#so sad at the crumbs we got last season

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Well... at lease we have Wandee & Stand-in?

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Wandee Godday (Sat YT) ep 4 of 12 - The geept is strong with this one AKA Yak CAN flirt. Wandee now knows he isn’t the only one with a crush on someone else. AND YET they are SO DAMN CUTE together. I do wonder sometime if Yak is running a counter con with Dee pretending to have a crush on Taem. Meanwhile, mad props on the HPV vax public service! Good for them!!! Now that's my kind of product placement. I do have a feeling the sad bit with these two is gonna be VERY sad and last longer than we like. 

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 5 of 12 eps - It’s a riveting show. Pleasant? No. Riveting? Yes. Tiny crumbs for Ming’s assistant. Joe is best boy. That is all. I LOVE this show.

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 8 of 16 - TOO MANY SOUND EFFECTS. Omg get your fingers off those buttons you computer wanking sound dude (you know it’s a dude) what tf do you think this is? Lovely Writer? Also, they left ALL their drinks! Can you not walk and drink at the same time in a BL? Meanwhile not much happened that hadn’t already happened AKA bit of a filler ep. That said, the friendship group stuff is glorious!!! Also this brand of super gentle flirting suits PondPhuwin better than any of their prior rolls. It reminds me of how much I think they suit a historical. There is a gentle dignity to these two. 

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 7 of 12 - I love how kindly the turn down was. But most of the dancing stuff was dull. I don’t know I just find the actor playing Kang pretty vacant of appeal I guess. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - As is not uncommon with JBL I’m being to get frustrated with Yuki the Uke. Sigh. I’m probably gonna stay that way for several episodes given the pacing of this show. 

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - Also frustrating. Willful misunderstanding. We got us some running of the gays but boy is this drawn out. 

Blossom Campus (Korea Thurs Gaga & iQIYI) ep 3-4 of 6 - The puppy is a bit too much sunshine innocent for me. And the professor is a bit creepy. I don't know, I'm not loving this one like I want to.

It's airing but...

You Made My Day (Thai YT) ep 1 of 5 - mini series staring the I Will Knock You couple Tar & Bom, started but I couldn't find it. I also didn't try very hard.

The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer released to Korean theaters 5/25. HoTae & DongHee, side couple from Unintentional Love Story are back! Same actors, same character names. I love them. I NEED TO SEE THIS. How?

OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ????) ep 2 of 10 - yeah I can't find it.

In case you missed it

Crossing my fandoms moment, major Kpop blog ran the following: OMEGA X Hangyeom Talks Jazz For Two, Brotherhood, And More With KpopStarz

Tis the season of remakes? Both Addicted Heroin (August, my love!) and My Love Mix-Up (G4!) are coming from Thailand. I am very excited to see both. I love a Thai remake, often more than the original.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

May Releases

VBL (Taiwan) is releasing 4 'Special Episode' epilogues to their 4 2023 shows every Friday this month on Gagaoolala, Viki & Viu. Not sure on search terms or how to find these. (Or, frankly, if we need them.)

5/10 – You Are Mine

5/17 – VIP Only

5/24 – Stay By My Side

5/31 – Anti Reset

5/28 My Biker 2 (Thai movie YT?) - trailer

5/30 Knock Knock Boys (Thai Thurs WeTV & Gaga) - I do love Best and I'm interested in seeing him in a new pairing. That said, I'm not wild about Seng. Still, this looks like a chaotic pulpy mess, I'm looking forward to wallowing in it one way or another.

5/31 The Time of Huannan (Taiwan movie) - May not be BL

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

All Wandee Gooday.

Icky no longer allows screen shots or there would have been a bunch from Stand-in.

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity

@rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in it's infinate wisdom doesn't like too many tags.

There's these tricks, remember:

[darcyfangirlsfrequently]

My reactions to episode 7 of season 2 of Criminal Minds Evolution

The only thing I know about this episode is that it's fucked up

Spoilers below the cut!

(TW: loss of a child under the cut)

oh, acid showers. lovely.

oh god the hair melting off the scalp. no WONDER i got warnings for this episode

drowning in acid. Lovely!!!

oh this IS fucked up.

Garvez in the same room! Yay! Crumbs!

Have I mentioned I love JJ and Luke's friendship?

Penelope with all the pretty flowers on her dress!! she looks so good in this scene

Penelope is just straight-up STARING at Luke

TARA WITH THE SLICKED BACK HAIR SHE'S SO GORGEOUS I LOVE HER

Emily reading Tyler to shit over his handwriting? Iconic.

Look I kinda love Tyler. AS HIS OWN SEPARATE CHARACTER AWAY FROM PENELOPE. When he's with literally ANYONE else, he's great.

Tara i see those heart eyes for Emily

"Mr. Sensitive" help i SNORTED

Why is Rossi so against contacting Jill? Forbidding her?

Okay so my theory was correct. The victim at the beginning sexually assaulted the unsub's wife, and this baby is a product of that.

Look Tyler is adorable, okay? When he's interacting with the rest of the team, I love him.

"Just what Garcia told me" I wasn't under the impression that they talked much???? Especially about this kind of stuff.

They're just turning Tyler into their puppy and i'm here for it

Voit's Lawyer! finally!

He's really offering to END his lawyer's ex wife???

ooh that shot through all the car windows is cool

"I just want you to be you" please god tell me she's not saying "clearly you have a way of winning over/seducing older blonde women and i need you to do that"

"I don't wanna be that guy." Yes Tyler!! Growth!!

"just fuckin drive" emily i love you. I also love this friendship dynamic.

JJ: Maybe Penelope can help us find [the connection.] Luke: Penelope! Yes! Let's go see Penelope! I love Penelope! (he loves her it's canon)

LUKE SITTING ON THE DESK LUKE SITTING ON THE DESK

LUKE THE SMIRK??? THE HEART EYES??? oh my GOD

"It's why you and I are finally friends" DAMN FATALITY

"finally" with the smirk I LOVE THEM SO MUCH HOLY FUCK

I just know JJ is sitting there like "are y'all gonna stop flirting for two seconds"

THEIR SMILES OH MY GOD THEY'RE JUST SO THRILLED TO BE AROUND EACH OTHER THEY'RE SO IN LOVE.

"thanks frieeend" I LOVE THEM BY THAT DELIVERY WAS SO FUNNY. Also he touched her arm/back

The way they're calling each other "friend" is literally so flirty.

PLEASE tell me someone has done a gifset comparing "we thrive as frenemies" to "it's why you and I are finally friends."

Also the way that means she literally just called him TREASURE????

I just know that as Luke was saying "thanks frieeeend" he was thinking "thanks, friend, i love youuu"

THIRD HOTCH MENTION OF THE SEASON GODDAMN

Hotch, Morgan, and Reid all in the SAME SCENE damn

I love Jill already

Ooh, fiancé not fiancée

"I loved Jason" "He loved you back" I'M IN SHAMBLES ACTUALLY

Emily did you just say that David Rossi ISN'T dramatic???

Tyler and i are JUST as fucking confused

"The next generation of the BAU" really reminds me of how much younger than all of them he is which just makes me feel icky about Greencia all over again

Luke leading the profile delivery! Getting his moment! We love to see it!

Oh shit the doctor is spilling ALL the tea

I wonder if the baby is dead, a delusion

This is dark.

Wait, are the baby AND the mother dead??? Oh that would make sense for why the guy puked when he saw her. It was a skeleton

this really is a luke heavy ep and i am here for it

oh god yeah that's... fucked.

They need to start putting some god damn trigger warnings on this show

Luke looks genuinely SAD for this man.

They can give Voit a corded phone? this feels like a risk of some sort

A kill kit??? we didn't leave that behind last season??

"Do not, for any reason, open it." and ofc he opens it right away

JILL AND PENELOPE HUG MY HEARTTTT

Tara and Tyler friendship!

Oh Jilllll. I wanna hug her.

That scene with Jill walking around touching everything... oh my heart. Aisha Tyler you ate with that.

[syntheticaesthetic]

Five is allowed to be selfish. People in general are allowed to be selfish. It's almost like they're human.

Yes, sure. Of course they are. But, when talking about a story you're gonna need to give me a much more convincing journey to those selfish choices than we got in S4.

Let's face it, the Five we got in this season was apathetic. He didn't give a shit about his family by the end of it. He didn't give a shit about other people. He didn't give a shit about the apocalypse. I'd argue he didn't really give a shit about Lila based on how he treated her based on his tone when she confronted him about the reality of their situation.

(The way he said "I took care of you when you were sick, I held you when you were sad" was full of red flags. It reeked of entitlement. I did those things for you so you owe me this. 🤢)

This characterization was pretty far from what we saw in S1 or S2, where he sacrificed everything for his family, where his personal happiness was of no concern compared to his own safety or mental health. And yet we're being asked to accept a Five that cares more about his personal desire to have Lila than what she wants, what Diego wants, what her kids want, over them returning to the right time line and saving Ben and stopping an apocalypse?

