#still haven't decided which one if i do change the icon

[iguessitsjustme]

Beloved followers that know me so well, I need your help making a decision:

I have two things. Umbrellas and music. And I am currently torn between my obsessions. thank god there are no sailboats in bl as of yet or i would be even more screwed

[lock-my-feelings-in-a-jar]

i’m like a week and a half late for new years day, but i’m suddenly feeling like changing the look of my blog around. new year, new blog. same blog, new blog look. same great (music) taste. (this is giving me deja vu, did i say this once before?)

i’ll start by making things more band-neutral now that i’m going back to posting lots of different bands and then maybe i’ll change some small things here and there in the future. 

[amasterpieceofmadness]

the new suit – tony s.

summary You and Tony are working together on a new suit as you end up kissing him. But before you can confess your feelings you get interrupted by Steve…

warnings none, fluff, mutual pining

wordcount 5.2K

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Tony slides his glasses back on as he’s fishing up on some new designs for his Iron Man suit. "You finished the sketches of the costume? Let me see." He leans over the desk while I’m sitting in a chair, he puts his palms on the table and takes a closer look over at my sketchbook.

“What do you think?” I ask as I lean back in my chair.

"Hmm." Tony stares at the sketchbook, rubbing his hands together as he takes in the designs, his brows furrowing and his mouth twisting into a thoughtful frown. "Very interesting. I see your thought process here. It's clear that you took inspiration from some of my old work, but you also managed to add your own touches. It's creative. I like it." He pushes himself off of the desk and looks at me from under his glasses with a small smirk, which makes me a bit proud to be honest.

“Oh, you haven't seen the best part yet” I lean over, nearly spilling my coffee, to get some more sketches out under a pile of other papers “There you are” I hand him the sketches and once again Tony leans in, craning his neck to get a better look at them. His face lights up as he sees them, quickly analyzing and taking in the details.

"Okay, I like the direction you've taken. I really like your new touches to my original style. It looks damn good, and the new armory you added sounds great!” He seems really pleased with my work.

“Thought you like it. The material for the suit is light but it can still protect you just as good and it is very resistance” I explain my sketches to him, occasionally looking up to check if he’s still listening.

Tony is visibly impressed, nodding in approval as he takes in the details. "Yes, that's a fantastic feature. The light weight and increased protection would be an asset in any battle. I also like the addition of the new weapons. It adds an extra level of versatility, and gives me a little more firepower. And it's great that you were able to do it all while keeping the suit light weight. That's always been one of my main concerns."

“So... when can we get started?” I ask overly motivated, looking up at him while sipping on my like 10th coffee today, even though it’s only 1pm.

Tony smiles and lets out a chuckle as he glances once again at the many sketches of his new suit. "Well, with this level of enthusiasm, I'd say we could start right now. Everything we need is here in the lab. The only thing we need to decide on is the color scheme. Do you want to stick with classic red and gold, or go with something different?"

I smirk and get up, ready to go to work. “No, no, the red-gold is iconic. We are not gonna change a thing there. But we should pick a darker shade for the red. This way the suit doesn’t look like a toy and it really brings out the golden accents I put there” I point to the sketches

Tony nods in agreement, looking at the sketches with a critical eye, taking in the subtle details I’ve added.

"Hmm, a darker red would definitely give it a more sophisticated and mature look. And it would also make the gold accents pop more. Let's go with a darker red, and see how it looks."

I nod in agreement and already walk through the lab, looking around for the stuff we need and turning on all the electronical devices. “Sounds good. But we can decide about the final color later on in the process anyway. Jarvis, put on some ACDC”

Tony chuckles at the unexpected command to Jarvis, but follows behind me as I walk through the lab, eyeing the different machines and equipment as I pass. "True that. For now, let's focus on getting the different parts of the suit put together. And ACDC is always a perfect choice for the mood in the lab." Tony says with a smile, as the iconic rock music fills the lab, filling him with a surge of energy.

We work diligently throughout the whole night, making steady progress on the suit. It’s nothing too unusual for the two of us since we both really enjoy working together and we are both night owls. And I have to admit that I love to work with him. We are very close and always fool around and joke together.

The sun is starting to rise, but neither of us seems to notice, as we’re too busy focusing on creating the perfect suit. We’ve made a lot of progress on putting the different components together, and we’re both beginning to feel a sense of accomplishment. Tony sighs and stretches and I can’t help but glance at his muscles. "I'd say that we should take a break and stretch our legs for a bit. We've been here all night, and I feel the need to move around a little bit."

I nod quickly and take my eyes off of him. If he noticed me staring, he just ignores it. “You can move around while testing the new gloves.”

Tony grins and nods his head, deciding that a physical test of the gloves was a great idea. "Eager, are we? Give me a few minutes to put them on, and then I'll go out on a test run."

“Alright. Jarvis, put on the test mode” Jarvis immediately snaps to attention and responds to the command in a calm and robotic voice. “Test mode initiated”

The suit is immediately powered on and the screens light up with different modes and data readouts. The hands and fingers of the suit appear to be moving and extending and retracting in a variety of movements. Tony's hands flex and move as he tests out the new gloves. I watch as Tony brings his arms forward and aiming the palms towards the ground. He holds the position for a few seconds, as a bright red circle emits from each palm towards the ground. The red rings come into contact with each other and create a force field that quickly expands and covers Tony inside of it.

A huge smirk crosses my face as I see that my plans work out and the new armory is working just fine. “What do you think?”

Tony chuckles in response to my smug grin. "I think it's brilliant. Your idea for the shield component was an excellent addition to this suit. Well done on this upgrade."

“Thank you” I chuckle and check the data on the screens again.

Tony flashes a wide smile as he looks at you with a hint of approval. That million-dollar smile that makes my knees weak every time. "You're welcome. I think your additions have really brought the suit to the next level.” Tony nods in agreement, glancing over at the different components that are stacked on the workbench. "The next step is to finish putting all the parts together and getting the full suit assembled. After that it's just a matter of testing the suit itself and making sure everything works properly."

I nod as well, approvingly, and look up at Tony. “What about you get some coffee, I get breakfast and then we can continue with the suit?”

Tony nods and smirks, excited to continue working on the suit. The day passes and Tony and I don't even leave the lab. Sometimes the other Avengers come in to check on us and they all smile at our teamwork. Currently Steve looks around the lab, smirking at Tony and me. “You know, the way you guys work together... it seems like there is going on more than just friendship”

Tony chuckles as he hears Steve's comment, but doesn't take his eyes off his work as he continues to assemble the different parts of the suit, testing and retesting every component for functionality and efficiency. He responds to Steve's comment without looking away from his work. "We have a good dynamic going. It's not hard to get in a groove and get things done with her on my team. That’s all."

I chuckle and walk over to Tony, handing him some more parts of the suit. “Just admit it, you would be helpless without me”

Tony laughs and jokingly rolls his eyes, as he takes the parts and slots them into the appropriate place inside the suit. He turns and looks at me, as he begins to test out the new upgrades. "Okay, okay, you've got me. I'm totally useless without you." Tony says in a sarcastic tone, though it's clear he's still enjoying the banter and he is thankful for my help.

I too chuckle and sit back down on my own working bench, getting back to work.

“You two are cute” Steve smiles, wanting to tease Tony a bit more.

Tony laughs again and blushes a bit as he hears Steve's comment. After all, we really do have very good chemistry. Tony doesn't deny the fact that there is some truth to Steve's comment, but decides to play it cool. He shrugs as he continues to work. "Thanks, Cap, but we're just friends. Nothing more." Tony says with a mischievous smile, as he continues his work.

“Whatever” Steve smirks and leaves the lab after looking around one final time.

Tony nods his head and chuckles as Steve walks away, but he can't help feeling just a little bit embarrassed, and a little bit excited, by Steve's comment. He glances over at me, as I’m working on my own component. We are just friends, but sometimes it's hard to deny that there is something between us. We continue to work together for another couple hours, until finally we have the full suit assembled. We take a moment to step back and admire our work proudly.

I grin widely in excitement, standing next to Tony. “It's finished! We made it, and it looks good!”

Tony looks just as excited and proud as me, as he grins and nods his head, looking over the full suit. It has a clean, classic look to it, while also incorporating all the new upgrades that they added. The red-gold color scheme stands out, and the added accents look like a perfect blend of old and new. Tony is truly satisfied with the finished product. "I'd say we did an excellent job, wouldn't you?"

“Definitely!” I say a bit overexcited and thanks to my clumsiness I nearly fall over

Tony can't help but laugh a little bit as he sees me stumble, but he quickly catches me with his strong arms and steadies me, supporting my weight. He looks down at me with a smirk. "Careful now. We don't want any accidents to ruin our finished product."

I chuckle slightly but can't help and blush a bit as I get back onto my feet, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. “Of course not”

Tony smiles at the brief blush that he witnesses, though he is careful to keep his expression neutral and professional. He knows from experiences just how easily he can get distracted when I’m close. "So, what do you say, are we ready for a test run?"

”Yeah... Yeah! Let's test it out, getting you dressed up” I smile at him excitedly.

My enthusiasm is contagious, and Tony can't help but smile at my excitement. He starts getting changed, quickly pulling the different components of the suit on. The gloves snap into place, the boots secure onto his legs, and finally the chest and head components are in place as well. I just watch, occasionally checking the screens for the data. I can’t help but think he looks really handsome in that suit…

"Okay, I'm ready to test it out. Let's put this bad boy to the test.” Tony says as he is now fully into the suit.

I smirk at his choice of words and watch as Jarvis finishes securing the last component and the suit seals itself in place. The various monitors light up with different systems and readouts, as Jarvis speaks in his typical calm voice "Suit has been activated and all systems are at full operating capacity." Tony smiles and steps away from the workbench, giving the suit a brief visual inspection before turning to face me. "So, what do you think?"

“It looks damn good” and you too, I think to myself. “Jarvis, activate the testing mode”

Jarvis obeys the command, and the suit powers up fully, with the chest piece shining brightly as the repulsor rays light up. The arm cannons point forward, ready to act. It is indeed an impressive sight. "Alright, let's do this."

As soon as the face mask snaps into place, the suit is fully sealed and active. Tony lifts his hands into the air, as the repulsor rays shoot out at full power. The suit propels Tony into the sky, as the thrust lifts him into a high, smooth, stable flight.

I smile happily, we really did a great job. I walk around checking the diagrams on the computers “Seems like everything works just fine. Try it out some more”

Tony begins to fly around the lab, testing the different features of the suit. He begins testing out the weapons that you had installed as well. He seems pretty satisfied and I too smile happily, glad we did such a good job. “Jarvis, open the window hatch”

Jarvis immediately responds with a calm, robotic voice. "Opening window hatch." The window hatch opens up, allowing Tony to fly directly out of the lab and into the open outdoors. I watch as he flies through the window and up into the sky, his suit still shining brightly in the sunlight. He flies in a large circle around the lab building. I grin widely as I run over to the window and look outside, seeing Tony flying around in his new suit

Tony seems to be enjoying the test run as much as I am watching from the lab. He appears to be in full control of the suit, and seems to have no problems flying it around the outdoor space above the lab. The flight is smooth and stable, allowing Tony to make sharp turns and take advantage of the different features of the suit. He seems to be testing out every aspect of the new suit as he goes along. After a few minutes, he begins to fly back towards the lab window. He returns right through the window and lands in the lab, opening his face mask. I walk over to him, more than happy

“Wow! That looked so awesome!”

Tony nods his head as he pulls the mask off of his face. He is visibly thrilled and excited, both by the positive outcome of the test and by the fact that I were there to witness it. "It flew surprisingly well, and the different weapon systems were all functioning perfectly. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a test run this much. And it all came out looking so good as well. We did a great job!"

“Yes, we definitely did!” I hug him out of pure excitement and suddenly our lips meet for just a few seconds.

Tony is caught off guard by this unexpected kiss, but he immediately wraps his arms around me as he kisses me back for just a few seconds. A brief and innocent kiss, the result of the heat of the moment. Tony pulls his head away eventually, and we just stand there, staring into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. He smiles and I see a faint glimpse of his cheeks turning red. I quickly pull away, blushing heavily and stuttering. “Oh my... I... I'm sorry, I... I don't know what... I ...”

Tony laughs softly as he sees just how flushed I am, but he's unable to hide a brief moment of amusement. "Relax, it was just a quick kiss. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Just a natural reaction to the moment. No big deal."

I take a deep breath, my cheeks still bright red. “We… we did a great job. The suit seems to work just fine”

Tony smiles at the way I stumble over my words, as he notices that my cheeks still haven't stopped blushing.

