#subtle foreshadowing /j

[ellis-jackson-stuff]

V A L E N T I N E ‘ S ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

How nice of him.

He’s always put effort in what he did, that is clear from one glance in his direction. Concern fills me when I glimpse at those exhausted eyes and tired smiles. He’s always worked a lot, and I feel the urge to drag him away from his worktable or office in general every time he speaks up raspily. I don’t want to see him work himself to death. I’ve seen him get too close to it way more than neccessary.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡

I wanted to do something nice for him. I don’t have the money, nor the resources, so I DIY-ed a piece of jewelry. A pair of earrings, cheap at first glance, yet it didn’t matter to me if he wore them or not. I can’t say I would be surprised. He was…truly happy about it.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡

He deserved so much more. For all the hard times I gave him, the arguments, the unspeakable things I’ve said…I should’ve put together the last of my savings and gotten him something from outside the isles. Something worthy of a man with such patience. I’m happy he’s pleased.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡

He…he got me flowers. And sewed me something. I’m aware he’s a designer, but…the effort made me smile bright enough for the corners of my mouth to hurt. He took me out, to the log where we fixed things. It seemed to be so long ago…yet none of it mattered under the moonlight. It was perfect.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡

I love you, Javier. I hope nothing will ever happen to us again.

[guppyscolita]

Inquiry

[cto10121]

R&J Clown Takes Round ♾️ Part 14

Featuring a lot of recycled clownery, some comments on the recent Jamie Lloyd production, which looks to be a mess of clownery as well, and R&J being such a ~~light-hearted comedy. On nom nom

Tag yourself, I’m “a critic second.”

I like how Clown OP had to act like the Chorus’ very flattering and romantic description of R&J was a literal prophecy. 🤣 Like R&J were some Lord of the Rings-esque fantasy novel.

So “star-crossed lovers” have nothing to do with R&J being destined to fall in love. It literally means “crossed by the stars.” As in, the forces of the universe hate their guts and fucked them over. This idea is repeated with the Friar saying that Death is “enamored” with Romeo’s parts (the French musical as always picked up on that brilliantly) and that he and Juliet are “wedded to calamity.”

You said it, Clown OP! Fuck *checks list* Titanic, Casablanca, Pyramus and Thisbe, The Fault in Our Stars, Brokeback Mountain, Moulin Rouge, The Bridges of Madison County, The Notebook, The English Patient, and all of dem cats. No one on this earth has ever or will ever think of these as love stories!!!!

“The families weren’t paying attention—” The Capulets tried to marry Juliet off because she “wept immoderately” for Tybalt’s death. Because she felt sad for the death of her own cousin. Before that they kept Juliet under almost constant supervision, and Juliet herself is called for at least three times.

The only accusation of neglect that may ring true is the Montagues, who are so hands-off they have to get freakin’ Benvolio, their own nephew, to find out about their own son. Even so, they seem much nicer than the Capulets. Lady M died of heartbreak over Romeo’s banishment and even in his madness Romeo made sure to let his parents know via letter of his intentions.

“R&J Is A Comedy!!1!!1” Round ♾️

So this is what happens in the “light-hearted” first half of the play before Mercutio’s and Tybalt’s deaths that these clowns insist is a comedy:

Sampson and Gregory joke about killing and raping Montague women

Tybalt threatens to murder Benvolio and attacks him

The Prince threatens to execute anyone who disturbs the peace again

Romeo talks about how Rosaline has sworn never to have sex and what an awful waste it is that she won’t open her legs to that sweet golden cum 😔

Capulet thinks Juliet is too young for marriage, but Paris cheerfully says that younger girls than she is (13-14) are already “happy mothers” 🤢

Lady Capulet tells Juliet that she was around her age (13-14) when she had Juliet—so that makes it a-OK to get her married!

The Nurse reminisces fondly about the time her husband joked about two-year-old Juliet having sex eventually when she gets smarter. Not older. Smarter. 🤮Oh, and she also casually drops the fact that the Capulets left Juliet with the Nurse and said husband while they were in Mantua doing fuck knows what

Mercutio’s fantastical Queen Mab speech becomes dark really quickly as he talks about raping virgins

Romeo has a presentiment of his untimely demise…which eventually comes true

Juliet worries that their love will be “like lightning”—here and gone before you know it

The Nurse believes Paris is hotter/better than Romeo for Juliet, which makes Juliet mad, foreshadowing their rupture

The Friar gives a dark warning in his famous “These violent delights” speech about the longevity of too-swift love

I think it’s obvious that there are attempts by Shakespeare to 1) satirize the feud and violent Veronian society and its gender roles and 2) foreshadow Romeo and Juliet’s death and set up the tragedy re: the Nurse’s betrayal of Juliet.