A good storyteller can get there no doubt - the pieces are there.

*Take a man who lived 40+ years in an apocalypse because of his own hubris (don't tell me what to do! I know better than you old man!),

*a man who got shoved in a wrong body, a man who had to - in the span of 2-3 weeks - live through 3 different apocalypses,

*a man who didn't even want to stop the S3 apocalypse because he himself told him not to - that he only makes it worse,

*a man who got abandoned by the family he sacrificed so much to save and lost his powers,

*and a man who then had to face yet another apocalypse that was his fault with new powers he doesn't understand and doesn't really seem to care too much about understanding and then gets lost and separated from his family again for 7 more years?

Yeah. I can see anger. I can see defeat. The world has made him it's bitch and he's tired and just wants a break and wants something for himself.

The problem I have here is the execution.

They had six episodes filled with a huge amount of filler and hardly any lead up to this; we got Lila wiping crumbs off his face and Diego and Lila's bad relationship with Five being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was shoved into a short opening montage.

While we the audience knows the things that drove Five to this from previous knowledge (assumptively), the actual writing or narrative never addresses it. Five never tells us how exhausted he is. He never tells us how over it he is. Even in S3 he has a line while on his adventure with Klaus and exclaims "Can't I get one day off" (or a fucking break - I can't remember the direct quote.) We get nothing here. He just seems bored. Unmoved. Uncaring. He just doesn't give a shit about anything that's happening so why are we supposed go with this out of the blue selfishness if he's not really affected by anything happening? It's not selfishness motivated by being at his breaking point and just needing something for himself finally, it's just a kid taking a doll away from his brother because all of his other toys were gone and saying it's his turn with it now because he wants it and throwing a temper tantrum and refusing to help his family or the world when the doll is back where it's supposed to be.

He's focused on his affair with a married woman over the fate of the world when his character for the last three seasons has never been that selfish. That's the problem.

[butt0nzz66]

okay I got some sleep my thoughts have changed slightly.

So after a little spiral of sadness yesterday and grieving the incredible love and softness we got in first 6 episodes. I got some sleep and watched it again with the bf who in respect to my obsession has watched all the seasons with me to understanding what I’m yapping about.

I actually am beginning to like it more and can’t lie I really enjoy episode 7 I love the angst, Mr fingerton of worldwide and the wedding. I think this did a great job of demonstrating Colin’s internal struggle between loving and wanting pen but not been able to reconcile both sides of her and the wedding was a happy one until big QC rocked up. I even didn’t mind the entrapment comment because as one other poster pointed out he’s lashing out in anger because he knows he basically ran to the carriage and didn’t give her a min to breath after lol.

However I am still struggling with a few points and I have laid out what I think they could have done to improve it with a few short scenes.

The ending of episode 7 e.g. lack of a wedding night. I personally think the queen thing could have happened after, so we get a sweet wedding night where things aren’t perfect but they are moving towards understanding eachother, this gives us as the viewers a min to breath and then next episode is the queen/cressida drama and then this new wave of struggles for him(yes even with the couch sleeping) or them against the world kind of approach.

Another thing I found is while I do think they actually portrayed quite well him talking to various people to reconcile his feelings in the last episode e.g. Cressida, Eloise, there was a lack of communication of his growth to Penelope and while yes he’s a sulker that isn’t a heathly representation of marriage like you need to talk. I think this could have been improved with a very simple “I’m trying to get to that, but it’s just going to take me time” kind of line in the study love confession.

I also would have LOVED to have seen the conversation between Colin and Violet following the letter Penelope sent, to see her go from shocked to impressed and to see Colin realise maybe I am a lil jealous and dragging it out a bit. She was so insightful with him in episode 4 I think we could have all benefitted from her wisdom and maybe pointing out that while LW didn’t always do things in the right way she has always tried to save the Bridgertons because she loves them more than anyone.

Finally if we could have added a short scene of them after the ball going home and her being like “no more on the couch?” or them running to the bedroom laughing not even sex just fluff then that last sex scene wouldn’t feel quite so plonked in. Like don’t get me wrong I’ll take any crumb I can get but would have been nice to have an intro to it.

I think if we sacrificed a few sub plot scenes for that then it would be a 10/10 despite the angst being dragged on a bit. But maybe that’s just me having too much drama in my own life I don’t want it in my escapism show.

Also the end of season 1&2 was pretty similar in a lot of miscommunication and drama right up until the last second so it was silly of me to hope for something more.

So big shout out to the BF who watched it and gave his perspective of colins feelings which I think helped me get out of my own way.

And I’ve seen a few posts saying why is everyone so critical and quite frankly um because that’s how I feel? Like overall I loved the season definitely my favourite of the 3 and all the actors did a brilliant job however I will point out where I think things could be better. Which is why I’ve tried to word things in a more cohesive way now I’ve had time to reflect. Forums like this are built from discussion if you don’t like what someone is saying scroll on past, to be honest reading your positive analysis gave me a new perspective and improved my thoughts of it so that’s great and thank you, but if you don’t like what I have to say please let me know your thoughts, mute me or scroll on by and stay in your happy bubble because honestly it was a great show overall.

sorry for my rambling but the comedown is worse than any drug and I miss them already 😢

[mayasdeluca]

Stuck between trying not to complain over every little thing as we get closer to the end but also feeling like we shouldn't have to settle for crumbs but the fact that Maya and Carina finally get the moment they've been waiting for and are in the process of getting pregnant (Carina may actually be pregnant now?) and it's another wordless montage and we don't get to hear their reactions or hear them say I love you or any words to each other...that was a bit disappointing. And no kiss again either. I guess everyone is against their mouths having contact this season. (I did really enjoy the head kiss in the lounge though and that scene was lovely.)

But aside from that, seeing them so happy to get to that point of the IVF process and seeing them show it in general was still nice and after all their failed tries, they finally made it. ❤️

I thought the episode was pretty good overall and really touched on a lot of important topics. The clinic stuff was incredibly important and I absolutely loved how Carina is also fluent in Spanish. (It was sexy as hell too. 🥵)

I really thought Liam's bio dad was going to be a problem but then again, there's only two episodes left and it's mostly wildfire stuff so it makes sense they already wrapped it up and I'm glad Liam gets to stay where he belongs but that he'll get to know his bio dad as well. Seems like a good solution for all involved.

Seeing protective Maya at the clinic with Carina was everything and I'm glad we got that moment since I'm not sure we'll have much more time for any more of it. I just knew that's how she would be once finding out Carina was pregnant and it's adorable.

I found Ross' sister entertaining for the most part and enjoyed seeing her relationship with Ross and how it progressed by the end of the episode. It was funny how she reacted to Sullivan and Andy at first. But also the way this show tries to spin this narrative about how epic of a love story Ross and Sullivan are will forever make me side eye. They just aren't that couple no matter how much they try to force it.

And trying not to be bitter about the fact that they are the couple to get an engagement party (are we also seeing their wedding too still?) and getting this much focus when they haven't even been one of the main ships of the show for long. It's not surprising though given how obsessed the writers have been with them.

It was cute how Maya and Carina told everyone the update about Liam and his bio dad at the party and everyone was excited for them. As expected we didn't get much of them in those outfits after all.

Now onto the wildfire stuff and promo...I'm trying not to get my hopes up but the potential of Maya getting seriously injured with Carina now being pregnant?? They can do so much with that and you just know Carina is going to be a nervous wreck and they have a moment in the promo. Between them now getting to adopt Liam and now having another baby on the way and Carina potentially losing Maya? I NEED Marina to exchange I love you's in these last two episodes. We need to hear Carina say it to Maya. It's been so long and it's so fitting for this kind of scenario. I really hope they don't let us down.

Just seeing the promo and seeing the words series finale really hit me for the first time, I'm not going to lie. Despite all the frustration and sadness this show has brought, especially recently with the unfair treatment, just knowing that we are so close to the end and so close to not having this couple on screen anymore...I've been trying not to think about it and get too sad before it happens but it's starting to become real and it's definitely going to be hard watching these last two episodes. I'm truly going to miss Marina and everything they represented.

[gingerylangylang1979]

What I would need to get fully on board with Carmy x Sydney again.

So, I have like one toe still in the Carmy x Sydney ship and that is even still tentative based on what we see in a third season and beyond. My biggest concern is just how Carmy has treated her over two seasons. After season one I thought he was redeemable and thought this season they could possibly move towards a healthy relationship, personally and professionally. We didn’t get that at all. If anything it got worse. I just don’t like him right now. Not for Sydney, and not even for Claire TBH. He’s just a bad partner for anyone on all levels. I can’t ship someone I don’t like with someone I do like. Aside from that I need a better arc for Sydney. 