"Definitely. The suit works perfectly. The results speak for themselves and it will definitely be a game changer. But I guess the suit isn't the only thing that will be changing..."

I turn to look at him and frown, asking concerned “What do you mean? Are you not happy with it?”

Tony laughs as he notices the misunderstanding. "Oh no, I'm very happy with the suit. I was referring to our relationship. It feels like it's been changing between just friends and something more. I mean, late nights in the lab together, our banters, glances and a quick kiss, and you're blushing like crazy.”

My eyes widen at his words and I can feel my heart beating out of my chest. My voice shaky “Tony... I... I think this is just... the lack of sleep or the amount of coffee we drank or the excitement from the suit... I...”

Tony chuckles slightly and shakes his head, as he steps towards me and places his hands on my waist. "Is it really though? Or is it something else? I think we both know that this whole evening we've spent together had more to it than simple late nights and coffee.”

I look at him still dressed in his suit, my face flushed and my heart beating like crazy. “Tony...”

But before he can reply, Steve enters the lab and Tony immediately let go of me, stepping back a little.

“Oh hey! You finished the suit!” Steve says, rather impressed by the work Tony and I’ve done.

Tony stares at Steve with a friendly smile, knowing that he was caught in the middle of something but trying to play it off. "Sure did. Y/n and I just finished up the final tests, and we're very pleased with the results."

Steve looks between Tony and me, smirking softly and raising an eyebrow “Did I interrupt anything?”

Tony laughs as he shrugs his shoulders, pretending to be completely oblivious to the tension that was obviously there between him and me earlier. "Interrupt? No. We were just excited that the suit seemed to work so well, so we were discussing the final results and plans for the suit” he explains calmly and walks over to Steve, showing him the new suit he is still wearing.

“Yeah, we were just testing it out and the suit works pretty well” I smile at Steve as well, trying to hide my blush

Steve smiles back at me and gives a brief nod, as he continues to study my expressions. "Great! Seems like you both did an excellent job. I guess the suit isn't the only thing that got tested out tonight, huh?"

I blush and quickly turn around as Bruce also comes into the lab. “Oh hey, Wow! That suit looks good!”

The unexpected entry of Bruce throws Tony off for a quick second, as he glances over at him and flashes a look of surprise. He quickly regains his composure though, and smiles as he looks back over at Steve and Bruce. "Thanks. You’re just in time to see the new suit in action, if you'd like. Y/n and I just finished up the final tests for it."

As we continue to talk and show the features of the suit to Steve and Bruce, I notice the way that both Steve and Bruce keep stealing glances over at Tony and me with smirks in their faces. I know that at least one of them can clearly see the chemistry that is present between me and Tony. We both seem to be very close and comfortable together as we talk and laugh. After a while I start to feel tired and decide it's now time to get some rest. “Alright guys, I think I'll go get some sleep now. Tony, you good without me?

Tony's expression softens as he sees me starting to feel tired. He gives me a soft smile and nods his head. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You go get some sleep, and we'll meet back here tomorrow morning."

I agree and smile back at him before waving at Steve and Bruce before heading out of the lab and towards my room.

Tony watches me as I walk away, and he can't help but notice the way my curves hug tightly against my pants as I walk away from him. The vision in his eyes briefly lingers as all of the memories from the night come back to him. A faint glow appears in his eyes as he continues to watch me, then eventually he breaks the gaze and turns to Steve and Bruce.

Tony starts to get out of his suit and Steve smirks at him knowingly. Tony knows he's been caught, so he turns to look at Steve and raises an eyebrow in question, waiting for him to say what's on his mind. “So, what exactly did I interrupt before I came into lab?” Steve asks curiously and leans back against a work bench.

“Yeah, what was going on between you two?” Bruce looks confused yet curious between the two men.

Tony sighs as he realizes that he doesn't even have an excuse for this one. He can't deny the chemistry between us that both Steve and Bruce have observed. He just shrugs his shoulders, with a look of acceptance that shows he no longer has room to weasel himself out of it. "Just two friends enjoying some late night lab time. You know how it is. We just got a little carried away by the excitement of the suit."

“No, no... That seemed like something way more intimate” Steve smirks again and won’t let this go so easy.

Tony realizes that he's now in the position of having to either play dumb, or explain everything. Playing dumb in front of Steve and Bruce won’t work though. Tony sighs. "Look, Steve, some words have been spoken and there was a quick kiss. We both felt that this was more than just friendship..."

Both Steve and Bruce start to grin. “That's so cute. But you should talk to her, Tony.”

Tony's face flushes bright red. He hates that he is currently at the mercy of both Steve and Bruce with this whole situation. They are both grinning at him, clearly enjoying his predicament. He tries to act casual and gives off a soft sigh, acknowledging that Steve and Bruce are both right. "You guys... Come on, it wasn't that big of a deal. It just happened in the moment. Maybe it was all just a result of the late nights and energy drinks and the excitement of the suit."

Steve frowns a bit and looks more serious at Tony “The question is, do you want it to be just that?”

Tony looks over at Steve, knowing exactly what he's asking and fully aware of what his answer would be if he let himself be honest. He doesn't want it to be 'just that', but he can't just come out and say it in front of Steve and Bruce. Tony shakes his head from side to side, as if he can't really respond, though his mind is giving him a very strong, and very clear answer.

Both Steve and Bruce just smirk at each other, knowing the answer. Bruce sighs and pats Tony’s shoulder “Alright, buddy, get some rest. And think about it” Then Steve and Bruce leave.

After Steve and Bruce leave, Tony is left alone with his own thoughts, as he realizes that he now has to face the situation on his own. He can't keep trying to play it off as 'just a little accident' or "a result of late nights and energy drinks." It was all real, and he just has to find out how much it means to Y/n. He walks around the lab, considering everything that has happened over the course of the evening, and the different feelings that he feels for her. That brief kiss that had occurred. He's completely lost in his own thoughts as he walks to his room, pacing up and down.

Meanwhile I’m sitting on my bed and even though I’m rather tired, I’m wide awake, thinking of all the nights I spent with Tony in his lab. We were really good friends, but is that really everything? It was all getting to my head. I look over at the clock to see it's already 11:30 pm. I sigh and decide it was no use, so I get up and walk back to the lab, wanting to sketch some more ideas.

Tony is wide awake, as well. The memories from the night keep running through his head and he can't help but notice the way his heart begins to beat faster as he plays those memories back in his head over and over. He thinks about the late nights together where they would work on the suit, the jokes and laughs that they shared while doing so, the excitement that they felt and the brief kiss that they had shared, the blushing cheeks... Tony lies in bed for a while, struggling to fall asleep. He feels just a little bit energized from the night, but more so, he's feeling a bit restless as he struggles to process the events of tonight. He too notices how late it is and he decides to head back to the lab.

I'm sitting on the chair, hair up in a messy bun, looking over some sketches and trying to find some more new ideas to add. I'm so focused on the sketches that I don't even notice Tony entering the lab

Once Tony reaches the lab, he immediately catches a glimpse of the sketches and how casually I am seated with my hair up. I look very relaxed, almost as if this is normal for me to be up at this time in the lab, and Tony can't help but notice how the night had only brought out the most natural and casual side of me. He is also struck by how lovely you look in this setting...

Tony watches as I keep sketching, and he can't help but be charmed by how focused and completely lost I am in the task at hand. He finds himself feeling the urge to hug me and just rest his face against my shoulders to breath in my scent.

I’m just trying out some sketches of additional ideas on the suit when I suddenly feel a pair of strong, warm arms wrapping around myself and I jump slightly. “Shhh, it’s me” It's Tony, who has silently approached me from behind and wrapped his arms tightly around me, pulling me into a warm embrace. He rests his head on my shoulder, the feeling of my hair against his face feeling extremely reassuring. I can feel the heat of his body as his breath is close to my neck.

I let out a breath shaky breath “Hey…” Tony smiles as he feels my body relax in his embrace, and he doesn't even bother to explain his sudden move. He just enjoys the warmth of the moment, just as I am, as he wraps his arms even tighter around me, pulling me closer. “Aren't you asleep?” I ask curiously, ignoring the beating of my heart

"Nope." Tony answers softly, as he continues to tightly pull me into his embrace. He doesn't want to let go. He enjoys this moment of just being close to me without saying a word, and he can't help but breath in the scent of me that fills his nostrils. I relax more in his embrace and lean back slightly into him, closing my eyes and resting my hand onto his arms, feeling his muscles beneath his skin. Tony leans his head towards me, and he gently gives my cheek a small kiss, without saying anything. He feels my body slightly tense up at this, but I don't pull away. He can't help but blush at the fact that I’m allowing this to happen, as he pulls himself away, a small blush on his cheeks. I blush heavily and finally I turn my head slightly so now I'm facing him. We are just inches apart.

Tony stares deeply into my gaze as he can suddenly feel the intense connection between us. He can't help but be struck by everything that he's feeling when he looks into my eyes. He slowly moves his face forward, and he presses his lips onto mine, kissing me soft and gently. I can't help but blush heavily. The first kiss today in the lab was due to excitement, but this one now is different. This is a more intimate kiss, the kind where you slowly move forward, and you keep your lips connected to his. He pulls back after a few moments, just enough for our faces not to be touching anymore, but he is still close enough to feel my breath as it touches his face.

“What was that for..?” My voice is not more than a whisper, just for him to hear

"It was just... an urge to show you my appreciation." Tony answers softly, as he continues to smile at me. His gaze is still soft and gentle, but there's also this slightly confident tone in his voice which hints at the possibility that this 'urge' is something more. He pauses for a moment, as he sees my reaction to his statement, and he waits for my respond.

I smile at him softly “Then let my show you my appreciation” I turn around a bit in my chair, now able to move my arms and lay my hand onto his chest

He doesn't say anything in reply, but he leans forward and slowly presses his lips against mine once more, in a longer, and more intimate kiss. He can't help but let out a soft noise. He continues to kiss me soft and gently, wrapping his arms around me now and pushing himself even closer to me. The kiss feels very tender and affectionate, and he can't help but feel a bit vulnerable in this situation, as if this was all just too perfect to be true. We pull apart and look at each other. He shakes his head as he regains composure and smiles softly at me.

“God, I love that smile”, I say to him, laying one hand against his cheek softly.

Tony wraps his arms around me tightly. He leans closer and he presses his forehead against mine, his eyes closing and taking a deep breath. “And I love you”

My smile grows even more as I hear those words from him. “I love you too” I whisper and he pulls me in for another loving kiss before looking at me again with his charming smile. We continue to stand in the lab, holding each other and no one of us wanting to let go as we finally confessed our feelings to each other. And it’s just the perfect ending to the work on his suit.

A/N Here is my complete masterlist with all the ff, imagines, oneshots, smut and whatever. Check it out and leave a like :)

[pale-opal]

I Listened to "The Wisdom Saga" and I Have Some Thoughts - Part 2

This is the sequel to this post. I will be picking up right where I left off, starting with:

4. Love in Paradise - I feel as if I've been tricked, been backstabbed, and quite possibly, bamboozled. - I came into this expecting unrequited-love related hijinks. - Do you wanna know what I got instead? - The most emotionally taxing song in the entire freaking saga. - I have listened to this song several times and so far, every time it ends I feel sad. But when the song starts, you have no idea what you're in for. - "Love in Paradise"? More like "Suffering in Paradise" (/j). - We begin with a medley of some of the most iconic songs from past sagas, starting with "Remember Them" from "The Cyclops Saga". After that point, the rest of the songs go by quickly, with Athena speedrunning through a montage of Odysseus' past up until his current point. The remaining songs in the medley are:

Keep Your Friends Close

Ruthlessness (I love how this song was changed for the medley, by the way. The faster tempo puts more emphasis on the drums and I think that's so fun)

Done For

No Longer You

Different Beast

Scylla

Thunder Bringer

- Afterwards, Athena finds out where Odysseus has been for the past seven years: the ✨Isle of Calypso!✨ - He is not okay. - We will get to that shortly. - For now, Calypso has decided to wake Odysseus up:

"[CALYPSO] Morning, sleepyhead You've been resting for a while I swore that you were dead When you washed up on my isle Did you know you talk in your sleep? Tell me, though, who's Penelope?

