety ain't too kind of me but when you crack that outer shell... yeah I can waffle for hours about the most random things. Eee I am so excited for this!!! Thank you, bab!🤍✨

Bubbles, I ship you with Joel Miller

You two would work to balance each other out with his more grumpy and stoic personality, you would bringen light to his life.

As for your clumsiness, joel would find it adorable and would catch you everytime you stumbled.

Libra and Pisces make wonderful romantic partners. They can communicate with one other. Their shared desire to serve people and the world surrounding them. They are most suited for each other since their excitement, vitality, and yearning for a genuine connection are quite excellently.

Pre-outbreak!Joel would love to take you out for dinner at the little Italian restaurant around the corner from his house of course he already knows all the staff so he doesn’t take you there until he’s sure you’re the one. He introduced you and they all loved you instantly.

Post-outbreak!Joel - Pre Jackson would try to find you anything slightly Italian even if it’s just 20 year old chef boyardee

Jackson!Joel would cook for you, he had learned plenty of Italian dishes to cook for you!

Both Sarah and Ellie respectively love you, they’d listen to you talk about whatever you want to talk about!

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (5-11 Mar 2023)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊 The Home For The Holidays Job (aurora_atalanta) - 61K, Leverage OT3 AU inspired by that 'fake date' craigslist ad - Eliot-focused & cute

😊 Inside the River (yeaka) - 44K, Spirk, canon-divergent arranged marriage AU - loved the setup for this

😍👂‍The Return Of The King (The Lord of the Rings #3) (J.R.R. Tolkien, author; Andy Serkis, narrator) - I even did appendices A and B, with Andy reading it to me 😆

🥰 wanna hurt you just to hear you screaming my name (DotyTakeThisDown) - 57K, Steddie AU - Eddie's a professional Dungeon Master (of the kink kind) who takes Steve as a client - good stuff!

💖💖 +91K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

The difference between a poem and a love letter (thismomentintime) - Stranger Things: steddie, 5K - super adorable meet cute!

Mission Impossible (AggressiveWhenStartled) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 20K - very funny

The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret (laiqualaurelote) - Ted Lasso: trent/ted, 20K - absolutely delightful post-s2 canon-divergent getting together fic

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Maine Cabin Masters - s7, e9

Schitt's Creek - all s1 & s2, e1-2

Ted Lasso - s1, e1-5

Hot Ones - Pedro Pascal

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

ICYMI Plus - The Internet Hates Hogwarts Legacy

Into It - Are the Oscars Into Blockbusters?

Endless Thread - Return of the Aunties

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Ouija Board 7-Eleven

Vibe Check - Everything Has Led to This

ICYMI Plus - The Internet Should Be Fun

⭐It's Been a Minute - Marilyn Monroe was more than just 'Blonde'

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Big Apple Inn

⭐Switched on Pop - How John Denver got huge in Asia

The Sporkful - Should Fine Dining Exist?

Song Exploder - Kenny Beats "Still"

Ologies with Alie Ward - Detroitology (DETROIT) with Aaron Foley

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Dedan Kimathi Post Office Tree

99% Invisible #420 - The Lost Cities of Geo Redux

Into It - What If 'Top Gun: Maverick' Wins Best Picture? And Other Oscars Predictions

Endless Thread - Owl pursuits

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - More Wonders in Your Backyard

Richmond Til We Die: A Ted Lasso Podcast - Ted Lasso S2E12: You Gotta Follow Your Bliss, Right?

Our Opinions Are Correct - Episode 125: Silicon Valley vs. Science Fiction, Part I

You're Dead To Me - Vital Electricity

Off Menu - Ep 182: Joe Cornish

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

The Very Best Of Chicago (Only The Beginning) [Chicago]

Hair Metal Hedonists

Rob Zombie

Past Selves [Sub-Radio]

Heavy Industry

I ❤️ Heart

Iron, Wrath & Metal

The Essential John Denver [John Denver]

Presenting James Taylor

Godsmack

[dearestpartnerofgreatness]

37 and 42 for the fanfic ask

Ask here

Thank you for the questions!!!