What I need from Carmy

Woo boy, like everything. Like, what even was his arc? I didn’t expect him to be totally healed and ideal at this point in the story but he was super selfish, condescending, and unreliable to the point of me wanting Syd to bounce again and never return. He didn’t learn from their relationship last season and super takes her for granted. Yes, it’s his business but he’s the one that wanted her back on the team and implied it would be a partnership. He says he wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else but his actions don’t bring receipts. We got none of that. He just came across as your typical self absorbed white hipster entrepreneur with unresolved trauma. It’s not a good look. And then you have Sydney, the ambitious black women protege desperately needing him to step up and he just never does. Doubly bad look. If he can’t be a good partner to her professionally how can I ever expect him to be a good partner romantically? I’m just not convinced he is capable. 

He definitely needs individualized therapy. That group therapy stuff was blah. This makes me think of Ayo saying they could explore them together after therapy and two seasons so it does make me wonder how his issues will be addressed, or not, next season. Also, how many seasons will this show run? Just one more is definitely not enough time to have anything happen at the end. 

He also needs to not be wrapped up in Claire. I do think they were in love with each other. It imploded but she could come back. It seemed open ended to me. I don’t want Carmy endlessly pining over another woman or being conflicted between Claire and Sydney. She would need to be the clear choice in so many ways. The last thing I would want is it to be kind of a we work together and it’s convenient, why not kind of thing because that just does say second choice. 

I would need Carmy to show the attraction, longing, and romance he did with Claire. And I wouldn’t want anything he did with Claire to be repeated. Am I a bit jealous of what they showed? Yes, because a lot of those moments I would have liked for Syd. Him cooking a meal for her, them doing something fun that’s not work related, telling her she’s beautiful, having cozy intimate moments, and sex. If they were to put him with Syd in the end I doubt we would get that lightness and tenderness between them and that’s sad. I just don’t want it to be, oh we both love food and you’re cool and that’s enough despite me never showing any sexual interest in you. This is especially vital because she is a black woman. It is what it is. We got a few touches from him this season, but that’s like a crumb and could easily be written off as just moving in the same space and friendly, familiar comfort. I need to see him intentionally wanting to touch her. He needs to be shown to want to be her lover and treat her like a princess. She’s deserving of grand gestures. Marcus named a dessert after her, yo! Which leads me to...

I also do want to see him be jealous of another interest for her. I think Marcus is perfect, actually. I always go back to that scene in season one of Sydney pacing back and forth between Carmy and Marcus. It stood out. They didn’t have to include it but they did. After Marcus is rejected by Sydney and they have that blowup Carmy isn’t aware of why the blowup happened. How would he react if he knew? Sydney rejected Marcus for now but if his mom dies I could see them bonding over a lost mother. Even if that doesn’t lead to her reconsidering it could be viewed from the outside as something brewing. How would Carmy feel about her being distracted by someone else like he was?

What I need for Sydney’s arc

I genuinely do get people who don’t want her with Carmy because it potentially sidelines her as being just a girlfriend. But this season she was simply an employee who was doing way too much for an ungrateful boss. She is also struggling with her career decisions. We still don’t even know if The Bear will be successful. Trying to get that star (that he seemed to not care about) and continue a rocky working relationship may burn her out. She’s already vomiting like Carmy did. I either want to see her thrive at The Bear or move on, whatever that looks like. She does not need to be tied to Carmy. Her restaurant tour showed that other chefs value her and are interested in her development. They still never delved too deep into why she left all those other places so I want that explored more. She’s already had her own business, why stick glued to Carmy?

I also want Sydney to have a life outside of the kitchen. But if she wants that star Carmy already told her that can’t be. I just think part of her jealousy over Claire, whether it was about feelings for Carmy or not, is that she saw him having an outside life. If he can, why can’t I? We haven’t seen anyone from beyond the kitchen in her life aside from her dad. Does she have friends? I want her to get that balance, too. 

[littlewitchlilith]

New HOTD trailer, Here are my thoughts

1st. Daemon entering the throne room gives me Daenerys season 2 vision in the throne room for some weird reason.

2nd. CREGAN STARK CRUMBS, also Jace had a serious glow up. Also I really Hope we see Cregan use the ancient valyrian steel sword of stark Ice.

3rd. I find it interesting how nearly all Alicent's scenes in the trailers has her in serene areas or places of nature, maybe its just me but I seems like she's trying to hold on to the little girl she once was, she's trying to hold on to her former friendship with Rhaenyra. She's shown wearing a blue dress which gives me young Alicent.

4rth. I can't wait to see more Rhaenys and Nyra moments.

5th. I like the slight changes they are making with Aegon and Rhaenyra. They both seem more involved with the war and are clearly taking part in it. I like how they are making Aegon have more personality. Personally I always thought show Aegon was more observant

6th, I want to see Daemon and Rhaenys relationship. I want to see the relationship of all the Targaryens. Aemond and Aegon, Jace and Daemon, the twins. I literally can't wait to see how the war will affect their relationships.

7th DRAGONSSSSS. Also I was so confused when I saw Vermithor. I thought he was the cannibal because he didn't look like that in s1 in my opinion. Also Sunfyre and Moondancer my babies can't wait to see more dragons. Literally the real reason I started watching the show fr.

8th Otto saying that the great houses will support Aegon is so funny to me because most of them called in support of Rhaenyra.

9th. Daemon just being all "this is fun and games" about war in the trailer is interesting because we know Daemon lives in chaos and violence and I like how adaptable he is. Like he can live in war or in peace and still find enjoyment in life or have moments to have little laughs. I really hope we do get some happy or peaceful scenes in s2 despite the war going on. The good moments in these dark times kind of thing.

10th Can't wait to see the Velaryon fleet in action. I want to see Corlys taking command. After all he's known as the greatest seafarer. I want to see it in action not just hear it from other characters, also I can't wait for Corlys arc in the show, his relationship with Rhaenys, his grandchildren, Adam and Alyn how the show is going to play that out.

11th Is it just me or did they make the dragons bigger this season because Caraxes looks huge. In the "leader strong enough scene" I was like who's that until Caraxes moved and I was like NOODLE BOI but he just looked so much bigger than in Season 1, Sunfyre and Meleys and Vermithor also appear so much bigger than before, like we only see Sunfyre for a second but he seemed small, also Syrax and Seasmoke as well look like got growth spurts or something in the last trailers.

11th. It's sad that Rhaenyra has to ask Daemon if he sees her as the rightful ruler and I give me whiplash to when she asked Criston Cole if he believed the real would ever accept her as queen. I believe he said they will have to and it makes me curious to see what Daemon's response to her question is, because we know that Daemon did want the throne but he does still love his family and show Daemon is a lot less worse than book Daemon especially in regards to Rhaenyra but like his face when she asks him that question it seems to me like he's conflicted or even hesitant to answer her and I genuinely wonder why.

12th. Aemond. I'm curious what they are going to do with Aemond this season, He seems to be enjoying the war as a whole which makes sense given the fact that season gives subtle hints that he wants a more worthy opponent to fight than Criston Cole and he sees that with Daemon, like he seems a bit like his book version but I feel it's a facade he's putting on because he knows he's very much responsible for war for the pain and suffering his family is currently going through, he knocked over the dominos that Alicent and Otto set up. I think this facade will be his way of coping with that guilt, he's branded a kinslayer now and he's accepting it in his own way. I think his relationship with Alicent will come to light more, the two were close in the last season but the trailer hints that they've clearly become estranged, I feel like Alicent despite how angry she is at Aemond want to continue to cling to him and it's one of the reasons she wants the war to end not just her former friendship with Rhaenyra but because she doesn't want her children to die in what she deems a senseless war. Aemond however want to continue to fight he wants the chaos so him calling Alicent by her name instead of mother is interesting almost like he's trying to distance himself from her and evolve as his own person because it does seem like Alicent see's him as a mini version of herself, their does seem to be something parentification on her part towards him and I think he's slowly catching on to that. Idk like theirs so many opinions and ideas going on in my head regarding Aemond.

13th showings Aegon and Rhaenyra in grief at the same time is interesting to me because regarding of wether or not you support one or the other, they have so much in common. Take out every awful thing Aegon has done and everything he will do, they really aren't that different. Both grew up ignored and neglected by Viserys, young Rhaenyra points out that all Viserys wanted as she was growing up was a son, a male heir. When he gets Aegon his son, his male heir he blatantly ignores and neglects him and his siblings in favor of Rhaenyra. Both their mothers go through tremendous amounts of pain and suffering that they both have to be a witness or even aware of and it's seen as all for nothing, both lose everything during the war that everyone says is rightfully theirs, like we know for Aegon it wasn't true but tradition isn't something that is easy to break even now in our times we have our traditions and if someone comes in and tries to change them be react defensively. I don't support Aegon and I don't see him as the rightful king but he is an heir wether we like it or not, he's more the heir than Daemon or even Rhaenys is, personality has nothing to do with it if that was the case than Maegor wouldn't have been considered an heir either. Both Rhaenyra and Aegon are basically one in the same.