[ODYSSEUS] She's my wife" - This man just woke up from being knocked out cold, and the first thing he does is talk about his wife. - I know that he was asked who she was, but one would expect him to be like: "She's my wife - where am I?/How'd I get here?/Who are you?" - But, no. He just says "She's my wife" and leaves it at that. He couldn't care less about everything else at this point. - This does not stop Calypso from ignoring this and acting like her and Odysseus are newlyweds, however. - And I just want to take a second to talk about these lyrics:

"[ODYSSEUS] I'm not your man

[CALYPSO] I'm what you want here I'm what you need here Just you and me, my love in paradise Now 'til the end of time From here on out, you're mine, all mine" - "I'm not your man" is sung the same way as "I'm just a man", which means that Odysseus is saying: "Just because I'm a man, that doesn't mean I'm a free piece of meat for you to make out with." - Meanwhile, Calypso is NOT listening. She is thoroughly convinced that she and Odysseus are in-love with each other, and that they're basically already married. - I would like to bring up that in Greek mythology, Apollo and Calypso are husband and wife. And we know that Apollo is part of the "Epic" canon, because he appears in the next song. From this, we can draw two potential conclusions:

Apollo and Calypso are not married in "Epic", either because they haven't met, or because they are divorced.

Apollo and Calypso ARE married, BUT Apollo doesn't visit his wife... for some reason.

- Odyessus decides to try to get Calypso off his back by threatening her with death, but she deflects this by revealing that she can't kill her, because she's a goddess:

"[CALYPSO] You're adorable Bow down now to the immortal Calypso, here to entertain But fear not, I bring no pain ... Under my spell, we're stuck in paradise No one can come nor go, my island stays unknown" - Calypso going from flirting with Odysseus to mockingly calling him "adorable" and telling him to bow to her actually works really well. Sure, she's in "love" with him, but she's still a goddess, and Odysseus is still a mortal man that just threatened to kill her. To her, she has to put him in his place, regardless of whether or not he's the "love of her life". - "I bring no pain" is really ironic, considering how much Odysseus does NOT want to be on this island with this woman. - I also find it interesting how Calypso and Circe both have similar things going on with the whole "secluded secret islands in the middle of the ocean" thing. Not only that, but they both had a thing for Odysseus. - Also, the line about the spell Calypso put on the island works as an explanation for why she instantly "fell in love" with Odysseus: she's lonely! - Now then: is this an excuse for what she's doing here? No. The buck stops at it being an explanation - everyone experiences loneliness, and a lot of people do some weird and not always understandable things because of it. But usually, those things don't involve ignoring other people's boundaries and forcing them to accept your company. Relationships are a two-way street, and if someone doesn't want to meet you in the middle, then that's their choice. You need to know when to back off and let it go. - After Calypso reveals who she is and that it isn't really possible for Odysseus to leave the island, he starts to panic (the way the line "No, no" is sung really sells this). - At this point, I have to provide a content warning for implications of attempted suicide, and discussion of PTSD, due to the subject matter the rest of the song deals with. If you don't want to read my analysis of the lyrics dealing with that material, please skip to the section for "God Games", or click off of this post. Your mental health is much more important than some silly essay about some random people from Greek mythology. - Furthermore, if you feel that you or someone else may need help dealing with suicidal thoughts, please contact the national suicide hotline (United States) at 1-800-273-TALK, or the national crisis hotline at 988. - Lastly, I am not a psychologist, nor am I anyone else qualified to be giving medical assistance or help with mental health. Therefore, treat anything I say in relation to mental health with skepticism, and do not use it as a substitute for real medical advice.

Now let us continue:

"[ATHENA] Seven years, she's kept you trapped, out of your control Time can take a heavy toll...

[ODYSSEUS] All I hear are screams

[CALYPSO, spoken] Ody, get away from the ledge!

[ODYSSEUS] You don't know what I've gone through You don't know what I've sacrificed Every comrade I long knew Every friend, I saw them die And all I hear are screams"

- For some reason, I didn't see Odysseus developing post-traumatic stress disorder coming sooner. I suppose that's because he was in "the thick of it" for so long. - PTSD tends to show itself after a person experiences trauma, and is being reacclimated to a safe environment/the feeling of safety (however, it's not impossible for people to experience PTSD while in the midst of a traumatic experience, specifically if that experience takes place over an extended period of time. One example of this is how some soldiers who served in the Vietnam War showed symptoms of what was once called "shell shock" while they were still serving, with one of the most prominent signs being the "one-hundred yard stare" (which we now recognize as a form of disassociation)). - I also didn't expect Odysseus wanting to kill himself. He's reached the point where he just wants to be done. It's not even about Penelope anymore. He's just... tired. So tired that he's forgotten why he let himself go through all that suffering to begin with. - Calypso telling Odysseus that "life would be so much worse/if you had died" and telling her to stay in her "open arms" absolutely hurts, especially since he wants absolutely nothing to do with her. - Odysseus desperately screaming for Athena at the end just makes the whole thing worse.

5. God Games - This is arguably the song that had the most hype before its release. It had a bunch of animatics on YouTube back when all we really had to work with were a few snippets, and that hype stuck around for almost a full year. - And after listening to the song, it's easy for me to say that the hype was definitely deserved. - Another thing that I would like to say is that this song has a really fast pace. At first, I thought this made the song feel rushed, but then I realized something: that's the point. Mr. Rivera-Herrans has stated on multiple occasions that "Epic" takes inspiration from video games. With that in mind, considering how each of the gods has their own themes, as well as how fast the song is, it makes it clear that this song is meant to be a boss rush. The song goes fast because it HAS to. There's no time to be dragging out each debate, because Athena has to make sure she's ready for the next one. - On that note, "Love in Paradise" feels like a cutscene that takes place when "switching characters" over to Athena from Telemachus. - The first verse starts us off with Athena making it clear as to why she was considered to be Zeus' daughter in the Greek canon: "Father, God King Rarely do I ask for favors Now, I'm knocking on your door With hopes to save a friendship with one who's a prisoner far from home Odysseus"

- I did not expect Athena to be sucking up to anybody, but considering how egotistical Zeus is (ironic, considering how "Thunder Bringer" implies that he doesn't have any patience for hubris), this is most likely the best move she could have made. - I also noticed an interesting change that was made in the final cut of the song in comparison to the snippets: originally, Zeus tells Athena to convince Apollo, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Ares, Hera, and him to set Odysseus free. However, in this version, he tells her to choose between persuading the aforementioned gods or him. Athena picks what is arguably the harder option. Keep this in mind. It will be important later. - The first god Athena has to go up against is Apollo: "You all know I'm a fan of catchy songs So with so many sirens gone, I think Ody's in the wrong" - Right off the bat, I was not expecting Apollo to lowkey sound like a hipster. That's cool, though. It works. - I like how Apollo being troubled by the siren deaths that took place back in "Different Beast" isn't because he doesn't approve of the murders themselves, but because the sirens were good singers. - Fun fact about the sirens: initially in Greek mythology, they were large birds with the heads of women. However, as time passed, they became replaced with mermaid-like creatures. - Luckily, Athena knows exactly how respond to such weird logic: by telling him that this actually helps the remaining sirens to stick around to sing more songs later.

"They were trying to do him worse All he did was reimburse them Now they'll tread with caution first To live another day and sing another verse"

- Now it's time for Hephaestus (and did y'all know that he's voiced by Jorge's dad? Both of his parents have shown up in this musical in important supporting roles. I think that's neat): "Trust is not given, it's forged Why should I give him my support? He sacrificed his own cohorts" - Hephaestus valuing trust and being upset with Odysseus for being willing to sacrifice his own crew members to Scylla works out so well when you consider that Aphrodite is constantly cheating on him with Ares. Why they didn't get a divorce is beyond me. The ancient Greeks divorced each other quite often, and it was easy for men to leave their wives. And there's even a myth were Hephaestus catches Aphrodite with Ares. So... yeah. Leave her, Hephaestus. You can do better. "Did you forget they failed to listen? He was betrayed and then imprisoned But if you make the right decision He can still build a future with those who miss him"

- What Athena is essentially saying here is: "Yeah, he did sacrifice his own men. But then they turned around and betrayed him right back. Nobody was innocent in that situation. But if you let him go, he can redeem himself with the people he has left." - Hephaestus (albeit begrudgingly) agrees with this. And Aphrodite, fittingly enough, is opponent number three (3): "[APHRODITE] Your little high and mighty Odysseus Claims to love his mother But let her die of a broken heart

[ATHENA] He was busy fighting

[APHRODITE] More like busy spiting the cyclops Let him feel the pain that his mother felt and rot" - I think Aphrodite's reasoning is highly flawed. Yes, the latter ten (10) years of Odysseus being missing from Ithaca could have been avoided if he didn't do the equivalent of giving the cyclops his government name, legal address, and social security number. BUT. She's acting as if he strayed off the path on purpose. Not only that, but in "The Underworld", Odysseus' mom's part of the song is all about how she died chilling in her rocking chair, willing to wait for her son for as long as it took. If anything, she died of old age, not of a "broken heart" as Aphrodite claims. - Furthermore, the part of the crew members who died heavily implies that the consciousness' of the dead in the underworld are a mixture of their memories and how they felt when they died. Hence why the crew members are confused as to why Odysseus spared the cyclops and are able to quote "Ruthlessness", and why Polities (😿) is still trying to encourage Odysseus to live with "open arms". In other words? Homegirl was not depressed when she died. Her lyrics about how much she loves her son and how she doesn't mind waiting for him is a representation of how she felt in her last moments. - TL;DR: Aphrodite is either making stuff up, doesn't truly know what happened, or is manipulating the situation to make it hard for Athena to argue with her. Hence why Athena pulls her into quick-thought. However, now Athena has another problem to deal with: "[ARES] Really Athena? These old tricks?

[ATHENA, spoken] Ares!" - Here we have another change from the snippets. In the older draft, Athena sounded more like she was in pain due to Ares interfering with her powers, but now she just sounds angry. Angry that he's interfering. - Ares' argument goes like this:

"What kind of sick coward Holds back his power While his friends get devoured? He didn't even fight Scylla Didn't even try to kill her Hides inside a wooden horse to get the job done Never handles things upfront Pathetic and weak like his son" - Before I lay into Ares' logic, I would like to explain more ancient Greek lore: both Ares and Athena were believed to be gods of warfare (and Aphrodite may have been considered to be one at some point as well). However, they both dealt with different "facets" of warfare. Athena was also considered the goddess of wisdom, and she was more associated with the strategic, "honorable" parts of war. Meanwhile, Ares was in charge of the bloody, tragic parts of war (which meant that not a whole lot of Greeks worshipped him). With this in mind, Ares' stance on Odysseus' methods makes more sense. However. That doesn't mean his reasoning isn't extraordinarily unsound: 1. "...sick coward/Holds back his power/While his friends get devoured": Odysseus willingly gave his friends over to get eaten by Scylla. Ares makes it sound like he was cowering in a corner while his friends were dying. 2. "...didn't even fight Scylla/Didn't even try to kill her": How could he?! Scylla's body has six dog heads, hence the six torches. Each of those heads, along with Scylla herself, are absolutely massive. Not only that, but the heads are attached to tentacles, meaning that they're chilling in the water most of the time. If one wanted to attack the heads, they would have to wait until they came out - and in that case, the heads are getting ready to strike. Fighting Scylla would've been a death wish. If Odysseus tried to fight her, WAY more than six people would've died that day, and it's likely that NOBODY would've been getting out of that alive. What good would a bloody, violent battle be if it was all completely pointless? 3. "Hides inside a wooden horse to get the job done": Oh, yeah. As if the Trojans would've just let the men of Ithaca inside. They had to sneak in because Troy was a walled city. If they wanted to force their way in on foot, they would have to either break down the walls or knock down the door. And while doing something like that wouldn't be impossible, they would've been at risk of giving the Trojans enough time to gather a force to confront them once they got in, making the battle take way longer and have much more casualties on the side of the Ithacans than needed, and/or they would've had to face archers shooting at them from the walls. And it seems like it would be pretty hard to break into a city if you have to hold a shield above your head the whole time to keep yourself from getting killed. 4. "Never handles things up front": Convenient how Ares just ignores the Winion confrontation, the cyclops battle, as well as the confrontation with Circe. Odysseus has no problem directly dealing with people. He's just smart enough to not get himself killed. 5. "Pathetic and weak like his son": Telemachus was never taught how to fight. He and his mother have been trying to keep caring for the suitors from putting them into poverty and from forcing Penelope to marry one of them. They have bigger fish to fry than getting into fights for no good reason. Furthermore, the one time Telemachus did get into a fight, he did so willingly, even though he lacked combat experience and was going up against someone stronger than him. He wanted to keep his mother safe that much. And he didn't even mind losing. How Ares could think he is "pathetic" is beyond me. - And don't get me started on him calling Odysseus pathetic. Please. We would be here all day. - Athena also has some choice words for Ares and Aphrodite: "Hold your tongue now His son's my friend And tell your lover that a broken heart can mend You want more bloodshed? Then set him free To get back to his homestead, he'll make everybody bleed" - GET 'EM ATHENA. TELL 'EM. TELL THEM HOW WHACK THEY ARE. - Let's move on to Hera: "[HERA] So many heroes So many tales Give me one good reason why yours should prevail

[ATHENA] He’s got the mind of a genius

[HERA] Try harder.