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

Other than the sort of cheesy title, I'm proud of my Tangled fic--I love New Dream and the Lance & Eugene friendship, so that was fun to write. I always look for fics where Lance and his relationship with Rapunzel is a main factor in the central plot and even though there are some really great ones, there are so few that I wanted to write one myself. I feel like I was able to incorporate some interesting aspects of Rapunzel's character, such as how her trauma impacts her relationship with her mom. Also I felt like it was very important to include Pascal and Maximus in some way, because they get ignored a lot, lol.

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

Honestly @myargalargan commenting on bruise belies the break made me SCREAM because they are basically the Sukka queen! (I am still working on that by the way, I promise! I have 2/3 of the next chapter done and hope to post it soon.)

Also, SO many of the comments on shadows & steel warmed my heart!!! Of course @shrinkthisviolet and @ohsalamanders' commentary was vital to the piece, and hearing from so many writers I love like @raspberrylimonade, @avrelia, annavale23, starbunny86, Dilittantism, etc. was incredible. I think my all-time favorite comment journey though was this from @savethelastdan (Shespitsfire on ao3) when she was live-reacting:

"You would have simply found her waiting on your bed, draped in silks, ready for you to unwrap.” Somebody's been reading Lo and Li's smutty bodice-rippers in her spare time

"If they’d been caught in a forced marriage, that reunion would have been far more romantic than the one he had just described. They probably would have run away, rejecting the archaic tradition of betrothal altogether. Two heart-eyed outlaws shunning sexist ideals, enjoying plenty of meat and sarcasm along the way" looks like Zuko's been catching up on his own collection of romance novels

"The way the lanterns illuminated her mouth as it moved was fascinating, and he wondered if she knew this. If she was using the fact to her advantage." Maybe I'VE been reading Lo and Li's bodice rippers in my spare time because this is *chef's kiss*

Honestly if you read comments on fics that aren't yours I highly recommend you take a look at hers for each chapter because she is HILARIOUS.

[electricprincess96]

Ep 3 of The Last Of Us was at least more interesting than last weeks episode. Ironic that the most fun I've had with the show so far is when I catch a glimpse of just how Joel was living his life the last 20 or so years. That being said they made one vital error that made me not be able to emotionally care about the characters spotlighted in this episode. They made Frank really unlikeable at the beginning and they rushed his romantic and sexual relationship with Bill. Like I get that in the apocalypse when you haven't seen another human being for a long time emotions can be heightened and the need for human contact can be so great that you aren't exactly going to be taking people out on 2 or 3 dates before you fuck them but come on ONE day? Not even a full day? For someone so paranoid like Bill I just couldn't buy that, at least give them a week or two. Also I didn't like how Bill seemed just so scared when they were about to sleep together for the first time (after knowing each other a couple hours maybe) like why the fuck was the actor told to play him that way?! It made me uncomfortable and made Frank seem like a predator and I didn't like it. Also Bill was right, Frank should not be using up his fuel just to mow the lawn and shouldn't have been inviting Joel and Tess to them without Bill's permission, just because it ended up working out doesn't change the fact it was a huge risk in the middle of the fucking apocalypse.

Overall though with some minor tweaks I'd have probably liked this episode more than Ep1 but because of the botched beginning to that relationship I ended up only caring about how Joel reacted to what happened to them because so far the only character I've managed to create any meaningful connection with is Joel. I feel like a better way to give us Frank and Bill's story would have been for Joel and Ellie to actually meet them in person first, let us get to know them through the characters we are meant to care about and THEN show us their story (and eventual joint suicide which I'm just gonna say it coupled committing suicide because one thing bad happens to one of them wasn't romantic when it was Romeo and Juliet and it isn't romantic now. Also bad case of bury your gays when one of those characters is apparently alive in the game so.....)