Just because a tragedy isn’t all doom and woe for 2 hours doesn’t mean it isn’t a tragedy. There is the danger, yes, of a production being 100% intense 100% of time; the dark comedy/satire is very much necessary from a thematic standpoint. I reckon that was the fault of this Jamie Lloyd one. But I read this shit when I was 10 and Mercutio’s and Tybalt’s deaths didn’t surprise me at ALL. It was an “oh shit” moment, sure. But I definitely understood why it occurred and I was not surprised. A good R&J production should have that same feeling.

[nottakingresponsibility]

*tapes the yellow pig to the wall*

There. Gotta display such a nice picture, right? :) Too bad I don't have any picture frames.

It was a small gesture, but a nice one. "Yeah I... I guess so. Thank you I.. I feel a little better."

[hyper-fixates]

let me offer some subtle foreshadowing for this oneshot :)

that headcanon was made to be written for dofp/70s!logan cause those kitty ears do be voluminous, but feel free to insert whichever logan you prefer!

tags/warnings: 18+ — afab!reader (no pronouns/gendered language), oral sex (reader receiving), munch!logan, explicit language, fingering, teasing, use of “baby” once, edging, light biting (let me know if anything was missed!).

Logan is ever the perfect example of a walking contradiction.

A rough voice but gentle words. A soft touch but purposeful fingers. A guarded nature but a caring heart.

He juxtaposes himself. Every characteristic, every feature, has a partner in crime that shows you his versatility as a person and as something more.

The full, styled tufts of his hair graze the inside of your thighs with every deep lick up your slit.

Your legs rest over his bare shoulders while your heels slide up and down his back in restless pleasure; you have to dispel the tension in your muscles somehow.

“You’re shaking, baby,” Logan mumbles against your clit, readjusting the grip he has wrapped around the tops of your thighs.

He’s got you locked down. His hands slid along your hips and around to the top of each thigh, peeling them apart and keeping you tight against his hungry mouth. You couldn’t move in the slightest even if you tried. And you’ve tried.

A light gasp is ripped from you as his lips catch your clit. “It’s j-just, ah, a lot,” you breathe, eyes fuzzy with bliss.

Everything between Logan’s warm tongue to the ends of his hair brushing up against the tender skin along your thighs has introduced your body to new lengths of perception its never experienced before.

He’s been toying with you for half an hour. Half an hour of fleeting kisses, firm licks, and harsh sucks to your clit with the occasional finger or two pumping slowly inside you to back you away from the edge you’ve been chasing.

He’d take his mouth off of you, slipping his index or middle finger, or both, inside you as a reprieve; it would calm your impending orgasm but still keep you excited enough to soak his fingers for the few minutes he’d be pumping them into you.

You think he’d be able to get off on the sound of your cunt swallowing his fingers alone—a subtle squelching that puts just how desperate you are on display.

Logan pulls away from your pussy, turning to smear wet, messy kisses along the inside of your left thigh—this does nothing to soothe your aching cunt. If anything, it makes it worse. Feeling him right there but not where you want him.

“You want a break?” He asks, still scattering kisses while he loosens his grip on you, rubbing his hands comfortingly around your hips. You grab two of his fingers and squeeze them in your grip lovingly.

You arch into the touch slightly with a protesting groan. You don’t have the energy to lift your head to meet his playful hazel eyes, so you speak to the ceiling. “No—keep going. It hurts,”

Everything is on fire. Everything is throbbing. Your cunt is sore, tired of the teasing, but you want more of it. You want to drip through his sheets, coat his tongue, and feel the tips of his hair caress the sensitive skin inside your thighs.

“Mhm, I know, I know.” He gently nips at the skin adjacent to your cunt along the crevice of your thigh, not trying to break skin or leave a mark.

Your swollen clit gladly welcomes his clever tongue back. He gives three broad strokes before sliding down to your hole, lightly prodding it in quick motions that makes the tip of his nose bump against your clit.

“Ah, fuck. Fuck,” you whine, nearly wanting to start kicking against his back.

He buries his face so deep in you that his hair brushes your thighs with each keen mouthful of your pussy. Up, down, up, down.

You barely hear his moans over your own, but you know they’re there. You can feel them. They travel right through you—they vibrate against your clit—and you start clenching around nothing.

You want to clamp your thighs together, but his strong hands keep you open, and there’s nothing you can do but take it.

It’s a whole different level of euphoria when you aren’t able to control your pleasure. Logan knows that, and he likes to abuse that knowledge.

Your lungs can’t seem to get enough air to make up for how fast Logan’s stealing it from you with every stroke of his tongue.

He wraps his warm lips entirely around your clit, sucking just enough for your muscles to tense as he flicks the bud soothingly with the tip of his tongue.

You’re basically crying out with every exhale, wrapped up in tingling, sharp pleasure that has your lower body burning and every part of your cunt begging for relief.