14th mysaria herself is someone who intrigues me I'm curious of what her role will be this season because we know she helped put Aegon on the throne last season by handing Aegon over but she does have a former relationship with Daemon.

15th "War is coming and neither of us may win" is such foreshadowing because regarding of wether you are team black or team green no one really wins because yes Rhaenyra's line does continue the Targaryen line but she goes down in history as a usurper despite her being the named heir by the king and while Aegon lives longer than Rhaenyra, he's still killed shortly after by his own men and is succeeded by Rhaenyra's son. Still both lose everything by the time of their deaths and are half the shells of the people they once were.

[white-lotus-pavilion]

Qiang Jin Jiu Chapter 64: Barrage of Rain.

Oh my goodness like I swear to God Li Jianheng can never catch a break can he? I feel so bad for him first with the assassination attempt and the courts very deliberate and almost effective attempt to ruin his relationship with Xiao Chiye. Now there is this collapse of the brothel he was staying at to get a bit of respite from all of the happenings of the Court. While he was still inside!

My God this poor guy he just wanted to get a break from everything that has been happening in the court and how he feels as though he cannot trust anyone even his beloved Mu Ru (I honestly cannot wait to know more about her to be honest and all the other female characters because they just are so intriguing right now they're so mysterious)

And the consequence for him going out to seek comfort even if it is in courtesans is him being buried alive under wood and rubble for who knows how long and then he gets a fever or an epidemic fever.

And him being the first person to catch this fever??? Damn that sucks.

I don't even get me started on how in the last chapter his upbringing was revealed and I feel so so sad for him because he was essentially a neglected child who doesn't even have the knowledge to run a kingdom because of this neglect and now he's being raised into this seat of emperor. The highest position in all the land with no knowledge of how to run anything... oh my goodness this is just a recipe for disaster.

Like before I was just befuddled at his stupidity and how he couldn't clearly tell what's happening in court but his past makes everything makes so much more sense of course he's so easily manipulated when he essentially was neglected his whole life of course he finds the emperess dowager as a saving grace because she's probably one of the few people who have shown him what he sees as genuine care when he's been neglected his whole life and abused.

And then when you remember that he's quite young to be an emperor you're just like oh my God.

It is absolutely devastating.

Li Jianheng and his devastating past aside I am very interested in figuring out what the hell happened and why this happened. Because it's very clear that it's not a coincidence (I mean the brothel that the emperor was staying at suddenly collapsed? There's no way that's a coincidence even if everything lines up seasonally there's just no way) and I'm very interested in finding out what happens next because this is... this is good I am thoroughly hooked now.

There's that and then there's our main couple being our main couple. Now that they have essentially allied up together to find out who the person behind the Chisi sinkhole incident and essentially everything that has happened up until this point is they are so much more... infatuated with each other?

I don't understand exactly how to describe it but all I can say is that Xiao Chiye is like a dog who has found their master and now is catering to that masters every whim. And Shen Zechuan it's over here being very cute see very demure in his affection towards Xiao Chiye and I am living for it the crumbs that we get of him and whether he actually likes Xiao Chiye back are my everything I love characters like him so much!!! What I especially love about this chapter aside from all the political intrigue and the devastating Li Jianheng situation and everything that is happening with him is the sweet little moments.

Xiao Chiye sees that Shen Zechuan is physically affected by this pouring rain so he covers him in a thick raincoat and gets him medicine and a hot meal. And the fact that he ran so that that meal could stay hot in this freezing weather is just so adorable.

Like that is so cute!!!

We got a little Cameo of the empress dodgers favorite niece (I swear to God I will remember her name) and I am very intrigued by her I want to know everything I can by her because WOMEN!!!

( female general I am literally waiting for you literally on my knees the moment you show up I'm going to be so intrigued by everything you do)

AM I RIGHT OR AM I WRONG!!!

____________________________________

[calkestis]

season three is kinda bad tbh, the show went from great to another mediocre disney plus show. sad

*cracking knuckles* okay, here we go: i disagree and it's getting exhausting to see all the negativity surrounding s3 even if we only got 3 episodes.

i feel like everyone projected on what s3 was gonna be (after s2 left us with not much to build on, unlike the end of s1, when it was very obvious where the story was going) and now i see people are disappointed that those expectations aren't met. i like the uncertainty. i like not knowing where the story is going and having to put it all together week by week like a huge puzzle. am i picking the right pieces? well, i'm only gonna find out after the last episode of the show cause this is pretty much how weekly release works.

i think it's unfair to judge a show with one episode releasing every week after just 3 episodes - we won't be getting any payoff for this until the finale and that's been the case in the previous seasons as well. more than this, i think the first 3 episode of this season advanced the plot more than the first 3 episodes of season 2 did (din got redeemed and we're not even halfway through with this season; in s2, after 3 episodes, he was barely getting info about the jedi). but nobody complained about it then because s1 left us with a big quest that we knew would be the main plot of the season. right now, we don't know where this is going, but we should at least have patience before labelling this season as good, bad or mediocre.

yes, the first episode felt disjointed, but it was saved by the characters and their charming moments and interactions; isn't that what the mandalorian's been doing in the first place? the show has never been plot heavy and it was always carried by its characters and, honestly, the first 3 episodes of this season did a very good job at making me care about the characters and their journey. the greatest example here is bo-katan, whose story has great potential here, especially after episode 3. and yes, i care about the ex-imperials we saw in episode 3 and, as i said before, i loved the themes we saw in that episode and i think they parallel and will eventually tie into the bigger plot. i can't call it filler when we still have 5 episodes to go, not knowing anything about them.

i lost a lot of faith in filoni and favreau after tbobf, but at the same time i have a lot of faith in most of the people working on this show, from cast, to directors like rick famuyiwa (who was in charge of my favourite episodes in s1 and s2) and bryce dallas howard. and i'm also looking at the previous seasons and the way we also got "filler episodes" (the gunslinger? the passenger? - you need those to build characters) in the first half, before the story eventually picked up the crumbs from those and showed us where they were leading.

we can agree to disagree and it's totally fine not to like something, but in this case the discourse is just draining all the joy from watching something like this show, that offered us so many amazing moments

[brainrattlers]

Play It Cool - Tyson Jost (42/n)

Pairing: Tyson Jost x OFC (AJ)

Word Count 3786

Warnings: This chapter is a little naughty. There is some insinuation of adult activities going on. Nothing graphic but, you've been warned (so I'll say 18+ just to C my A.)

Need to start from the beginning? Here's where it all began! https://at.tumblr.com/brainrattlers/play-it-cool-tyson-jost-1n/p7no8u1hzuza

Want to catch up? Check out the Masterlist!

Author's notes: Oh geez, I'm sorry you all. I've been MIA for a few weeks. It's been a little crazy with work, interviewing for a job I applied for while I was in Buffalo, and just life. Finally got through this chapter, and am already working on the next to wrap up the season. Definitely not how the Sabres hoped to see their season end, but this is just the beginning for their team. (And I will say I'm nervous with Tyson going RFA this summer, there are a lot of if this, then thats which can happen and possibly cause Tyson to be with yet another team next season. I really hope Buffalo figures it out though, he's a good fit there.) I already have plans for Tyson and AJ's summer, so get ready!

Now where were we when I last left off? Oh, that's right, Tyson was sad AJ couldn't be in DC for his birthday, but AJ has some plans of her own.

*****

Tyson spent the week with a few things on his mind.

First, hockey, obviously. The Sabres being on the bubble of a wildcard spot. The team was working so hard, but still had some very off-nights that were diminishing the likelihood of them playing in the offseason, but they persisted. A week on the road kept Tyson’s focus mainly here.

Next was AJ’s lab results. She had another set run right before this roadie, and was waiting to hear back anything. Tyson wanted his partner in crime to be healthy for all the shenanigans he envisioned them getting into in their future. He also knew that it was bothering her simply not having answers.

Lastly, was his birthday surprise. Since AJ had told Tyson that there was something going down for it, “an experience,” he was told. He had no idea what she was up to, and frankly he was itching to find out. Was it going to be something ON his birthday while on the road? Was it going to be when he got home? He had no idea.

So his mission early on in the roadie was to find out as much as he can to piece it together… maybe AJ had talked to some of the guys on the team? He was going to find out.

AJ on the other hand, was busy working on trying to figure out the logistics of everything, which indeed include talking to a few guys on the team, as well as their significant others. The thought of starting a group chat came up, but it would seem weird if a few guys’ phones buzzed at the same time, yet Tyson’s wasn’t. For now she had to keep it separate.

Quinner: He’s asking again. Do I say anything?