[ATHENA] He’s pretty skilled with words

[HERA] You can do better than that!" - One thing that can be noticed right away is that unlike the other gods Athena has faced, Hera isn't concerned about Odysseus' actions - she care more about his character, who he is as a person. - And Athena, like the gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss she is, figures out what will convince Hera after a few tries: "[ATHENA] Never once has he cheated on his wife

[HERA, spoken] ...Release him." - Before "The Circe Saga" came out, I thought Athena was lying here. After all, in the original "Odyssey", Odysseus does cheat on his wife. Twice (that we know of), actually. First with Circe (for an entire YEAR), and again with Calypso (even though being trapped on that island made him depressed, he was not above sleeping with her). - I am so glad that Jay cut both of those plotlines. While the ancient Greeks might have considered Odysseus to still be faithful, modern audiences would have had trouble buying that idea. - Furthermore, telling Hera that Odysseus never cheated on Penelope works for two reasons: 1. Hera was seen as the goddess of marriage. 2. Zeus cheated on Hera with a LOT of women, and has a LOT of illegitimate children. Hera has tried to kill some of them (see: The Labors of Heracles/Hercules) (with that said, I think its sweet how Hera's encouraging Athena instead of antagonizing her, since she's also an illegitimate child of Zeus'). - And would you look at that! Athena did it! She completed the task. Now let's see how Zeus reacts... "[ATHENA, spoken] I've played your game and won! Release him!

[ZEUS] You dare to defy me?! To make me feel shame?! No one beats me, NO ONE WINS MY GAME! THUNDER, BRING HER THROUGH THE WRINGER! SHOW HER I'M THE JUDGEMENT CALL, THE ONE WHO MAKES HER KINGDOM FALL!"

- Zeus responds to being beaten by striking his favorite daughter with lightning. - The question is: why?! She did what she was told, and she didn't cheat. Did he not expect her to win? Did he really think that the alleged goddess of wisdom wouldn't be able to outsmart her fellow Olympians? And if he didn't want her to succeed, why not add Poseidon to the lineup? He'd be enraged about Odysseus being alive at all. - Not only that, but she picked the harder option. Let me say again that Athena was supposed to be Zeus' favorite. She could've easily convinced her father by appealing to his ego and making a deal or two. But instead, she decided to increase her workload. And her reward for going above-and-beyond to prove herself is getting electrocuted? - Yeah, no. Zeus is now on the priority list for defenestration. And even then, getting yeeted out of a window might be too good for this man, once we take into account his treatment of Hera and women in general. - Ares asks if Athena is dead. A piano rendition of "Warrior of the Mind" begins to play. And based on how sad it sounds, I wouldn't be surprised if it was in a minor key. It doesn't look like Athena is getting up. As a matter of fact, it looks like this might be the end. - But this is what I'm going to call a "musical fakeout". Because next thing you know, a small part of "Legendary" starts playing, and then the brass kicks in. We are back in a major key. Athena has remembered Telemachus. She has remembered that Odysseus still needs her. She remembered why she's here. And she's not taking no for an answer: "Let him go, please... Let him go..." - Even after getting struck by lighting and what should've been an easy victory, Athena still finds the strength to get up and continue pleading for Odysseus' freedom. How awesome is that? - Oh, and based on Athena's tone here and the usage of the word "please", we know now why Zeus was so angry: Athena wasn't cowering enough when she told him that she beat him (do you think the Greek gods had windows large enough for a whole person to fit out of on Mount Olympus? Just asking...) - Also, this is the first final song out of all the sagas that doesn't feel like it has an ending moment of catharsis. All the other final songs had reached a place plot-wise that made ending its particular saga there make sense, or they had a brief instrumental at the end that let you know the saga was over. But this song simply ends with Athena asking for Odysseus be set free, and... that's it. We don't know Zeus' response. I was actually shocked (pun not intended... again) by this lack of closure. But I think it was done on purpose. We're not going to be "playing" as Athena anymore. The next saga switches us back to Odysseus, so we need to know how things go on his end (that, and it kills the tension for an answer to Athena's plea to be given explicitly by Zeus, or implied by the music). Final Thoughts - This should've been called "The Angst Saga" with all the emotional damage it has caused (exhibit A: me). - I hope "King" ends with an epic 1v1 fight between Antinous and Odysseus (or Telemachus. Telemachus works too), with Antinous getting knocked out of a window. - On that note, once again, please do not confuse anything negative I may have said about the characters with the actors or crew members of "Epic". I think the cast and crew of "Epic" are all great. Do not think that me talking smack about a character or wanting to see a character face karma is me speaking ill of or wishing harm on the actors, crew, or any other real people, because it is not. Thank you. - Somehow, the "Epic" team keeps making each saga better than the last. I have played this particular one three (3) times so far, and I will do it again.

[daresplaining]

Mike Murdock's Sunglasses: On Character Design and Autonomy

I've written a little in the past about character design in regards to the translation of zany alter ego 1960s Mike Murdock into slightly-more-grounded, at least 85% more real 21st century Mike Murdock. Specifically, I talked with artist Phil Noto about Mike's outfits in Daredevil #606-612, and analyzed the clothing choices made by the creative team in the 2020 Annual. However, one specific detail that I find interesting in Mike's transformation from Matt's hyperactive id to his own autonomous person that I haven't really written about yet is his sunglasses-- when he wears them, when he stops, and how this shift may or may not align with his journey.

Matt: "Let's see now-- I'll just muss up the mop, to give myself that carefree tousled look! A fella like Mike wouldn't be caught dead with a simple Ivy-League hair comb! And, I'll have to give my specs a coffee break for a while, as I cover my sightless eyes in a more colorful way-- If the attorney-at-law business ever gets slow, I might just decide to open a school of method acting! Yessir! Stanislavsky had nothing on me! Now, all I've gotta do is change my personality! I figure a clown like Mike Murdock is sure to be on all the time!" Daredevil vol. 1 #26 by Stan Lee, Gene Colan, Frank Giacoia, and Artie Simek

Matt and his dark glasses were inseparable in the 60s-- literally, to the point that he even apparently wore them under his Daredevil mask (fortunately, he doesn't do that anymore). The clear hesitance of DD artists in this period to draw their blind protagonist's uncovered eyes is likely one of the reasons that when it came time for Matt to invent himself a fake sighted twin, the sunglasses stayed on. This has not always been the case. In the years since, Matt has taken on several sighted identities in which he does not wear glasses at all-- notably, con artist Jack Batlin in the 90s. Of the two approaches, the former makes slightly more in-universe sense. As someone with no vision at all, who was blinded in a physically damaging accident, logic suggests that Matt's eyes would look different from those of a sighted person-- most likely due to chemical burns/scarring, but at the very least from things like a lack of eye contact. Thus, the choice for Matt to simply switch up his style of shades for the Mike look, rather than taking the risk of foregoing them entirely, feels logical (even if it doesn't always match up with the way Matt's eyes are actually depicted, but that's a topic for another post).

As it turned out, the oversized, colorful shades ended up tying perfectly into the loudness of the rest of "Mike's" outfits, becoming a memorable staple of the look that Matt crafted for his fake twin-- a look that was as distant from the classic Matt Murdock suit and tie (and simple, dignified shades) as he could manage. These shades were iconically, undeniably Mike's. However, they were still born from the use of sunglasses as a visual shorthand for-- and Matt's in-character response to-- his blindness. A Daredevil reader in 1968 might have looked at ol' Loudmouth Mike and asked the question: If this guy were a real person, independent of Matt, with his own backstory and reasons for dressing the way he does-- would he still choose to wear dark glasses?

Mike: "Well, as I live and breathe! You're Daredevil, right? Friend of my brother, if I don't miss my guess. Real pleasure to meet you at last." Daredevil vol. 5 #606 by Charles Soule, Phil Noto, and Clayton Cowles ("As I live and breathe" is such a funny thing for him to say in this scene.)

Enter: Fragment-Boy Mike, and the beginnings of an answer.

When it came to transforming the concept of Mike Murdock into a fully realized character of his own -- not to mention pulling him out of the 1960s and into the 2010s-- some core Mike Murdock elements were dropped by the creative team, both for the sake of streamlining the narrative and in order to match the tone of the contemporary comic. Fragment Mike is no longer Daredevil's alter ego; in fact, he claims in his first appearance in Daredevil #606 that he has never even met DD before. Gone are the loud clothes, the primary colors, the waistcoats, the fedora with the feather in it. Curiously, all that remains of his original Look(TM)...is the sunglasses.

Foggy: "That is...correct. How did you...?" Mike: "Because I ain't him. I'm me. And now, Foggy...you need to call my brother." Daredevil vol. 5 #608 by Charles Soule, Phil Noto, and Clayton Cowles

Fragment Mike existed in a kind of limbo that neither he, nor Matt, nor even his "creator" Reader really understood-- a tortuous state of both being and non-being, in which he believed himself to be real and then had his worldview shattered by learning that no one else saw him that way. Mike claimed his autonomy and fought for his right to live throughout that story arc, but the simple truth was that he was born out of Matt-- specifically, out of Matt's case files, from which Reader accidentally spawned him-- and the memories he possessed of being anyone/anything else were false. He was nothing but a twisted, reanimated echo of an identity his brother had created, dark glasses included; Matt but not Matt, physically separate but still bound to his brother.

Mike: "I'm Matt Murdock's twin brother, but...but I'm not. I've got some fake memories. I'm like a shell of a thing...but inside...I can tell I didn't live through anything...and I think...I think it's driving me crazy." Daredevil vol. 6 Annual #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Manuel Garcia, Le Beau Underwood, Chris Mooneyham, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Clayton Cowles

But! Fragment Mike, just like Matt, maybe because of Matt, is a fighter. He does not take being fake lying down. Through some Norn Stone magic, our fragment became a Real Boy, with real memories of a real backstory. And if we take a look through that backstory, we finally receive an answer to that 1968 DD fan's hypothetical question, because...

Daredevil vol. 6 Annual #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Manuel Garcia, Le Beau Underwood, Chris Mooneyham, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Clayton Cowles

The moment Mike Murdock becomes a real person, the sunglasses vanish.

Look back through Daredevil volume 6. Once he is officially, cosmically real, the only time we ever see Mike wearing dark glasses is when he is dressed up as Matt (ohhh, the poetry of it all!). He is wearing them, standing in Matt's apartment, when he dies in Matt's place-- fated, in the end, to never entirely escape his brother's gravitational pull-- but what matters is that the sunglasses tied Mike to his origins as his twin in a costume, and the loss of them indicates fully and utterly that Mike has broken away and become his own person. We even get this fascinating scene at the beginning of volume 7:

Matt: "...It was Matt. He came back from rehab, went to his apartment... I don't know what the #$@% Fisk was thinking, but I know they've got history and... Ah, Butch. He killed my brother." Daredevil vol. 7 #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson, and Clayton Cowles

This is Matt Murdock, in the year 2022, once more pretending to be Mike...post-Norn Stone reality rewrite. And this time? No sunglasses. In fact, Matt claims that the key to a foolproof Mike Murdock disguise is in the eyes: "Not just making sure they faced the right direction...but that no matter what, he had kindness in them..."

Do I love Mike Murdock wearing smarmy shades? Of course I do. But I love a good piece-of-clothing-as-allegory just as much, and I love peeling back the layers of identity to discover who Mike really is when he is not his brother.

[ncisfranchise-source]

Mark and Sean Harmon are ready to peel back and reveal everything there is to know about Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

The father-son duo are serving as executive producers of NCIS: Origins, the prequel to the iconic NCIS franchise set to come to the CBS fall lineup later this year. And while speaking to ET's Kevin Frazier on Thursday at the CBS Schedule Reveal Celebration at the Paramount Studios Lot in Los Angeles, California, the Harmons made it clear that they are laser-focused on how exactly they want to travel down memory lane.