“Oh, please. Please, please, please,” you chant, sliding a hand through his hair and grabbing a handful to anchor yourself.

He grunts, giving a hard roll of his tongue that has you coming on his sheets.

Thankfully, Logan doesn’t push you any further, even if he likes to most of the time. He gives mercy to your cunt, removing his mouth but letting a curious finger slide along your slit and down to your hole to feel how much cum he’ll get out of you.

He pushes in an inch or so, feeling your walls fluttering and pulsing.

You might be numb down there now. You nor your body acknowledge his wandering finger.

You lay with your eyes closed as you try to control your rapid heartbeat. A careful hand glides up along your side to your chest before stopping at the base of your neck.

You crack your eyes open to see Logan leaning beside you, gaze tracing down your quivering body.

“Nice work,” you say, a satisfied smirk pulling at your lips.

He raises a brow. “You do something long enough…you get good at it.” He shrugs, matching your wicked smirk.

A hundred-something years of experience, you remind yourself.

He lets himself fall on top of you, his damp facial hair chafing against your throat as he presses firm kisses along your jaw in praise.

Two fingers press into your cheek, turning your head towards his. You let your neck roll to the side.

His lips catch your own. You let him work your mouth open, tasting the remnants of your cum as he drags his tongue over yours enthusiastically.

“I’m so fucking hard right now,” he says against your lips, giving you a rather forceful kiss before you have to pull yourself away to laugh.

Logan is someone that will always give you both sides of himself—hard and soft, rough and gentle, stern and loving.

You feel very lucky to get it all.

[forsaken-headcanons]

7n7 and c00lkidd stuff because people don't seem to talk about these guys that much (/j) (/lh)

7n7's glasses weren't just for his eyesight, but also functioned as computer glasses. without them, he quickly gets awful headaches whenever he looks at a screen. part of the reason why the c00lgui takes so long to use is because his head is killing him the entire time (don't mind me just projecting a bit).

although 7n7 doesnt recognize c00lkidd, sometimes when he hears c00lkidd get hurt during a round, he instinctively goes into dad mode and starts running towards him to check on him. it takes a few seconds for him to "realize" he's running straight towards a monster for no reason

(both 7n7 and the other survivors are aware that 7n7 isn't very physically fit or strong, and overall isn't actually that intimidating outside his old hacker persona. all the more reason why shedletsky will never admit he felt pure, unadultered terror that one time he hit c00lkidd with his sword and saw 7n7 BOOKING it towards him with murderous intent. he's taking that image to his grave.)

c00lkidd would always try and sneak off with 7n7's c00lgui, despite his dad's best efforts to keep him away from it. eventually, 7n7 gave up and decided to make a downgraded c00lgui that was safer to mess around with. (c00lkidd eventually figured out how to access the more powerful and undesirable features anyways, but 7n7 didn't need to know that.)

pre-forsaken, 7n7 mostly used the clones to watch over c00lkidd while he was at work. he HATED relying on them for childcare and knew the kid deserved to have his actual father around, or at least a real human being in general, but he literally had no choice; he was working multiple jobs, he couldn't afford babysitting, and there wasn't anyone he could turn to for help. it was one of his deepest regrets while taking care of c00lkidd.

anyways c00lkidd thought the fact that his dad could clone himself was the coolest thing ever (cue subtle foreshadowing "i wanna be just like him one day"). nowadays, his only gripe is that 7n7 keeps using them to cheat at "tag".

(his name is 7n7 he made the clone. sorry but 7n7's getting a jackie's box skin soon, you are Not escaping jackie's box)

Excuse me. He is getting a what skin. You're joking.

Oh God you're right. Why did you tell me. I wanted to stay blissfully unaware.

[m4fios0]

“ i will. i swear.

don't forget you're my friend too – if you need anything, i'm always here. y'know i never fully stay down, ”

> [ he tried making light of the situation, smiling. standing back up, he double checked to make sure the bandages were on securely . ]

??? Ettore is everything ok ?

@wires-for-veins ))

;; “ i feel fine. why wouldn't i, apollo? ”

> [ the tear in his chest and awfully stretched neck said otherwise. also the fact that he didn't even have his sword holstered – he only had his hat. although, the gifted leaves were fastened to it now. ]

[sinningshapes]

hey blixer, why're you worried about dirty anon's? your already infected so I dono how it'd get worse, though that's based off my assumption on whatever your infected with goes by the "called dibs" logic whenever a different type of infection wants to take hold

 

 

 

□, pov mv blixer /j

  But to clarify things!  😼

He has permanent open wounds that he takes great care of, so he doesn't like any risk of bacteria. In the sense he has compulsive cleaning.

While the in world infection of the au works like more of a varied and or exaggeration/alternative of diseases. Due to this, it is rather infectious that leads to Blixer's paranoia. While most bacterias are safe, due to the severity of the infection I plan, it causes more harm towards his open wounds. Essentially, "subtle foreshadowing".