AJ: He’s such a brat. No, not yet. Play dumb.

Quinner: Can do. What’s the word on my gaming rig?

AJ: Just waiting on the GPU to arrive, which is slated for tomorrow. It’ll definitely be ready when you all get back.

Quinner: Awesome

AJ went back to working on a PC on her desk, when her phone started buzzing again.

JJ: Guess what

AJ: I already know, apparently he hit up Quinn earlier. You have no idea what he’s talking about.

JJ: Got it 

Sighing, AJ finally decided to give some sort of hint to Tyson so he’d quit annoying everyone. She waited an hour or so before sending out any crumbs of info.

AJ: Alright Jost, your birthday is tomorrow. It will be celebrated at a later date. Stop asking your teammates for clues (winking emoji)

Tyson pouted as he and the rest of the team were on their way to the arena, but was grinning on the inside knowing that AJ was up to something. Not only that, but she also was finding her footing more in Buffalo, getting out and about, meeting new people - not just his teammates, but WAGs, and just a few people she’d see around the neighborhood often. 

When Tyson was on a roadie, and the weather was decent, AJ would walk down the street and snag a Beef on Weck from Charlie the Butcher.  (This was probably her favorite Buffalo thing so far, she’d never had anything like it prior to moving there.) She’d sit at one of the tables in the lobby and people watch as she enjoyed her sandwich. A few people from the offices would come down at lunch time and start chatting.

AJ started recognizing some of the employees at the local market. She even started going to a bowling alley, getting picked up to sub for people missing on teams every once in a while on league nights. Feeling more comfortable being around strangers, she realized that some of her meds were finally starting to do their thing again.

Braving a bit of rain and snow, AJ finished up her lunch, and headed back. After checking the tracking on some computer part orders, she sighed and looked around. Something clicked in her head after scanning the living room, seeing the pile of laundry she needed to fold in the basket. Through the bedroom and into their walk-in closet, AJ found herself looking through her own clothes, and sliding hangers around of Tyson’s clothes as well. Grabbing a specific hanger, she dropped the garment on the bed. 

Rummaging around in her dresser, AJ grabbed a pair black Culprits and tossed them on the bed. Pulling a couple bags from the closet, she set up her tripod and camera, making sure the memory card was not full. Lamps were moved around. Pulling up an app on her tablet, she set the scene, making sure she’d be in the shot correctly. 

With a quick wardrobe change, finding poses that were sexy but still classy, and not ridiculously silly. were kind of difficult. AJ would tap the screen on her tablet, and try to pose quickly before the timer ran out. Locations were moved, to the living room, and the kitchen. After about an hour and a half, she gave up, having exhausted all of her pose ideas. A few minutes were spent editing each photo. Finally AJ gave up.

AJ: I need your help with something. Tomorrow’s Tyson’s birthday, right? I shot some photos for him while he’s on the road but I need help picking out which ones. So awkward.

Jess: Send away! 

With a deep breath, AJ picked her top 10.

AJ: Alright, I might throw in silly too, but pick  your top… 5.

<4 attachments><4 attachments><2 attachments>

Jess: Oh, wow, Tyson’s going to LOVE these! I’m going to say 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9.

AJ: You don’t think 7 is too much?

Jess: Nooooo he’s going to be all over you when he gets back (winking emoji)

Truth be told, AJ started daydreaming of Tyson striding through their front door with that determined, almost primal look on his face that usually happens after a roadie, or when Tyson was just in the mood. Being gently pinned up against whatever surface was nearest to them at the time was a common occurrence, with a few minutes of intense making out sometimes leading to more. It wasn’t uncommon to find a trail of clothes leading to the sofa in the living room or toward the master bedroom, which had to be retrieved later.

Tyson hadn’t even been gone two days and AJ was suddenly missing him a lot, longing for his touch, his facial scruff against her cheek. The feeling of his arms wrapping around her from behind as she cooked dinner… She sighed at the thought of laying in bed, arm around her as she rested her head against his chest, fingers playing with his small patch of chest hair. This was just as torturous to her as it would be for him.

It hit her at that point that they literally spent a month apart at one point, and she survived. A few more days wasn’t going to be the end of the world.

Thankfully, a shipment of computer parts came the next day, and AJ was going to be occupied the rest of the week… But not before sending Tyson a little impromptu birthday present.

Tyson’s birthday started with a few texts from family, and one from AJ wishing him a good birthday. But compared to the others’ texts, AJ’s had a bit more mystery to it.

AJ: Happy Birthday to my Maple Syrup Man! I hope you have an amazing day. While it’s not your actual present, I have something for you later. 

Tyson: (thinking emoji) What is it?

AJ: Patience babe - you’ll get it tonight (winking emoji) Love you!

Tyson: Love you too! 

With that little nugget of intrigue planted in Tyson’s brain, he was getting antsy as the team was traveling to DC. A group of the guys were taking him out to dinner when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

AJ: Hey Birthday Boy, message me when you’re free. And preferably alone. (winking emoji)

Finishing up installing the new graphics card into Jack’s computer, AJ was starting to fidget and get nervous regarding what she was about to do. As she started cleaning up the cables inside the case, her phone buzzed loudly against the table.

Tyson: Everyone just left, in my room by myself. So… what’s so important that I be by myself for? 

It was time to draw this out to make him get a little more curious.

AJ: I just wanted you all to myself. How was dinner? Did you get cake? Or pie, as it is Pi Day?

Tyson: Dinner was good, had a pretty good steak. Now why do I need to be alone?

AJ: Cake?

Tyson: YES CAKE WHY DO I NEED TO BE ALONE? You’re driving me crazy over here!

AJ: I’m driving you crazy now? Just you wait… (evil imp emoji)

For good measure, AJ waited another minute or two before setting up the text with the photos.

AJ: Happy Birthday, babe <4 attachments>

<1 attachment>

Tyson’s jaw dropped when he opened the photos, finding AJ in various poses, wearing Tyson’s Sabres jersey and showing the smallest hint of her black boycut Culprits underneath. His brain definitely started short circuiting seeing AJ in the kitchen cooking, lounging on the sofa, one cute photo on the bed… but the last one of her on the bed definitely got his heart racing.

Nervous of how he’d react, AJ nearly dropped her phone when Tyson was trying to facetime her. She accepted the call.

“Holy smokes, you’re killing me over here babygirl…” Tyson’s eyes were dark. “I can’t wait to get back home… but at least I’ve got these photos to tide me over.”

AJ blushed heavily.

“This isn’t your actual birthday present but I thought you might enjoy them.”

“I’m going to be up for a while thinking about that last one, and definitely enjoying it. Might have to make that one my home screen on my phone,” Tyson got quiet for a moment. “It’s my birthday, and since you’re not here and I don’t get to have birthday sex ON my birthday, but… what would you think about maybe… over facetime, you and me? I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but… it might be fun?”

The smirk and biting of AJ’s lip was the only thing that Tyson needed to know. It was always amusing watching him go from adorable and almost shy, to straight up feral. She saw him reaching for his earbuds immediately, and could hear that his voice lowered when he made his next request.

“Put the jersey on.”

And because this is a classy joint, let’s just say that AJ and Tyson had a rather exciting evening doing things that are… less than classy. (But fun.)

AJ woke up exhausted the next morning. She couldn’t even imagine how Tyson was feeling… but after watching the game, it might have been just what he needed as he scored an unassisted goal in the first period. 

Finally at the end of the week, after a tough loss to Philly, Tyson was on a flight back to Buffalo and could not possibly be more antsy about getting back to the apartment. Texts were sent as soon as he landed, as soon as he was on the road, and one from the garage that he was on his way upstairs… requesting that AJ was in the jersey (again).

Just as she imagined earlier in the week, Tyson opened the apartment door, dropped his bag in the laundry room, and immediately strode into the kitchen to find AJ wearing little more than that Sabres blue jersey as she was getting a glass of water to take her nightly pills. Barely letting her swallow them and put down the glass, Tyson had already twisted AJ around to face him, lifting her onto the countertop.

AJ yelped in shock of how cold the surface was against her legs.

An intense kiss was shared, but Tyson was impatient. He pulled AJ down off the countertop, grabbing her hand and leading her to the bedroom. Unwrapping his favorite gift was the only thing on his mind that night.

With no practice scheduled in the morning, the couple lounged in bed, finally getting up late in the morning to seek out some brunch. The conversation over waffles was about what was coming up in the next week for both of them. Tyson had a number of home games, with one interruption of a quick trip to Long Island for a game there. AJ talked about how she was meeting up with a few new clients to work on setups for. The big thing she emphasized though was that the following Sunday (not tomorrow), Tyson needed to keep his night free. Yes, it was his birthday present, and no, she was not going to give hints. Also she pleaded with him to not ask his teammates any more questions. 