"It's all going to be a time that we haven't traveled before. It's 1990, so it's something we're all looking forward to," said Mark, who portrayed Special Agent Gibbs during his incredible 19-season run on NCIS. "It will be different."

NCIS: Origins is the brainchild of Sean, who concocted the idea while playing the younger version of Special Agent Gibbs during flashback episodes.

The prequel will star Austin Stowell as Special Agent Gibbs, and the series will chronicle his start at the famed law enforcement agency. The series will also star Mariel Molino as Special Agent Lala Dominguez, Kyle Schmid as the formidable Mike Franks, and Tyla Abercrombie as Field Operations Support Officer Mary Jo Sullivan. The prequel includes recurring roles for Robert Taylor as Jackson Gibbs (Special Agent Gibbs' father), Daniel Bellomy as Special Agent Granville "Granny" Dawson and Caleb Foote as Special Agent Benjamin "Randy" Randolf.

 The series, which will film on the Paramount lot, will also offer a bit of an Easter egg hunt for devout fans of the iconic franchise.

"I think it's part of what [producers] Gina [Lucita Monreal] and David [North] have planned, and they'd be the ones that tell you that," Mark shared. "But it's the 1990s. It's a different time. The show's going to be different. The cast we got is different and it feels good at this moment, but we still have a lot of work to do. So we'll see when it comes out and you'll be the first one to say whether it works or doesn't."

Mark returns to the franchise -- as an executive producer and narrator to the series -- for the first since leaving the iconic franchise in 2022 after 19 seasons. He spoke to ET back in November and shared that he didn't expect to like NCIS.

"I didn't expect to like the script as much as I did when I first read it," Mark said. "I was reading other things and I was also trying to stay home -- young family and I wanted to try and be home more." 

But he liked the character's name. And he was in.

"I read 'Leroy Jethro Gibbs' and thought, 'Huh, I like that name,'" Mark said of what initially piqued his interest. "And then for a brief second when I decided that I liked the idea of the project, the name changed." 

[barbiebraganca]

HSHQTASK059: FAREWELL !

when did you join ? what made you join ? what do you remember from the plotlines that were current at the time ? where were you in life when you joined and where are you now ?

right at the beginning of 2016, around feb or march. i had just finished high school and took an off year to prepare for uni admission exams. i needed something to take my mind off studying for it and my friend julia suggested i joined her on tumblr rping. i had no idea what that was but she helped me through it and we joined another group together. at the time i also developed a bit of a thing for royals and made my character in that group an undercover norwegian royal, on some princess diaries bullshit. but looking up things for that group i decided to search norwegian royalty on tumblr and found the blog for a character in vik. olav if i'm not mistaken. i started stalking the group and got really interested in it and mentioned it to julia who told me she'd been here before and would join with me if i chose to so we brought barbie and biel. then the group closed and i completely gave up rping until one random day many months later i logged into tumblr again god knows why and there was a message from martha, she told me the group came back to life and i decided to rejoin. and here i am, haven't left since.

which characters have you written over the years ?

ffs, let me see if i can remember all of them: ayo, bruce, barbie, toni, leon, sergi, silje, ilija, zoey (silje's draft), pedro, noémïe (poor thing lasted 3 seconds), ionie. i feel like there's more, i just can't remember.

what is your favourite plotline that you've been part of ?

the zulu & the southern africa conflicts. even all of us applying together that day was such a moment, i loved every bit of it. i had so so much fun writing ayo even if he was one of those characters it is impossible to write filler threads with, i still felt so much joy when i got a notif that someone replied to him, even if the entire reply was someone hating on him hard.

what about other people's plotlines ?

it's impossible to pick one when you've been here from the start and have seen countless amazing ones but the english plot was truly a wonder, even the murder mystery event was fucking incredible. anything involving russia and the romanovs as well was so well thought and made so much sense when you put the pieces together you just can't help but love every bit.

who is your favourite character from the ones you've played ? why ? what made you love them ? what made them so fun to write ?

favourite to write i'd say ayo, for the same reasons i mentioned on the plotline question but if i had to choose only one to keep playing forever it would either be silje or ilija. i feel like those are versatile ones that i could go in different directions with if i'd wanted to. the one i had the most fun writing though was pedro for sure.

if you could relive a plotline, which would it be ?

the invasion in greece and i think everyone who was here for that would say the same thing. that was our most iconic event and for a reason, everyone put 150% into it and it worked out so so so so well we didn't even imagine the outcome it would have, we just wanted to traumatise everyone a bit but received the best event in hshq in return.

is there a plotline that you'd edit now if you could ?

i don't think there is, especially because i don't think i remember even half of them but even then everything was fun and a joy to write about so i probably wouldn't change anything.

what's a plotline you wish you would have been able to finish before closing or just write more of ?

the ones that never happened. e mentioned some of the things we planned and didn't happen on the timeline post but i assure you that's not even the beginning. at times we'd plan an entire year of events in advance and come up with a full story, reasoning, plot drops for it but when the time to have them came we forgot all about it and change everything to something we'd put together in 20 mins instead of the plans we spent days working on. even the cruise ship they were supposed to be stuck in was an idea we had so much fun coming up with and it didn't get to see the light of day.

what is your favourite ooc memory ?

every honesty hour chaos was such a fun time to be on the dash, or whenever something big would happen ic and there would be 100 ooc posts reacting to it on the dash and the jokes were the peak of comedy. but i'll always have a soft spot for the soletsky silent thread bc icb we actually had 40+ notes on that, it was priceless. the word lunch is stuck with me forever. AND that one time i got kicked out on this exact date a couple years back.

where can others find you if they want to get in touch ?

i won't delete the tumblr app from my phone just yet so if you want to send me a mssg, i'll be checking it every now and again. same with discord, i'm there under barbielandwired and we're not deleting the hshq server so we can still have that in case anybody wants to pop into the chat and catch up. i'll give you my socials too if anybody wants that, we're all friends here. i've known u lot for 8 years.

what else would you like to say ?

here.

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 182

Epilogue: "Dreams Come True"

I'm gonna be honestly with y'all, no matter how many times I've read through this chapter over the last couple days to try and prepare myself, all my thoughts and comments are still so similar to what I originally wrote two years ago. I doubt anything I say now could top it but I'll apologize in advance if I really do sound like a broken record this time since my feelings regarding this beautiful finale really haven't changed since then. I'll start off with saying that I am a tiny bit bummed that we never got the chance to see the children explore the large city they arrived in, but the second season's ending slideshow sorta filled in that need for me. While the city is definitely a complete contrast to what they were used to living in back in the demon world, I love they all decided to create their own little village around where Emma lives. That'll definitely make her feel more at ease with being somewhere she's familiar with and I'm sure a majority of the kids fancy the wildlife surrounding them too, especially Ayshe and the dogs. Let's not forget how impressive it is that these kids were able to build so many houses on their own as well! And the idea of them taking turns to visit Emma so she doesn't get overwhelmed with so much attention at one given time makes me so happy. Speaking of our girl, she looks so pretty! She definitely looks like the Emma we've come to know and love with that big smile on her face (even if seeing her without her iconic 63194 still upsets me a little) while looking fondly at new photos of her large family. Sure, anyone in this world could've taken the photos, but of course I headcanon that it was Ray who purchased a new camera to do so.

Emma's face here is damn hysterical and Phil looks so proud of himself for surprising her. Seeing these young kids casually riding on top of a plane that large is truly quite a remarkable sight, but she had to at least hear that thing flying closer, yea? No way something that huge can sneak up on someone.

It is so darn cute how the younger kids act like buying a plane that size and flying it everywhere they go is totally normal. Their chill attitude has poor Emma completely speechless. I'm so proud of her for learning everyone's names though, not only by recognizing their faces but their voices too as she knew it was Phil calling to her from outside. Seeing Violet become a pilot is surprising but the job fits Oliver very well since he was typically seen holding onto a plane toy during numerous Goldy Pond flashbacks. Looks like he achieved his dream and I'm happy for him!

I'm even more excited to see Chris feeling 100% better and finally reuniting with Emma! It's sweet how he still loves her so much regardless her lost memories. I'm only noticing now but it appears Jemima even brought flowers for Emma? Ahh, these kids are too precious for words!

It's crazy how they're able to visit so many different places and experience countless new things all in the span of one single day, but I suppose traveling is pretty simple with a plane like that, not to mention how this world doesn't have any national borders to worry about. Seeing Yvette get inspiration and sketch everything she sees is adorable and of course you have Ray being the strict older sibling who makes sure everyone else behaves while out in public. I still wish more of the Goldy Pond kids were invited to join the trip, but I understand how meaningful it is to see all the GF escapees finally live out their dreams which they shared with us at the very beginning of the story.

One of the most ridiculous and funniest things this extra chapter reveals to us and Emma is how Norman became the leading man behind some huge multipurpose company. I know his motive was to act independently from the Ratri clan (which is fair because I wouldn't wanna rely on those bastards either) but at least have the company be a fresh idea in his mind or a little new, not hit us with his total success right outta the gate! I can accept this life for him further into the future for sure, but not at 15/16 years old! You're still a child sir! Dude must have really loved hearing others refer to him as "boss." Vincent would obviously be okay with that and I imagine Ray making fun of Norman each time, or jokingly calling him "emperor" like he did in one of volume 15's extra pages. Speaking of my boy, he looks way too chill and perhaps unbothered about this whole idea, or maybe he's just so used to his friends having crazy idea that he's become immune and knows deep down there's no way he can change their minds once they get this passionate about something. Even though this chapter is primarily focused on the GF children, it's nice to learn more about what Nigel and Sony are up to nowadays with their new roles.

Hearing how Norman was capable of skipping grades and essentially graduating is the most believable thing about this page. I'm sure the schools in the human world were nothing compared to the difficult tests he passed with ease at GF and Lambda. I'm relieved he and the rest of the Lambda crew are healthy as well, but I can't imagine him recovering while simultaneously constructing a large company from the ground up. Perhaps he focused on getting better first and then started on his career path, but then I'd have a harder time believing this boy managed to do so in less than two years, depending how long it took for him to fully recover beforehand. Norman is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Moving onto everyone's wishes now and ooohhh my, the girls look simply gorgeous!! I love each of their outfits so very much! I especially like how often Anna has her hair up in that ponytail too. It suits her and she's beautiful! And it's adorable how she and Gilda pull Emma along with them so they can all take advantage of the 3-for-1 deal. Emma looks great in her new outfit too but I very much prefer her previous one, only because it's reminiscent of her GP out a little bit. So happy our little musician was able to witness an opera too. I've been to several Broadway plays and musicals before but seeing an opera is still on my checklist for sure.

I gotta give kudos to all the children because while it's certainly insane how they're hitting everyone's dreams all in one day, not once do they ever look exhausted. They're having the time of their lives and are beaming with excitement no matter if they're fulfilling their wish or someone else's. Some of their wishes are really simple too if ya think about it, like a handful are things us readers could try out for ourselves, but after all the drama they fought through in the demon world, they absolutely deserve to enjoy everything this world has to offer them. I'm once again loving Ray being that caring older brother who makes sure his younger siblings don't exert themselves. Not to mention how damn hilarious it is to see him not even flinch while touring the haunted house. After the traumatizing childhood he lived through and the wacko world of the Seven Walls, nothing should frighten my boy, so I'd like to imagine he only entered the haunted house to look out for the younger child like Rossi and Alicia who are absolutely regretting their life choices. What matters is that Yvette is loving every moment of her wish and possibly laughing at her sibling's expense.

Despite mentioning how we could visit such places ourselves, I have yet to actually go watch an official soccer game, visit a hot spring or eat lunch in such gardens. I mean, I visited such botanical gardens down in the city but not once have I ever had a fancy picnic there! These young kiddos are out here making me jealous for real. I still find it so amusing that Rossi, a child who had fled from actual demons before, is amazed by dinosaurs. I guess it would be interesting to see such creatures whether they're alive or not. As of this previous weekend I can say I finally rode one of those old style trains as well, but Phil is way more excited about the adventure than I could ever be. So glad this moment of his was sorta animated, though he wasn't bouncing in his seat as wildly as he is here.

Everyone has these grand experiences in mind for their wish and Norman is over here just vibing with his two favorite people. It's real definitely simple compared to everything else but with how often the trio was forcefully separated throughout the story I know how much he doesn't wanna feel that pain ever again.

While I love how excited Emma was upon seeing the giraffes, I'm certain her reaction was due to seeing these animals up close for the first time. Of course I'd be ecstatic if our girl would slowly gain back some of her memories over time, they choose to show us the anxieties she probably feels every day about whether or not she's really Emma deep down and if she should act like the girl her family loves so much or just be her new self.