So being a touchy subject to him, he takes great offense to it. As his wounds are open, due to no matter the bandaging it has the same probability of infection as if it was uncovered.

There is a lot more but I'm still refining it!

[barrenclan]

YOUUUUU. YOU. HOW DARE YOU (/J)

How DARE you be so good at spinning an engaging narrative with copious amounts of subtle foreshadowing!? How DARE you make me FEEL THINGS FOR FICTIONAL CATS (/J)

This mirrored image of Cormorant + Pine vs Rain + Dust??

"Oh, finally. It's here to kill you."

CHILLS.

AND THIS!!! i know Corm was generalizing but YEAH IT REALLY FREAKIN' SUCKS WHEN SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS TO YOUR SISTER(S). H E C K .

How am i meant to emotionally recover from this?!? (/LH)

Eheheh. I very much wanted to reference the panel of Cormorantpaw cast by moonlight with Rainhaze's panel, except there's no light coming from him...

Cormorantpaw knows a lot about abuse from people who are supposed to take care of you, and seeing it happen to your family.

[hellfirefoxboy]

Something funny I think about a lot is that as a kid I’d always play as a type of animal (cats wolves and OF COURSE foxes and dogs (subtle foreshadowing /j)) with my friends but unlike everyone else who would walk around on there hands and knees I would run on my hands and feet and would say “I don’t get why you’re on your knees, it doesn’t look right! Animals walk like this!” (Not in a mean way but I was just confused LMAO) and I think this is so funny…. Doing quads as a kid without realizing…. Subtle therian foreshadowing….

[trashogram]

When i write this pls delete my tumblr if those fans are coming at my head//j

Srsly but i need someone to talk about this. My only concern and complain about the Helluva Boss finale is at episode 11 and 12. For Episode 11 i was shocked and did'nt actually thought stolas would be there in the episode. My mind was like: "Dude, are'nt you and Blitz are still not on good terms from Apology tour and you come to the trial as if you care for him??" That is the moment i knew something is wrong with the shows writing. It just does'nt make sense for Stolas immediately want to save Blitz there when the other episode before they are still not good with each other. It's so rushed for me to the point i feel weird watching the ending and hard to have sympathy with the story now.

With episode 12, I hate how everyone overlook Octavia as "not appreciating Stolas who 'try' to be a good father" Reminder to you that she's a teenager. She never understood whats going on around her. Seeing your parents fight and find out one of them was the problem of course you would turn against them as well. Its just frustrating for me.

Also Pilot Stolas could have been something we can get ALL ALONG. I JUST HAVE THIS FEELING THAT PILOT STOLAS COULD BE MORE LIKEABLE THAN SHOW STOLAS.

I will never bored myself to say this but i will sell my soul to litteraly anyone who is willing to re write this 2 show. Litteraly. They. Could've done. Better. Thats all from me.

Anyone that comes after you for being critical of Helluva Boss is an idiot. Period. And they’re not worth deleting your tumblr for, hon. Don’t sweat it. I’ll gather you under my wings like a mother bird and shelter you from their obnoxious tantrum-ing.

But I see what you’re saying, and yeah the writing is atrocious. Personally I started getting irritated by the time of (S1:E6) Truth Seekers and (S1:E7) Ozzie’s bc of the back-to-back hits on Blitzø (which was subtle foreshadowing for the real horrors to come and sweet summer child me had no idea 😣) and then (S2:E1) The Circus began the true spiral into total disillusion when they had the audacity to use SA as a tool for sympathizing with Stolas.

I’m done watching the show as of the Season 2 finale because I’m not a fujoshi girl by any means, and that’s the only reason I can think of anyone sincerely enjoying that crap — but then I know others may have a higher tolerance for bullshit than myself.

If Viv knew better, she would’ve done minimal to no writing for the show and allowed Brandon Rogers to be the head writer. We would’ve gotten pilot!Stolas then, my dear.

RIP Creepy Bird Mouth 😔

[an-actual-attack-helicopter]

Book 6, Episode 5: Moonless Night Analysis/Commentary

Viren's trapped in a dungeon, he hasn't been forgiven, and he doesn't have Aaravos on his side anymore. Like a fly trapped in a web, he struggles to escape his inevitable death. This is where the foreshadowing really begins. The fly wasn't going to get out of this one alive.

OKAY BUT IS THAT GONNA HELP ANYONE OTHER THAN YOU, VIREN LMAO

But yeah. Take note of how selfish he is here, even if it's subtle. He isn't thinking about what his son needs. Not at all. He just wants everything to be okay again.

Here I think Viren does way better. He admits what he has done wrong. But if he is expecting everything to become sunshine and rainbows after this, he is mistaken.