The week was kind of rough on Tyson as he’d been scratched a couple of games. AJ was taking it harder than he was, but she couldn’t help but have flashbacks of his time with Minnesota again. Thankfully he was playing again by the end of the week. She showed up to the game against New Jersey, and watched as the team warmed up in their Military Appreciation sweaters. It’d been a minute, but AJ forgot how good Tyson looked in green. (To be fair, AJ thinks Tyson looks good in all colors, really.) The team was super intense during warmups, and barely did Tyson kiss his glove knuckles and tap the glass as he skated by AJ. Had to keep the tradition up though.

The next morning, Tyson headed to practice, and then off they went to NYC for their game against the Islanders that night. AJ spent her day finalizing plans and making sure everything would be great for Tyson’s present the next night. Reservations were made. Random texts were sent to not ping the entire group chat at once. It was a GO.

With a 2-0 win, Tyson got back relatively early, coming home to AJ watching KSU playing in the NCAA tournament.

“I didn’t know you liked basketball?” Tyson questioned as he unloaded his backpack from the super short trip.

“I don’t, but it’s where I went to school, and actually was working there before Nate convinced me to move to Denver. Just kind of a nostalgia thing I guess. First year in quite a while that KSU has had a decent team.”

Tyson flopped down onto the overstuffed sofa next to AJ, stealing a few pieces of popcorn from the nearly empty bowl. Unfortunately, the Wildcats just couldn’t come back from their point deficit and lost in the Elite Eight. Tyson had curled up and fallen asleep across her lap as she was playing with the short curls on his head in the last few minutes of the game. His features were serene as he snored lightly. Unfortunately though, because she wanted to go to bed, AJ was going to have to wake him up.

“Tys..” AJ whispered to not jar him awake, “Tys, babe, you gotta get up so we can go to bed.”

His eyes stayed closed as he mumbled something unintelligible.

“Tyson, hon, really we gotta get up, my foot is falling asleep.”

More mumbles, followed by Tyson burying his head harder into AJ’s lap, wrapping his arms around her torso. Clearly he was awake and faking it this time. His body shook a little as he laughed. Rolling off her lap, he sat up and sleepily smiled. Suddenly his eyes went wide.

“TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY MAKE-UP!!! YEAAAAH! The sooner we sleep, the sooner it gets here!”

You’d think it was Christmas the way he was acting. Tyson ran to the master bedroom, and ducked into the bathroom to get ready for bed, leaving AJ just rolling her eyes at the absolute kid of a man she had. But it was one of her favorite things about him… he was an adult when he needed to be, but like her, wasn’t going to grow up otherwise if he didn’t have to. 

That early Sunday was rough on Tyson. He went to the optional skate, antsy as hell in regards to not knowing what was going on. Kyle had texted AJ letting her know that Tyson was still sniffing out clues, but everyone was shutting him down. Both Kyle and Danielle were helping AJ put this all together, she probably wouldn’t have been able to orchestrate the entire thing. Thankfully there was nothing really physical that could be left out for Tyson to see, other than maybe a text message here or there… but AJ was doing pretty well keeping her phone on silent and on herself when Tyson was being snoopy.

AJ clearly caught him when he got home from practice, seeing if there were any signs of fun that was to be had that evening. After a quick nap, Tyson found AJ getting out of the shower (which was difficult keeping him from climbing into the shower with her, but they would definitely be late for the plans). She wasn’t getting super dressed up, just some jeans, a tee, and a warm hoodie. He finished up his shower as AJ put the finishing touches on her hair. Putting down the diffuser, she did offer him some advice.

“Put on something warm, let’s go for a little walk.”

Tyson squinted as he grabbed his Nike SB hoodie from the closet, pulling it over his wet curls. Grabbing his hands, AJ pulled him in for a quick kiss. 

“C’mon birthday boy, let’s go!” AJ giggled as she pulled Tyson to the door. 

The two walked hand-in-hand on Main Street, swinging their hands as they strolled past the Ellicott building, past Tesla Park, past Lafayette Square. 

“Are we going ax throwing?” Tyson questioned, as they neared Hatchet & Hops.

“Nope, just a bit further!”

AJ wasn’t kidding when she said just a bit further, they stopped just past it, in front of a restaurant front blasting music. Opening the door, she led Tyson into Misuta Chow’s. The hosts greeted them.

“Has anyone for the Toasty Josty party arrived?”

“Ah, yes, this way,” the host led them to the back where tables and chairs were marked with reserved signs. 

Tyson immediately recognized a few teammates and their significant others. Cheers for the birthday boy were abound as the couple sat down. A few more people showed up. Dinner and drinks flowed, including a special birthday mochi for Tyson. But the fun was just beginning, as the party moved upstairs to the arcade/bar/karaoke night.

It’s not surprising that the first person to get on the mic from the group was Skinner, not surprisingly an 80s pop song. There were a number of the group that went up and took their turn belting out a tune. Some were surprisingly good! Some were much better after they had a shot or two. Some… were just bad. Video games were played. Lots of smiles and laughs were had.

“Tys, you should go sing!” AJ prodded a bit, as they played Mortal Kombat against each other.

Tyson bumped his hip against AJ’s as he mashed buttons on the arcade cabinet making a combo that nearly took out AJ’s character.

“No thanks, but I know someone that has a beautiful voice that should go up there…”

AJ lost focus on the game as she blushed a little, and Tyson plunged his character’s sword into hers.

“Fine, but only because it’s your birthday, Josty.” AJ winked.

When it was her turn, AJ did a quick shot (and cheered on by the guys) as she took the mic, clearing her throat. Her eyes closed as she took the mic in her hand, the opening guitar notes of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” playing throughout the bar. A little unsteady at the start, her voice found its footing as her eyes found Tyson’s. The softest of smiles graced his lips as AJ’s voice flooded the room. A few surprised looks went her way as they were not expecting her to sing that way. Whoops and applause happened after she put the mic back on the stand at the conclusion of the song. AJ’s face turned a number of shades of pink to red as she quickly got to her security blanket of Tyson with his arm around her. 

A few of the bar-goers, friends and strangers alike  came by and high-fived or complimented AJ. Tyson just beamed next to her, especially when his teammates and friends said something.

“You know, that’s how I fell for her, she was singing while fixing, what was that thing again in the dressing room?”

“Access point.”

Tyson continued, “Yeah, Access Point. She was on a ladder, singing with her headphones in, and I was last off the ice, taking a shower and headed into the dressing room. Her siren song had me hypnotized in the doorway. And she twisted a bit to do something, saw me… and that's when she first fell for me… literally, down the ladder a bit. And as awkward as we both were… that’s when I knew she was the one.”

Tyson pulled her in and kissed the side of her head. 

“Aww, babe, you never told me that last part. But wow, you left a LOT out of that story, that’s probably for the best,” AJ grinned.

A few “That’s so cute!” and “Adorable!” exclamations came from the significant others.

A few more songs were sang, more video games were played, and maybe another drink or two were had. AJ was definitely a bit more tipsy than Tyson, but he also had a game the next day and was behaving. Calling it a night, Tyson thanked everyone for coming out, and thanked AJ (who thanked everyone else for helping) for putting on the party. 

The walk back home was pretty chilly, with a drizzle falling all around the couple. Tyson insisted on holding AJ’s hand to keep it warm, as well to make sure she stayed upright in case some of the drizzle had frozen on the sidewalks. Back at their building, he stole a kiss in the elevator ride up the twelve floors, which still tasted a bit of Jolly Rancher shots. Tyson pulled AJ in tight.

“Good birthday? You’re a hard man to shop for, you know that?”

“No I’m not!” Tyson defensively shot back while tickling AJ as she opened the door to their home, “But this was definitely one of the best.”

Read on, Chapter 43 is HERE.

[incarnateirony]

I am guessing this break down of Jensen was at least mildly affected by Cas being the Misha factor. However ppl see them.

I uh. yes. there's uh.

hm

literally no way i can say this without sounding like an itk douchebag but i do remind that misha recently clarified being in a suicidal state during that time period. As much as this is a gift to fandom, and a resolution for himself and Dean, this is a gift to misha that remains low effort and low commitment beyond as far as he wants to engage, and fandom really hasn't let that click yet. Misha was on the list of first known people jensen told he had the deal. if i'm not mistaken it was on Dec 8 2020. We* (my server) heard about it about a week and a half later. (the fandom of course heard it the following late-june at large, once the pitch had been accepted, but those considerations would have started by mid may, for reasons.)

the bulk of early prequel treatment happened between like Feb-May 20-21 then submitted, accepted, and further drafted, with that fourth network drafted i leaked last february being submitted late december just before holiday as the form it had been decided on roughly by then, with the tweaks from my script draft process post minded.

then between New Years, after the draft submission, some ideas were passed around, and then during/after filming throughout and again in early May, it was charted out to reframe with some guidance which caused the reshoots and minor narrative tweaks both extending OG pilot filming and a few saved for when everyone came back ep 2 which Showalter picked up since he was doing episode 2 anyway, following the chart robbie had drawn jensen all those months back since the direction was already locked in since May.