Phil being that one good boy who chooses to focus on Emma and her sudden mood switch while she's battling herself in her head.

I wanna say "oh sweetheart, you're anything but alone," but I know her amnesia makes her feel as if she's isolated from her family by not being able to remember every detail about them, the experiences they shared, or her true feelings. She can imagine this giraffe wish would've made her old self happy, since everyone else's wishes brought such big smiles onto their faces, but that's because they all wished for these kinds of moment their entire lives. New Emma is hearing about this dream for the first time and has no clue on how to react to a wish that isn't truly her own. She's probably even feels a little scared that she won't come across as genuine about the idea and she doesn't wanna disappoint her family by not living up to their expectations of what the original Emma would've done in her situation now. It really breaks my little heart to see her doubt herself so much when she literally has the greatest family in the world who would accept her regardless of what she acts like or feels.

One might think that Emma yelled so loudly to try to convince herself and her family that she's really excited about this wish, but to her surprise, she's rewarded with beautiful laughs. Once they arrived, Emma asked if her dream was to see a giraffe but no one bothered to correct her about how original Emma always wanted to ride one instead. To see this Emma reach deep down into her heart and shout with such confidence about what she really wanted to do is perfect in every way, so little does she know that her reaction was exactly what her family expected of her and they couldn't be more delighted to hear such words come from her again.

I'm in love with her adorable, surprised face and how she's in complete awe to learn that perhaps she and the original Emma are more alike that she's realized.

Aahhh it thrills me to no end that this little joke from all the way back from the first chapter is exactly how this series ends. We're coming fill circle baby!

Favorite panel/moment:

Oh no way, Ray's wish as my favorite? Wow, who could've possibly guessed that? Not to show any dislike towards the Mona Lisa or anything, but I'm very glad the story chooses to show us the kids visiting the Sagrada Familia way better. The architecture of this damn thing is impressive and it's insane how it looks this breathtaking despite it not being completely finished yet.

More importantly, this smile of Ray's is the most precious and beautiful thing I've ever set my eyes on! He's probably filled with so much emotion just by standing in a place he never imagined himself to be. He believe he was gonna die a long time ago but now that all his trauma is behind him and he fought his way to freedom, he's so grateful he's alive to actually see this gorgeous structure actually in front of him and realize that all the hardships he fought through alongside his family was truly worth all the effort. This face of his has absolutely lived rent free in my head these past couple years.

BEST GIRL!! I am so incredibly happy and proud of you that you achieved your dreams!! Truly inspirational and she undoubtedly keeps her top spot as my favorite shonen protagonist.

And with all that, I can finally say: End of series.

Seriously though, thank y'all so much for reading through all this, whether you were here from the very start back in April or ya caught interest somewhere down the line, I appreciate every single one of you! I dunno exactly when these posts went from a couple short comments to full length chapter reviews, so I apologize for all my rambling since I honestly didn't intend to write out such long posts. I literally couldn't help it. The love I have for this series is as strong as ever and I'm very surprised that even after these last couple years I still somehow manage to learn or notice new stuff about this world and these characters. One of the many benefits to reading through this story at a slower pace I suppose, and wouldn't you know it? Today is the perfect day to experience it all over again from the beginning.

(Yes, having the project end today was 100% planned from the start.)

[papakhan]

🍒🍐🥑 for FLEABAG

YAAY Fleagbag time >:)) THANK YOUU these are so much fun link to the meme

🍒 [CHERRY] Who is your OC’s perfect companion?

This one I haven't decided yet.... Fleabag gets on well enough with people like Sun and Violet but I haven't thought someone whos their Match yknow? I think if they ever met Antony the houndmaster of the Legion he'd probably be the closest thing to it and they'd also have the weirdest gay sex ever <3

🍐 [PEAR] What is their current social standing? If they could change it, would they, and to what?

OOH okay so like. I think the social hierarchy of the Great Khans is kind of all over the place. This is because it was recently destroyed and rebuilt by people previously on the bottom end of the hierarchy. A lot of your social standing in the Khans is from merit and how skilled you are and less to do with who you are and where you came from, take Melissa Lewis for example whos a very skilled scout who was born in the NCR.

Anyway all this is to say that despite Fleabag's family being a political "enemy" of Papa's, Fleabag themself has pretty decent standing due to their skill as a dog handler and trainer. Of course it helps that they're one of the people caring for an iconic Khan breed of dog created by The Deathhands, and that they're also kind of against the things their dad was all for. Being friends with Sun helps too, I think the one thing care about in equal amounts to merit is your proximity to Papa Khan and how much he likes you, or how much the people he likes like you, etc.

Would they change their standing? Probably not. They can see from Sun that having a "higher" standing doesn't seem all that fun and having a "lower" standing would just mean they weren't a skilled dog handler anymore.

🥑 [AVACADO] What will they never back down about, even if it makes them seem bad?

Probably something to do with dog training that I don't fully understand. I think while Darion loved his dogs and carefully refined the dog breed created by his father, he still passed down some toxic training techniques. To put it vaguely I guess Fleabag will never back down on reward being a better motivator than punishment, which they apply to a lot of life. Probably tells people to stop punishing themselves and buy a lil treat. Get a friend like Fleabag <3

[fezwearingjellybananas]

Hi! Hope you are well! I am not really familiar with comics as a show fan and I know you are, could you "rec" some issues/runs of The Flash as a starting point? I really love Barry & Iris and would love to read their comics dynamic. Have a nice day!

Thank you, I hope you have a nice day too!

I have read a few comics but not all of them, so there are more people who know a lot more than me, but I will give it a whirl.

I think as a general starting point for Flash comics in general, I'd probably recommend The Flash: 80 Years of the Fastest Man Alive. It's one of several books DC released as an anniversary thing (I also have Green Arrow: 80 Years of the Emerald Archer), and it has in it a selection of comics, so it has Jay's first appearance, it has Showcase #4 which is Barry's first appearance, it has Wally's (as Kid Flash), it sort of has Bart except it's the back of his head (my one note is Bart is quite neglected in this book), as well as a handful of others picked from the Flash runs of the three of them (my icon is actually from this book), and commentary by various writers so it gives you an overview and lets you read a little bit then decide which you'd like to read.

Carmine Infantio wrote the original Flash run with Barry, DC also released a 4 book Silver Age omnibus (I like books), that gives you the starting point of Barry's story. This is being written in the 50s and 60s, there are going to be things that are dated as with reading anything from a while ago, I suspect in 50 years people will be saying the same thing about what we're writing now, but I do have such a soft spot for the Silver Age. If you're specifically looking for Barry and Iris they are introduced here as already together before Barry gets his powers, and I quite like that they never go the love triangle with the secret identity route here, Iris knows the Flash through work kind of, but she's not really interested, she's got Barry. Also she can fly a plane.

I haven't read enough of Cary Bates' Flash run to know yet, only a few bits here and there, but this is getting into Iris and Barry are married, this is probably worth looking up, I do keep meaning to

Crisis on Infinite Earths doesn't have Iris in it, but it is an important story for Barry, and I quite like it. I am still upset about how many pages there are between Barry dying and anyone outright saying they're going looking for him.

Geoff Johns' Flash: Rebirth is also probably not a bad place to start for Barry, this is a comic set after Barry's been brought back to life, his history has changed, there are all these people who he doesn't really know, it's him trying to find his feet into being alive again. And also Eobard Thawne is here to Cause Problems On Purpose. I don't like all of Geoff Johns' comics, but this one is good.

Flashpoint is again apparently a majorly important comic in Flash mythos. I might try reading it again, I last read it a few years ago, but honestly I'm not a huge fan of Flashpoint.

Skip New 52 if you're looking for Barry and Iris. There are a few parts of New 52 that I like, but Barry and Iris aren't dating in New 52 (Barry dates Patty Spivot) and it's New 52, you can skip it. Though if you've watched the show, maybe Out of Time (Robert Venditti ect, it's Volume 6 in the TPs, which is #30-35, Annual #3, and The Flash Futures End #1), that's the arc with the Future Flash.

I love Joshua Williamson's Flash run, I am sure I have said so many times, I would definitely recommend that one, and again, this is post a soft reboot DC did after New 52 kind of flopped, so it's probably not a bad place to start either.

Jeremy Adams' Flash run was Wally based so had some fun moments but probably not what you're looking for, and Si Spurrier I have the first TP next to me to read once I've finished reading Blackest Night, I'll have to get back to you on that one.

As one-off comics rather than getting into the whole thing, there's United They Fall (Gail Simone), it's an Elseworlds but because it's just one comic rather than continuing on from something started in 1956 it might be good to try if you haven't read comics before just to see if you like reading them? I also enjoyed New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke, that's not exclusively Barry and Iris but they do feature, and again it's set in its own timeline rather than main continuity so it can be read as a stand-alone comic (also it features a very cute kid Hal Jordan and has made me feel very strongly that Hal Jordan should have been allowed to join NASA)

I think in general comics have been going for a really long time and there are a lot of them so at first glance they can seem daunting to get into, but also, there's so many of them it would be frankly unreasonable for people to expect you to read every single one ever. I think the best way to start is probably to pick a writer, any of them, and start at the beginning of their run. They will build on things that have happened before (even Barry's original Flash run brings up things that happened in Jay's Golden Age comics), they will have characters show up who maybe you don't know but they'll treat them like this is a character everyone's already familiar with, and there's the bits that editorial wanted this to happen for that event or didn't want that to happen for reasons so they had to work with that, but overall I think each author is going to have a story that they want to tell and those individual stories are going to be much more contained within their own comic runs, so you can just go find a story you like, you don't need to read every single story ever.

I hope this is helpful and you find a comic you like!

[awingedllama]

replies about my save file (loooong post ahead)

It works for trees too! Be sure you're replacing the debug tree and not the Lot tree (i made this mistake initially too lol). There's a checkbox near the search bar in S4S to filter debug items. The tree names you're looking for are "treeGD_cherry_01" and "treeGD_cherry_02"

Some objects are tricky though. I still can't for the life of me find the concrete posts next to the canal where Eliza and Bob live 😭 if someone knows where they're hiding pls lmk

As for the placement of items, it isn't exclusive to CAW at all! The CAW mod right now just adds new features (like a preset tool), hidden debug items, and a much more intuitive interface (you can move objects around the world with WASD instead of clicking, for example). But everything I'm doing can definitely be achieved with TOOL! In fact I was planning on using TOOL only until the CAW mod was updated recently to work in existing save files.

The only problem you encounter with TOOL is that some areas in the world, like roads, aren't clickable, which means you end up fiddling around with XY coordinates and struggling to see past your current lot. To solve this I made a little mod to expand the clickable area. It's not my idea, a creator named Alexcroft came up with it, but his version no longer worked (and was only for Brindleton Bay and Sulani I believe) so I edited the BG files myself

I'll be uploading the mod with my save file of course (so off-lot areas will still be clickable/completely accessible) but if you want it now just send me another ask! (I don't want it buried in this long post lol) The only problem I've noticed so far is sims route a lot more 'freely', meaning they'll stray from the sidewalk and walk/bike in the middle of roads. I haven't gotten any glitches or last exceptions yet though, so I'm willing to share!

Definitely! TwistedMexi is amazing, there's going to be an exporter for completed worlds as well as an official exchange to download them. You can read all about CAW here. As of now Crest Harbor is only a save file and not a proper custom world, but I'll be exporting it the instant CAW is finished.

This is so sweet 🥹 That is exactly my intention, to have gameplay and functionality in every corner of the world!

I have been thinking about the townies/lore, and I've decided to go for a very small town, quiet drama, everyone-knows-everyone-else's-business vibe. It's one of the things I love about the insular worlds of TS3. For one of the big expensive Victorians I'm going to build, I've decided to make a 'perfect' and very wealthy family. except the kids are rebellious kleptomaniacs, the politician dad is actually in the criminal career with a basement bunker and listening device, and the serial romantic, yoga instructor soccer mom is having a torrid affair with half the people in her class

Of course not every family will be like this lol, but you get the idea. I know people like to have their own sims (rightly so!) but I do want a lively backdrop for them to live against :)

(your english is perfect by the way!!!)