He's off to go listen to some Three Days Grace or something. I. HATE. EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUU!!! /lyrics

Man, he was on the right track here. He was soooo close to understanding the he just needed to shut his trap for a second lmao

Rayla and Stella = Luna Tenebris and Esmeray. I wonder if they will explore that parallel more? RAYLA BECOMES THE DRAGON QUEEN CONFIRMED?????? /j

this is what i say when people are bummed about character death lol. characters cant die. they were never even alive in the first place

I feel like I've heard this somewhere before...

this is such a cool sentence.

Let us ascend to the zenith and witness the moonless night.

OH MY GOD HE SAID THE TITLE 😱😱😱

boop

Also we should start calling her "Daughter of the Moon" instead of Rayla.

ok viren had actually cooked this time. he did way better. he went from rambling to actually thinking about his son. and it only took being locked in a dungeon trapped with his thoughts so he was forced to think about it /s.

And finally, Aaravos approaches his weakened prey.

[polyhexian]

Murder drones pre-finale marathon begins. The new episode actually starts airing in two minutes but I wanted to wait until nightfall anyway. And also I want to be able to pause if like. I spill a drink or something. And my roommate left so now I have the house to myself. So it's time for a rewatch!!!

First thing is the same thing I always note when i watch the pilot again. It's incredible how MUCH the animation has improved over the last few years. And it was already great! I have also noted only the first episode has their eyes floating inside their visors rather than displayed on top, so when they turn their head to the side you can see both eyes. I definitely like the update.

The first episode also includes a lot of extra exaggerated subtle motion thats supposed to give it life but makes it look ever so slightly like motion capture rather than animation with intent behind it. The rigs improve so much along with the lipsync. And they were ALREADY good.

Tho, like future episodes, it can be a little too literally dark at times. That's why I want to watch it at night so badly; daytime screen glare really is a nuisance.

The humour is still perfect though. Absolutely incredible comedic timing. It's so SNAPPY and knows exactly how long to make a shot, how far to take a joke. And everyone's line delivery is positively incredible. Michael kovac is truly living for this role lol. He just sounds so delighted the entire time.

The score for MD is always great but they certainly have less diversity in episode one.

"sure. I love doing anything!" Is the single funniest line delivery I've ever heard in my life.

It's so funny seeing the v intro scene again because it's like. "Oh god, who are you?" Is so funny because. She can't see him. V knows exactly who he is because they've known each other forever. But she needs glasses lmfao. She's like oh god what the fuck who are you because he's a blob. Foreshadowing you don't know is foreshadowing!!

"I left an extremely dangerous we- excuse outside!" Fhjrjdjr

I love how n's legs look. They just have this extremely satisfying style the way they're designed. I actually like v and J's weird hips and legs but since there's only three murder drones anyway I think they should have given J something different. they fit V to a T but I think you could do something different for J that was more specifically her and offer some more design diversity! J should have feet. Maybe some smart Business Heels or something. Or, she's got kind of a very light gothic Lolita thing going on. Idk.

God I love when Khan abandons Uzi and even N is like damn that was fucked up wow.

Im hoping to get a bit of closure on this in the end but J's entire shtick is the whole business boss thing. But obviously we know now that earth has Exploded so. There isn't a company left sending orders. N notes SOMEONE was sending her orders and we know that was Cyn as Tessa and I suspect J does not know Tessa is Cyn, but technically that's not confirmed I think. But sort of. J's big ol business thing. I wonder if we may get further context on that personality trait.

It's VERY funny watching Doll in this episode like girl why ain't you doing anything

LOVE how N just picks her up like a cat and puts her on his shoulders. Just like it's nothing. Up you go, Uzi!

Love how the stinger at the end of uzi laughing maniacally about killing all humans never really comes to anything. Like it sets it up as if that's the plot, they're going to go attempt to do that. But no lol that's nothing

Next episode we go!

[snarkformysanity]

House of Earth and Blood Chapter 16

It's been a long and annoying week at work, so I'll be taking my frustrations out on the book.

We open with Ruhn smoking weed.

Lying on his bed, specially shaped Fae headphones over his arched ears, Ruhn closed his eyes and let the thumping bass and sizzling, soaring synthesizer of the music send him drifting.

Speaking of work, I do sound, so I will of course be nitpicking this. Firstly, "arched" doesn't tell us much about how specially-shaped the headphones will need to be. Are they like human ears, but slightly pointy? There's no need to re-shape the headphones at all, then, apart from aesthetics.

Or does "arched" mean that they are significantly longer than our ears, sticking out to the side or the back? In either case, if the headphone doesn't ultimately seal against your head, they're going to be pretty useless, because they 1) won't stay on and 2) even if they did stay on, will let all the ambient noise spill in and ruin your listening experience.