All that being said this episode was pure padding in a series that really didn't need it. The Last Of Us game is long. The cutscenes alone are almost 4 hours, that's almost 2 movie lengths, the season is only 9 episodes and they've already speedrun to getting Joel and Ellie meeting in Episode 1. Like I now know the creator who's helping on this show was the one with more or less full creative control of TLOU2 so he must really want to get to his story by Season 2 but considering I know most fans while they might like Part 2 most will agree its not as good as Part 1 (which is why Naughty Dog continue to milk Part 1 for all its worth) I figured they'd try to pass Part 1 out to at least 2 seasons on which case padding episodes like this would have been expected and necessary but they aren't. They clearly intend to finish this season with the end of the first game. They're apparently casting for Abby right now so next season is going to be Part 2 (poor Pedro Pascal they can't let his handsome face catch a break its either getting smashed in or hidden by a helmet these days).

Also why are they now telling us how many miles they are outside if x y or z place when in Episode 1 Joel and Tess just sort of teleport from inside the Quarantine Zone to wherever Ellie is without even showing us A. How they got there and B. Where Ellie even was in relation to where they started. Either locations and distances matter or they don't cause genuinely I laughed when Joel just appeared where Ellie was cause I was so confused I didn't know if they were in the same place this whole time or if someone had moved and we just weren't shown how it was all so bad it was comical.

Also what the fuck was Ellie doing to that Infected in the basement? Genuinely question like she's acting like one of the kids who'd burn ants it's quiet unsettling.

And lastly for the dudebros who'll tell me im a toxic gamer purist, I haven't played The Last Of Us. I understand changes have to be made. I'm not against Ep3 existing as I said I was at least less bored in this episode cause I decided I did actually kinda like Bill and thus what happened to him mattered to me. BUT I find it odd that such a short series based on quite long source material (I'm aware plenty of the gameplay material can't translate to television very well) needed padding but as padding goes this wasn't terrible.

[zonerobotnik]

Okay, so...I actually deleted the Ask out of revulsion as a knee-jerk reaction, but having had a bit of time to think about it, here is my reply.

GOTHEL'S MOTHER DID WHAT?!

With the two facts that I was sent about her combined, the implications make her a MUCH worse person than Lucas could EVER be, and I am NOT reading that book just to avoid knowing more about her.

But, speaking of reading books, I just finished "What Once Was Mine"! Good read. Though I was raising my eyebrow through a lot of it and the inclusion of a real-world countess serial killer that was dead a hundred years before the story took place (stated to be the 18th century/1700s, Bathory died in 1614, I CHECKED) and the constant "Princess Bride"-esque interruptions and cancer B-plot kind of killed the immersion for me, it wasn't that bad a story. I will never get over Maximus. Never. That is just too weird. Just why?

The Moondrop Flower sounds like a Demanitus creation, honestly, because of how bizarre its powers are and the fact he was studying both the Sundrop Flower and the Moonstone Opal. And I can go with this because, dang it, you can't vaguely handwave something like this! 😮‍💨

To be honest, by the end of it, I wasn't feeling New Dream. It felt more like he was hardcore crushing and she thought he was hella hot. A lot of the emotional storybeats felt forced and like they were included just to fit the quota. There's a scene where the guy reads over the original story of "Tangled" again to try to figure out how to incorporate certain things and they honestly would've been better off left out. The ending felt so rushed, because he didn't actually think of one and made something up on the spot when pressured into it and it SHOWS.

But, hey, at least it inspired me to do some aftermath art where Moondrop meets Moonstone, which I will draw after the next "Crossing the Line" comic page. And Moondrop Rapunzel is hella fine, if a little horny, and Gina is a more pleasant version of Cassandra. Also, Magda needs therapy. Get her therapy. She is so traumatized. This poor girl.

Flynn is...uhhh...just kind of there. So was Pascal, there was no emotional bond at all between her and Pascal. But the Goodwife was nice and I like the change in how Gothel treated Rapunzel. But, Mein Gott, was there too much useless information that dragged down the story and too much lore when there shouldn't be and not enough where there should. If the Moondrop Flower is a vital part of the plot, GIVE 👏 US 👏 THE 👏 LORE! 👏