I know! I've figured out how to change the icon itself, I just can't figure out how to make the files reference *only* my copied world instead of Willow Creek too. They have identical icons right now and it's kind of jarring. Probably something I'm missing. If all else fails I'll probably just replace Willow Creek altogether. She's had 9 years anyway her time is up

very pleased i've got you a t a l k i n' :) The CAW is in alpha right now, but lot editing is coming! TwistedMexi has a proof of concept showing that it's possible, he just hasn't implemented it yet. The difficulty I think is in making it user-friendly. All the lots in my save file are the same size as Willow Creek's though, since it's just a copy of that world. You can *technically* edit lot sizes by editing the game files but it's glitchy and I know I'd just break my game messing around with it

yep, good eye! it's foundry cove on the Garden Essence lot. i did add a bunch of objects in the neighbourhood though

[nei-ning]

As people know I've an account on Inkbunny, have been for years. In the past there was one user who ordered commissions from me. I agreed to do one commission more for them with low price when they asked it. After some time, however, I made new commission price post on my InkBunny and this person, literally, exploded at me!

They used horrible words, verbal abuse etc. and then just went and blocked me without giving me a chance to explain myself to them. To tell them I WOULD HAVE done their commission with my original cheap prices because I had agreed on doing it BEFORE I changed my prices.

This and their shitty behavior has been hurting like shit and I've been crying over the years whenever I've remember this case. Even now. Because I am SENSITIVE person. So, today, I made second Inkbunny account just to reach them via PM (I deleted this account since I wasn't going to keep it, anyway).

I told them who I am and told what happened all those years ago, how their behavior and words hurt me and made me feel like shit, still do, how they didn't give me a chance to explain myself to them and that I would have done their commission with my original cheap prices because they asked it before I changed my prices.

Sure, they sent me PM back but I didn't open it. Instead I went to their page, noticing they had instantly block this second account of mine as well. Just shows how deep their head in their ass is. No any common sense, understanding, compromising, normal talking and wanting to solve this out etc. Just HATE towards me - which I STILL don't understand! THEY decided to pull a cucumber in their nose and ass after THEY started to assume things about me which were not true (that I would charge more from them) etc. They really haven't grow up and mature at all in these years. I honestly would understand that reaction 100% IF I WOULD HAVE asked them to pay me MORE which I never didn't!

I didn't open their PM. Just deleted it and deleted my second InkBunny account too since I don't really need two. I know there wouldn't have been even ONE nice or positive word for sure. That person is just... bad and full of anger and hate. And, trust me, I wouldn't be saying ANY OF THIS IF I hadn't seen and experienced it myself personally! I don't go with "I assume" or "I've heard rumors about this person". I always go with the experiences I have had with the said person.

To be honest, when I saw this person's icon for the first time on Inkbunny all those years ago... I instantly got this horrible feeling in my stomach. My intuition back then already was right about this person - still is since I still get this sickening feeling when seeing their avatar. They are not a good person.

As long as you lick their ass and do exactly as they want you to do, no issues. One slip (may it be only ONE misunderstanding / supposition like in my case from their part) and they gut you and bury you alive with so much hatred.

While this all still sucks and hurts more or less, one way or another even after me contacting them today and telling them my point of view and truth, I am HELL HAPPY that horrible person is NOT in my life. I don't need or want such persons in my life.

I managed to tell them my point of view which was my goal all along all these years - and now it's done. I feel better since I've spoken my truth.

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

New OUAT OCs

this is all @the-witching-ash's fault for encouraging me to make a new oc to ship with Graham and now instead I have 10...

Angel Dearly | Anita Dumas in Long Live: Anita Radcliffe in the Enchanted Forest but has not married Roger so keeps her maiden name, Dumas. In Storybrooke she's a waitress at Granny's Diner who dreams of moving away and becoming a fashion designer. Shipped with @the-witching-ash's Roman Taylor | Roger Radcliffe and is Anastasia Dearly | Adelaide Dumas' granddaughter*

Named Angel for its similarities to Anita; Dearly for Anita's last name in the live action movie, and Dumas for Alexandre Dumas the French author/playwright

*this is specifically in Long Live/the crossover, theoretically she has a solo verse shipped with Graham but I only care about the crossover

Alissa Thorn | Priscilla Page in Dear Reader: Priscilla Page (from the Fables comics) in the Enchanted Forest, in Storybrooke she is the middle child between her sisters, her job is still TBD

Named Alissa as it means Wanderer, and Priscilla's place of power is the open road

Corrina Mills | Persephone in Rite Of Spring: Regina & Zelena's younger half sister, named after her mother Cora. She is Persephone in the Enchanted Forest and in Storybrooke she's Corrina Mills, Regina's younger sister and the only person who can leave Storybrooke without any issue but she either always finds herself returning without meaning to or she forgets about Storybrooke when she's out of the bubble and forgets about the "real world" when she's in Storybrooke. Her father is Rumplestiltskin, and she is most likely going to be shipped with Graham

Named Corrina both for her mother, Cora, and because it's a variation of Kore, which is another name for Persephone

Dove Thorn | Robin Page in Dear Reader: The youngest of the Page/Thorn sisters. In the Enchanted Forest she is Robin Page (from the Fables comics), and in Storybrooke she is Dove Thorn, Alissa & Evelyn's younger sister who works somewhere in the Sheriff's Department.

Named Dove as it is a type of bird, like Robin

Eilwony in Rabbit Heart: Eilwony from the Black Cauldron. She was a captive to Regina in the Enchanted Forest and is still captive through the curse. Because of being in Regina's castle, she was not affected by the curse and has kept all of her memories, but she can't escape or do anything with that knowledge until Henry Mills finds her and helps to rescue her. Daughter of a magic user, but I haven't decided which one yet.

(name does not change as she does not have a Storybrooke version of herself)

Evelyn Thorn | Hillary Page in Dear Reader: The oldest Thorn sister, she's Hillary Page (from the Fables comics) in the Enchanted Forest. In Storybrooke she's Evelyn Thorn, who "recently" took over her mother's job as the elementary school librarian.

Named Evelyn after the most iconic librarian around, Evelyn O'Connell from The Mummy

Mirella Gold | Christine Daae in Once Upon A Song: Christine Daae (Phantom Of The Opera) in the Enchanted Forest, Rumplestiltskin takes on the role of her phantom in many ways. In Storybrooke she is Mirella Gold, who works as a personal assistant (tbd to who) but dreams of becoming a songwriter. She is raised by Mr Gold, but I haven't decided yet if she knows that she's adopted or believes that he's her father. Might be shipped with Graham.

Named Mirella after Mirella Freni, considered one of the best opera singers of all time

(in my heart, @the-witching-ash's Adelaide | Anastasia is her music teacher 🥺 )

Nieva in Eatnamen Vuelie: Nieva is Elsa's daughter, who Elsa does not know exists, and sadly that's all that I know so far!

Named Nieva as it means Snow, her name does not change as she does not have a Storybrooke version of herself

Paige Thorn | Prose Page in Dear Reader: Prose Page (from the Fables comics) in the Enchanted Forest. In Storybrooke she is Paige Thorn, English teacher turned school librarian who "recently" quit her job to open her own bookstore, leaving her eldest daughter to become the new librarian.

Named Paige as a pun on Prose Page's last name

Sadie “Sugar” Monroe | Charlotte LaBouff in Sweet Nothing: Charlotte LaBouff in the Enchanted Forest. In Storybrooke she is Sadie Monroe (but everyone calls her Sugar), a pageant princess rich girl with a heart of gold. She is an event planner and organizes plenty of town events and fundraisers, and will be shipped with either Graham or David.

Named Sadie as it is a common Southern girl name and nicknamed Sugar because it is a common nickname in the South (both chosen as a nod to Charlotte LaBouff being a Southern Belle), last name Monroe as Lottie's design was inspired by Marilyn Monroe

(ps thank you @ginevrastilinski-ocs for the help is naming Nieva and Sugar!)

[ebiemidnightlibrarian]

Oh, it's already that time of the year.

Hello, there!

Yeah, it's been a while since I posted something, but the thing is, I was just crawling out of the shitty pit I'm in when very suddenly my father fell seriously ill. Now I'm once again spiralling into my anxious pit.

But I'm a bit cheered up by the spooky season (even tho we don't have those around here). So, I decided to share some playlists, (a couple of creepy characters playlists and MORE), I've collected over the years and I hope they make your spooky season a bit more spooky.

Well, let's get started!

♱

First of all, we have the playlist I made for my darling Jerry Dandridge, I shared it a while ago, but tbh it's one of my all-time favourites. It has the vibes of the film and fits the vibes of the character, I just love it.

I'm still mad that Spotify doesn't have the Fright Night music theme by 'the J. geils band' nor the INCREDIBLE theme 'come to me' (both the singing and instrumental version) by brad fiedel. So if I had to say something is missing in this one, I would say these three songs.

Now, this man has taken over my life for almost THREE WHOLE YEARS, and I gotta thank Mike Flanagan for this. I know you already know of whom I'm talking about. Our beloved poor lil meow meow and vampire priest Father Paul.

He lives in my head rent-free ever since he screamed “HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL?!” into Riley's face. I honestly think I could fix him, or at least fuck him ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The next is a trash can of a man and has made me question my sanity and my moral compass, and I think that's full Hamish acting skills fault. Well, our favourite unhinged wolf man, John Tyler.

You know, I had two stalkers during my school years, and I think that definitely affected me, anyway I like to believe it's the look of those puppy eyes that had me.

Talking about stalking psychopaths, I think I have a historic, bc David Dastmachian's performance as MacGyver nemesis on the remake of the series changed me on a molecular level. That's right, I'm talking about everybody's favourite hitman, Murdoc!

Yeah, that leather trench coat and black high neck has me on my knees. Also, unironically, mama bear Murdoc it's actually very sexy.

Now my dearest, we get to the new stuff, this I haven't posted yet for some unknown reason, but it's time to let them see the moonlight!

Ngl, Lily Rabe has so may Iconic roles on AHS that I HAD to make her something. So, to my AHS lovers, we have a playlist full of eerie and sacrilegious songs to our favourite possessed nun!

Nobody can convince me that AHS: Asylum isn't the best season from the series, honestly, I always re-watch during the spooky season and always slays.

I'm a fan of themed/pov playlists, I find them very immersive, so I'm always doing them when I have the chance, so, in one of these opportunities, I did a 80s slasher pov playlist, that has such a cool vibe! I hope you guys feel the same!

This one is dedicated to the nostalgia boost that the 80s slashers are to me.

And for the last, but not leat, my Ultimate Halloween Playlist™, it has some of my favourite songs from each one of those playlists, and I'm always adding more. Which are your ultimate spooky season playlist? I'll love to know!

Well, I think that's all for now, have fun everyone and be safe!! Lots of love!!

[cookinguptales]

tabikaeru tutorial

Hi! I've just been informed that the Tabikaeru tutorial that was previously posted to tumblr has been deleted, so here I am making a new one.

For the uninitiated, Tabikaeru is a Japanese mobile game that was released in 2017. It's about a little frog living in the forest who likes to travel around Japan and have adventures!

You can gather clover to purchase snacks and tools for your little frog so you can pack his bag for him, and in return, he'll send you photos from his travels and bring you little souvenirs.

I translated all of the extant snacks, souvenirs, tools, etc. back when the game first came out and stayed up to date for a couple years, but there are a few items from the most recent update that I haven't translated. There seems to be a lot of renewed interest in the game recently, so maybe I'll get on that...

Anyway! Y'all need to know how to get started before you can collect anything! So here's an English guide to the game's tutorial so you can send your frog on lots of cute little adventures.

(Note: I won't be putting in screenshots for every piece of dialogue due to Tumblr's image limit, but I will have the translations.)

Step one is to go to the app store and type in "tabikaeru", which means Frog Traveler or Travel Frog!

The one you want looks like this:

When you first boot it up, you'll see this screen:

This is just a screen begging you to turn tracking on! (Please turn tracking on, it'll let us target your ads better to you, you can turn it off from your settings whenever, etc.)

Every app does this these days (because they legally have to) and you can make your own decision, but I always tell it no. lmao

So just tap "Ask App not to Track" on the next screen. For me, that part was still in English.

Now we can start the game!

To the left, the start screen. To the right, one asking you to agree to the terms and conditions. The top button here will let you read all those TOS (which... I'm assuming you can't read anyway if you're using this tutorial, so ignore that), the left button is accept and the right is deny.

So tap the start button on the start screen (that's the white one), then the bottom left option on the next screen.

The next screen says, "There's a frog here. Let's give them a name!"

This is the screen where you can name your frog. It says, "Please input a name. Maximum 5 characters." [empty box] "You can change this name later."