Secondly, I'm gonna have to be sceptical of that "thumping" bass. Most of the time when we perceive bass to be "thumping," it's from the physical force of air coming from enormous subwoofers slamming into our bodies, not inherent to the bass itself. That's why things sound "better" when you turn them up - more volume means more air, which means more thump. The cones in headphones simply cannot be that big, otherwise we wouldn't be able to wear them on our heads.

Ugh, I don't know, maybe I just spend too much time around enormous subwoofers. I need to move on, this is like the second paragraph of the chapter.

Anyway, as you've probably gathered, Ruhn is high and listening to music. He's mad because of his father's orders.

A scent like lilac and nutmeg filled the room. Female, Fae … If one of the females partying downstairs had shown herself into his room, thinking she’d get a nice, sweaty ride with a Prince of the Fae, she’d be sorely disappointed.

Ah yes, I forgot what a big, grown-up book this was, with all the sex references.

Anyway, it's Bryce. Ruhn makes no comment about thinking his sister had come to sex him.

At least she was in normal clothes for once. Even if the jeans were painted on and the cream-colored sweater left little to the imagination.

The jeans were... painted on? What the fuck does that mean? Is she wearing jeans, or is her lower half covered in paint?

Ruhn’s head spun as he narrowed his eyes at her, blinking at the halo of starlight that danced around her head, at her feet.

Foreshadowing that perhaps Bryce is actually meant to be the Chosen Starsword-Wielder, perhaps?

The sword glimmered with starlight, too. He could have sworn the damn thing was singing.

Okay, I was (kinda) joking with that previous quote, but... it might actually be the case?

Ruhn alludes to the fight he and Bryce had without telling us what it's about, and-

...his vision surrounding the scene glinting with starlight, starlight, starlight.

Jeeze, it's not even trying to be subtle.

Anyway, Bryce goes to get him water, and Ruhn follows, determined not to let her wander into the "warren of sin" (party) downstairs. The book tells us that Ruhn is a party boy who does many drugs and many sex and all that stuff. For a change. Such a spread of character traits we have in this book. In fact he and his roommates party so much that their previous house fell down, and he suspects this one will soon follow.

...you know that's not really an admirable trait, book? Why does this whole book sound like a teenager who's just discovered that sex and parties exist and thinks they're the coolest things ever?

If the Autumn King knew the shit they did in this house, there was no way he or any other City Head would allow them to lead the Fae Aux division. No way Micah would ever tap him to take his father’s place on that council. But getting wasted was for off-nights only. Never when on duty or on call.

'Cause it's not like that shit lingers in your system or anything. Ugh. I just... I'm tired. And people who think they're hot shit because they smoke a lot of weed make me more tired. Also, contrary to what hardcore party people tend to think, it's actually pretty obvious that you regularly get wasted to the people around you. Even if you limit it to "off-nights only."

Bryce goes downstairs.

He entered in time to see Bryce striding past the pool table in the rear of the long, cavernous space. A few Aux warriors stood around it, females with them, deep in a game.

So, no females in the Aux, then, I guess? *sighs*

Someone named Tristan is "presiding" over this game. He has a pretty dryad in his lap.

All it usually took was one look and females crawled into Tristan Flynn’s lap just like the tree nymph, or—if the look was more of a glower—any enemies outright bolted.

Him and literally every other character in this book it seems - the sexiest thing since sex and also the uberscariest. Please, book, I beg you, please can we have one character who doesn't fit this description? Just one?

Ah, but Bryce doesn't fawn all over him, of course. She's the main character, and Flynn is not the love interest, and thus she's immune to those irresistible charms we've just been told about.

There's someone else called Declan there, who hacks the government to make money.

Declan called from the sectional couch at the other end of the living room, a laptop on his knee and a very interested draki male half-sprawled over him

Idk what a draki is, but I'm going to imagine he looks like the dracthyr from WoW. Because I can. And because I don't think the book has actually told us what they are.

All the bit characters are interested in Bryce, uberscary Flynn growls at them to back off, they do. Bryce comes back from the kitchen with water. She commented earlier that she couldn't talk to Ruhn while he was high - I really hope the water is not going to be an insta-cure.

Fae impulse—to be drawn to music, and to love it. Perhaps the one side of her heritage she didn’t mind.

Something creature-related that isn't sex???? I???? Can we have more of this please????

Anyway, Bryce again says she wants to talk to Ruhn, then banters with Flynn a bit. He gets her a drink. Ruhn thinks about how this is apparently a rough part of town (which is naturally where rich party kids would live) and he doesn't want Bryce roaming the streets.

She waved a hand, not touching the whiskey in her other. “My imperial escort is outside. Scaring everyone away, don’t worry.”

*sigh* Well, it was good while it lasted.

Declan and Flynn go still (because of course), and Bryce banters with Ruhn for a bit.

Ruhn ground out, “Let’s hear it, Bryce.” Odds were, she’d come here just to piss him off. She didn’t respond immediately, though.