Hence jules and buds being so damn behind while so proud of her bottom of shit mountain badge. she was only hired in Feb 2022, and was only given the third network draft, not fourth, from mid december, and has similarly screened content since. She's over a year behind in content, hence that 8 month delay on their grand reveal that wiki's sources on payroll suck ass compared to mine.

i keep saying serpentine fandom climbing bitches going into low grade positions always learn their place but this time it's moving fast. I've run this rodeo. remember season 12 fandom? Oh jess was so proud of talking to Manchin and then debunker said, hey, I was right for years douchebag and had the goddamn receipts.

Check your shit guys. sad, sad little fandom clout seekers begging for crumbs from the world's most mediocre coffee runner deadass 2 years behind on all this shit. vinnie's pants wetting pretending anyone's jealous about cons rather than the rage they feel that I don't need to pay to play in their classist socialite club and exist in some, as best they understand, cosmic media rafters they will never fucking understand or influence. Eat shit, assholes. Same as about the market testing, about berens' intent, the confession, the roadhouse, the omissions, the pilot being real, eat shit. You ain't got a ladder to climb high enough to fuck with me. (sorry for this extra rant i just know they're hate crawling me rn so read it and weep, assholes)

[aidansplaguewind]

You ever feel like Aidan’s projects choices the last couple of years have been awful? There’s hasn’t been a single project that he’s done since Peaky or PBB that has excited me. It’s been super underwhelming and that’s why I feel a lot of people don’t really talk about him anymore. Not only do we get crumbs of him like every 3 months but when he does come out with new stuff, it’s ass. So it becomes this cycle of anticipating a new project of his, not hearing about it for months, even years, just for it end up being awful or we don’t even get to see the final product. It’s kind of sad, I think Aidan didn’t need to prove himself to anyone but it feels like he could do more in his career that he hasn’t yet done. What are your thoughts?

I've been sitting on this anon for a while because I wasn't really sure how to respond. I didn't want to be too negative but I wanted to be honest.

I do understand your frustration. I got so excited about Pickups back in like 2016 or maybe even before that when we first started hearing about it. Then the premiere came, only to find out that at the time Jamie Thraves had said it wasn't going to get released because it was meant to be a cinema experience. That bummed me out so hard. He has since stated that he does want to release it, but they're having issues with the rights on music I believe it was, but still. It's 2023 now, and if and when we ever get to see it, it could possibly be a decade old by then.

And I agree that I haven't been really, really into anything he's done since GOT. Not even Project Blue Book. I mean, PBB was okay, and it was nice getting to see him in something new every week, but I don't think it was amazing television. Needless to say, I wasn’t one bit surprised when it was canceled.

And to be super honest, I don't really even think Peaky Blinders is all that great. I watched the first season and just kinda lost interest, though I did watch the two seasons Aidan was in.

Most of the fans Aidan had when GOT came out seemed to have been more fans of Petyr than Aidan himself. Which is why most of them are gone now. Or the type of fans that kinda hop from celebrity to celebrity with no loyal obsession to just one. Sadly. I guess you could say he has "fair-weather" fans.

I'm loyally obsessed, so I will stick with him regardless of the garbage he makes. I support him always and not just when he's in a great show.

Though I would love to see him in something really good. Something that gets a decent run where he's not killed off and where he's at the very least a major supporting character. Because, if we're being honest here, I know Aidan's never likely to get an amazing lead role in an amazing show. I hate to say it, but it's the truth. Especially now that he's getting older.

And it's not his fault. I don't think he's turning down amazing roles, lead or supporting. I just don't think they're being offered to him.

Part of it could be because he's been type-cast as a villain but dude, villains can be great characters too. I can't stand seeing villains that aren't fleshed out and have no story, and just seem evil for the sake of being evil. Nothing in life is black & white and characters like that are just lazy writing. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. My point is just that, I'm okay with him playing villains, I'd just like to see him get to play a damn good one.

Those are my thoughts. And as usual, always too long.

[alphinias]

I hope you're willing to discuss a bit of a negative reaction to this season. I have very mixed feelings on this season and based on tumblr/twitter tags it was quite underwhelming for many. Which is sad because Jiara was their goldmine and they didnt even use them to their full potential. Most seem to agree that the amount of screentime John B got was way too much.

Then its also the fact that they actually went full on magic which i was not a fan of. It no longer felt like a silly treasure hunt by a group of friends but a completely different genre.

Then there's the fact that they broke up the group for most of the season and made it all about the pairs which felt way too forced. Suddenly all of them are falling in love with each other.

Jarah because toxic af. They should totally break up. Sarah is cheating and lying to both and JB has huge anger issues.

Jiara as much as they were cute, there was still too much crumbs and not enough depth/cuteness. And if you think about it their whole storyline was them having to talk about the almost kiss/their feelings and JJ stealing Mike's money. Every episode was same story, different scenary. The writers were hardly creative. And the last episode was just bad. I wish they made them more like joking around and be oblivious about the other ones feelings and then at one moment it'd hit them and then the angst of Im not good enough for you. Instead we got them with heart eyes already in episode 1 and it felt odd because with the exception of s2e10 there was no indication that Kie was in love with JJ. Sure, they were on that island for a month but as a viewer you dont feel that its been so long. And the almost kiss in ep 3 came out of nowhere, and then they built the whole season around it. And when they finally kissed, it was quick and in the dark. I feel like as much as we want to think it was cute, no one dreamt about it happening this way. It was the most anticipated kiss for years and it happened in public by actual girls clapping. JJ's reaction to it made me like the scene but if you think about it, it was a bit absurd. In the end we got them together which is great but at what cost.

I think the writers did a poor job this season and it shows in the media reviews the season is getting.

I mean, that’s fair. It’s valid to have criticisms of things. I’ve complained about a fair few of those things myself, especially the lack of pogue dynamic and lackluster finale, so I can’t say I completely disagree. The season definitely wasn’t perfect by any means (and there was some missed potential in areas) but I like to keep my blog a positive esc place so I probably won’t post too much negativity about something I mostly enjoyed! Hope y’all understand that.

On early the Jiara almost kiss: I will fully admit it wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I panicked for a second about it, but I actually do think it made sense. They did a pretty good job setting up the shift for Kie in 2x10 and 3x01 alone (and for JJ being more comfy with it in 3x01), and when you consider the fact that they’ve known each other their whole lives and have probably had some dormant feelings (on kie’s part) for a while I personally think it makes sense. I also liked their first kiss!! I thought it was adorable and fit the tone of them this season, but I do really think we deserved more follow through and maybe another kiss in the finale. That’s what I really keep coming back to.

I think for me the things I loved about the season I REALLY loved, but there were also things that irked me more than usual too.

[queenofbrooklyn]

ok my thoughts from this episode which was kind of filler imo

- I need spencer to go away, I’m sorry but I wouldn’t mind him if I thought he genuinely just wanted to just be Alice’s friend but it’s clear he likes her and frequently acts like his gf doesn’t exist and you’re right they’ve made Nick so darn likable that I have no interest in any other love interest

- I love del but she’s a horrible liar 😭 with the note, I’m thinking maybe colton? was involved in something shady or he thought he had a lead regarding Jacob that didn’t pan out. idk but I did notice him getting a beer when arguing with del so more crumbs to add to my theory of him possibly being drunk at the time of his car accident

- I hope season 2 will focus more on the white witch stuff so we can kind of understand the why behind all this. is the time traveling a Landry thing? is it that the pond chooses people? also I hope we see some stuff from the early 1900s and I’d love to explore the future as well

- with the Nick and Alice stuff, I was thinking the only way something could happen is if her future self were to come to the present. Obviously Alice can’t stay in the past long term but the future hasn’t happened yet so maybe her future self could come to the present. Also I wonder if her bringing the hook back to the present would possibly cause an issue. maybe it would make nick recognize her or something in the present? Since in my head, I was thinking all this time that nobody was really clearly remembering Alice and what she looked like. Like their memories of her were fuzzy

- elliot and kat… idk how I feel about that. I’m not the biggest fan of friends to lovers but I’m interested to see what the writers do with them.

- I agree with your hope that maybe jacobs anniversary will bring some more answers (and probably questions 😭) if Jacob were to appear as having time-traveled, would you rather it be young Jacob or an older version?

(I lost this in my drafts I’m so sorry)

Okay yes, Spencer is starting to get on my nerves. At first I really thought he was just trying to be nice and help Alice fit in, but this episode’s interactions were clearly more than that. What about Zoey?? Does she mean nothing? Like I know we haven’t seen her that often but it doesn’t make me like Spencer to see him pushing her off in favor for Alice. I don’t know if they just wrote themselves into a hole and accidentally made Nick too likeable? I think they must have a plan but if it’s substituting Spencer for Nick I’m going to be really mad lololol

I bet you’re right about Colton and the drunk driving. I was SO sad that he apparently was cheating on Del but I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised there was going to be more to his accident/the disintegrating of their family.