I wrote in the name かっちゃん, or Kacchan, which is short for カーミト, or Kermit! (My original frog is named グレン/Glen, which is short for Grenouille. Don't worry, he still lives undisturbed on my cell phone!) From here on out, though, I'll be referring to my ipad frog as Kacchan.

Note: You can use Japanese or romanized characters in this box, depending on which keyboards you have installed, but remember that you only have five characters! This'll go a lot further in Japanese.

The next screen says, "[The frog] has gone inside their house. Let's take a peek inside."

Tap the little button that looks like a house at the lower right of the screen. It says おうち, which just means "home". You tap this button whenever you want to go inside your frog's house.

You'll find your frog inside trying to decide what to pack. Several text boxes in a row will say:

"They are preparing to go on a journey. Let’s give Kacchan a little help with their travel preparations."

"There are three kinds of provisions you can set out to help them prepare: packed lunches, lucky charms, and tools.

These items are essential for travel. Let’s give them a packed lunch."

"Travel supplies can be bought in the shop using three-leaf clovers. So first of all, let’s go out to the little garden near the house to harvest three-leaf clovers."

It'll then indicate the icon at the bottom of the screen. It looks like a little mailbox and says にわさき, or garden. Tap that button, which you can use to go outside. You'll then see a little hand, which is asking you to drag the clover garden into view.

Once you do that, you'll get this screen:

This is your clover garden, and it says, "Slide your finger over the three-leaf clovers to harvest them."

A little hand will point at the box in the top left of the screen (the one with the ♣ symbol) and it says, "You can check how many three-leaf clovers you've harvested here."

Then it says, "Harvest all the clovers from the field."

After you've done so, it'll say, "You found a four-leaf clover! When you’re looking in the field, sometimes you’ll find a rare four-leaf clover amongst all the three-leaf ones. These can be used as lucky charms during travel."

"This is a good opportunity, so let's make this into a lucky charm."

(A translation/cultural note on "omamori" here. I've translated it as "lucky charm" for ease of use in the tutorial, but I usually just say "omamori" in the rest of my guide.)

"We've finished harvesting the three-leaf clovers, so let's try using them to buy things in the shop."

It will then indicate the middle icon at the bottom. It looks like it has bags on it, and it says おみせ, or shop. Tap that button whenever you want to go to the shop.

"First, let's buy the very reasonable Ebidzuru Scone."

(Note: ebidzuru is a type of grape, so this is basically a raisin scone.)

Tap on the top left item (a fully translated shop guide can be found in my Tabikaeru guide) and you'll get this pop-up:

"Do you want to buy an ebidzuru scone? (Number owned: 0)"

On the left is yes, the right is no. You'll be seeing confirmation screens that look like this a lot as you play the game. It's always just asking you if you're sure you want to buy what you tapped on.

Then it will say, "Now let's prepare their travel supplies."

It will take you back to the screen where your frog is pondering their bag, and a hand will point at a wooden sign at the bottom left that says したく, or preparations. Tap that button.

This will take you to a blue screen. At the top, it says かばん, or bag. This is where you can pack your frog's travel bag.

At the top left, it says おべんとう, or packed lunch. At the top right, it says おまもり, or lucky charm. At the bottom, it says どうぐ, or tools. Below those boxes, there is a white button that says かんりょう, or complete.

"Please select ebidzuru scone for the packed lunch and the four-leaf clover as the lucky charm. Then, press the complete button."

(Tap on each dotted square beneath each label to choose what to assign. Don't worry about the tools for now, you can buy those later.)

Put the scone and the clover in your frog's bag, then tap the "complete" button at the bottom.

It will then say, "You are done making travel preparations. Please wait for Kacchan to begin their journey. *Because this is the tutorial, when the app reboots, Kacchan will leave."

And then, "App will now reboot."

Press okay, and the app will basically just make your frog leave for their journey immediately instead of making you wait for them to leave. This is only for the tutorial; you'll have to wait for your frog to be good and ready to go before they take off most of the time.

You will then see this message, which will become very familiar as you play this game:

"Kacchan is setting off."

(i.e. your frog is currently traveling.)

It then says, "Kacchan has departed. If you close the app and wait for a little while, they'll return. If you've made preparations for them, they'll come back in a few hours."

Basically, just close your app and be patient. It usually takes at least an hour or two for your frog to return, but sometimes it could even be a day or two if they're going somewhere really far. I recommend making sure you have notifications on so you're not constantly checking to see if your little dude is back.

(The "if you've made preparations for them" part just means that if you leave the game for a long time and don't put any food/items out for your frog, they'll be gone when you come back. They'll come home as soon as you put some food out for them. I guess your frog is just being self-sufficient.)

The game then says, "*If you go to ヘルプ (help) and turn notifications on, you'll get a notification when Kacchan returns home."

I think you probably will just get a pop-up that will ask you if you want to turn on notifications (in English), but if not, tap the menu button (top right, メニュー), then the right-most button, which has a question mark and ヘルプ on it. You'll then see this screen:

Don't worry about most of these for now. Just tap the top one, オプション/options, which will bring up this screen:

This is your settings screen.

I think the sliders are pretty self-explanatory. These are the background music and sound effects sliders. Beneath that, you have the notifications. Select on if you want them, off if you don't. At the bottom, you have your support ID, which you can use in case you need to contact them or transfer your game to a new device.

Anyway, back to the tutorial.

The game then says, "You don’t have to make preparations for Kacchan; they can come and go freely. But if you help them out and make preparations, they will send you photos of their journey and occasionally bring home souvenirs that they picked up here and there and give them to you as presents."

Again, this is just saying that the frog will leave and come home regardless, but if you put things in their bag, they'll bring you presents, which is how the game is played. In other words, your frog isn't gonna starve to death, but you won't make any headway in the game if you don't pack their bag.

(For a cultural note on "omiyage", which I've translated as "souvenir", see here.)

Then, "While your frog is gone, you can prepare for their next journey. To get ready, you can harvest three-leaf clovers and buy them things."

(So yes, come back regularly to harvest clover even if your frog isn't home.)

"The tutorial is now complete. Please have fun traveling with Kacchan!"

And they'll give you 500 three-leaf clovers and one four-leaf clover to get you started.

The official tutorial is done now, but I'll give you a little more information.

Sometimes you'll see a little letter hovering over your mailbox. This is where you get mail, which is typically items that you've received. If you tap the little white bubble in each message, you'll receive the item.

(The thing at the bottom is still just trying to get you to turn on tracking, ignore it.)

This is what the notification looks like when your frog is home! It says, "Kacchan has returned."

Now I'll show you what it looks like when your frog comes home.

"Kacchan has returned."

"They brought you souvenirs."

The top part, or いっぴん/ippin/masterpiece, is a special item that your frog can get from each location. They'll probably have to go to each location a few times to get its masterpiece/ippin.

The second part is the めいぶつ/meibutsu, or regional specialties. There are different foods your frog can bring back from different locations, and those foods can be used to feed friends when they come to call.

For more information on these items and how they're used (and how to entertain friends), please look at my Tabikaeru guide.

Your frog will also probably bring home some three-leaf clovers and a lottery ticket. For more info on the lottery, you can also see the guide.

"A photo has been delivered."

Your frog will often send you photos. This could be from the place they visited, it could be photos of the journey, or it could be friends they made along the way. The photos are always super fun and cute, though.

It's Nagoya Castle! :)

If you want to keep the photo, tap the button on the right. For more info on photos, please look at the guide.

You'll probably get this pop-up when you first come home:

"You've acquired the 'Solo Traveler' title."

As the game progresses, you'll gain more titles as you complete more objectives. Tap on your frog when they're home to change their name or title. For more info on titles -- you guessed it, check out the guide.

You'll get pop-ups explaining the title, the tools, and the desk.

I just explained the title thing, then the tools can be bought in the shop just like the food (see guide), and the desk is really similar to the bag.

The desk is used just like the bag, except it's how you prepare for future journeys. After you fill your frog's bag, you can also put lucky charms, boxed lunches, and tools on the desk. When your frog comes home, they will automatically refill their bag with what's on the desk. So if you're not around, your frog will be fairly self-sufficient.

(Now if the desk is empty for too long, your frog will not bring you anything until you put stuff on it.)

Unlike the bag, do not hit the button at the bottom when you're done. That's the "clear" button, and it will clear all desk slots.

The desk can be accessed from the prep button just like the bag, just hit the arrow to switch between the two.

There's a lot more to the game, like seasonal tickets, visiting friends, etc. but you can find all that as well as translations of all the food/tools/souvenirs in my guide.

I hope you end up loving this game as much as I do! Please let me know if you have any questions that aren't answered by this or the guide! 🐸💜

[spumonibones]

Chasing Wings: Ch. 02 Lore/Story

Chapter Two (Ao3) | Chapter Two (Tumblr)

Chapter One (Ao3) | Chapter One (Tumblr)

Lore+Notes under cut!

As always, if you have any lore that indicates otherwise, please let me know! Though this is canon divergent, I do want to stay as compliant with the world much as possible. Additionally, I just love learning new lore! Or even if you have a fun fact you want to share!!

STORY:

• You may be wondering, "Why is Zhongli around so soon, and why is Rex Lapis already gone? Did the Osial events already happen?"

→I needed Rex Machina (pun, sorry), so he's there now. No, Osial events haven't happened. Haven't decided the method in which he announces his "depature," but once decided will likely incorporate that into the story itself. I want to try to write a special "after story summary," of the changes in what happens for when the Traveler comes in.

LORE: • Liyue VS Mondstadt Poetry. The Poetry event established this; in addition to making sense given the places each area is inspired by/based on.

STORY: • Millelith carrying people - that is made up. But I have faith Zhongli could convince them to do it. I have been trying to find the specific cut scene he convinces a man to give you something for free, but I don't remember what the item name was, which NPC it was, or which event it was!! But I did find a cut scene for a different note, so my struggle wasn't entirely in vain.

LORE: • "Osmanthus Wine." Ah yes. The iconic Zhongli line. I had to. But also... According to Wikipedia, Osmanthus wine is "the traditional choice" for a reunion wine during the Moon Festival. I have never been to one, that involves leaving my room and talking to people. And also money to go somewhere (of which doesn't exist). So I'm trusting wiki on this. If you have more accurate info, please let me know and I will correct it.

STORY: • In this chapter, especially, there's a little voice that keeps talking to Venti regarding Zhongli that helps him be more "him." That isn't important now, but it will be later. Call it foreshadowing.

STORY/LORE: • Venti doesn't remember what Visions or Archons are, and I am not subjecting you, the reader, to a reminder. So I tried to have that explained "off screen" so to speak, and focus on the changes I made so that you're caught up with the differences.

STORY/LORE: • Morax and Barbatos' relations - do they get along? In spite of what their voicelines would lead you to believe, these two are definitely friends! Lantern Rite 3.4 more or less sealed that they have the sort of friendship that involves teasing each other, but they both still have a deep respect for their individual talents and skills. They both also cling to their lost friends/family, as you can see in individual character stories and very naturally are quite attached. To me at least, it makes sense that if Morax thought Barbatos had died, he would mourn his friend. Same thing for Barbatos. →Additionally, in version 2.5 the event "Of Drink A-Dreaming," Zhongli goes to Monstadt, visits Angel's Share and orders a drink. The following Lantern Rite (version 3.4) (you can watch the whole thing, but thought this was a good starting place!) has Venti visiting. I would absolutely NOT put it past Zhongli to invite Venti, and then actively ignore him just to see what he does. Venti seeking out Xiao seems unrelated, and to be Venti just genuinely seeking out and wanting to help Xiao. Or, if you're like-minded (and you would only be here if you are), Zhongli invited Venti to visit during Lantern Rite and avoided him solely to try and get Venti and Xiao together. Zhongli geniunely wants what's best for Xiao, and I think we all agree that Venti falls in that category. 10/10. →(Fun fact! Qiaoying Village is mentioned by Zhongli in the 2.5 event, and was not released until 4.4!)

LORE: • “Anyone in Liyue would do what they could to support our adepti, and those that have saved them." Given that even the Treasure Hoarders would rather stop what they're doing than cross an adeptus, I feel pretty confident this is canon compliant.

Chapter 02 Song/Lyrics: "Drinks Bring Back Memories" Memories by Maroon 5 Had to look up songs about friendship, and this one was PRACTICALLY PERFECT minus the line about "carrying torches." That is typically implying romantic emotions, and the relationship between Zhongli and Venti (Morax and Barbatos) is purely platonic in this story. If you, the reader, wish to interpret it differently for your own joy, I shan't stop you.