Of course she didn't, we need more padding. Never going to get to 90 chapters otherwise.

No, first, Ruhn has to infodump to us for a page about how Flynn and Declan are his best friends, and how they went through The Ordeal together, and then he has to infodump about The Ordeal and what it is (pretty much exactly what it says on the tin), and how it scales with the power level of the fae, and how he got his sword from his Ordeal, and Declan anchored him during the Drop, etc, etc. I'm sure it's all going to be extremely relevant and important. I will pull out this bit, though:

his two friends with him, when they’d all gone through their Ordeal, nearly dying in the process.

because it sounds suspiciously familiar. Book, I was joking when I said Ruhn was descended from Rhys. With how controlling and stalker-y Hunt is being, I'm going to be forced to assume he's the fake-out Tamlin equivalent, and her fucking brother is the true romance path. Please, no.

Anyway, Bryce doesn't want to talk to Ruhn in front of the others, so they banter for another page before Ruhn takes her back to his bedroom. And stands by the bed. No, the book really did mention it twice like that.

Bryce leaned against the door, the wood peppered with holes from all the knives he’d chucked at it for idle target practice.

Come to think of it, what is it with YA (and faux-A, like this) and throwing knives? I don't remember the last time I read a book where a knife was actually used as a knife, instead of thrown. And I've yet to see a single book acknowledge that knives and throwing knives are two different things. Who started this?

Bryce asks about someone called the Viper Queen, because apparently Maximus's murder happened on her turf. Ruhn avoids answering the question for a page so he can repeat what we already know and imply that this Viper Queen is uberscary in the usual fashion. Anyway, he doesn't know anything about her, except that she pulled all her people from the street on the night of the murder.

.....and... you don't find that suspicious, Ruhn?

Apparently not, because he moves right on to telling Bryce she's done being the Governor's investigator, then comparing her to their father. Something about storms and being scary, idk.

Bryce was just one of those people who, once she’d set her sights on what she wanted, didn’t let anything get in her way. If she wanted to sleep around, she did it. If she wanted to party for three days straight, she did it. If she wanted to catch Danika’s murderer …

And yet, Hunt was bitching about how she's doing jack shit to find this murderer... also, I feel like partying + sleeping around and catching a murderer are two slightly different skillsets.

Anyway, Ruhn tries to argue her into dropping the case, Bryce refuses because "Jesiba signed off on it," and apparently that's good enough for Ruhn. He then randomly changes the subject to ask about Luna's Horn.

Bryce’s brows lifted at the shift in subject[...]“She had me look for it two years ago,” Bryce said warily. “But it was a dead end. Why?” “Never mind.”

Was this clunky little segue just to remind us that this plot point exists, book?

Speaking of reminding us that plot points exist, Ruhn notices Bryce's special protection amulet and tells her not to take it off. The subject is then immediately dropped, and Bryce asks him to tell her if he finds anything about the Viper Queen, then leaves.

Ruhn counted to ten, if only to keep from snapping the nearest object in half, and then vaulted over the railing, landing so hard that the scuffed oak planks shuddered. He felt, more than saw, his friends fall into place behind him, hands within easy reach of their hidden weapons, drinks discarded as they read the fury on his face.

Book, you were just going on about how they were all completely wasted. You can't just ignore that because it's inconvenient now.

Anyway, he sees Bryce walk towards, and then past, Hunt.

Bryce just breezed past him without so much as a glance. Causing Athalar to slowly turn, arms slackening at his sides, as if such a thing had never happened in his long, miserable life. And wasn’t that enough to put Ruhn in a killing sort of mood.

No, I'm not sure why this puts Ruhn in a killing mood. Hunt looking slightly put-out makes him want to kill things?

Ruhn cleared the porch and front lawn and stepped into the street, holding out a hand to the car that skidded to a screeching halt. His hand hit the hood, fingers curving. Metal dented beneath it. The driver, wisely, didn’t scream.

Why? Why is it wise? Is Ruhn just going to turn around and snot the guy if he makes a sound? Is this supposed to make me think Ruhn is a badass? Or a scawy scawy maaaaaale?

Ruhn tells Hunt to tell the Governor to put someone other than Hunt on the case, but Hunt says no. They continue to snipe at each other, and Ruhn flashes back to a Spring Equinox party (praise! The author has finally realised the equinox exists!) where he got into a fight with Hunt.

Ruhn bared his teeth. “Blow me, Athalar.”

Oh if only.

They start getting the power rumblies.

But mixing magic and drugs was never a good idea. Fists it would have to be, then.

Because mixing fists and drugs is so much better?

Declan growled, “This isn’t the time or place.”

No, it wasn’t. Even Athalar seemed to remember the gawking people, the upraised phones recording everything.

"Even Athalar remembered?" Well I sure as fuck didn't, because I'm pretty sure you never mentioned them...? "Noticed" would be better to use here.