I ALSO hope season 2 will go further back and figure out some white witch stuff. Right now I think it’s Landrys only that can travel, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they pond picks specific people. I keep thinking Del is going to time travel but I suppose she’s only a Landry by marriage, so if it’s a family line, it might not apply to her…

So I’m banking on Nick being in tonight’s episode. I’m pretty sure it’s all going to hit the fan tonight. I LOVE what you said about the hook though. I think it would be so smart if that broke something, cause I don’t think she’s brought anything back that isn’t hers before. I don’t know what would be worse, Nick not recognizing Alice and it just breaking her heart, OR Nick recognizing her and it kind of ruining everything. I’m GUESSING that Nick will recognize her and she’ll have to say something like “I’m not Alice. Alice was my mom. I’m ….. somebody”.

As far as Elliot and Kat, I didn’t really ship it before the last episode. It was the scene of them singing in the car that got me. I’ll be happy if they end up together but I’m not pining for it yet. He’s better than Brady though haha.

I’ve been really on the fence about the whole age thing when it comes to Jacob. I think both options are kind of devastating in their own way. If he comes back as a nine year old- that’ll cause major trauma. His dad is dead, his mom is like 60, Kat is older, his best friend is unrecognizable. Only Alice would look the same, and he only knew her for one summer. That would HURT. So right now I’m thinking they’ll go older, but I kinda wish we could deal with the fallout of him coming back as a kid.

Thanks for sending your thoughts friend and I can’t wait to see what happens tonight! (I actually can’t watch until tomorrow so I’ll live blog some then but I hope you enjoy it tonight!!)

[m1ckeyb3rry]

OOOH that’s true there’s a lot of scenes of Karasu looking villainous so maybe they are hyping him up for that role in the third selection…ok as much as I love the color blue it’s so overused atp like they’re running out of shades to blue to even use as colors! Like when Kaiser got blue I was like ok……and then kiyora needing to be peacock blue was the last straw like CJOOSE A DIFF COLOR??? I’m also very disappointed that his eyes are some red leaning shade I was fully expecting like a more purple leaning burgundy but wtv ig…..I also lowk think that the combo of having the same eye color as hair is a little boring like I GET IT they like to give characters their own colors but imagine having eyes that really pop out or contrast their hair color hssidjisns

LMAOO the way I grinded so hard to get the special Blu and Jewel birds to use….but FR we’re literally just the same person it’s insane

You’ve convinced me I’m gonna go watch LMAO I also want more bllk content soooo I’m glad whoever the voicing director was added all those nuances…seems like it feels a lot less stiff/unreal in a way compared to some other dubs? Also bro some chigiri fans….or more like chigiri commenters like whenever I see comments on tiktok it’s always those “chigiri tighter” type comments…..please kindly stfu like wtf

I COMPLETELY forgot about the self proclaimed pacifist thing…oh nagi you’re so funny those are NOT pacifist activities LMAOOO

STOP THE “Emo? You mean ego?” IS CANON ISAGI SHSHSHSIS yeah the off brand Rin is too real unfortunately…

FR!! The baddie of the week concept is exactly what I was thinking but I NEED MORE BAROU INTERACTIONS!! That LN really just made me more of a Barou fan likeeee

FRRR finally a nagi crumb LMAOO but I’m ngl umm Rin’s face…..um….lets just say I’m not the biggest fan of these destroyer visuals errrr but I agree!! I def feel like the title is alluding to Kaiser and Isagi more than Rin and Isagi..I’m gonna trust kaneshiro on this one but also since we both thought this to be the case I think it’s safe to say it’s canon atp

- Karasu anon

no fr they’re def going to make karasu so villainous in at least the first half of season two LMAOAOA and YESS omg pick a diff color PLEASE 😭 honestly i didn’t mind the red eyes + black hair for kiyora it was actually super pleasing imo!! but apparently kaneshiro said they made those his colors before they were decided in the manga but his manga coloring (like how it is in the cover w blue + blue) is the final coloring so ig they’re going to change it?? idk i’m sad though because his manga colors are also giving offbrand rin i rlly liked his anime coloring 😕 BUT ALSO SO TRUE i wish there was more contrast sometimes too!! this is why barou slays i loveeee his color palette like the black hair and crimson eyes are sooo 😩

I WAS BUSTING MY ASS OFF TO GET THE SPECIAL BIRDS i also used to play angry birds star wars and i would try sooo hard to get the birds of the characters i liked 😭 the coincidences line up to well fr HAHAH we’re essentially twins

OMG YAYY HAVE FUN!! and yeah i agree some dubs can feel kinda awkward or weird but this one felt really natural and fun which was great!! omg chigiri fans…there’s like the weird tik tok fans but there’s also like the annoying ones that have like yassified him almost?? it’s kinda like how fanon rin is an fboy for some reason i feel like fanon chigiri just does not behave how i see a lot of people describing him 😭 like i see a ton of content where he’s made out to be SUPER princessy and bratty but honestly while he’s high maintenance for sure he’s definitely no worse than barou JFWFSKDK like give me more cocky sassy chigiri!! that’s how he ACTUALLY is in the anime/manga LMAOO his trash talk game is so underrated he’s just as bad as the others

nagi probably only calls himself a pacifist because he hasn’t physically beat anyone up yet (even though he def could) like he’s too unbothered to actually get in a fight but he will instigate all day long 😓 like bro you’re not a pacifist you’re just problematic

isagi is just so…isagi LMAOOO he gives me very strong “tullia’s love interest” vibes like if he’s ever in a long fic of mine that’ll be the most major role he’ll ever get but i don’t think i could ever write him as a main love interest unfortunately 💔

i’ve BEEN a barou fan but YES the ln of him is so good 😩 i’m convinced the only reason barou isn’t as popular as nagi and rin (considering he’s in the first season for abt as much time as them) is how DIRTY they did him in the first half of the season…like the animators have a crush on nagi so he was spared and rin came along later on + he has a rlly basic design so it’s hard to fuck him up but barou…my poor man they did him horrendous (not that he’s much better in the early chapters of the manga i fear but if they could do nagi justice they could’ve done it for barou too!!)

yeah last chapter was giving heavy horror manga vibes 😭 i do think it’s interesting because it adds a layer of difficulty to the game but i’m not a huge rin fan so i’m not as hype as i was in the manshine city game w nagi’s super goal or the uber’s game when barou popped off yk?? but yeah i think an isagi and kaiser team up would be super satisfying and much better than rin just being like “yeah fuck you isagi we’re not rivals anymore” because i really cannot see that happening in just one chapter 😰 HAHA our combined manifestation powers will ensure it comes true 🙏🏻

[withleeknow]

omg I hope you got home safely the unpredictable summer weather in europe is annoying as heck 😩 [as for 🐈‍⬛: he's had an ongoing knee injury since last year; as you've said, our hybe boys haven't been able to catch a break in their schedules = it relapsing meant that he couldn't perform in JP with his boys this weekend :((( https://tinyurl.com/n23x6wxp ]

BACK TO SKZ - I FOUND THE VIDEO TO GET US THROUGH THE WEEK: https://tinyurl.com/2f79fcde - minbin crumbs, mimo's pouting AND our hyuninnie 🥟🦊 - alsoo what is with this comeback season why do they look like that?? my sanity is hanging by a thread

e.g. THIS HYUNG LINE???? https://tinyurl.com/8px8ryun I genuinely can't think straight rn they look like GODS

e.g. this danceracha https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGesJB91S/ istg this hyunjin is going to be the death of me

*flies away before 🍙 combusts but leaves this edit behind in her wake: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGesJLs6V/ this genre of brainrot is a particular type of emotional fist-biting torture + come collect your mans, ik he's gonna act up like hell for this cb*

i came home looking like a Soaked Rat but i guess that was fine bc at least i picked up my US visa that afternoon 🤣 and i'll be going to new york in september heheheehhehehe. but yeah the weather in europe this year is just god awful

oh no poor baby :( i hope he gets better soon, seeing him cry on stage was so sad :( hybe has just proven time and time again that they simply do not care about their artists

oh mimo 😭 1 2 and especially fucking 4 what in god's name is wrong with FOURRR, i don't think it's looking good for us onigiri. i fear we won't survive this because what the hell is their problem, what the hell are they on. my ultimate favorite mimo so far is 5-star!mimo and honestly, based on what we've seen so far (which hasn't even been a lot), it seems like ate!mimo is gunning for the top spot on my list. jesus christ. i am unwell with every new thing that comes out. he cannot do this to me i've never asked for any of this !!!!!!