Anyway, Hunt runs off, and because I guess that could be perceived as backing down, the book sees fit to remind us of his baddassery by telling us people are pressing themselves against buildings to get out of his way and by having Ruhn muse over what a badass he is in his narration. Book, when you show us one thing and then try to tell us another, we're going to believe what we see. Stop gaslighting us. Hunt is a fucking pussy.

After a little more banter and padding, we get the promise that some plot might happen, later, maybe.

Could it really be a coincidence that the murders were starting again at the same time his father had given the order to find an object that had gone missing a week before Danika’s death? It felt … odd. Like Urd was whispering, nudging them all. Ruhn planned to find out why. Starting with finding that Horn.

Please do not let this be another book where we spent 600 pages on pointless shit only for all the plot to suddenly be solved in the last ~20% of the book. Please let him actually search for the horn. On-page.

[describetheepilogues]

you haven't described the epilogue themselves yet

This is true.

Describing the Homestuck Epilogues: Prologue 1

[Plaintext: Describing the Homestuck Epilogues: Prologue 1]

J Egbert has a nightmare about the end of Paradox Space, implied to be caused by a black hole. This black hole likely refers to the one Alternate Calliope (henceforth referred to on this blog as Al) resided in, as well as the one that Lord English and the other ghosts are shown being sucked into in Homestuck: [S] ACT 7. It is the death of the Green Sun.

Some phrases are used to foreshadow. "[...] a trembling thread that cuts through space" could refer to any one of the 7 living space players in Beyond Canon. It could also have been foreshadowing Candy!Jade's death and how the bullet cuts through her head when she dies. "[...] splintering the void into razor sharp shards" also creates a connection to Roxy, who goes through a gender crisis in both timelines.

The most important and intentional foreshadowing: "Around the hole, ghosts scream. [...] They whip together like the wind[.]" This could be a subtle nod to the fact that J Egbert of the Meat timeline dies, rendering him a ghost, although he is not actually a ghostly apparition as far as the readers are aware. He simply haunts the timeline (I will elaborate on this one at a later point).

J wakes up from the nightmare and refers to it as "dreaming in anime", a phrase that he repeats later on in the Candy epilogues (and possibly the Meat epilogues but I am unable to check right now). He checks to see that the world is not ending, and is relieved to find that he is correct. It is noted that he lives in Salamander Village, where nothing of note ever happens (according to J).

While asleep, he has received many messages from his friend Rose Lalonde. Rose is also calling him, and he picks the phone up. Rose notes that he rarely ever responds to his friends' communications and wishes him a happy birthday. Rose says that she assumes the birthday will be uneventful, just like it was the last year, and J says he doesn't want to hold a party. J tells Rose that he has been "dreaming in anime" about millions of people dying and the world breaking apart.

J asks Rose what she thinks the dreams mean, and she admits that she doesn't know. She says that her condition has been getting worse. J is confused because she says she wanted to tell him something and that his birthday would be a good year to do so. She says that she has been getting visions that overwhelm her and asks J to come talk to her in person so that her head doesn't hurt as much. J says yes.

He stands up. The narration points out that he is once again a young man standing alone on his birthday, the 13th of April. It is revealed that he is 23 years old as of this current birthday, meaning it has been 10 years since he got his name and entered SBURB, and 7 years since he and his friends beat the game. The narration then asks J what he will do; this entire passage is an homage to the first few pages of Homestuck.

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

Eureka Day

November 27, 2024 | Broadway | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | Evening | Play | 1H 30M

I saw this one on the third preview, and I wasn't expecting much, but it's so much funnier than you'd think. It has that satirical hyper-PC tone of The Thanksgiving Play but in a more grounded state. It's a story about a liberal private school board in California that has to deal with a sudden mumps outbreak among the students. And turns out there are a lot more anti-vaxxers than they anticipated. The performances all have a solid foundation and will continue to evolve as the run continues. Jessica Hecht gets the strongest material as the career PTA mom-type who's been running the school for decades, at this point. She's scarily good at playing anti-vaxx, and plays so well off of the more subtle Amber Gray (playing a lesbian mother of a special needs boy). MTC shows are historically well-remembered come award season, even for fall shows, so I sense another Tony nomination in Jessica Hecht's future, unless the spring really crowds the field.

There's one early scene that is just too funny for words, and all of the comedy stems from such a simple aspect. It's so predictable, but audiences were crying with laughter, often drowning out the actual dialogue of the scene. Which, of course, is exactly the point. The final thirty seconds are also a scream, and that last line will just take you out. Who could have seen this foreshadowing?

Anyway, I loved it. I'll be back again next weekend after its opening. And I may see it towards closing too, just for comparison. It's cheap, it's accessible, it's worth the night.

Verdict: Why I Love the Theatre

A Note on Ratings